A beauty pageant goes awry when one of the judges is murdered, and Melanie and Angie's friend is the number one suspect. As always, romance complicates the bakers' lives, too. This sixth culinary entry (after Going, Going, Ganache) is a consistently rewarding cozy series set in Scottsdale, AZ. Mouthwatering recipes included, natch. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Prolific series author McKinlay adds another smart, engaging read to her Cupcake Bakery series. Melanie Cooper's mom sponsors Lupe, a skateboarding tomboy with college aspirations, in a local beauty pageant, and she convinces Melanie and Angie DeLaura, co-owners of Fairy Tale Cupcakes, to provide the cupcakes for the competition. When head judge Mariel is found strangled with a sash under the cupcake display table, Lupe is the lead suspect. Mariel gave Lupe insultingly low scores and referred to her as trash, prompting the teen to threaten her. Melanie tries to pin down alibis and motive, the latter being no easy task, as no one liked the victim. Meanwhile, Melanie is struggling to understand why she broke off her engagement to a man she still loves. McKinlay is able to balance all the story lines with clarity and realism. The cupcake-recipe element provides much of the humor in this entertaining foodie mystery. Fans of Laura Childs may also enjoy this series.--Alessio, Amy Copyright 2014 Booklist