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 fiancé. 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 … 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.
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Much of what I read is for entertainment. Not to raise my social awareness or improve my soul…just entertainment. If it should improve me…all the better. This book, the first I have read by this author. I felt the characters were unique and played well off each other. The plot took many turns, kept things interesting but didn’t get silly. I plan on reading more of her books and looks forward to more with these characters…anxious to see how they progress.
Synopsis:
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. (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well rounded and well developed. I thought Val was smart and a hard worker who has realized her dream of owning a pie shop. When one of her customers dies after eating a quiche, she realizes that she is going to have to search for the killer herself. And she needs to do it fast, before her pie shop goes up in smoke. She’ll have the help of her pie crust maker, who is not afraid of digging deep for clues. Their escapades in crime solving lead to some very funny situations.
The writing style flows smoothly and the book is a quick easy read. She is talented in creating small town settings and all the gossiping and neighborliness that occur in them. She is very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the book, I felt like I was right there in San Nicholas, visiting, meeting people and watching all the action taking place. I thought the mystery was well written and there were enough suspects to consider and clues to sift through, and I was surprised who the culprit was.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. This is the first book in this series and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in the hopes of receiving a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.
What a fun beginning to a great new series. Val opened her business Pie Town five months ago and things seem to be going well. When a customer does after eating one of her pies she knows it can’t be good for business but isn’t sure what she can do to fix it. Her pie crust maker Charlene thinks they should investigate and the craziness begins. Running into a burglar, tripping over dead bodies, and dealing with an ex are just some of the complications the duo cu s into. Jump in and find out what what they get themselves into. With a lovely main character who is relatable and a set of unique characters throughout you’ll fall in love with this new series. One of the best is Fredrick, a cat who has more issues than a cat should ever have but is hilarious in his own right.
The Quiche and the Dead by Kirsten Weiss is the first book in A Pie Town Mystery series. Valentine “Val” Harris opened Pie Town in San Nicholas, California five months prior. She is finally starting to break even and is happy with her choice to settle in San Nicholas. Val made a quiche to welcome Heidi Gladstone and her new business Heidi’s Health and Fitness to the neighborhood. Unfortunately, Heidi is against sugar (and anything with flavor along with Val’s slogan for her business) and shop regular Joe wins the quiche (he made a bet that Heidi would not eat it). Unfortunately, Joe soon clutches his stomach and keels over. Officer Gordon Carmichael responds to the 911 call along with Detective Shaw. It is determined the Joe was poisoned and business grinds to a halt at Pie Town. Charlene McCree, pie crust maker extraordinaire, believes she is a prime suspect and ropes Val into doing some snooping. They uncover that Joe liked to investigate local crimes along with his recently deceased friend, Frank Potts. What had Joe uncovered that got him killed? It seems that San Nicholas is not the sleepy little town it appears.
The Quiche and the Dead starts off with a murder in the very first chapter. I liked the method of murder (poisoning) and the pie shop (it sounded cute). The main character, Valentine Harris was not appealing. I found her whiny and unlikeable (her overreaction to each and every encounter with Heidi became annoying). Charlene is supposed to be a secondary character, but she dominates the book. She is over-the-top, quirky and a conspiracy theorist. Charlene goes around town with a lazy cat around her shoulders like it is a fur stole (she states the cat is narcoleptic and would get lonely at home). It sounds humorous, but after numerous mentions of said cat it starts to become tedious and repetitive. The mystery was simple and the suspect list was limited. The killer’s identity can be distinguished early in the story (the person stands out—no clues needed). The story dragged along towards the end with much speculation and talking (along with more wackiness from Charlene). There is also flirting between Valentine and Officer Carmichael (Val is getting over a broken engagement). The author failed to adequately set up the backdrop of San Nicholas (we are given scant details). My rating for The Quiche and the Dead is 3 out of 5 stars (it was okay). The Quiche and the Dead did not inspire me to want more A Pie Town Mystery novels. Bleeding Tarts is the next book in A Pie Town Mystery series and it will be published in April 2018.
This is a funny little cozy. Val and her fiance have broken up, but not before she invested her inheritance into a pie shop. Now she it going to stay. However, she gets nervous when a customer keels over dead in her shop. Then her crazy pie-crust lady drags her into investigating what happened. So Val is running off on some pretty hair-brained chases. Charlene, the pie-crust making lady is a hoot and I love her cat. There is a potential romance in the offing, plus the ex (who is an A-number 1 jerk) and lots of suspects. The only problem is that Val keeps finding her suspects dead. This is funny and entertaining. I would read another book in this series.
I received this from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Valentine Harris thought life was going to be great. She would be a business owner and have a new life with her fiancé after moving to the town of San Nicholas, CA. Five months later her engagement was over. Her dream of running a pie shop was real, but she was barely scraping by. As luck would have it one of Val’s regular customers dies at the counter while eating one of her quiches. Now she must find the killer to save her business from ruin.
The police determine the customer was poisoned, and business at Pie Town drops to nothing. Val’s flaky, seventy-something pie crust maker Charlene convinces Val that they are both suspects. They decide, Val unwillingly, to investigate on their own. After all, Charlene was a bit odd and her half-baked hypotheses unlikely. It doesn’t take long for the two of them to uncover some shady hidden dealings, and become real targets.
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Series: A Pie Town Mystery – Book 1
Author: Kristen Weiss
Genre: Culinary Cozy
Publisher: Kensington
The Quiche and the Dead is an excellent start to a new series. Kristen Weiss has composed a highly enjoyable and exciting story with a cast of characters the reader will fall in love with. The town of San Nicholas is a quaint setting for this story and holds plenty of mystery that is sure to keep the reader captivated.
Valentine Harris a great character filled with hopes and dreams, and a broken heart. Her life gets thrown into chaos after her fiancé tells her he doesn’t want to get married after all. Unfortunately, he waits to tell her this until after she has moved away from everything and everyone she knows and puts her life’s savings into opening Pie Town. Realizing that she still has feelings for Mark her ex-fiancé, she tries her best to move on and works night and day to make her shop successful. Val is like a lot of people who puts everything they have on the line and risks failure. The character is unmistakably relatable to anyone that has ever had a dream and risked everything to make that dream a reality.
Charlene is one of those eccentric characters that audiences love. She is mischievous, set in her ways, and downright strange. All of these qualities make her a fun and genuinely likable character that readers will want to hear more about. She may be old, but she has spunk and determination that rivals that of anyone half her age.
The remaining characters, especially Petronella Val’s employee, are well rounded and enjoyable. Readers will have mixed feelings about the victims but will ultimately cheer on Val and Charlene in their investigation and unmasking of the killer.
The Quiche and the Dead will leave readers craving pie of all types, and hungry for the next book in the series. The writing is smooth, fast-paced and filled with details that make you want to visit Pie Town. This book is highly recommended to readers of cozies that keep them on their toes and keeps them guessing until the very end.