Val Harris moved to San Nichols, CA to be near her fiancé, Mark. He breaks their engagement. She stays and opens a pie shop. A dream of hers. One of her customers keels over while eating a quiche. It hurts her business. Joe, one of the victims, talks about library bonds. Could they have something to do with the murders? At the same time, we have a smuggling ring operating in town. Val wants to get to the bottom of these issues. Fast moving and interesting. I enjoyed this book, It kept my interest. You will find a well=kept secret and the murderer is a surprise. Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to review this book.

The Quiche and the Dead is the first in a new series, the Pie Town Mysteries. There's a strong emphasis on plot/action in this book, with character development and background both taking a backseat. Interesting premise--wasn't the most gripping of mysteries and I didn't feel particularly invested in the protagonist's plight. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book enough that I will give the second in the series a try.

Princess Fuzzypants here:
If a cozy reader ever ate all the goodies served up in the various series set in restaurants cafes and other places to eat, we would all weigh about a gazillion pounds. Thankfully we can indulge without the calories because some of them are pretty darned tasty.
Set in her pie shop, Val’s business is about to break even when one of her customers is poisoned and dies after taste testing her newest concoction. Even when it becomes clear the pie shop was not to blame, business dries up. Val has sunk all her savings into opening and after being dumped by her fiancé, she has no choice but to make a go. Her ex and a number of other townspeople are not helping; in fact, some of them are being downright unhelpful.
Thanks to her 70-something eccentric pie crust maker, a local beat cop and a few other friendly townsfolk, she is able to hold on but it is close. In fact, it is so close, Val feels obliged to solve the murder in order to clear away any doubt. Of course, the way forward is not easy nor is it without risks. The reader enjoys the journey because Val is a very sympathetic character. There is just enough humour, just enough suspense and just enough quirkiness to work.
I think there is a lot of potential here and I give it four purrs and two paws up.

Valentine "Val" Harris was expecting a new life with her fiance Mark when she moved to the coastal California town of San Nicholas. But five months later, a broken engagement changes things but Valentine has opened her shop, Pie Town. Then Joe, one of her regulars, keels over at the counter while eating a quiche. The police believe Joe was deliberately poisoned and business at Pie Town dramatically decreases. Val's eccentric, 70-something pie crust maker Charlene drags her boss into some amateur sleuthing to clear their names and to save the Pie Town business. Handsome police officer Carmichael seems smitten with Val but is not happy about her snooping around. When several other bodies are found by Val, the town is beginning to wonder if she is a death magnet. Joe and his late friend Frank had been doing their own amateur sleuthing as the Baker Street Boys. Could one of their "cases" be a motive for murder?

This was a fun, cozy debut mystery with a great cast of characters and small town locale.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Val Harris loves her bakery shop, Pie Town. It offers everything from mini pastries to quiche, and almost makes up for the disastrous last five months of her life. She expected to start a new life and marriage when she moved to San Nicholas, CA with her fiance, but now all she has from that relationship is a beautiful wedding gown she never got to wear. Val has been so busy starting her new business that she hasn't had a chance to make friends or really learn much about her new home, but she's hopeful that things will start to come together. When a personal trainer opens a gym next to her shop and shames her for selling products that promote obesity and a customer drops dead in her store while eating one of her breakfast pies, her future seems bleak at best. One of her employees, Charlene, becomes a suspect in the killing. Val realizes to help her and save Pie Town she needs to do some snooping around to discover the murder's identity.

I like Val as a main character. She is intelligent, resilient and spunky. I had to chuckle a bit each time she cringed at seeing her ex-fiance's face plastered all over local real estate signs. That would really suck. I would go around with a sharpie and draws horns on all of them. :) Not mature, I know....but therapeutic. Charlene is also a hoot with her belief in conspiracy theories of all sorts and her white cat that seems to go everywhere with her. The cat reminded me of the Boneless Cat from old Peanuts cartoons.




This mystery is a great start to a new series! It is a nice mix of humor and mystery. The story moved at a nice pace, with plenty of suspects and surprises. I will definitely be reading more of this series! The next book in the series, Bleeding Tarts, will be out in April 2018. :)

For more information about the author and her books, check out her website: http://www.kirstenweiss.com/

I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Kensington via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

This was my first of Kristen Weiss's books. I'm a huge fan of cozy mysteries, and I thought THE QUICHE AND THE DEAD was a great addition to the genre. Val, the owner of Pie Town, is quirky, struggling to find herself amidst the adversity going on around her, and getting over a broken heart...and somehow she gets roped into amateur sleuthing. Pretty basic outline for the cozy mystery genre, though it's the details that make her unique. Love the crazy "cryptogetarian" (Val's word for her) Charlene...and cannot wait to see more of her in action as a crime fighting side kick. Also, the hoping somewhere down the line we see some romance developing between characters...BLEEDING TARTS (book two in the series) doesn't come out until next April and it's already on my to be read wish list.

I really enjoyed The Quiche and the Dead. I absolutely loved the main character, Val, and her piecrust maker/zany partner in sleuthing, Charlene. I found myself literally laughing out loud at Charlene's antics several times. The entire time I was reading the book, I couldn't figure out who would kill Joe, and why. So I was pleasantly surprised by the resolution of that mystery. I did read the teaser chapter of the next book and I am definitely looking forward to its release. I hope this series is around for a long time because I do really enjoy the characters and the writing.

Note: I was given a free copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you again to NetGalley for an advance reader copy. It will not be the last of Kirsten Weiss' books I'm going to read. Though the story reminded me of books by Diane Mott Davidson and her Goldy Bear character. Mysteries with recipies to make your mouth water. Altogether, a very entertaining novel with a twist at the end

A delightful mystery that has me longing for more! Looking forward to more from author Kirsten Weiss.

The Quiche and the Dead is a delightful cozy mystery. Great plot and a quirky cast of characters makes for a good read.

This is book 1 in the new Pie Town Mystery series and I loved it. Valentine Harris moved to San Nicholas because she was going to marry a local resident but after they broke up she stayed and opened her pie shop. The town loves the pies Val bakes but when a local amateur detective Joe dies eating a pie in her shop it's very bad for business. Two more bodies and the town is going crazy so Val and her baker Charlene start studying Joe's "case files" and discovers a sinister underside of the quaint seaside town. Yummy recipes included and a chapter to book 2, Bleeding tarts.

The Quiche and the Dead by Kirsten Weiss is the first book in the Pie Town Mystery series. Val is recently separated from her fiance but happily the owner of her own pie shop. It seems like life might be turning around until a customer drops dead after eating a quiche in her shop. To save Pie Town Val and her crust maker, Charlene, must solve the mystery. This is a good start to a new series. I would like to see more background information on the town and human characters and maybe a bit less focus on Charlene's narcoleptic cat. The main mystery might not have been the strongest, but the mini mysteries were fun. I would happily read more from this series.

The Quiche and the Dead by Kirsten Weiss is the first book in A Pie Town Mystery series. Valentine “Val” Harris opened Pie Town in San Nicholas, California five months prior. She is finally starting to break even and is happy with her choice to settle in San Nicholas. Val made a quiche to welcome Heidi Gladstone and her new business Heidi’s Health and Fitness to the neighborhood. Unfortunately, Heidi is against sugar (and anything with flavor along with Val’s slogan for her business) and shop regular Joe wins the quiche (he made a bet that Heidi would not eat it). Unfortunately, Joe soon clutches his stomach and keels over. Officer Gordon Carmichael responds to the 911 call along with Detective Shaw. It is determined the Joe was poisoned and business grinds to a halt at Pie Town. Charlene McCree, pie crust maker extraordinaire, believes she is a prime suspect and ropes Val into doing some snooping. They uncover that Joe liked to investigate local crimes along with his recently deceased friend, Frank Potts. What had Joe uncovered that got him killed? It seems that San Nicholas is not the sleepy little town it appears.

The Quiche and the Dead starts off with a murder in the very first chapter. I liked the method of murder (poisoning) and the pie shop (it sounded cute). The main character, Valentine Harris was not appealing. I found her whiny and unlikeable (her overreaction to each and every encounter with Heidi became annoying). Charlene is supposed to be a secondary character, but she dominates the book. She is over-the-top, quirky and a conspiracy theorist. Charlene goes around town with a lazy cat around her shoulders like it is a fur stole (she states the cat is narcoleptic and would get lonely at home). It sounds humorous, but after numerous mentions of said cat it starts to become tedious and repetitive. The mystery was simple and the suspect list was limited. The killer’s identity can be distinguished early in the story (the person stands out—no clues needed). The story dragged along towards the end with much speculation and talking (along with more wackiness from Charlene). There is also flirting between Valentine and Officer Carmichael (Val is getting over a broken engagement). The author failed to adequately set up the backdrop of San Nicholas (we are given scant details). My rating for The Quiche and the Dead is 3 out of 5 stars (it was okay). The Quiche and the Dead did not inspire me to want more A Pie Town Mystery novels. Bleeding Tarts is the next book in A Pie Town Mystery series and it will be published in April 2018.

*I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.

This is a funny little cozy. Val and her fiance have broken up, but not before she invested her inheritance into a pie shop. Now she it going to stay. However, she gets nervous when a customer keels over dead in her shop. Then her crazy pie-crust lady drags her into investigating what happened. So Val is running off on some pretty hair-brained chases. Charlene, the pie-crust making lady is a hoot and I love her cat. There is a potential romance in the offing, plus the ex (who is an A-number 1 jerk) and lots of suspects. The only problem is that Val keeps finding her suspects dead. This is funny and entertaining. I would read another book in this series..

The Quiche and the Dead by Kirsten Weiss is the 1st book in the Pie Town Mystery series, and I loved it. The Quick and the Dead is a perfect blend of mystery and humor. Not only is this book really funny, I often found myself laughing out loud a lot, the mystery kept me guessing. I found this book to be a quick read, I read it in one day, with a well developed plot and characters. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. If you love humorous cozy mysteries, I strongly recommend this book and series.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is a great book; this is the first book in the Pie Town Mystery Series written by Kirsten Weiss. Valentine Harris (Val) moved to the coastal California town of San Nicholas to open her pie shop. When one of her regulars keels over at the counter while eating a quiche, Val feels like she's living a nightmare. After the police determine the customer was poisoned, business at Pie Town drops faster than a fallen crust. Convinced they're both suspects, Val's flaky, seventy-something pie crust maker Charlene drags her boss into some amateur sleuthing. At first Val dismisses Charlene's half-baked hypotheses, but before long the ladies uncover some shady dealings hidden in fog-bound San Nicholas. Now Val must expose the truth--before a crummy killer tries to shut her pie hole. This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. This book will keep you reading long into the night. If you are looking for a great book, then you need to read this book. I am looking forward to reading the next book by this great author. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

What a fun beginning to a great new series. Val opened her business Pie Town five months ago and things seem to be going well. When a customer dies after eating one of her pies she knows it can't be good for business but isn't sure what she can do to fix it. Her pie crust maker Charlene thinks they should investigate and the craziness begins. Running into a burglar, tripping over dead bodies, and dealing with an ex is just some of the complications the duo runs into. Jump in and find out just what they get themselves into. With a lovely main character who was relatable and a set of unique characters throughout you'll fall in love with this new series. One of the best is Fredrick, a cat who has more issues than a cat should ever have but is hilarious in his own right.

This is the first in a new series, that is going to be a new favorite series. I love Val and can't wait to see if she has a new romance in the future. This book had great details and the book ended before I knew it. I was quessing until the end. A Must read for all cozy lovers

Really entertaining. It started a bit slow, in my opinion, but soon it got me hooked to find out more. It’s got mysteries within the mystery itself. The pair of “detectives” are quite funny, Val being the voice of reason and Charlene being the crazy but sometimes spot on investigator/ conspirator. It’s fast-paced and easy to read.

As a beach gal, the setting of The Quiche And The Dead, a northern CA small coastal town, appeals to me. The main characters, Val, the pie shop owner, and Charlene, her piecrust maker and modern-style surrogate grandma, are strong female characters anyone would like. Readers sympathize with Val’s precarious finances and emotional upheaval. Charlene, a town native, knows everyone’s history, heads a reluctant Val into investigating and, in the process, transposes the roles of their employer/employee relationship. Avenging an old man’s death, finding the town’s skeletons, forming an investigative partnership, and making and eating pies—what could be cozier? Kirsten Weiss’s paranormal books are wonderful, but this book proves she’s also mastered traditional cozies. (This review will post on 10/31/17.)