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N. N. Light
Dec 27, 20193 min read

Christmas Cupcakes and a Caper: A Humorous Culinary Cozy Mystery Short by @dehaggerty #bookreview



Title: Christmas Cupcakes and a Caper: A Humorous Culinary Cozy Mystery Short Read (Death by Cupcake Book 4)

Author: D.E. Haggerty

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Holiday Fiction


Book Blurb:

It’s all candy cane cupcakes and peppermint coffee until you find a dead elf on your doorstep.

Only the elf wasn’t a real elf, because elves don’t actually exist – not even at Christmas time. A college student dressed like an elf decided taking a nap in sub-zero winter temps was a good idea. It wasn’t. Anna, the pink-haired baker extraordinaire of Callie’s Cakes, is convinced the student’s death was not an accident. She drags Callie and Kristie along with her as she attempts to discover who killed the elf … um… student.

Will the gals of Callie’s Cakes find the killer before Christmas is ruined?

Cupcakes not included, although you’ll find recipes for all the delicious Christmas cupcakes Anna baked.


My Review:

Callie, Anna and Kristie are back for a yummy holiday cozy mystery. When the ladies discover a dead man dressed as an elf on the front stoop of Callie’s Cakes, Anna’s ready to dive into the sleuthing. Callie, not so much. Between teaching and running her own business, she’s spent. Add the mysterious actions of her boyfriend and Callie is ready to throw in the towel. But Anna’s enthusiasm won’t be quenched, no matter how much booze she sneaks into her cupcakes, so Callie and Kristie tag along. Soon, they’re framed for murder and these ladies will stop at nothing to unwrap the killer, no matter what their law-enforcement and fire department boyfriends say.


Christmas Cupcakes and a Caper is my Christmas wish come true. D.E. Haggerty has mixed cozy comedy with cozy mystery within a snow globe of antics by three of my favorite literary characters. There’s a true whodunit shaken with plenty of humorous lines and a dizzying array of baked treats. It’s light, fun and perfect for the holidays. There’s a bit of serious talk dealing with frat boys and date rape which was really well done. The plot moves at a quick pace and the unveiling of the murderer shocked me. I never expected it.


If you’re looking for a holiday cozy mystery to curl up to, pick this up right away. Highly recommend!


My Rating: 5 stars


Buy it Now:

Free to read on Kindle Unlimited!









Author Biography:

Dena (aka D.E.) grew up reading everything she could get her grubby hands on from her mom's Harlequin romances to Nancy Drew to Little Women. When she wasn't flipping pages in a library book, she was penning horrendous poems, writing songs no one should ever sing, or drafting stories, which she is very thankful have been destroyed. College and a stint in the U.S. Army came along and robbed her of any free time to write or read, although on the odd occasion she did manage to sneak a book into her rucksack between rolled up socks, MRIs, t-shirts, and cold weather gear. After surviving the army experience, she went back to school and got her law degree. She jumped ship and joined the hubby in the Netherlands before the graduation ceremony could even begin. A few years into her legal career, she was exhausted, fed up, and just plain done. She quit her job and sat down to write a manuscript, which she promptly hid in the attic after returning to the law. But being a lawyer really wasn’t her thing, so she quit (again!) and went off to Germany to start a B&B. Turns out being a B&B owner wasn’t her thing either. She polished off that manuscript languishing in the attic before following the husband to Istanbul where she decided to give the whole writer-thing a go. But ten years was too many to stay away from her adopted home. She packed up again and moved back to the Netherlands (The Hague to be exact) where she's currently working on her next book. She hopes she'll always be working on another book.


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Reviewed by: Mrs. N


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