Pastry chef Sophia Cummings, the heroine of this diverting, if at times overly busy series debut from the pseudonymous Bell, wowed New York City for a decade with her sweets, but she has slunk home to Rumford, Ky., after catching her lover, chef Noah, with their restaurant's maître d'. Now high school chum Charlotte Harrington needs a substitute cake for her wedding, four days hence at the Rumford Country Club. When Sophia goes to meet RCC chef Emile and check the kitchen, she finds him on the floor, dead, next to a gleaming new skillet, the apparent murder weapon. She repeatedly tells handsome Sheriff Carter Kincaid that Southern cooks don't use unseasoned skillets-ever. Carter knocks Sophia's sleuthing, but her skillet obsession stokes his suspicions about club manager Evelyn Moss. Sophia has to find the real killer to take the heat off Evelyn and ensure that Charlotte's dream wedding can happen. Cozy fans, especially those who are compulsive early-morning bakers, will look forward to Sophia's further culinary adventures. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Sophia Cummings is a Manhattan pastry chef, but her roots are in Rumford, KY. Now she's back for a brief visit and to heal a broken heart but is quickly recruited to bake a cake for the wedding of her high school best friend Charlotte. Sophia is at the country club to check out the kitchen when the club's chef is found dead. She insists that the murder weapon, a frying pan, did not belong to the victim, but Sheriff Carter Kincaid is unconvinced. To save Charlotte's wedding, Sophia turns amateur sleuth, a task that endangers her while putting her in the way of the charming sheriff. Assuming the pen name of Bell, best-selling cozy author Tonya Kappes ("Killer Coffee" series) launches a delightful new series, introducing an appealing cast of amusing, gossipy Southern women and a spunky sleuth. VERDICT Although the premise-a failed romance, a return home, and a spark with a new love interest-is not particularly fresh, the believable characters and the charming small-town setting overcome these slight flaws. Kappes's fans, along with readers of Joanne Fluke and Jenn McKinlay, will savor the humor and bakery connection.-Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Baker Sophia Cummings returns to small-town Kentucky to recover after finding her chef boyfriend with another lover. She is soon roped into baking the wedding cake for a childhood friend, as well as stepping in to help run the country-club kitchen after Chef Emile is found murdered with a skillet. The chief suspect is the restaurant manager, Evelyn, who gave Sophia her first kitchen job as a teen; Sophia believes Evelyn is innocent and sets out to find the real killer. Meanwhile, the handsome sheriff, who had a crush on Sophia in high school, flirts with her despite being annoyed whenever Sophia uncovers a clue in the case. There are probably too many small-town cozies featuring handsome law-enforcement officials, but here the cliché is offset by snappy writing and a winning cast of characters. Interest in foodie mysteries remains high.--Alessio, Amy Copyright 2018 Booklist