A review by dollycas
A Pie to Die For by Gretchen Rue

lighthearted mysterious

4.0

Dollycas's Thoughts

In this series debut, we meet Este March who runs the Lucky Pie Diner, a family-owned restaurant in Split Pine Island in Northern Michigan. Este has inherited a special way to add some magic to some of her delicious pies. The person who receives a "special" pie could have their hopes and dreams fulfilled.

We arrive just before the remote island is closing down for the winter months. You have to be a permanent resident of the island to stay there after the 1st of November. Este had placed a large order for produce because deliveries will be few and far between until the island reopens. But the new produce vendor didn't bring everything she needed and the prices were much more than she usually pays. She was upset with the man and voiced her displeasure. Later the man is found dead on his boat and the local sheriff, Tom Cunningham, has decided Este is his prime suspect.

Este knows others who met with the man before his death who were just as angry as she was so she decides to start a little investigation of her own. The problem is her suspects are her friends and neighbors. Could one of them really be the killer? She tries to be careful knowing if someone killed once they could do it again. She needs some luck to catch the killer before the killer catches her.

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I loved the setting for this story. A remote island that is a tourist stop from spring through fall, but only residents are allowed during the winter. The residents need to stock up on everything by Halloween for the freezing cold months ahead when deliveries are rare. Halloween is a big holiday there because it signifies more than ghosts and ghouls and trick or treating. As long as I had food including Este's pies, plenty of books, a cozy chair in front of the fireplace, my husband, and my dog I would be just fine until Spring.

Este is a novice amateur sleuth with a curious nature and she does make some bad decisions but she is a heck of a baker. Este looks in on her grandfather daily as he has retired from the diner. She works side by side with Seamus, who is an incredible chef.  Her friend Kitty is the manager and part owner of her brother Tom's pub. She also used to be married to Seamus and now has a crush on Bruno, the owner of the grocery store. Rosie Lewicki is Este's other full-time employee. She was born and raised on the island and has only left once to go to Chicago. Marcel is her part-time server and Patty is the part-time cook. They usually handle the evening shift. Kitty's brother Tom not only owns the pub, he is also the sheriff on the island.  We meet several other island residents too. With the large cast that was introduced in this book, we didn't get a lot of depth on any of them. They all have plenty of room to grow as the series continues.

The mystery was pretty straightforward. Este did find some things the sheriff had not known about but she took some major risks following clues.  She was fortunate to have a little luck of her own. I had figured out most of the mystery before Este, the showdown tied up all the loose ends. I appreciated the author's descriptive writing style as she clearly set each scene. It was easy to imagine traveling around with Este all over the island.

Este does describe in detail everything she is making or baking much like Ellie Alexander's Jules in her Bakeshop Mysteries which means you will surely be craving pies, both sweet and savory as you read this story. You may want to plan ahead.

With just a hint of magic, characters with room to grow, a unique setting, an interesting mystery, and pie, lots of pie, A Pie To Die For was a delicious debut for this series. I am looking forward to reading the next Lucky Pie Mystery.