Review: 'Pies and Prejudice' by Ellery Adams

Pies and Prejudice by Ellery Adams, 2012, Berkley Prime Crime, $7.99, softbound, 291 pages. Category/Genre: mystery/fantasy. Cover: attractive. Where we got it: publisher. Where you can get it: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million. 


Ella Mae LeFaye Kitteridge bakes pies for a living -- but they're not ordinary pies; they have magical effects on the people who eat them. Owning a pie shop where she can sell her wares has long been a dream of Ella Mae's, but she has problems, too. 

For one thing, her childhood bully, Loralyn Gaynor, is trying to sabotage the open house where Ella Mae is supplying desserts. For another, Ella Mae's longtime crush, firefighter Hugh Dylan, used to date Loralyn -- and he may still have feelings for her. 

But none of that compares to the fact that Ella Mae's rolling pin is used as a murder weapon against Loralyn's fiance. Now Ella Mae must get to the bottom of the mystery before she's locked up. 

Filled with descriptive prose and colourful characters (most notably Chewy, Ella Mae's Jack Russell terrier, and Ella Mae's aunts and mum), this is the start of a promising new series. 

Includes pie recipes.

Note: strong language. 

If you like this one, try: Peach Pies and Alibis, by Ellery Adams; Pecan Pies and Homicides, by Ellery Adams; and Sugar and Iced, by Jenn McKinlay.