Murder at First Slice by Valerie Burns

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Murder at First Slice

by Valerie Burns

Series: Baker Street Mystery #5
Series Rating:
Published by Kensington Books on July 28, 2026
Setting: New Bison, Michigan
Genres: Cozy Culinary Mystery
Pages: 249
Format: Audible Audiobook, Kindle, Paperback
Source: NetGalley
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Also in this series: Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder , Murder is a Piece of Cake, A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death, Icing on the Murder

Social media queen-turned-small-town baker Maddy Montgomery, her feisty friends, and her faithful English mastiff know you have to break a few eggs to solve a murder. . .

As Maddy’s wedding day approaches, friends and family descend on the little town of New Bison, Michigan, to celebrate—so much so that Maddy wonders if there might be another happily-ever-after in store for her widowed father and innkeeper Mrs. Law. Unfortunately, she also has to deal with an unhappy couple: feuding cousins Hannah and Dorothy, who haven’t spoken in decades. Maddy can only hope the spectacular wedding cake crafted by her head baker doesn’t wind up as ammunition in a food fight.

But she doesn’t have to wait long for a wedding disaster to strike. When the imperious Dorothy crashes the rehearsal dinner—with several uninvited guests in tow—and starts battering everyone with constant complaints, the drama reaches reality-show levels. And the next day, Dorothy is dead . . . with Hannah standing over the body, bloody rolling pin in hand.

Nobody in town believes Miss Hannah could commit murder. But a detective newly relocated from New York doesn’t know the sweet, memory-challenged Hannah the way the locals do—and the evidence seems open-and-shut as an oven. Now, with her sous-sleuths the Baker Street Irregulars, the bride-to-be is busy digging into Dorothy’s past to catch a killer before she cuts the cake . . .

Murder at First Slice by Valerie Burns is the latest installment in the Baker Street Mystery series and the one where Maddy gets married to Michael. These two are honestly so adorable.

Can Maddy keep Hannah out of jail and walk down the aisle in time for her wedding?

Maddy Montgomery

Maddy Montgomery is our sleuth and is getting married very soon to her veterinary Army doctor named Michael. These two are sweet together, and I’m happy that they are finally tying the knot, even if it was a very fast dating and then straight to the wedding. Maddy deserves all the happiness she can get. This is so true, as she found her place in small-town New Bison, Michigan. She is a great sleuth, and I’m always so amazed at how she can get people to talk to her.

I think if I were in New Bison, Michigan, I would be friends with Maddy.

The Victim

Maddy didn’t know who to invite, so she invited everyone that Michael’s family gave her on multiple lists. Meaning poor Maddy invited a cousin of Miss Hannah’s who no one likes, named Dorothy. It becomes very clear once Dorothy shows up why no one likes her, including Miss Hannah. Dorothy wasn’t a very nice person to a ton of people. However, she gets her comeuppance. The problem is that she definitely didn’t deserve to die in the way she did.

I definitely didn’t fall for the red herrings and guessed who did it, but not for the main reasoning. Wow, was that a shocker.

Five Stars

My rating for Murder at First Slice by Valerie Burns is five stars. I am in love with this series, and I can’t wait to see where Ms. Burns takes them next. Well, that is, if there is a next time now that Maddy is married. Maddy honestly has grown so much since the first book, and it’s nice to see that.

Ms. Burns has recipes in the back of the book. So, be on the lookout for those. They are Old-Fashioned Butter Cake, Snickerdoodles, and Shortbread Cookies by Lynna Dunn.

Baker Street Mystery Series

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Murder at First Slice by Valerie Burns.

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2026 Cloak and Dagger
• 2026 Craving the Cozies
• 2026 Cruisin' thru the Cozies
• 2026 Finish the Series RC
• 2026 Goodreads RC
• 2026 Medical Examiner Mystery RC
• 2026 Six Shooter RC
• 2026 Traveling the World

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