57 pages • 1-hour read
Murder by Cheesecake
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Chapters 1-7Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains references to graphic violence and death.
Chapter 1 Summary: “Coffee and Catastrophe”
In Miami in the late 1980s, Rose Nylund hangs up after a furtive phone call. Her roommates, Dorothy Zbornak, Dorothy’s mother Sophia Petrillo, and Blanche Devereaux ask what is causing her anxiety so early in the day. Rose tries to deny it but soon admits she is worried about her family. Her particular concern is her cousin Nettie, who sees her as a mother figure after her own parents abandoned her. Nettie is happily engaged, but her wedding cannot take place in St. Olaf, Minnesota, as the town’s only hotel recently burned down. Rose is attached to St. Olaf’s unique wedding culture and concerned that Nettie seems eager to elope. When Dorothy asks if the nearby town is a suitable alternative, Rose says, “In the rival hamlet of St. Gustav? […] I may be desperate, but I’m not foolhardy” (13). The other women assure Rose that they will help her plan the wedding.
Later, Rose reluctantly explains to the others that it is important that Nettie’s wedding adhere to every cultural norm, as her fiancé, Jason, is originally from Florida. Though he loves St. Olaf’s quirks and traditions, he is apprehensive. Rose points out that “his rather tepid throwing of the hay during the last annual Hay Day—that really disappointed the elders’” (14). Dorothy asks why they cannot hold the wedding in Miami, as Jason is from nearby Coconut Grove. Rose realizes that the town’s rules require traditional rituals but not a specific location. She exults in the chance to prove to her relatives that she still honors her culture while living away from St. Olaf.
Blanche is excited about the chance to bring one of her many suitors to the wedding. Dorothy, who is cynical about romance after her divorce, admits to herself that she is ready for romantic adventure. She tells the others she will find a date through a new service where potential partners submit VHS tapes of themselves, talking about their lives and preferences, and an agency connects potential matches. Rose urges Dorothy to be careful, as meeting strangers could be dangerous. Dorothy tries to tell herself that she may not find lasting love, but a date to the wedding should be achievable.
Chapter 2 Summary: “Fast-Forward To Romance”
Alone in the house, Dorothy watches VHS tapes from the dating service. She is particularly drawn to a man named Henry Pattinson, who wants an intellectual equal. Dorothy likens him to 1980s actor Tom Selleck. Eventually, the dating service sets up a phone call between the two of them. Dorothy finds Henry personable and becomes hopeful when he is enthusiastic about going to Nettie’s wedding with her. He mentions his love of cooking and a strained relationship to his brother. Dorothy makes plans to meet Henry for lunch in two days.
Rose and the others begin searching for a venue for the ceremony, receptions, and bachelorette party. Rose describes the elaborate St. Olaf traditions in detail on posters. Rose makes massive quantities of cheesecake, with a special recipe she calls St. Olaf’s Kiss, as the cheesecake is topped with traditional Scandinavian lingonberry jam. Sophia complains about how much work the wedding planning is. The others assure Rose they are happy to help. Dorothy explains she has a date coming up. Sophia tells her, “Now don’t screw it up!’” (27).
Chapter 3 Summary: “Lovebirds on a Wire”
At the airport, Rose enthusiastically greets Nettie and is charmed by Jason’s shy nervousness. She meets the maid of honor, Bess, and discovers that the best man, Jorgen, is the son of a childhood friend. Rose is dismissive when Nettie is skeptical about the need for strict adherence to St. Olaf’s customs. Rose, inwardly, admits that “Even if some of them were silly—like the Bridal Ribbon Ballet or the Sharing of the Soup—she couldn’t help but feel that each had somehow contributed to the happiness of her own marriage to Charlie” (32).
As they drive toward the motel Rose selected, Jason and Nettie explain that his family offered the wedding guests their hotel for wedding events, along with rooms for the guests. Jason is dismayed, as he knows his ambitious parents will dictate the entire agenda. Nettie is frustrated and feels the event should reflect their values. Rose promises Nettie that she will figure out how to manage the competing expectations and create a wedding everyone will be proud of. Rose notices that Jorgen is smitten with Blanche.
At the hotel, Jason dreads seeing his ambitious brother-in-law, Chip. Chip is grating and officious and eventually explains that the rest of the family are busy with business matters. As she heads home, Rose regrets that her deceased husband, Charlie, will miss the celebration but hopes it will be a success.
Chapter 4 Summary: “Pickle My Fancy”
Dorothy dresses for her date with Henry, taking extra care with her appearance. The others have no time to comment or tease her, as they are busy carrying cheesecake and other food to Blanche’s car. The food is for the Welcome Tuna Tea, the first official wedding event. Dorothy is exasperated when Rose reminds her not to trust Henry.
Dorothy arrives at her favorite deli and recognizes Henry from the video. Henry mentions that his brother recently borrowed his boat, but he would like to take Dorothy to dinner on it. Dorothy feels the date is going well, but Henry turns suddenly furtive. Dorothy tries to draw him out again, only for him to shock her by asking her age. Dorothy assumes he lied about being interested in women his own age and grows angry. Henry apologizes and asks for another chance. Dorothy tells herself to be less cynical and accepts. Henry retreats to the bathroom after they order pickles to share. After a few minutes, Dorothy realizes Henry has left her alone, which the waitress confirms when she says the bill was paid.
Chapter 5 Summary: “The Sweets Hereafter”
Dorothy reluctantly browses the classified ads hoping to find another date. She tells Sophia she is looking for a bookshelf, leading her mother to comment, “You don’t want the shelf falling under the weight of War and Peace, or whatever it is you read for fun” (49). Sophia is similarly sarcastic when Blanche has obviously dressed up to impress Jorgen. Dorothy makes a mental note to remind her mother there is nothing wrong with women actively pursuing sex and relationships. Rose dismays the group by transporting her famous tuna soufflé in the small car. Dorothy assures her anxious friend that they will help ease any awkwardness between the two families.
The group arrives at the hotel and are greeted by Jason’s sister, Patricia, who is dressed formally, with a perfect manicure and styled hair. She is somewhat condescending to Rose, and Blanche tells Dorothy she is sure Jorgen is unimpressed, as “a true gentleman prefers something real to grab onto” (54). Patricia brags about the hotel’s expansion plans and celebrities who visit the hotel, including the stars of Miami Vice and Cuban American pop singer Gloria Estefan. Patricia patronizingly mispronounces the name of Rose’s hometown and declines her offer of a name tag. Rose and the others move into the industrial kitchen, where Patricia has stored the food for the tea. Rose is surprised to see a chair blocking the freezer door. Jorgen moves it. Rose surveys the contents, and feels “her foot hit something icy and hard” (57). Rose screams.
Chapter 6 Summary: “The Way the Cheesecake Crumbles”
The entire group screams as they see a dead man on the floor, holding a knife in his hand. Rose, naively, asks the others if they might be able to “help him…defrost?” and Sophia tells her, “he’s not a pot roast” (60). Sophia jokes about people refusing to eat the cheesecake if they suspect it is poisoned. Hotel staff enter and surprise the group by suggesting they will remove the body and alert Patricia rather than the police. Patricia arrives, insisting the party should proceed as planned. Sophia is incredulous when the others suggest hiding the event from Nettie and resuming the party, but Rose agrees, declaring to herself, “there was no use crying over smashed cheesecake” (64).
Chapter 7 Summary: “Out of the Freezer, Into the Frying Pan”
Rose surveys the decorations and sets up for the party, trying to dispel her anxiety about the mysterious man’s death. Nettie and Jason arrive with the rest of her relatives from Minnesota, and Rose greets them warmly. Rose’s older aunt Katrina tells her she looks more sophisticated, and Rose realizes she has changed her style. She contemplates the changes in her nails, as “in St. Olaf, she’d never painted her nails, since it would chip the moment she picked up a butter churn and deboned a walleye pike” (68). She assures her family the town and its traditions still matter greatly to her and assures her skeptical cousin Gustave, St. Olaf’s mayor, that the change in setting will not compromise St. Olaf’s cultural practices. Gustave sternly reminds Rose that Nettie and Jason will not be able to reside in St. Olaf, nor will she receive her inheritance from the town trust, unless her wedding follows the correct protocols. Rose’s aunt despairs of Miami, arguing that it has no space for the cultural values of Midwesterners. Sophia is offended, but Gustave agrees, referencing the television hit Miami Vice and its focus on luxury, individualism, and crime.
As Gustav and Katrina lament that Nettie is marrying an outsider, Nettie arrives and interrupts, reminding them she loves her fiancé and that he loves the town’s traditions and values, even though he is constantly judged for not being from Minnesota. Rose steers Nettie away to other family friends, hoping to break the tension. Rose watches guests eat cheesecake, reminded of the dead man. She assures herself mortality and loss are unavoidable. The atmosphere seems more relaxed as everyone eats, and Rose congratulates herself on salvaging the situation. Her exultation is interrupted as “a line of uniformed police officers swarmed the patio” (73).
Chapters 1-7 Analysis
The novel’s opening act introduces the characters and their central concerns, along with setting up core aspects of the mystery plot. The early interweaving of sitcom-style banter with murder-mystery tropes creates a tonal hybridity, foregrounding how humor and peril will coexist throughout the text. This section functions as a narrative foundation, establishing Rose’s anxiety about preserving tradition, Dorothy’s tentative pursuit of romance, and the women’s shared willingness to support one another despite clashing temperaments. By ending the first act with the shocking discovery of a body hidden among cheesecakes, Ekstrom Courage makes clear that the novel will continually test the protagonists’ loyalties, identities, and ability to merge comedy with crisis.
Rose’s devotion to her hometown of St. Olaf is presented as both comedic and serious, functioning as a marker of identity and a source of emotional tension. Her insistence on preserving rituals often makes her appear naïve or out of step with others, yet it also reveals the depth of her longing for continuity, stability, and connection. By making St. Olaf and its unique and intentionally exaggerated midwestern values central to her story, Ekstrom Courage adds more seriousness to Rose’s emotional life. The wedding plot brings out the theme of Tensions Between Individual Desires and Collective Traditions. Rose’s young cousin sees her as a mother figure, and their differing attitudes toward their hometown’s culture adds to the sense of generational and emotional distance between them. While Nettie wants a wedding that reflects her and her fiancé, Rose associates St. Olaf with her own beloved spouse, Charlie, and their life together. Rose is also on the defensive as her relatives judge her new adopted town and changes in her personal style. Rose’s painted nails, for instance, symbolize both her assimilation into Miami culture and her lingering desire to prove continuity with St. Olaf, showing how bodily detail becomes a site of cultural anxiety. Gustave’s choice to underestimate Rose’s commitment to her values also leads him to ignore her friends. He does not recognize that her belief in community—part of her heritage—now extends to her life in Miami and the devotion she inspires in her housemates. Rose’s devotion to her hometown of St. Olaf and its many eccentricities. This section of the novel therefore frames tradition not as static or parochial, but as a living inheritance that Rose must renegotiate. Her anxiety about honoring St. Olaf’s rituals becomes a way of asking whether memory and loyalty can coexist with adaptation, a central question that animates the first act of the story.
Attitudes toward dating and marriage form much of Dorothy’s character arc. Dorothy’s cynicism about men and romance after her divorce helps develop both character and setting. The use of a VHS dating service helps ground the novel in the technological limits of the 1980s, while sections from Dorothy’s perspective reveal her doubts and insecurities. When her date with Henry becomes tense when he asks about her age, Dorothy assumes she is being cast aside for lacking a youthful appearance. Both Dorothy and Blanche develop the theme of Agency in Later Life and Overcoming Stereotypes, as Blanche’s interest in Jorgen, like Dorothy’s search for a date, posit that romance and dating are not limited by age or the cultural assumption that older women are inherently less attractive or worthy of love. Dorothy’s embarrassment at the deli scene is not only a gesture of vulnerability but also a disruption of her usual wit, revealing how the promise of romance destabilizes her guarded persona. Blanche’s boldness with Jorgen, meanwhile, serves as a counterpoint, asserting sexuality as a form of agency in later life. At the same time, Dorothy’s anxiety about her mother’s views of her romantic life underline that parent-child relationships can remain complicated well into adulthood. Sophia’s interjections blur maternal judgment and comic relief, showing that generational ties are both protective and undermining—a duality that shapes Dorothy’s sense of self.
Dorothy and Rose are opposites in some respects, as Dorothy is cynical and intellectual rather than naive or traditional. Rose’s anxieties about Dorothy’s dating add a complication to the theme of Friendship as a Source of Strength and Security. Though Rose trusts her friends to help her plan the wedding, and they assuage her doubts and fears, Dorothy has not yet admitted to the failure of her date, and Rose’s doubts foreshadow the deeper suspicions and ruptures that will emerge once the investigation intensifies. At the same time, even the discovery of a body does not shake the group’s resolve to continue the event and allow Rose to prove herself to her family, affirming that while they may have conflicts, the group’s commitment to each other is unshakeable. This tension illustrates how friendship among older women is portrayed with complexity. It is not sentimentalized but treated with the same seriousness and nuance often reserved for younger protagonists, surviving suspicion, rivalry, and misunderstanding.
The discovery of the body add dimension to established and new characters. Sophia, the group’s oldest member, seems most unfazed by the discovery of the dead man. She turns to quips rather than fear or anxiety, though she disagrees with the rest of the group about continuing with the party. Her humor is not trivializing but functions as a survival strategy, demonstrating how wit protects against fear. This moment reinforces the theme of Agency in Later Life and Overcoming Stereotypes, since Sophia refuses to be cowed by circumstances that could overwhelm characters with less life experience. The discovery of a corpse among a freezer of cheesecakes ties into the television show, as the four housemates consume this dessert during times of stress and celebration. Cheesecake thus begins to operate as a motif, linking domestic comfort with the intrusion of death, and symbolically blending friendship rituals with the genre’s darker stakes.
Patricia’s reaction to the situation helps confirm Jason’s assessment of his family as ambitious and self-centered, setting her up as a red herring, a suspect who is not the ultimate culprit. This also helps set up various aspects of the cozy mystery genre, as the mysterious death is not violent and is even a source of some comedy. The freezer body trope highlights the tension between nourishment and mortality, underscoring how comedy and horror interpenetrate the domestic sphere. The hotel serves as the community at the center of the mystery, helping establish Patricia as a plausible suspect. The arrival of the police signals a key shift in the narrative, challenging the characters with an immediate obstacle. Rose can no longer concentrate exclusively on the wedding and will be forced to directly confront her family’s assumptions that Miami is inherently perilous. Though cozy mysteries rely on familiar and peaceful settings, the novel’s first act sets up that even a low-stakes crime can have high emotional stakes for its protagonists. By combining murder with wedding planning, Ekstrom Courage demonstrates that rituals of love and rituals of death exist in uneasy proximity, foregrounding the fragility of security in both personal and communal life.
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