I thoroughly enjoyed this latest addition to Kirsten Weiss' A Pie Town Mystery' series. The characters are delightful with moments of laugh out loud humor. Many characters are set up as possible suspects so that I was guessing until near the very end. There is romance with exactly the right touch. All in all 'Gourd to Death' is a wonderful read I highly recommend.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This time instead of unidentified flying objects we have a very large identified falling object, namely one would-be prize winning pumpkin that was found on top of local optometrist. Charlene and many of the active adult locals as sure that it is an attack on the Pumpkin festival by rival town....Val is sure that this is more than kids and pranks. The Baker Street Bakers are back on the case, especially when Gordon is stuck on the sidelines because Sheriff can't seem to not want to blame Val for the increase in body count. I absolutely adore the relationship that and Charlene have, but then who couldn't smile when imagining Charlene with around her neck like a mink stole while they search for clues and question, well...everybody. Another wonderful recipe is in store at the end of this story so I suggest that you start there so you can have a snack while you read and then take a moment to look up the recipe for that marvelous sounding Fireball Pumpkin Pie, after all it was the winning pie. Each Pie Town mystery is better than the one before it. Val is living in a tiny house with a cemetary in her back yard, has a Dad with a questionable vocation, a half brother who likes to keep things to himself, and now a stepmom who is just as secretive.

I'd like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book and providing me with an e-ARC copy.

This book is part of a series in the 'cozy mystery' genre. It fits in well with the cozy mystery genre - a murder, but not too violent or bloody, in the first few chapters, a tight knit group of friends, usually a business owners who has a lover interest and is in the center of the investigation, funny jokes and quips all along the way and neatly wrapped up in a bow. I've read hundreds of cozy mysteries, and for the most part, I enjoy them. I think given the way they build on characters and create a tight knit group that continues from book to book, creating a world for the audience, they are best enjoyed when read in order, but you can read them in any order. I hadn't read the other books in this series, but have read others by this author. I found the writing style enjoyable with good character development. Some of the characters are bit too much, too over the top, but I expect those in this type of book as well. If ever a genre was a Scooby Doo cartoon, it's cozy mysteries.
Murder by giant pumpkin is a bit of a shock, but I can't think of another time it's been done, so good on the author for coming up with something new there!

This would be a great book to read, curled up in a blanket with some hot apple cider - or pumpkin latte! - on a crisp fall afternoon.

If you live in a region where growing pumpkins and gourds is extremely popular having a festival dedicated to them is hardly unusual. Of course, if the next town up the coast also decides they need a similar celebration things are likely to get heated. In San Nicholas that is taken to extremes with murmurings of sabotage, vigilantes and spies keeping the patrons of Pie Town entertained for weeks.

Add to the already tense situation an unsolved death with the victim crushed by pumpkin and local store owner and amateur sleuth Val Harris has her hands full. Working every waking moment making sure her beloved restaurant, Pie Town, has the best of everything on offer for locals and tourists alike, it's no wonder unexplained death, family problems, and dangerous liaisons serve only to complicate matters.

Although the fifth book in this series it is the first I've read. Initially it seemed a little slow but I soon realised it wasn't a problem. The writing is great, the storyline laugh out loud funny at times, and the main characters a mix of the best and worst people Val can come up against and just about stay sane.

It is mentioned a few times to begin with how she doesn't understand pumpkin festivals and nor do I; they're just not a thing in the UK. I wondered if this would make a difference but the 'locals' stopped mentioning it and somehow I enjoyed everything much more after that. I will definitely take a chance on the previous books and look out for any further titles in this series as it was an easy and fun read to get lost in. Maybe there will be a Christmas one next.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys this author's work or friendly, quirky, cosy mysteries.

Pie Town Mystery Number Five

This Halloween, pie shop proprietor Val Harris must patch together clues to solve a murder by pumpkin . . .

You read that correctly. Murder by pumpkin.

Pie Town is back and Val and her quirky band of bakers are gearing up for the annual pumpkin festival. Val is a judge for the pie-making contest and it looks like her boyfriend is entering the contest. Could get sticky.

As Val and Charlene stroll through the booths and the pumpkin patch they find a dead body under a huge pumpkin with a forklift standing by it. The woman was a contestant in the pie contest and the pumpkin belongs to the father of Val's assistant.

Mazes, curses, pumpkin shenanigans, and a feud with the next town over all combine with the colorful and hilarious staff of Pie Town to give us another great installment in the series.

Always well done!

NetGalley Review/August 25th, 2020 by Kensington Publishing Corporation

I like the setting and the set-up of this mystery series, and this entry was a quick read and overall pretty good. I do find myself getting tired of over-the-top characters--specifically Charlene and Chief Shaw. A mystery (or any book), in my opinion, doesn't need ludicrous characters to be interesting. And if there are ludicrous characters, I want them to be in minor roles (preferably non-recurring roles). The two-dimensional characterizations undermine my enjoyment of the book overall. But still, a decent read.

Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Gourd to Death was my introduction to the Pie Town series by Kirsten Weiss. I could not have asked for a more pleasant book to read. It has fun and quirky characters, a strong storyline, and more pumpkins than you can ask for, as well as a long list of potential suspects. The exchanges between Charlene and Marla are often funny, and Val is a strong main character. Everything starts with a woman found dead underneath a giant pumpkin, and Val starts investigating, with Charlene alongside her. A few more characters provide help with the investigation, sometimes with questionable results. I liked that Takako became a major character in the story, and I would like to see more of her in the next books. If you like a good mystery, fun characters, harvest season and pumpkins, this is the book for you! Highly recommended!

Gourd to Death is a well written and entertaining cozy mystery. Great plot and quirky characters. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

Val and Charlene are at it again. Book five in the series, and the second one I’ve read. A fun cozy mystery but a little skimmable at times in the middle. Would recommend this book and author.

I enjoyed this book and loved the older sidekick. The mystery was interesting and kept me guessing,

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 1/2 stars but I rounded up to 4.

A sweet cozy read. Is it predictable? Yes. But there were enough little side antics to keep you engaged and the plot was written well enough that the story flowed. Takako was great! I loved Charlene and enjoyed Val. My first Pie Town Mystery and I'll definitely look forward to the next one!

Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3431468843

This series is near and dear to my heart, and this latest installment just cements that. Every page just draws me deeper and deeper into this book until I finally came up for air at the last page. The mystery is perfect, the author does a great job of giving hints without giving anything away. A great addition to the series.

4/5 stars

I received Gourd to Death through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Gourd to Death is the fifth installment of the Pie Town Mystery series, but the first I have read. In this fall cozy mystery, Val, Charlene and the rest of the Baker Street Bakers find themselves investigating a murder that took place during the towns annual Pumpkin Festival. Was the death caused by a feud between San Nicholas and the close by San Adrian or was there something for sinister in the works?

This mystery did a great job of pulling the reader into the Pumpkin Festival setting and making you wish that is was fall. The Pie Town setting also had me wanting pie! Gourd to Death was a well written, cozy mystery with a fun plot and fun characters, I especially enjoyed Val.

At times I found the feuds in the story to be a bit childish, but that did add to some of the humor of the story. Overall, this was a good cozy mystery read, guaranteed to get you into the fall and Halloween spirit. I look forward to going back and reading the previous installments in this series.

While taking an early morning sneak peek at the St. Nicholas Pumpkin Festival, Val Harris and her piecrust maker/sleuthing partner Charlene discover a body crushed beneath a giant pumpkin. Because the victim was a fellow contestant in the pumpkin pie bakeoff and the pumpkin belonged to his uncle, Val’s detective boyfriend is promptly kicked off the case. Between running her homemade pie business, getting to know her stepmother, and dealing with the back-and-forth sabotage between St. Nicholas and the residents of a town with a competing pumpkin festival, Val already has a lot on her hands. But when her boyfriend recruits her to help him investigate the murder behind the chief’s back, she can hardly say no. With help from Charlene and their crew of misfit armchair detectives, Val takes on the case. Following a second murder, it is imperative that Val find the killer before she becomes the third victim.

GOURD TO DEATH is the first Pie Town Mystery that I have read. I initially requested the boom on NetGalley because it was set around Halloween and I am a huge fan of that holiday. After reading GOURD TO DEATH, I plan to go back and read the first four novels in the series. The characters in this series are incredibly unique and a lot of fun—especially Charlene.

Overall, I enjoyed GOURD TO DEATH. There weren’t too many viable suspects, but Weiss kept me guessing for most of the novel. The novel is fast-paced and humorous. Thanks to Charlene and her antics, there are many laugh-out-loud moments.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review - a pie making contest at the annual pumpkin festival turns deadly when they discover a contestant crushed under a pumpkin. This will be a scary Halloween

A word of warning, make sure you have pie handy when you read this book. You will be craving it after the first ten pages. Val Harris owns Pie Town in coastal California and she is surrounded by some very quirky characters. There's Charlene her 70+ piecrust maker, her goth assistant manager Petronella, Marla a 70-something vamp who is the archrival or Charlene, a would-be witch named Mrs. Thistleblossom and a mysterious stepmother, Val can hardly keep up with pie making and the annual Halloween Pumpkin Festival in San Nicholas when someone is found dead under a giant pumpkin. She and her Baker Street Bakers join forces to solve the crime. This laugh out loud cozy is clever, witty and fun to read.

Gourd to Death is the 5th book in the Pie Town Mystery series and I never wanted it to end! I absolutely adore this series and Kristen Weiss has delivered! If you enjoy cozies, especially those that have fantastic main characters then this entire series shouldn't be missed! They are perfection!

Thanks to Kensington Books for giving me a free digital galley of this book in exchange for feedback.

The word that springs to mind is "zany." I don't often read books that call for dropping a z-bomb, but this one fits the bill.

I like Kirsten Weiss a lot - she's probably my favorite cozy-mystery author at the moment. I've read all the Pie Town mysteries, but I think a reader could comfortably jump into the middle here, because she tells you what you need to follow the plot, which isn't that much. This is Val. She owns a pie cafe. This is Charlene. She makes the crust. They solve crimes.

In this installment, there's a pumpkin festival in town - and the neighboring town is also preparing for their pumpkin festival! There's a lot of pumpkin-related rivalry, and when an optometrist is found dead under a huge pumpkin, it isn't immediately clear whether the primary target is the human, or the competition-quality pumpkin.

There is a mystery, and it does get solved, but for me, a lot of the fun in this book relates to all the different kinds of pumpkin-related shenanigans. If you like this sort of thing, this is probably the sort of thing you'll like. I did.

Another one of my favorite cozy series. I had so much fun re-visiting this quirky town and its characters. It also had a great mystery. Looking forward to reading more in this series.

A fun series complete with quirky characters (my favorite kind) and delicious pie. A well written, fast paced, engaging mystery and the Halloween theme is a bonus.