I started reading this book and found that it was not for me. I didn't want to review a book that I didn't finish.

Loved reading this book and author. I highly recommend her books. Happy reading and enjoy her books. If you haven't read any of her books yet

Tish Tarragon owns the Cookin’ the Books Café and Catering Service in Hobson Glen, Virginia. She helped the local police solve several cases recently and has just recuperated from actually being shot on the last case. Since the local police chief has left, perhaps her days of helping solve cases is over.

Her dear friend, and part-time employee, Celestine Rufus has just lost her husband of forty years. Celestine is supposed to compete in the Annual Virginia Commonwealth Bake-Off, but just isn’t up to it at this time. Tish agrees to take Celestine’s place in the bake-off and prepares to create three prize-winning entries. She wants to give the prize money to Celestine to help with expenses.

Tish plans to bake a Frangipane Cherry Pie for one of her entries, but gets some very strange reactions when she mentions that to people. It seems the last two contestants who planned to bake a cherry pie, died during the competition before they had the chance to bake the pie. After the first day of the bake-off, a note is left at her station telling her to drop out of the contest. More, not so subtle hints are left on days two and three, and everyone feels that Tish’s life really is in danger. She and her friends are called back into action once again to solve this case. Tish is not backing out of the bake-off and is determined to find the killer.

THE CURSE OF THE CHERRY PIE, by Amy Patricia Meade, is the fourth book in Ms. Meade’s Tish Tarragon Mystery Series. I have not had the pleasure of reading the other books in this series, but this one can easily stand alone as a great cozy mystery read. Tish is a strong heroine in this delightful story and is surrounded by supporting characters who are just that … supporting her in everything she does. That is, everyone except Tish’s boyfriend … but that’s another story. The storyline takes several unusual twists and turns to a delightful conclusion. This is a great cozy mystery for a summer read.

The Curse of the Cherry Pie is the fourth book in a series by Amy Patricia Meade featuring Letitia 'Tish' Tarragon. Set in Virginia, Tish, the owner of Cookin' the Books Café, stands in for her friend, Celestine Rufus at a prestigious bake-off competition, the Virginia Commonwealth Bake-Off. Tish is nervous about her signature bake, a frangipane cherry pie, as the contestants who have baked cherry pies in the last two competitions have both wound up dead.

An extremely enjoyable cosy mystery with a very likeable protagonist in Tish, I was thoroughly engrossed in this story. The plot was engaging and it sported a colourful cast of supporting characters, including Mary Jo Okensholt and Jules Davis (Tish's best friends from their University days). This was my first leap into the series at book four, and it was a good standalone read, as I did not feel lost. A great tale that has left me keen to check out the first three instalments.

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

Tish enters the Virginia Commonwealth Bake-off to help a friend. She soon learns that deciding to make a cherry pie was a mistake.

This is a somewhat interesting mystery set during a bake-off. I was not really invested in the characters and I’m not interested in reading more of this series.

As with most culinary cozy mysteries, there is a lot of food discussed in this book. Not only is Tish a literary caterer (her dishes are always inspired by books) and a cafe owner, she’s also taking part in a Bake-Off, so things are definitely heating up in the kitchen! While this is the fourth book in the series, you can definitely read it as a standalone – there’s enough of a background and introduction to bring everyone up to speed. But honestly, I highly recommend reading this entire series.

There are so many things I love about this book. Not only was the “curse” interesting to watch unravel – there was no shortage of suspects – there were a lot of twists and turns to keep me guessing until close to the end. The pacing of the story was very even and never really slowed down. But it never felt like an information dump either. It moved along nicely and I zipped through the book at a steady pace.

Over the course of the last three books, Tish and her friends have really gone through a lot of personal development. I find it one of the most interesting group of friends in any cozy mystery series. They have real problems and they go through ups and downs in a very realistic way. It would seem like there’s a lot of drama happening alongside the main mystery (new relationships, affairs, divorces, etc) but the personal stuff never seems to distract from the main storyline, so it’s a nice balance. It also gives me a feeling of getting to know the characters very well. I can’t really say much more without giving away spoilers, so I’ll just say that Tish goes through a lot this book, and I was happy with how things ended up for her.

Of course, along with the literary-inspired dishes, another rare feature of this series is that the sidekicks (in this case, Tish’s two best friends Mary Jo and Julian aka Jules) often do some investigating on their own. While this isn’t completely unheard of in cozies, Meade often gives the sidekick a chapter of their own, which I love! She does this in this book and MJ does some digging on the side for Tish at the local dentist’s office.

And while Jules doesn’t get his own chapter, he is there for almost all the action and I couldn’t be happier. He’s definitely my favourite character in the series. He’s a bit silly and easily-distracted, but he’s also loyal and fun and I think the perfect friend to Tish and MJ. We all need more Jules in our lives!

The ending of this book was very satisfying but also kept things very open for the next book. I obviously adore this series and I can’t wait for more of Tish and her friends.

*** Thank you to Severn House Publishers, for providing me with an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Tish Tarragon Mysteries are amongst my favorite series and I always love to read about Tish and her friends.
This one is not one of my favorite because I don't like mysteries in a cooking contest setting.
That said this is a good addition and an entertaining story. I was happy to catch up with the characters and I think that something is going to change in the next stories.
The mystery is complex and kept me guessing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is the 4th Tish Tarragon mystery and one of my favorite books of this series.. I love Tish and the mysteries in this series. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity.

Tish takes over as a cooking competitor for her friend who has just lost her husband. Her friend needs the money so Tish hopes to win. She is planning on baking a cherry pie but finds out the last two competitors were murdered that were preparing to cook cherry pies in the competition. Our Tish is not deterred and is one the case to solve this mystery and hopeful win the competition for her friend in need.

I love the charcters, the baking and the sleuth. .This is a fun addition to the series.

Tish Tarragon agrees to sub for her grieving friend Celestine Rufus at the annual Virginia Commonwealth Bake-Off. As the event gets underway, the judges and staff have an unusual reaction to Tish's choice of her signature bake: a frangipane cherry pie. Then Tish learns that contestants from the previous two competitions had also planned to bake cherry pies but had suddenly died before the event. Bitter rivalries, simmering jealousy and the desire to win the top prize show their ugly head when Tish gets threats warning her to quit. A tampered mixer gives Tish a jolt and the bake-off is delayed by a day.

The acting sheriff does not take the threats seriously until the judges intervene. Meanwhile, TIsh's boyfriend is in the final campaign stretch for a mayoral race and he is putting pressure on Tish to be more supportive. Tish finds some incriminating evidence which forces a change in the judges and chairmanship of the bake-off. A few months later, the final signature bake takes place and the winners are revealed.

This was an entertaining read in the Tish Tarragon culinary mystery series. I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Severn House with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Curse of the Cherry Pie
by Amy Patricia Meade
Publishing Date: May 4, 2021

I loved the summary: A sharp and tangy culinary mystery featuring Tish Tarragon. Can Tish beat the curse of the cherry pie to win first prize at the Virginia Commonwealth Bake-Off?

When literary caterer Letitia 'Tish' Tarragon's friend and star baker at Cookin' the Books cafe, Celestine Rufus, pulls out of the prestigious Virginia Commonwealth Bake-Off, an anxious Tish reluctantly takes her place. Will her signature bake, a frangipane cherry pie, be up to the grade?

As the bake-off gets underway, Tish's worries increase when she learns that two contestants from the previous two competitions also had cherry pies on their menus . . . and both women died suddenly before making their bakes.

Amid bitter rivalries, simmering jealousy and the bakers' insatiable appetite for winning, is the curse of the cherry pie about to strike again? I had not read this author before ,but this book was great!! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the digital ARC! 5star

No No not a cherry pie! Tish, who steps in to a baking competition at the last minute when her friend Celestine is widowed was planning to submit her very excellent cherry frangipane pie, That's when she finds out the the last two women who baked cherry pies died the night before the winner was announced! Trish isn't going to be scared off and she's going to find out what really happened. Oh the drama of competition! You know that these people aren't as sweet as their confections but which one is a murderer? No spoilers from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fun cozy read.

Absolutely loved it! The Tish Tarragon series continues to be my favorite in the cozy mystery genre for its wonderful characters, clever twists, and always having a little message in the plot. Unlike other cozies where the characters can remain a bit static, everyone grows in this story. In particular I was so very proud of Tish in the end. Every time I finish one, including now, I'm impatiently waiting for the next one!

Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

After the unexpected death of her husband, Celestine doesn’t feel like to compete in the Virginia Commonwealth Bake-off, although she could sure use the prize money. Tish offers to compete in her place. The competition organizer is okay with this, so with just with a week to prepare (think of recipes and tweak them to perfection) Tish enters the bake-off with hopes of winning.

Everyone at the bake-off pales when she mentions that for her final bake she will bake a cherry pie. As it turns out: in the past two years the contestants who intended to bake a cherry pie died before the final day of the competition. Tish doesn’t believe in any such curse, but when she receives a threatening note and someone tampers with her mixers, Tish wants to know what the connection was between the two women, ‘cause that may be the thing that got them killed.

Very likeable read. During the day Tish collects clues by talking to fellow contestants and overhearing things, in the evening she bounces off ideas on her friends and a local policeman, who doesn’t seem out of place at all for helping out or sharing information. The information comes it good doses and there are plenty of twists and turns.

A Tish Tarragon Mystery

We are back at Cookin’ the Books Cafe’ with literary caterer Tish Tarragon and Celestine, her baker of the most heavenly foods.

Celestine has entered the very uppity Virginia Commonwealth Bake-Off but at the last minute is unable to attend. Although Tish isn’t sure she can measure up to her baker, she will jump in and try and at least win the prize money to help her friend.

Her entries sound lovely. And her final entry will be a Frangipane Cherry Pie. Keeping her fingers crossed, she shows up on the first day only to find out the last two contestants who baked a cherry pie died.

The rivalries in the baking world are legendary and even though this isn’t the Great British Bake-Off, one of the contestants is acting as a Royal. The winner of last year is about the most out of touch and ridiculous baker ever. Looking more like June Cleaver than Julia Child, she has a facade that is about to crack like an egg.

And it looks as if someone is out to shut down Tish’s chances on day one. As the shenanigans progress, Tish may not live to see who wins!

Always a good tale with Tish!

NetGalley/ May 4, 2021, Severn House

What do you do when your friend withdraws from a prestigious baking competition when her husband passes away? If you're Tish Tarragon, you volunteer to take her place and win the prize money her friend desperately needs. Problem is, one of your creations, a cherry pie, is thought to be cursed as the two contestants who had wanted to make a cherry pie, in year's past were both murdered.

I loved Tish, her friends MJ, Jules (and his canine sidekick, Biscuit), Celestine and all the wonderful characters at Cookin' the Books literary cafe who made this mystery so enjoyable. The book kept me reading and guessing until the very end. Twists & turns, humor, friendship, delicious food and a just enough romance made the cozy perfect! I didn't want the book to end and I'm hoping for another one soon!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Curse of the Cherry Pie is the fourth in the series. It can be read as a stand alone but I would start at the beginning. Cookin’ the Books Cafe is the MC Tish’s baby. Her friend and employee Celestine sadly loses her husband. Tish offers to take Celestine place in the Virginia Commonwealth Bake-Off. Two contestants are dead and she works hard to find the truth and win the prize money for her friend.
#TheCurseoftheCherryPie #NetGalley

I loved the latest in Amy Patricia Meade's A Tish Tarragon Mystery series. We have finally arrived with 'The Curse of the Cherry Pie'! Tish, and her surrounding cast of loyal friends are delightful. While the premise that starts the story is tender with the death of Celestine's husband, Tish's determination to enter a bake-off to win the prize money for Celestine is the springboard for all the intrigue that follows. I won't give away any spoilers, but I was delighted with the ending, which is really a beginning. I literally can't wait for more.

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

Nice entry in an ongoing cozy mystery series set in Virginia. This entry is set at a cooking contest which will attract all those cooking mystery fans.

When I reviewed Amy Patricia Meade’s first Tish Tarragon mystery, Cookin’ the Books, I said I loved the supporting cast, but I didn’t feel as if Tish was well-developed. The Curse of the Cherry Pie is the fourth in the series, and Tish has come into her own. She still has two supportive life-long friends. She’s added several others, and it’s easy to see why such a caring person has such good friends.

Tish is the owner of Cookin’ the Books Cafe. When Celestine Rufus’ husband dies, Tish steps in to help her friend and employee. Celestine had entered the Virginia Commonwealth Bake-Off, a prestigious, time-honored Southern event. Knowing her friend could use the prize money, Tish offers to take her place and give the money to Celestine if she wins. But, something is off at the event.

Tish has to present three baked items in the course of the contest, one savory, one decorated cake, and a signature item. When Tish says her signature item will be a cherry pie, people are horrified. The last two people to enter cherry pies are dead. Tish’s journalist friend, Julian, is hysterical when he hears that, but it’s too late for Tish to change her menu. She wants to know why two people are dead, and when she receives notes and threats, she’s even more determined to find the truth.

She doesn’t have much support at home. Tish’s lawyer boyfriend, Schuyler, is only concerned about how her investigation will reflect on his campaign for mayor. He has no awareness how it looks when he hires a catering company from Richmond for a campaign fundraiser when she has the only cafe in town and does catering. He supports the new acting sheriff, who is belligerent and sneers at Tish even when she’s threatened. She misses her friend Sheriff Reade who worked with her instead of against her. Fortunately, Julian and Tish’s friend Mary Jo are there to support and back her up, along with several deputies who miss Reade as well.

The Curse of the Cherry Pie has a wonderful cast of characters. The solution to the mystery came as a surprise to me, which I always enjoy. Foodies and fans of The Great British Baking Show will enjoy the contest and the discussion of food. And, the final couple pages of the story, set back at the cafe as Tish and her friends celebrate, was worth reading a second time. It was a perfect ending to any cozy mystery.

Delightful, Much Needed Escapism....
A Tish Tarragon mystery and the fourth in this entertaining series. Is the ‘curse’ of the cherry pie about to strike again when Tish stands in for a friend at a prestigious bake off competition? Enjoyable cosy mystery with a likeable protagonist in Tish and an engaging plot populated with a colourful cast of supporting characters. As fun as ever. Delightful, much needed escapism.