Mistletoe Cake Murder

October 24, 2021

Mistletoe Cake Murder

Mistletoe Cake Murder (All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery)
by Lena Gregory

The story moves at a good pace, with tension, twists, and turns. The characters are wonderful, with a few exceptions, and the mystery unfolds to a logical conclusion . . .
~Christa Reads and Writes

The mystery is well paced with plenty of clues and interesting people popping into the story to provide them. There are wonderful wrong directions to look in and plenty of suspects, most of whom I would vote for locking up, just to make the world a nicer place whether they are the murderer or not.
~I Read What You Write!

About Mistletoe Cake Murder

Mistletoe Cake Murder (All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Setting – Florida
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lyrical Press (October 12, 2021)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 219 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08T6JHSZT

’Tis the season for celebrating when Gia Morelli’s holidays include both a wedding and yuletide festivities. Until someone naughty delivers a most unwanted Christmas gift—murder. . .

For a native New Yorker, palm trees and warm temperatures don’t equal winter, much less Christmastime. Nevertheless, Gia Morelli’s friends have decked the halls and trimmed the trees to truly welcome her into their “family” with an old-fashioned Boggy Creek, Florida holiday season. Even more joyous, Savannah Mills is getting married on Christmas Eve—the greatest gift Gia could ever wish for her best friend.

But when Gia and Savannah stop by the caterer for a final tasting a week before the wedding, they overhear another bride arguing with her son about her husband-to-be. Moments later, the woman is sampling a piece of wedding cake—gorgeously decorated with mistletoe frosting—then suddenly dies.

Now Gia’s caterer friends are the prime suspects in what appears to be murder by poisoning. To clear their names and ensure Savannah has a merry matrimony will require Gia to conjure up a Christmas miracle . . .

Includes recipes from the All-Day Breakfast Café!

Homemade Centerpieces
By Gia Morelli

When I fled New York City and escaped to the outskirts of Central Florida’s Ocala National Forest, I used the last of my savings to buy a small house and open the All-Day Breakfast Café. My best friend, Savannah Mills, helped me set up and decorate the café. Before I arrived, Savannah made blue and white gingham curtains, dark blue tablecloths, and cushions with zipper covers for the light-colored wood chairs. She also added a few strategically placed paintings of local scenery and hung a hand painted, wooden open/closed sign in the front window. Savannah did an amazing job creating the comfortable feeling of home I was striving for.
Unfortunately, I don’t share Savannah’s creative talents. I’m also out of money, so when it came time to make centerpieces, I had to come up with something cozy but inexpensive. With very little time left, I decided on an easy, inexpensive idea that anyone can make, even me.
I love the beach. Although I haven’t had much free time since arriving in Florida, I do manage to sneak away for a little while, and when I do, I head straight for the ocean. I walk along the beach with a bucket in hand, collecting anything I find that catches my interest; beach glass, seashells, small rocks, twigs, beach grass, driftwood, even a length of old fishing net. After that, I stroll through town and hit up the antique shops, and even the dollar stores, and pick out a variety of glass containers, mason jars, and small candles.
When I get back to the café, I sift through all of the interesting things I found on the beach and sort them into jars. Some jars get candles in the center—of course, I’m careful not to put anything flammable in those. Others get beach grass or twigs sticking out the top. If the jars have no fun decorations on them, I tie a ribbon, a length of rope, or a leather cord around them.
When I’m done, I set a jar or two in the center of each table, then I create a setting on the counter behind the register. I spread a small bit of fishing net on the counter and arrange the jars among pieces of driftwood. With the lights dimmed and the candles lit, my customers can enjoy an intimate setting with their meals. For a holiday twist on them, I sometimes add some mistletoe, fake snow (since there’s no real snow to be found in Central Florida), and festive ribbon.

About Lena Gregory

Lena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, but she recently traded in cold, damp, gray winters for the warmth and sunshine of central Florida, where she now lives with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Her hobbies include spending time with family, reading, and walking. Her love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night. She works full-time as a writer and a freelance editor and is a member of Sisters in Crime.

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