Title:	The Cupcake Caper
	Author:	Kelle Z Riley
	Published:	September 29, 2016, Curtis Brown Unlimited
	No. of Pages:	284
	Cover Price:	$11.99 Paperback, $2.99 Kindle

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Kelle Z. Riley has created a unique series, she calls Undercover Cat Series, and in the first installment, The Cupcake Caper, protagonist, Dr. Bree Watson, who is a chemist, finds her boss’ body; he has been poisoned, and she is one of the leading suspects. Of course, she wants to prove her innocence, and begins to investigate the details of the murder to clear her name. Unfortunately, one of her prime suspects is a sexy co-worker who seems to be too involved in things that aren’t relevant to his job description. He also shows up a few times away from work to get her out of trouble, and with her scientific mind, Bree isn’t sure she is safe around him. One of the other things on her agenda is to find the perfect recipe for some cupcakes she’s been craving, and her chemist background is the perfect thing to help her achieve that goal.

While most of us would expect a scientist to be a bit boring and an unacceptable character, Bree is quite charming and makes this series a fun read. And while it is a cozy, even a culinary mystery, it has plenty of suspense, and during one part of the novel, it looks like Bree might not even survive. Bree knows nothing about cats, but her human side kicks in when her boss’ cat will be taken to the pound if she doesn’t take it. In a way, her new cat helps solve the murder, or at least gives her ideas, and makes the book even more fun. Riley is a good storyteller, and even though most of us don’t have the scientific mind of a chemist, she makes it interesting and develops Bree into a viable main character.

Readers who enjoy the lighter side of suspense will want to pick upThe Cupcake Caper, and will want to read the subsequent novels in the series. A bonus is that there is a recipe for Killer Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes – Yum!

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.