The diva says cheesecake!

Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, event planner Sophie Winston investigates when her friend Bernie Frei, manager of The Laughing Hound, is accused of murdering Tate Bodoin, owner of Blackwell's Tavern. While there is evidence connecting Bernie to the killing, Sophie refuses to believe he is guilty. Other suspects include Bodoin's wife, a possible mistress, a mysterious woman, his restaurant's assistant manager, and even his stepson. As Sophie gets close to identifying the killer, she is attacked twice, by two different people, both warning her to cease investigating. Sophie is thrown when she realizes Bernie has lied to her about knowing one of the suspects, but she perseveres, ultimately being confronted by the killer. Details of event planning frame the story, but there's plenty of baking, too, and recipes. The nicely delineated setting and sympathetic characters are reminiscent of Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen cozies, which also include baking and a group of close friends working together to solve crimes.

In midsummer, event planner and advice columnist Sophie Winston has several big events planned, including a dinner for Bobbie Sue Bodoin, "the Cheesecake Queen." Bobbie Sue didn't realize, when she scheduled her dinner to coincide with Old Town Alexandria's midsummer celebration, that her daughter would be in a ballet that evening, her son would be running in a marathon, and her husband Tate wouldn't show up for any of the events. When Sophie finds a dead body in the basement of Tate's restaurant, she has no reason to get involved in the case. That is, until one of her best friends is arrested for murder and Tate's family members beg Sophie to find the killer. Sophie's threatened, and continues to uncover clues, before she bumbles her way to the correct solution. VERDICT Even the best cozy series have a weak one, and Sophie seems out of sync as an amateur sleuth in this 15th "Domestic Diva" mystery (following The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit). Fans should concentrate on the recipes and the familiarity of Sophie's circle of friends.--Lesa Holstine

Another day, another party, another murder for Alexandria, Virginia, advice columnist/event planner Sophie Winston. Cheesecake queen Bobbie Sue Bodoin's Midsummer Night's dinner party is the event of Old Town's season, at least until the Fourth of July extravaganza Sophie's planning for old Ms. Hollingsworth-Smythe. But Bobbie Sue's husband, restaurateur Tate Bodoin, is absent and missing the performance their daughter Jo's ballet class is giving. Fortunately, he's got a great excuse: He's lying dead in the alley in back of Blackwell's Tavern, the place he owns and manages. The obvious suspect is Sophie's friend Bernie Frei, whose ownership of The Laughing Hound makes him technically Tate's business competitor. Actually, Blackwell's assistant manager, Marsha Bathurst, darkly hints, their rivalry was much more personal. Her insinuations, joined with the forensic evidence the Alexandria police dig up, lead Sgt. Wolf Fleishman to arrest Bernie even though Bernie is such a nice guy that nobody, including Fleishman, believes him guilty--except for Marsha, whose relationship to her boss may have run deeper than suspected as well. Actually, Spencer Carver, Bobbie Sue's first husband, may have had it in for Tate, as may their teenage son, Pierce Carver. And what about Eli Dawson, the Blackwell's bartender who was two-timing Marsha with Laughing Hound assistant manager Eva Morales? As Sophie and her best friend, Nina Reid Norwood, swing into action, they're stunned when one of the suspects actually asks to see their credentials. Credentials? sniffs Nina. Don't they know about the duo's impressive record? Suspicious but forgettable characters fill out a teensy mystery. Eleven appended recipes are the highlight. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.