Val has always dreamed of opening a pie shop, but when a customer is stricken while eating one of her breakfast pies, she and her paranoid pie crust maker feel compelled to figure out who was responsible for the man's death.

I have enjoyed the books from this author's <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/157404-perfectly-proper-paranormal-museum">Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum</a>series, and I'm a food-themed cozy junkie, so I was looking forward to reading this book, but went into it with my usual first-in-a-series wariness. I was pleasantly surprised, therefore, that this book didn't seem to suffer from many of the new series pitfalls that I encounter so often. The characters seemed realistic to me, although some of them were rather over the top in their actions and behaviors. The mystery was well written and kept me guessing until it was revealed in the book. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

'The Quiche and the Dead' is the first in the Pie Town Mystery series with wonderful characters and a charming setting. There is a delightful tension from the first of the book, and I was kept guessing until the very end. I want to know more about Val, Charlene and Gordon, and look forward to more from Kristen Weiss.

The Quiche and The Dead by Kirsten Weiss is a well written addition to the cozy mystery genre.
When Val opens Pie Town, she has big hopes of being a successful business owner.
Unfortunately, when her relationship takes a bad turn, all Val is left with is her shop.
Sleeping in her storage closet in her shop is embarrassing, but nothing compared to having a customer drop dead while eating one of your baked goods.
Joe owned the comic book next to Pie Town and Val can't believe it was her quiche that killed him.
When her employee, Charlene, begs Val to help her find out what caused Joe's death, Val figures she doesn't have much to lose.
Charlene is a lovable, quirky character and her zany ways have made her my favorite character in this book.
Val was a bit of a cry baby, but her personality played well with Charlene's.
I enjoyed the different twists and turns in the story and the plot was well thought out.
I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.

I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

The Quiche and the Dead is the debut of the Pie Town Mystery series set in San Nicholas, CA featuring Valentine Harris. Six months ago Val followed fiancée Mark Jeffreys to the small coastal town with big dreams of a happy marriage, nice home and opening a bakery, but her hopes are dashed when just weeks before the wedding their relationship falls apart.

After investing all of her funds in the start up of Pie Town, Val finds herself sleeping on a mattress in the bakery closet and struggling to keep the shop afloat. Thankful for a handful of locals and a few tourists things aren't looking too bad until comic book store owner Joe falls over dead after eating her breakfast pie. With Val immediately considered a suspect and health center owner Heidi Gladstone flying a Sugar Kills banner next door, business comes to a halt.

When Pie Town employee and pie crust baker Charlene McCree announces that she used to date Joe and wants to track down his killer Val is reluctant to get involved. But, Charlene has a nice house for rent and will let Val move in only if she helps find Joe's murderer. Thinking she really has no choice if she wants to keep Pie Town open and move out of the closet, Val joins the investigation.

Joe and his buddy Frank Potts were armchair detectives who called themselves the Baker Street Boys. They kept casebooks of their silly investigations and Charlene feels that with Frank having a mysterious fatal accident just weeks before Joe is poisoned they might find a clue pointing to a connection between the two deaths if only they can find Joe's recent casebook.

A hilarious romp with terrific main characters, an adorable narcoleptic cat named Frederick and plenty of suspects. The duo of Val and Charlene will have you laughing out loud and at the same time flipping through the pages to find out whodunit. Stay tuned for future installments in the series as I have a feeling there will be many more opportunities for Val to end up with pie on her face.

I received an advanced copy of The Quiche and the Dead from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.

This was a really fun first in series. The mystery was well written with a surprising ending. I loved the random side investigations going on throughout the book. They were fun with some amusing solutions.

Oh my! An entire shop of pie. A dream come true. Val has poured everything she has into Pie Town, even going so far as sleeping in the tiny back room. 

When good friend of the shops dies in his booth after some quiche, fingers are pointed and Val doesn't think the police are taking this as seriously as they should. 

Against her better judgement, she follows Charlene down a rabbit hole of investigations, conspiracy theories and narcoleptic cats. All for the chance to nab a real killer and get business going back in Pie Town. Plus Charlene just may hold the answer to her living situation so she lets herself get sucked into Charlene's outlandish stakeouts and plans.

I liked Val a lot. Not so much on the ex! What a jerk! The combination of Val and the elderly Charlene chasing criminals and stumbling over bodies works. And it's a good thing it does, because this little town is full of liars, schemers and killers!

I'm looking forward to the next one already. And some more of the hunky cop!

Netgalley/Kensington   Release Date: October 31st.

I don't usually read many cozies centered around cafes, diners and food. This one goes on my TBR pile. Perfect reading for a rainy, gloomy day. Set in a small Northern California town, Val is young, single and has started her own business, Pie Town. She no longer has the boyfriend who was her reason for being here but now she has a new reason to stay. If she and her pie shop can stay alive, that is. Her neighbor dies in her shop after being served quiche with a deadly extra ingredient. Not long before, his partner had met an unfortunate end. The police look at Val - it was her quiche, after all but the other death was ruled accidental. Not so fast....more bodies appear and things are getting dangerous, indeed, in the small town of St. Nicholas, CA. Val's master pie crust maker, Charlene is convinced that all of the murders are connected and she wants Val to help prove it. The writing is very good, the pace is just right and the characters and humor are well balanced. A winning start to what I hope will be many more visits to St. Nicholas and Pie Town. Plus, reading about pies won't pack the pounds on your hips.

Fun and Entertaining Read
The Quiche and the Dead is the debut book in Kirsten Weiss’ A Pie Town Mystery series and the first book I have read by this author. The mystery is well plotted and entertaining, the cast of characters are quirky and likable, and humorous moments are scattered throughout the book.

Valentine ‘Val’ Harris moves to the small town of San Nicholas in California when she became engaged to her fiancé, Mark Jeffreys. Things don’t work out for the couple, but Val has followed her dream and opened a pie shop. She’s sunk everything into Pie Town and although the shop is doing okay, she’s sleeping in her office and showering at the gym. When one of her regulars, Joe, the owner of the comic shop, becomes ill and dies in Pie Town, Val knows the quiche isn’t to blame, but the authorities ruled Joe’s death a murder by poison and are taking a close look at her. Val is desperate to save her business and her reputation. She and her talented piecrust maker, Charlene, who is often found wearing her narcoleptic, deaf cat, Frederick, around her neck, start looking into Joe’s death. Joe and his friend, Frank, who passed away a month or so ago, were armchair sleuths who called themselves the Baker Street Boys, and Val and Charlene start looking into the cases they were working on. They uncover deceit, shady dealings, an unusual contraband item being smuggled into the town, more murders, and find themselves in harm’s way.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

This is a nice start to a new cozy series- and it's a classic of the genre. Val, who has had a lot of life changes and now a pie shop in a small town in California, loses a customer and possibly more when he takes a bite of her quiche and promptly dies. Charlene, her "mature" employee, becomes her co-investigator as they work to figure out what really happened and save the business. There's snappy dialogue, an entertaining plot, and recipes. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. Try this one if you like independent and strong minded women who aren't willing to accept what they're told.

I want to give a huge thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Val Harris owns her own pie shop called Pie Town that is cozy and has a vintage setup. Pie Town is a small business that attracts locals and tourists. One day after losing a bet with a regular customer she gives the customer(Joe) a quiche as the reward for losing the bet. After Joe takes a bite of the quiche, he suddenly dies. Local police suspect foul play and Val's business is the one to pay for the crime. Pie crust maker Charlene makes a wager with Val and they decide to investigate the suspicious death. Charlene is in her 70's, a conspiracy theorist, wears a supposed narcoleptic and deaf cat around her neck and has the mindset of a teenager. Val is still battling from her new breakup with her ex fiance and has devoted all of her time in Pie Town. Together Val and Charlene start investigating Joe's murder and so much adventure awaits. Will these ladies solve Joe's murder? Can they save Pie Town? Read The Quiche and the Dead by Kirsten Weiss to find out!

Review: I give The Quiche and the Dead 5 out of 5 awesome stars! This was the perfect cozy for me. This book was full of adventure, humor, mystery and friendship. I loved both of the main heroines in this story. I really enjoyed Charlene's character, she was a hoot! Charlene is what I want to be when I grow old! She reminded me of Grandma Mazur from the Stephanie Plum series but she had her own special wildness to her. This book made me laugh, smile and was just what the doctor ordered to lighten my mood. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good cozy mystery, you won't be disappointed!

The Quiche and the Dead is the first book in a brand new mystery series by Kristen Weiss. It's an enjoyable "who-dun-it" with delicious recipes and a fantastic set of characters. Readers may not have a hard time figuring out the person behind the murders, but this doesn't take away from the story especially considering the fact that you won't figure out WHY they happened until the very end. I look forward to reading the next one in the series and seeing how the characters progress. I am also excited to see what kind of Pie Town Recipes will be included in the next one!

Fans of culinary cozy mysteries, this is a great book for you! And, seeing as it is the first in a brand new series, you won't have to catch up!

This was a great start to a new cozy series! Not only was it funny, but it was exciting and fun as well. The characters were quirky and likable, especially Charlene and Valentine. Valentine was sweet and down-to-earth, but I hated how she kept swooning over her ex who was a huge douche. Charlene was over-the-top and really funny, and I loved how she kept wearing her cat around her neck for the whole book.

The mystery itself was very twisty and entertaining, but I picked out the bad guy rather quickly. I guessed the bad guy about halfway through, but the motive was surprising so that was good. But even so, I had a great time reading this book. I kept laughing and smiling and just enjoyed myself the whole time. I’m really excited for the next one. I want more Valentine and Charlene!

Valentine Harris thought life was going to be great. She would be a business owner and have a new life with her fiancé after moving to the town of San Nicholas, CA. Five months later her engagement was over. Her dream of running a pie shop was real, but she was barely scraping by. As luck would have it one of Val’s regular customers dies at the counter while eating one of her quiches. Now she must find the killer to save her business from ruin.

The police determine the customer was poisoned, and business at Pie Town drops to nothing. Val's flaky, seventy-something pie crust maker Charlene convinces Val that they are both suspects. They decide, Val unwillingly, to investigate on their own. After all, Charlene was a bit odd and her half-baked hypotheses unlikely. It doesn’t take long for the two of them to uncover some shady hidden dealings and become real targets.

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Series: A Pie Town Mystery – Book 1
Author: Kristen Weiss
Genre: Culinary Cozy
Publisher: Kensington

The Quiche and the Dead is an excellent start to a new series. Kristen Weiss has composed a highly enjoyable and exciting story with a cast of characters the reader will fall in love with. The town of San Nicholas is a quaint setting for this story and holds plenty of mystery that is sure to keep the reader captivated.

Valentine Harris a great character filled with hopes and dreams, and a broken heart. Her life gets thrown into chaos after her fiancé tells her he doesn’t want to get married after all. Unfortunately, he waits to tell her this until after she has moved away from everything and everyone she knows and puts her life’s savings into opening Pie Town. Realizing that she still has feelings for Mark her ex-fiancé, she tries her best to move on and works night and day to make her shop successful. Val is like a lot of people who puts everything they have on the line and risks failure. The character is unmistakably relatable to anyone that has ever had a dream and risked everything to make that dream a reality.

Charlene is one of those eccentric characters that audiences love. She is mischievous, set in her ways, and downright strange. All of these qualities make her a fun and genuinely likable character that readers will want to hear more about. She may be old, but she has spunk and determination that rivals that of anyone half her age.

The remaining characters, especially Petronella Val’s employee, are well rounded and enjoyable. Readers will have mixed feelings about the victims but will ultimately cheer on Val and Charlene in their investigation and unmasking of the killer.

The Quiche and the Dead will leave readers craving pie of all types, and hungry for the next book in the series. The writing is smooth, fast-paced and filled with details that make you want to visit Pie Town. This book is highly recommended to readers of cozies that keep them on their toes and keeps them guessing until the very end.

An ARC was provided by NetGalley

A funny and lovely cozy mystery. Really enjoyed reading it and hope to be able to read soon the following books in this series!
Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for this book.

I had mixed feelings about this book in the beginning. It hooked me in with its catchy title and cute cat on the cover. It even started out great with a death in the first chapter so I figured this was going to be a fast-paced cozy. Unfortunately, it slowed way down and idled until I reached the halfway mark. Then the pace picked up immensely as conspiracy theories and dead bodies started popping up everywhere. While the ending wrapped up a little too conveniently, the second half had enough punch to make the whole story worthwhile.

The main character, Val, is new to town and the owner of Pie Town. Her sleuthing sidekick, Charlene, is an older and eccentric pie crust baker. After a customer drops dead in Val's shop, business dwindles and she might be forced to close. Charlene starts flinging murder accusations before the body is even cold. She is compelled to investigate and drags a reluctant Val along as the narrator. I have to admit I struggled to like Charlene in the beginning where the conversations between her and Val seemed repetitive, but to me, she was definitely the center of the story. Anyone who wears a narcoleptic cat around their shoulders like a wrap while solving murders is always going to win cozy points in my book!

I definitely recommend this cozy as Charlene and Val get themselves in one sticky situation after another as the new and improved Baker Street duo.

I enjoyed this book. It's the first in a new series, the Pie Town Mysteries, and the author has made a great start. The characters are delightful and the plot was interesting. The book is very readable and a great way to spend the afternoon.

Val Harris moves to the small town of San Nicolas when she was engaged to her fiance. When he breaks off the engagement, she decides to follow her dream and open a pie shop called Pie Town. Val has spent every cent she has on the shop, and she needs it to be successful. However, she has a huge setback when her neighbor Joe drops dead in the shop while eating some pie.

Val knows it can't be the pie, but what killed Joe? She needs to find out to save her business and her reputation. Her piecrust maker, a quirky character named Charlotte, insists she can help. Together they uncover the secrets of San Nicolas, and try to save Pie Town.

I definitely recommend this book. Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read Kirsten Weiss' The Quiche and The Dead last week and it is a unique and fun cozy. It has a good mystery tied up in conspiracy and that perfect balance of small town political power meets unsuspecting and unwilling amature sleuth! But it is also a great book about standing your ground even when your legs are shaking, because it is the right thing to do. Loved the over the top support characters Charlene especially. Looks like Kirsten Weiss has laid the groundwork for a great new series.

Valentine Harris had moved to San Nicholas along the coast in California thinking she was going to be starting a whole new life by opening up her own business and marrying her fiance. Six months later all Val is left with is her business when her fiance had called off their wedding and having put all her money into her dream, Pie Town, she’s now putting in everything she can to make the business a success. What Val didn’t need was one morning one of her customers dies in the middle of eating her quiche.

After the police and paramedics are called to the scene it becomes apparent that the death is suspicious looking to be a possible homicide by poisoning. Even though it’s quickly found that Val’s cooking was not the cause the customers are still staying away after the death becomes a headline in the small town. Looking to save her business and make sure she’s not a suspect Val teams up with her seventy something pie crust maker to begin to investigate and find out just what happened.

The Quiche and the Dead by Kirsten Weiss is the first book in the new Pie Town Mystery cozy mystery series. This was a wonderful start to what will hopefully be a great series with all the fun stuff I just love in a cozy read. I have to say as much as I enjoyed Val she was way overshadowed in this first book by Charlene, her pie crust maker. Charlene and her adventures along with pet kitty were absolutely hilarious and completely made the entire book so much more enjoyable the second she stepped into the story.

Besides the likable characters the story was also one that unfolded at a nice pace giving the reader plenty of action along the way as the ladies try to figure out just what was going on in their town. There’s also a bit of a glimpse into a possible romance in the future for Val which was nice that it was not pushed so early on with her fresh out of a relationship. When finished I found this one quite enjoyable all the way around and will definitely look forward to more of this series in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is the first book in the brand new Pie Town series. We are introduced to Valentine (Val) Harris the young, recently single,  owner of a brand new pie shop in San Nicholas, California. Some of her staff include Hannah, the assistant pie maker, Charlene, a piecrust maker who owns and wears a possibly deaf, narcoleptic (or lazy?) cat and Petronella the pie wrangler.

Val is hard at work trying to get her budding business off to a successful start when one of her usual customers dies suddenly in the pie shop while eating a quiche made by Val. Police, one detective in particular, believes that her food may have been tampered with and business is down because of it. Surely it was all a terrible tragic incident and not a murder, right? Not in lovely little San Nicholas. Reluctant to get involved initially, her livelihood depends on clearing her food so that customers will return to Pie Town. She's invested everything into her shop and can't lose it, not without a fight.

This author is new to me. I will admit when i looked up other book series by the author I wasn't sure I would enjoy this series. I've never been a fan of first person stories that are not memoirs. I have only recently began reading cozies in first person and even then only if they are, in my opinion, well written. I have to like the voice of the storyteller. There are only a handful of first person cozies that I read. This series will be added to that list. I truly enjoyed the writing style, the setting, and the characters. The mystery was enjoyable. I didn't guess who the murderer was early on, which I appreciate in a good cozy. While I still read books where figuring out whodunit is easy, they aren't as fun as books like this where i wasn't certain. I look forward to more books in this series. It was a fun, quick, and at times humorous read.

The Quiche And The Dead is the first book in the A Pie Town Mystery series.

After breaking up with her boyfriend, Valentine has set off earning a living by opening Pie Town in coastal San Nicholas. Val has sunk her heart and soul and all her money into the cafe and has seen a clientele of regular customer until the fatal day this story begins with.

Joe comes into Pie Town for his usual cup of coffee and as he is tasting his coffee he makes a face just as Valentine comes out with a mini quiche. When Val asks about the face he says he has had a bad taste in his mouth all morning. They make a friendly wager over the quiche that Val is taking next door to Heidi who has recently opened her health and fitness salon. If Heidi refuses the quiche, it will be Joe’s. Val returns with the quiche and gives it to Joe. After a couple of bites, Joe slumps to the floor and dies. The police arrive and Detective Shaw comments that Joe was poisoned.

Charlene, the crusty pie crust maker, is sure that it is a case of murder and that she and Val need to investigate. Charlene holds out a nice living arrangement of Val, who has been living in her office closet, as an enticement to help find Joe’s killer.
There is a lot of humor in this book, maybe too much for me. I started out liking Charlene, but after a while, she became just crazy with why they should continue looking for the killer. On the other hand, I just couldn’t get into her character. For me she did the “woe is me” and hand-wringing. I really tried to get into the story, but these two characters just put me off and I couldn't.