I was so lucky to receive an
Advance Review Copy of the book!!!
Ellie Grant will be my Special Guest on September 5
but I couldn’t wait to share my review with you!
Plum Deadly
New Cozy Mystery Series!!!!
Publisher: Gallery Books (September 3, 2013)
A Division of Simon & Schuster
Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1451689556
E-Book
ASIN: B00A28H4PO
CHOCOHOLIC CREAM. BOUNTIFUL BLUEBERRY. LOTSA LEMON MERINGUE. even DANGEROUSLY DAMSON.
Who could resist such pies? Who would even want to resist the pie shop that makes them? Certainly not the residents of Durham, North Carolina, and the little bakery and café called Pie in the Sky is one of the most popular meet-up places in town.
Unjustly accused of cooking the books, Maggie Grady is forced to retreat from her high-flying New York financial career to the town where she grew up. Her aunt Clara greets her with open arms and a job at the family-owned business that has baked the best pies in the South for over forty years. Unfortunately, while Maggie is determined to return to banking, her reputation there seems permanently in the pits. That is, until her old boss, Lou, visits with news that he’s found the real crook. Before he can reveal the details, though, Maggie finds his body right behind the pie shop.
With only her own word that Lou planned to exonerate her, Maggie is in the spotlight. The police seem to suspect that Aunt Clara’s damson pie may not be just dangerously delectable, but downright deadly. Maggie doesn’t just have her own name to clear; she has to make sure that her aunt’s beloved business isn’t harmed, either. Yummy local reporter Ryan Summerour appears eager to help, and Maggie can’t help hoping that it’s not just the police who find her a person of interest—but Ryan, as well. She’d thought it challenging to make the perfect pie crust that Aunt Clara demands, but that turns out to be nothing compared with finding a murderer. . . .
Dollycas’s Thoughts
WOW!!!! Cozy lovers are going to go crazy for Maggie Grady and Aunt Clara!! and probably gain a couple of pounds too!!
Ellie Grant is really popular cozy authors Joyce and Jim Lavene writing under a pseudonym. I don’t know how this team writing thing works but these two have it mastered. They always give us superb characters and put them in wonderfully sticky situations.
Maggie is fabulous. She was fired from her dream job for something she didn’t do. Something that could drive a lot of people over the edge or into a deep dark place. Instead she goes home to North Carolina to her Aunt Clara and she just may find her bliss. She couldn’t wait to leave there years ago and had rarely returned but this time she realizes this is where she belongs.
Aunt Clara reminds me a lot of my mom. Clara’s business is her life and without it she would be lost. It was something she had done with her husband. They ran the business together and when he passed away she did her best to carry on with business as usual. Maggie finds a few things that fell through the cracks but quickly sets things right. Aunt Clara is the type of woman that always has a smile on her face and finds something good in even the worst situations. When it comes to her niece, all she wants is Maggie to be happy.
This story is an excellent debut to what I know is going to be a fabulous cozy series. They have filled this pie, I mean story, with sweet characters, a plum of a mystery, sifted in some smart dialogue, a pinch of romance and a heaping spoonful of humor. You will devour the whole thing in one sitting!! Oh and did I mention, the book includes recipes!!!!! This book is worthy of a blue ribbon at any fair!
You can pre-order a copy today!
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.”
Synopsis from author/back cover of book
