This series just keeps on giving. Tish Tarragon, cook and sleuth extraordinaire enters a cookery competition on behalf of a friend in need. And hears about the death of two contestants in previous years and a seeming curse on any recipe resembling a cherry pie. But like all competitions, things are not what they seem on the surface, with behind-the-scenes tensions and rivalries gradually being uncovered. It's a comfortable cozy with good humor, dialog and not a bad mystery complete with the regular cast of entertaining characters. Though perhaps it's slightly spoiled by too much additional material after the denouement and unmasking of the killer with material that, somewhat predictably, sets the scene for the next instalment. Nonetheless, that next book cannot come too soon for this reviewer. Oh, and the attached chicken recipe is really good, too.

The Curse of The Cherry Pie was delicious mystery with a twist. It has fabulous food descriptions. The not so typical bake-off was a thrill to read as I love reading culinary competition mysteries. Awesome plot-twists .The writing was fast paced. There were not so likeable characters mixed with some great ones that drew me into the story.. I loved getting to know restaurant owner and bake-off baker Tish as she tries to solve this mystery. Enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Servern House Publishing for giving me this ARC to read. This is a honest review.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Canongate Books, Severn House, in return for an honest review. While the latest book in this series, it is easily read as a standalone. This is a cooking competition cozy mystery, featuring Tish Tarragon, a caterer by profession. When her dear friend and baker, Celestine, earns a spot in the inaugural Virginia Commonwealth bakeoff, it’s a double heartbreak as Celestine’s husband just died and she can’t muster the interest in competing. Tish offers to bake in her place, although baking isn’t her strongest suit. Deciding on a frangipane cherry pie as her showcase bake, Tish learns that two other contestants died who also featured cherry pies. Now, she’s receiving death threats. What’s going on and why are cherry pies such a trigger? Adding intense baking, wide-ranging personalities and murder on the menu makes for a challenging competition in more ways than one!
Well-written and filled with heart and compassion, this is a solid cozy mystery. The setting allows lots of possible suspects and motives. Baking competition stories are always fun and this one is well done.

Amy Patricia Meade's books touch my hearts as well as my mind. The Curse of the Cherry Pie is a cut above the typical cooking competition mystery with both the reason Tish participates in the contest and her interaction with the other contestants. The red herrings are well played and suspects abound, making the plot both fast paced and intricate. Ms. Meade's characters always draw me in, but the way the friends surround one in pain is so realistic and special that I felt like I was part of that group. The fast paced plot interwoven with details of the competition create an awesome balance of intrigue and interest for those who enjoy baking shows.
Tish's life has been evolving throughout the series and we see a major change growing thought this novel leaving hope for one more potentially positive change yet to come.
My thanks to NetGalley and Servern House Publishing for the chance to read this awesome ARC. As always, I love to share my pleasure in a good book with my friends and followers.
#NetGalley #TheCurseofTheCherryPie #SevernHousePublishing

When Celestine loses her husband, Trish takes her friend’s place in the Virginia Commonwealth Bakeoff contest in hopes of winning the prize money to help her friend out with her finances. While Trish signed up for the contest, she didn’t sign up for yet another murder investigation.

Trish finds out that the two women before her who baked cherry pies for their final item both died the night before the winners were announced. Since Trish had also planned on making a cherry pie, she begins receiving threats to quit the competition. Not one to be easily scared, Trish finds out more about the women and what happened before. Soon it turns into a murder mystery and Trish isn’t just racing against the clock to complete her recipes, she’s racing against the killer to find them before they do her in.

A great series set in my old home state of Virginia, I can’t help but feel at home each and every time I read a book in the series. Be sure to look at the recipe at the end and you can cook along with Trish.