The Look of Love

At the start of Clark’s diverting second Piper Donovan cozy (after 2011’s To Have and to Kill), Piper, a New York City cake decorator and aspiring actress, receives an invitation to stay, all-expenses-paid, at Elysium, one of L.A.’s most exclusive spas, in exchange for making the wedding cake for the owner’s daughter, the beautiful Jillian Abernathy. Alas, Jillian’s pending nuptials have not gone well. First, someone disfigures Jillian’s maid, mistaking her for her employer. And before the ailing maid can identify her assailant, she’s murdered. These unfortunate events, once leaked to the press, tarnish the spa’s reputation and reveal the grit behind the glitter. As Jillian’s wedding grows near, the attacks continue, drawing closer to the bride. While Piper may make an unlikely detective, she has personality, which is more than can be said of the supporting cast of familiar types (vengeful stepmother, doting oblivious father, etc.). (Jan.)