Death by the Dozen by Jenn McKinlay (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #3)

Title: Death by the Dozen (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #3)

Author: Jenn McKinlay

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Source: Given to me by a friend

Published: Berkley, October 4, 2011

Type:  Mass Market Paperback

ISBN: 9780425244050

Synopsis of Book: Melanie and Angie are determined to win the Challenge to the Chef to promote their Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery. Mel's mentor from culinary school, Vic Mazzotta, may be one of the judges, but Mel and Angie will have to win fair and square. But, when Vic's dead body is found inside a freezer truck, Mel and Angie will need to use their best judgment to find the cold-blooded killer or they may lose more than the contest- they may lose their lives.  
Why I Read This Book: I have been reading this whole series with a friend and could not wait to continue with it.
What I liked: I liked how Melanie always seems to get herself tied up in solving the murder. I also liked the addition of Oz - I think I am going to like him. Jenn's writing style seems to flow to me and makes me not want to put the book down.
What I didn't Liked: I miss the old man from the second book, I hope he returns in the next book.
Overall Impression: Well Melanie and Angie seem to have found themselves mixed up in a murder again with finding Vic on ice. I enjoy the Melanie and Angie work together but at the same time Melanie works by herself to solve the murder. To explain: when things get real hairy Angie is there to make sure Melanie is going to be safe but it seems Melanie does a little more of the digging to figure out what happened. Melanie and Joe seem to be getting a little more settled in their relationship and the little kitten seems to help that along. We have another new edition to this book and it is Oz the high school intern. When he was first introduced I was not sure I was going to like him but he is growing on me and I hope to see more of him in the next book. Olivia - what can I say about her other than she is even nuttier in this book than the last one - but it is fun to see what she is going to come up with next to try to stop Fairy Tale Cupcakes from succeeding. I did not see the murderer until the very end in this book and that is good as it kept me guessing. The bad thing I found myself staying up late just to get a few more pages in as I could not put the book down. I loved the whole baking competition in this book, I love watching those types of shows so I thought it was great to include it in the book and it was fun to hear a little about the people Melanie went to school with. Another good addition to this series and I look forward to reading #4 next month. 5 Stars.