Murder by Cheesecake - Review

Author: Rachel Ekstrom Courage

Genre: Murder Mystery

Format: Paperback

Pages: 336

Okay, this was one of my most anticipated reads of this year. I mean it combines two of my favorite things: cozy murder mysteries and the Golden Girls. What could possibly go wrong? Well, lots of the things, really, I have plenty of examples of things from childhood tampered with and ruined. So while I was very excited about this, I was also a little worried. Was this going to hold the same memories of sitting on the couch my Great Grandmother's, in the morning, having nothing better to do while I waited for the dew to dry to mow their tiny little lawn.  

The short answer is, no, this didn't disappoint. Rachel Courage knows her Golden Girls from the inside out, and I really feel like she did the characters and the show justice. We got to "picture it", Sophia had so many wild stories, Blanche was Blanche, and Rose and Dorthy were the stars of our show. The point of view jumped between them both and I loved it. You got Dorthy's thought out, cynical, and down to earth thought process throughout the whole case, and the lovable, air-headed, what did she just say thoughts of Rose.

All while planning a wedding and solving a mystery.

As a fan of the show, there was only one thing I wanted that I didn't get. There was no Stanley, and while he's not in every episode, I have no idea how Courage would have even fit him into the story. I just feel like if he'd have heard Dorthy was in trouble, he would have come running to accidentally make it worse. Still not the end of the world. And you know what made up for it? All the little Easter Eggs hidden inside the book, mostly fun references to episodes. So this book could have fit nicely in between.

As for the mystery itself, it follows the standard pattern of most cozy murder mysteries. Nothing too complicated or convoluted, where even with a large cast of characters, I was doing a pretty good job of juggling everything. I thought the pacing was great as well, never once did I feel question why I was still here. I think the side plot of the wedding really helped with that. I also loved the '80s and '90s sort of cheese that came with the shows back then. Did we need the car case? No, probably not, there was probably another way to come about it. But it did kill two birds with one stone, and it was a pretty epic moment for Rose.

I will say, I immediately knew who the bad guy was. From the moment that Courage introduced him, I knew. I even wrote it in the book, and I was so excited that I was right. Because this book is the archetype of  80s and 90s scum bag. So I was thrilled to have called it so early with so little information. It also probably helps that I read so many of these years, I'm very good at realizing a villain's setup.

Either way, this was an absolute delight and totally worth the wait! Right now, this is set to look like a series of some kind, and I honestly would love for Courage to write more! I mean, if anyone would suspect of killing someone, it's Sophia! Or Stan! I love it! Anyway, I hope there's more to this series in the future, and if you're a fan of murder mysteries and the Golden Girls, definitely check this one out!

    HAPPY READING!!