Thursday, November 25, 2021

Review: The Quiche and the Dead by Kirsten Weiss


 About the Book


Genre
Cozy Mystery
 
Format
E-ARC
 
Publisher
Kensington
 
Release Date
October 31, 2017

 

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Is Val's breakfast pie the quiche of death? Owning her own business seemed like pie in the sky to Valentine Harris when she moved to the coastal California town of San Nicholas, expecting to start a new life with her fiance. Five months--and a broken engagement--later, at least her dream of opening a pie shop has become a reality. But when one of her regulars keels over at the counter while eating a quiche, Val feels like she's living a nightmare. After the police determine the customer was poisoned, business at Pie Town drops faster than a fallen crust. Convinced they're both suspects, Val's flaky, seventy-something pie crust maker Charlene drags her boss into some amateur sleuthing. At first Val dismisses Charlene's half-baked hypotheses, but before long the ladies uncover some shady dealings hidden in fog-bound San Nicholas. Now Val must expose the truth--before a crummy killer tries to shut her pie hole.

 My Review

After a brutal break up with her fiance, Valentine “Val” Harris refuses to let things get her down.  She is determined to make her Pie Town shop a success.  It’s a struggle, but owning a pie shop has always been a dream and she has no intention of not seeing it through. 

To say it’s been difficult, would be an understatement.  However, when  a customer dies eating one of her pies, difficult is taken to the next level.  Val becomes one of the main suspects.  The only customer she has now is a cop.   

Val’s seventy-something pie crust maker, Charlene, is also a suspect.  Charlene vows to find the real killer and she insists Val is going to help her.  Although Val is skeptical that they will find something the cops haven’t found, she agrees when another dead body shows up.  She’s really concerned about what’s going on in their small town.  They definitely don’t want to be the next victim. 

This is the first book in the Pie Town Mystery series.  I’ve had it on my Kindle for awhile now and I can’t believe I let it sit there.  This is a fun, quirky cozy mystery that kept me engrossed and, I must admit, hungry for pie.   

It’s a fast-paced story that I didn’t want to put down.  I loved Val’s sidekick Charlene, who has a deaf white cat she walks around with wrapped around her shoulders.  The dialogue is witty and I was totally off on who the killer was.  It came as a surprise to me.  I’m looking forward to reading more in this delicious cozy mystery.

 


For reading challenges:

Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge 2021
The Backlist Reader Challenge 2021

 

FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

 

2 comments:

  1. That looks good. Happy Thanksgiving!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've read other books by this author but haven't read this one. I need to try this book. It sounds like a good mystery.

    ReplyDelete

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