Book Review: Murder by Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery by Rachel Ekstron Courage

Last year, I purchased a novel called Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstron Courage. It is a cozy mystery inspired by the TV series Golden Girls. I am not a big fan of Golden Girls, but I know many people love the show. One of my friends is a fan of the show. They were really excited when they found out there would be a cozy mystery novel inspired by the show. I was happy for my friend, but I didn’t really think the book would be right for me. (After all, I’m not a big Golden Girls fan!)

After my friend read the book, they began to encourage me to buy the book and read it too. After listening to them describe the book, I began like the idea of the book, how it was written, and other parts of it. So, I decided to buy myself a copy of the novel and read it myself.

Before I read the whole book, I decided to try the cheesecake recipe in the book. I talked about it and if I liked it in a previous post. (You can read it here) Aside from talking about the cheesecake recipe, I didn’t talk about the actual novel. I have since read the book and decided to write a review post about it!

The book’s synopsis from Amazon is…

When Dorothy’s obnoxious date is found dead in a hotel freezer, it not only ruins a gorgeous cheesecake but threatens the elaborate St. Olaf–themed wedding Rose is hosting.

Things are heating up, and not just because of Blanche’s hot flashes. Rose’s cousin is eloping to Miami, and Rose is playing host. If she can’t balance the groom’s family’s snobbery against the traditional St. Olaf wedding week guidelines, her hometown may never accept her cousin again!

Dorothy quickly realizes she needs a date with whom she can exchange wedding-related wisecracks. Turning to a newfangled VHS dating service, she believes she’s found the ideal conversationalist. Unfortunately, what looks good on TV can actually be a total jerk in real life. It seems she’ll just have to enjoy the company of Sophia, Blanche, and whomever Blanche has targeted for a hookup.

As the Girls all pitch in, Rose is thrilled that the tea-and-fish-themed kickoff event is perfect, not a herring out of place. That is until Dorothy’s date is found dead—face-planted in an otherwise scrumptious-looking cheesecake. With every guest a suspect (especially Dorothy) and a marriage on the line, the four besties must ID the real killer, get the should-be-happy couple down the aisle, and make sure nobody from St. Olaf gets lost in the wilds of Miami. It’s up to the Golden Girls to sleuth out a way for friendship and love to win the day!

Even though I’m not a big fan of Golden Girls, I really love this book! It is cute and a good cozy mystery. Unlike other novels inspired by other TV shows, Murder by Cheesecake is a really good book. It has a lot of humor (I was sometimes laughing while reading the book, which is really rare for me) and the murder mystery is well thought out. The way the clues are discovered as well as who did the crime and why is very logical.

The part I am the most impressed by is how in likeness of the TV show this book is. The characters are extremely similar, if not the same, as in the TV show. The way the character would quibble (Their quibbling is something I didn’t like the in show) was directed towards solving the crime. Even though the quibbles were something I never liked in the series, when the four women worked together to solve the crime, their quibbles made more sense. In fact, I liked their quibbles. It showed how each of the women saw the clues and how different their perspectives are in relation to solving the mystery.

I really love this book and highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the series or anyone who is curious about it. It has a great storyline, great character development, (Including the new characters introduced in the novel) good humor, and a really good story and mystery. The pacing can be a little off in certain areas, but it picks up again. Other than that it is a really good, cozy book to read!

That’s all for now! Thank you for reading!