Pecan Pies and Homicides
(A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
A Berkley Prime Crime Mystery
The Berkley Publishing Group (January 7, 2014)
Published by The Penguin Group
Cover Illustration by Julia Green
Cover Design by Diana Kolsky
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0425252413
E-Book File Size: 2004 KB
ASIN: B00D7Z4GIC
Her Charmed Pie Shoppe is open for business, but baker Ella Mae LeFaye is about to discover solving a murder is not as easy as pie…
Ella Mae LeFaye owns the Charmed Pie Shoppe in Havenwood, Georgia. Most of the residents there don’t know that she can add her own special magical enchantment to her pies or that there are several magical residents in town. Ella Mae lost her mom in the last book in a very unusual way and her difficulty to accept her being gone has left her not feeling very enchanted.
Then she learns of a party being held by Loralyn and her family to welcome other gifted people to Havenwood because their enchanted grove was burned to the ground by an arsonist. Ella Mae quickly realizes that they could be welcoming an arsonist or worst to their community. When one of the new residents is found dead Ella Mae knows she needs to use her own gift to catch the arsonist and a killer.
Ellery has mixed together the genres of cozy mystery and fantasy masterfully. They are perfectly balanced for her cozy readers and may open her stories up to those who like their fantasy on the light side.
I want to first tell you that this is not the last book in this series. I don’t feel that is a spoiler but I found myself quite worried about that through a good part of this story. I am nowhere near ready to let go of these characters. I am sharing this so you can enjoy the story without any extra anxiety.
A lot happens in these 300 pages. Creatures appear, secrets are revealed and some wonderful new characters join a cast that was already excellent. There was one plot twist that was so unexpected I almost gave myself whiplash.
Unlike some series stories you can pick up any of them and get caught up. That is not the case with this series. You need to read these books in order. Start with Pies and Prejudice, then Peach Pies and Alibis, and then this one, Pecan Pies and Homicides. Pecan Pies and Homicides made my Best Reads of 2013 and I think Ellery has topped herself with this one.
You just can’t go wrong with a story by Ellery Adams or any of her alter egos.
To Find out more about Ellery and her books visit her webpage here.
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You can also find her over at The Cozy Chicks and find The Cozy Chicks on Facebook and Twitter.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
I loved this book as well. And you’re right about the mix of cozy and light fantasy, I couldn’t figure out how to describe it before.
It’s on my t-b-r list!
This one is on my tbr list! Great review!
Wow. This looks really good.