Berkley Prime Crime
Featuring: Ella Mae LeFaye; Hugh Dylan
304 pages ISBN: 0425251403 EAN: 9780425251409 Kindle: B0072O023M Paperback / e-Book Add to Wish List
Ella Mae LeFaye has fled the big city of New York after
catching her husband in bed with twins. She's back home,
seeking refuge with her family in Havenwood, Georgia, while
baking pies, which is what she does best. She rebuffs her
husbands attempts at a reconciliation (which is conditioned
upon her returning to New York, as he makes it clear he will
not be moving to Georgia), and decides to open The Charmed
Pie Shoppe. There is no way to describe her pies except
charmed or magical, as they seem to take on whatever emotion
she is feeling when she makes them. Then, when a customer
eats the pie, that feeling is transferred to them.
Trouble starts when she bids on shop space and finds out
that the other bidder is her childhood nemesis Loralyn
Gaynor. Loralyn wants to expand her salon business and her
rich fiance, Bradford, has promised the property to her.
But Ella Mae and her family get the property, much to
Loralyn's displeasure. But when Bradford is found dead with
one of Ella Mae's rolling pins, things get messy.
Loralyn is convinced that Ella Mae killed her fiance, but
two good samaritans show up at the police station to provide
an alibi. But in a small town, gossips have already
started to do what they do best, so Ella Mae not only wants
to prove that she's innocent, but she also sets out to solve the
murder. Bradford was a local who specialized in equines and
specifically worked with owners of racehorses. Ella Mae
can't imagine who would want to kill someone who treated
horses, but she's determined to find out.
Meanwhile, her husband is reluctant to give up his claim on
her, her old crush seems eager to cozy up to her, and she's
still trying to figure out exactly what's going on with her
special talent. And is it just her imagination or do her
family members seem to have particular talents of their own,
as well?
PIES AND PREJUDICE is a fun book, and I enjoyed Ella Mae's
particular
talent. It is a little odd, though, when she made a
blueberry pie and people cried blue tears; I enjoyed it more
when the emotions carried over in more abstract ways. I
like Ella Mae and her determination to carry on resolutely
and not feel sorry for herself, while still allowing herself
time to get closure. Her family members are colourful
without being caricatures, and her feud with Loralyn is
tense without being overplayed.
The mystery is well-written and well-paced. The number of
suspects is just right, and the reveal plays out as it
should. PIES AND PREJUDICE is a great series debut!
When the going gets tough, Ella Mae LaFaye bakes pies. So
when she catches her husband cheating in New York, she heads
back home to Havenwood, Georgia, where she can drown her
sorrows in fresh fruit filling and flakey crust. But her
pies aren't just delicious. They're having magical effects
on the people who eat them--and the public is hungry for more.
Discovering her hidden talent for enchantment, Ella Mae
makes her own wish come true by opening the Charmed Pie
Shoppe. But with her old nemesis Loralyn Gaynor making
trouble, and her old crush Hugh Dylan making nice, she has
more than pie on her plate. and when Loralyn's fiancé is
found dead--killed with Ella Mae's rolling pin--it'll take
all her sweet magic to clear her name.
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