Gourd To Death by Kristen Weiss

As the owner of Pie Town, Val Harris has been assigned to judge the pie making contest at the annual pumpkin festival in the coastal California town of San Nicolas. But Val has a bigger problem. She and her co-worker, Charlene, discover another contestant crushed under an enormous pumpkin.

This is a light, cozy mystery. If you like Halloween and the month of October, this book is for you. Keeps you in suspense Until the killer is revealed. I recommend this book.

Thank you Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

Was a enjoyable read that keep me jumping throughout. Her cast of characters were fun loving and delightful

Gourd to Death by Kristen Weiss is the 5th book in the Pie Town Mystery series. Although it can be read as a standalone (each mystery is self-contained) I recommend reading all the books in order as there is a lot of character development throughout the series. This book is a perfect fall cozy mystery. It contains all the things I love about fall such as pumpkin patches, corn mazes, fall festivals with baking and so much more. Val, the owner of Pie Town, and her pie crust maker, Charlene are the main characters in this book. They make quite the sleuthing duo, with Charlene being the instigator to trouble in most cases. This time Val has been asked to be a judge in the pie making contest at the annual pumpkin festival where she must remain neutral, but that is overshadowed when Charlene stumble on a dead body under one of the huge pumpkins. Who killed the local optometrist? Can Charlene and Val figure it out before anyone else ends up dead?

This one has Gordon, Val's boyfriend and detective removed from the case so he actually encourages a bit of the investigating. I laughed quite a few times while reading this one. Yes, there is a murder, but Charlene has a knack of adding humour to any situation, not necessarily on purpose. there is a ton of humor peppered throughout the pages (mainly from Charlene). I like that the crime occurs very soon in the story, so there is a lot of time to figure out what happened. The story is well paced and developed with a wonderful group of characters, many of which are a bit quirky, which I love. If you love pumpkin as much as I do, you will enjoy trying the recipe for pumpkin bread at the end of this book. I did a read listen with this one and it worked well, enabling me to read this one in a day. Narrator, Renée Chambliss has a very pleasant voice which fits this book well. Her voices add to the humor of the rather funny Charlene and the exasperation of Val. She is easy to listen to with good expression and tone which add enjoyment to this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Kensington, and TLC Booktours for my copy of Gourd to Death by Kirsten Weiss, it published August 25, 2020.
Are you looking for a cozy mystery that isn't too violent, has all the fall-feels, gentle Halloween vibes, and uses lots of clever pumpkin (and gourd) related puns? Then look no further! This hilarious and clever book will have you laughing and never gets too scary, even when danger is nigh.
I had never considered how many ways a pumpkin could be dangerous, and this book delivers on that! Also, I really want to go to pie town, plus the setting in NorCal was refreshing!
I do not think you have to read the rest of the series in order to have context, as this book details who's who, and references key details for the overall story arc.

All the many things that fall has to offer are featured in this cozy mystery that starts with a body found under a giant pumpkin.

Love the recipes and was a great read. The series is not to gory but has a cozy feel to it. Love the close knit group that set out to solve what happens. Story was scary at times and made you wonder what would go on in real life.

This is book five in the charming "Pie Town Mystery Series" by cozy author Kirsten Weiss. I have read the entire series as one of my favorite cozies to turn to for pie and sleuthing . Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinions are my own. Who can resist the pies in every book and the charming pie shop and small town . This has a Halloween theme mystery that is fun and festive.

It’s Halloween in St. Nicholas, California everyone is preparing for the Pumpkin Festival. Pie Town owner Val Harris is entering her very first pumpkin pie contest. She is decidedly nervous as her current boyfriend Detective Gordon is also a contestant !

When the dead body of a contestant crushed under an oversize pumpkin is found before the festival begins, Val is of course one of the first on scene much to the chagrin of her boyfriend. When the contentious Chief shows up he takes Gordon off the case due to the owner of the killer pumpkin is his relative. He publicly humiliates Gordon leaving Val steaming. Val enlists her pie crust extraordinaire and partner Charlene and of course the trusty Baker Street Bakers in her sleuthing. As suspects and clues abound Charlene and Val with Gordon's help find themselves in danger.

I loved the Halloween theme and the way the author writes mysterious clues into every book. The charcters are a delight as is the wonderful Pie shop we cozy readers love. Very well done to the author. i look forward to the next in series.

I was a little tentative about this since it is the fifth book in the Pie Town series but I do love a good Halloween themed cozy so I decided to go for it. Gourd to Death was a really fun and definitely got me in the mood for fall and all things pumpkin related. An entertaining group of characters, lots of small town charm, and a satisfying mystery made for a good read. I actually enjoyed this enough to want to go back to the beginning of this series to read the earlier instalments!

I tried to like this book, I really did. But the incompetency of the police was a little hard to take. The fact that 2 bakers had to investigate and feed all to info to one of their detective boyfriends, who I am sorry to say seemed just a dense as the rest of them defied belief.

Gourd to Death: A Pie Town Mystery Book 5
By Kristen Weiss
Kensington
September 2020

Review by Cynthia Chow

Pie Town shop owner Valentine Harris should have known better than to agree to judge a pumpkin pie bake-off during San Nicholas’s annual fall pumpkin festival. Not only is her own boyfriend Gordon one of the contestants, but health-fanatic owner of Heidi’s Health and Fitness gym attempts to get Val disqualified by making the identification of her crust-free entry obvious. The perils of a highly charged cooking competition will pale in comparison to discovering a body squashed by a pumpkin, especially when it is the enormous two-thousand-pound entry in the pumpkin growing contest. How etymologist Dr. Kara Levant managed to get herself under the tremendous squash is the first question, the second being whether or not it was an accident.

Thrown off the case by the jealous Police Chief who declares that Detective Gordon Carmichael has too many conflicts of interest, the very frustrated detective looks to his girlfriend to help him investigate. His encouragement is nothing compared to Val’s pie crust specialist Charlene McCree, who immediately enlists the services of The Baker Street Bakers armchair detecting club. While that also means that Charlene’s nemesis Marla Van Helsing does her best both to interfere and become an associate member, they’re going to need all the help they can get when Val is attacked in a pirate ship haunted house, the Pie Town van is vandalized, and another suspect falls victim to the anti-pumpkin killer. Rivalries between towns, bakers, business partners, employees, family members, and friends all rise to the surface and prove to be long-lasting and deadly.

After being abandoned by her father and estranged from her mother, Val is settling down with a new circle of friends in the charming Coastal Californian town. The recent discovery of a half-brother means the unexpected arrival of his mother, who is charming but threatens to throw another wrench in Val’s new life. That her stepmother Takako immediately bonds with Charlene portends to no end of chaos in Val’s life, especially when the women depart on their own to less-than-stealthily interrogate suspects and wield a pumpkin drone for surveillance. Gordon being off the case has him obsessively creating his own obsessive Murder Board, so it’s no wonder that Val retreats into some “procastibaking” and creating fall pastries perfect for the season. What’s stressful for Val is a delight for readers, who not only witness the antics of her friends but can imagine the tasty pastries whipped up by the creative chef. This fifth in the series is a deliciously fun adventure just in time for the Halloween season, when tricks outweigh the treats and nearly everyone hides behind a mask.

Gourd to Death is another great book in the Pietown Mystery series. The story takes place during my favorite season: Fall. I loved how, even though the setting is a coastal town in CA, there's still all the fun fall activities like pumpkin patches and corn mazes. I really enjoyed the new character, Takako, who is Val's stepmother. I hope she's in future books in the series because I'd like to see their relationship evolve more. As for the mystery itself, I didn't guess who the killer was until right before it was revealed on the page. I really enjoy books by this author because she creates characters you can relate to and crafts wonderful mysteries that keep you guessing. I can't wait to see what Val and Charlene get into next.

Note: I voluntarily read a free copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are mine alone.

I love love love this series. It’s been one i look forward to with each new release and truly enjoy reading. The characters feel like old friends. It’s a quick, light read and I would recommend this book!

A delicious Halloween mystery about a pie store owner and her elderly pie-crust maker friend, who are collectively known as the Baker Street Bakers. This is the fifth installment of the series. This time around, a body of a woman is found squashed by a giant pumpkin on the eve of a pumpkin festival. With her friends as suspects and her boyfriend, a local detective, off the case, the pie shop owner Val begins her investigation, while also dealing with personal life troubles, such as an unexpected arrival of a stepmother she'd never met before! Great friendships, tight plot, lots of twists, a hearty dose of delicious amateur sleuthing, and a hilarious supporting character, the pie-crust maker Charlene, who plots revenge on a neighboring town, has not one but two nemeses, and wears her comatose-like kitty as a scarf. What's not to love?

Even though I have only read one other book the Pie Town Mystery series by Kirsten Weiss set in a pie shop in San Nicholas, a Californian coastal town, I still jumped at the opportunity to read this one, Gourd to Death as I enjoy a well written cosy, and this looked like it fitted the bill perfectly.

Valentine (Val) Harris runs the best pie shop in town alongside her quirky business partner and pie crust expert, Charlene McCree. With Halloween looming, Val has been asked to judge the pie making contest at the annual pumpkin festival. Her boyfriend, Gordon Carmichael, is also a contestant, but on a early morning walk with Charlene to check out the giant pumpkins, they discover the town's optometrist dead underneath one. Val calls Gordon who is a detective of the San Nicholas police department, but he is disqualified from handling the case because it was one of his Uncle's massive pumpkins that was found on top of the victim.

Although this is book five, I had no difficulties keeping up with characters and events. Strong protagonist Val was surrounded by some very quirky bods and I particularly enjoyed Charlene's amusing contributions, as well as those from Mrs Thistleblossom (such a brilliant name). Val's stepmother, Takako, was often the sensible one, but she also joined in with the hijinks. Events moved along at a comfortable pace and the mystery itself was fantastic. Whilst the choice of viable suspects was fairly limited, my armchair detective requirements remained satisfied due to skullduggery from the locals in the neighbouring town, and the denouement was still a surprise to me. I had a ball reading this highly amusing and entertaining cozy mystery and I'm already looking forwarding to catching up with Val and the Baker Street Bakers in book #6, as well as grabbing copies of the first three books.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Gourd to Death by Kirsten Weiss is the fifth book in the cozy Pie Town Mystery series. Each book of the series contains it’s own mystery that is fully solved so they all could be read as a standalone or in any order if choosing to do so. However, those that follow from the beginning do have character development that carries over book to book.

In the first book of the Pie Town Mystery series readers were introduced to Valentine “Val” Harris who 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 had left was her business when her fiance had called off their wedding and after putting all her money into her dream, Pie Town, she knew she had to do whatever it took to make the business a success.

However, Val and her pie crust maker, Charlene, seem to have the worst luck when it comes to finding dead bodies but the duo are becoming better and better at finding the murderers. This time Val has been asked to be a judge in the pie making contest at the annual pumpkin festival where she is doing her best to stay neutral even though her boyfriend is entered and another contestant is trying bribes. But the contest becomes the least of Val’s worries when she and Charlene stumble on a dead body that under one of the huge pumpkins.

The Pie Town Mystery series is another one of my favorite cozies that has that combination of quirkiness and fun that I enjoy. I’ve followed this one from the beginning and have absolutely fallen in love with Val’s sidekick Charlene, she is absolutely hilarious. You just never know what kind of hijinx the pair are going to encounter making chasing a killer something to laugh about and I will keep reading as long as the author keeps adding books to this series!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Val’s Pie Town is super busy with the Pumpkin Festival. The last thing she needs is to find a body, crushed under a gigantic pumpkin. It is the local ophthalmologist. Like citizens of so many small towns, she has connections with a large number of people, some of whom are very near and dear to Val. So when her boyfriend Gordon is removed from the investigation and Chief Shaw takes over, it is clear the Baker Street Bakers will be needed to solve not just one but two murders.

Complicating things further, Val’s heretofore unknown step-mother breezes into town and joins forces with the Bakers. Val is not sure quite how she feels about this but Charlene welcomes her into the fold. Then Charlene’s nemesis, wants to be part of the team. As if that was not sufficient, there is a rabid rivalry between her town and another town who is holding a competing pumpkin festival. Who knew pumpkins could be so cut-throat. But it is going to need all hands on deck to lure the killer out. Paws crossed that it doesn’t end up costing them their lives.

A nice mixture of whacky and suspenseful with a good smattering of real human conflict that comes when someone we love falters. I enjoyed the read. Five purrs and two paws up.

Here comes Fall and Halloween plans are in full swing for the Pumpkin Festival in San Nicholas. In the next town over plans are also underway to out do whatever San Nicholas can come up with. One thing that wasn't planned was homicide by giant pumpkin, one that was a possible contest winner. Val's boyfriend, Gordon is taken off the case because the murderous pumpkin belonged to his uncle. When he is sidelined from the investigation, Gordon asks Val and the Baker Street Bakers to help him catch the killer by conducting his own investigation. This group of sleuths is a real hoot and the killer will be caught.
The characters in this series are some of my favorites, just what I need these days. The laughter is the best medicine for what ails me. Now I'm craving pumpkin pie and lots of whipped cream....starting with breakfast. As for the mystery, it was solid and well crafted, leaving me a satisfied reader.
My thanks to the publisher, Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I confess I haven not read the rest of the books in this series before reading this one but I was given enough backstory that meeting these characters felt like old friends. I will certainly be reading all the books preceding this one shortly!

Val Harris is gearing up for her first pumpkin festival in the town of San Nicholas, CA. Apparently, as she is reminded often, she does not realize how cutthroat the competition is in said pumpkin festival. She learns the hard way when she discovers the body of the local ophthalmologist crushed beneath a giant pumpkin. It is now up to Val and her amateur sleuthing group, the Baker Street Bakers, to uncover the killer.

As I said, I found this book delightful. I looked forward to having time to read it. Charlene, her piecrust maker, is one of the best cozy mystery characters I have encountered. She really made the story shine for me. I especially loved her pumpkin robot and there were several places I literally laughed out loud.

I very much enjoyed this charming cozy and I am very interested in the rest of the series now. Strongly recommend for mystery lovers!

Gourd to Death is the fifth installment in the Pie Town Mystery series featuring Val Harris and set in San Nicholas, California. It's time for the annual Halloween festival and various events around town will include a pie baking contest, a pumpkin cannon, a corn maze and a giant pumpkin contest. Val has entered the pie baking contest and is going up against her boyfriend, Detective Gordon Carmichael.

Val and Charlene, her pie crust maker are taking a break from the shop and going to see the giant pumpkins when they discover the body of the local ophthalmologist crushed under one of the gourds. Chief Shaw points the finger at the pumpkin's owner, who happens to be the relative of another of Val's employees. With Gordon removed from the case due to personal conflict it's up to Val and Charlene to hunt down the killer.

A good addition to this quirky series. I was a little surprised that a few storylines were just left dangling so maybe they'll be wrapped up in a future installment. I was also disappointed that there was such a huge, glaring mistake at the end surrounding the capture of the killer that actually ruined the entire story for me but maybe, because I was reading an advanced copy the error was fixed in the print copy.

I received an advanced copy of Gourd to Death from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

Kirsten Weiss is a favorite cozy author and Gourd to Death (5th in the Pie Town series) is her latest. For her northern California town's annual pumpkin festival, Val Harris has geared up and readied for the onslaught of tourists. But she wasn't ready for finding another body ...this one under a potential prize winning pumpkin. She and her cohorts, the Baker Street Bakers, are on the job to help solve the murder. Some of the shenanigans are slightly over the top, but the characters are endearing. All in all, a fun read, but not my favorite in the series.