A Cozy Mystery featuring magical pies? 100% yes! 🥧

Welcome to the Lucky Pie Diner, where the coffee is hot, the company is great and the pies are magical! With tourist season winding down in the idyllic town of Split Pine, Este is busy baking pies and running her family diner. One morning everything changes after a heated exchange, missing produce and a 💀 body leaves the town reeling, her business in jeopardy and herself at the top of the suspect list! Putting on her sleuthing cap Este must sift through the clues, stir up some suspects and rise to the occasion to save her family’s legacy and clear her name!

🥧 Magical Pies
🔍 Amateur Sleuth
📚 Cozy Mystery
🏡 Small Town
🐾 Purrfect Feline
🫶 Friendship
📋 Recipes Included

I have loved every cozy mystery Gretchen Rue has released and A Pie to Die For is no exception! Deliciously funny, mysteriously magical and purrfectly cozy - 10/10 recommend!

Method Read: 📖

Thank you Crooked Lane Books for the ARC!

A Pie to Die For is a promising start to a new cozy mystery series. It has everything that makes a mystery cozy with a small community, clean and amateur sleuth.
A new fresh food deliverer is servicing the island and has many new enemies with his steep prices. When he turns up murdered, it's up to Lucky Pie restaurant owner Este March to clear her good name as not being the murderer. A nice add in to the story is that Lucky Pie sells a limited number of pies a day that change a person's life.
This cozy has me looking forward to sequel. I loved the location of a Michigan island similar to Mackinac Island and that the island is closed to tourists for the season, so we learn about only a few residents. Cozy mystery lovers will enjoy this new series.
I received a complimentary copy of A Pie to Die For thanks to publisher and NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.

I have some mixed feelings about this series debut. A dog as the mayor and the Michigan island setting is interesting and the island being a bit cut off from the mainland during winter has the potential to create some intriguing challenges for the community and our resident amateur sleuth. The storyline had good bones but was weighted down with too much prose and Este’s internal dialogue. (More interactive discussions with others would have generated more interest,) Some of the pies at the diner are supposed to bring good luck to those customers fortunate enough to get a ‘lucky’ pie, but we don’t really see proof of that and we don’t really know how the pies become lucky. It would have been nice to have this aspect of the story explored more. This is by no means a bad book! There is so much potential with this series and I plan on sticking with it to see how the series develops.

If there’s one thing I know how to bake it’s pie - homemade family recipe crust and all. ❤️🥧

So when one of my favorite cozy mystery writers announced a new series at a pie shop I hopped on it.

Not only does the series have amazing pie, but it’s got an interesting cast of characters including a surly former pro baseball player as the sheriff (my favorite!). It also takes place on an island in the Great Lakes that is closed off to tourists during the winter months so there’s a bit of those locked room vibes I love.

I’ll definitely be reading more of this series.

Special thanks to @crookedlanebooks for the ARC. This one is out today (2/6)!

This was a fun debut to a new cozy series. I loved the them of the cozy, and I had so much fun trying to solve the mystery with the protagonist. I am excited for the next installment!

In “A Pie to Die For,” Este March must clear her name and save her diner after a produce supplier is killed.

The premise of this series is that Este has inherited an ability to make lucky pies. She can’t do in on command, and only one pie per day, if any, can be lucky. Este doesn’t have a lot of information about how and why this is so, and it does beg the questions of why luck has to be conveyed via a pie, and how does the magic work to direct the person who needs it to the diner. But happily, this is a cozy, so we don’t have to dwell on pesky existential questions like that when there’s a nice, juicy murder to solve.

Este knows she’s not really a viable suspect, even if she weren’t in the early stages of a potential romance with the local sheriff. Still, when her business is threatened by the murder of the man who has replaced the town’s produce supplier, she decides to investigate. Along the way, she finds another threat, and has to work to save her beloved home.

This is a good start to the series, if a little uneven and repetitive in places. We spend a lot of time in Este’s head, and I think the story could have benefited from her interacting more with her friends. Este does take charge, getting her home set up, running a business, rescuing a cat, and tentatively starting a romance, on top of investigating, so in fairness, she’s busy.

Why you should read it: Nice series start, characters you’ll enjoy, great setting, and you’ll be interested in what’s next for Esme

Why you shouldn’t read it: No real reason. It’s a solid series entry, but like some debuts, it’s a little bumpy in places, since the scene has to be set, and we have to get to know the characters.

I received an advance copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 out of 5 stars

This book started what seems like it’ll be a fun series with a little touch of magic. I really love the setting and the similarity to another famous Upper Peninsula island with no cars, just horses and this island had golf carts. I liked Este and her best bud Kitty as well as Grampy, once we finally got to meet him that is lol. Tom was a good and fair sheriff, and I really hope he and Este can become an official couple.

I would’ve never guessed what was going on as the reason for an outsider’s murder, and while the showdown was tense, Este was also smart about it so it was pretty short once all the details were told by the killer. Once I was done with this book, I was really wishing for some caramel apple pie lol.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book, and my opinions are my own.

A Pie to Die For is book #1 in the Lucky Pie Mystery series by Gretchen Rue.

This was an entertaining start to a new series. The author’s descriptions of the locale made it easy to picture the setting. I like Este and her restaurant and I was certainly hungry for pie. There are recipes at the end. The mystery was good and I was surprised at the ending. I look forward to the next book.

Thank you to the author, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

A Pie to Die For is the 1st installment in the Lucky Pie series by Gretchen Rue. Este March is great at making pies at The Lucky Pie Diner. If you're lucky, you just might get a slice of luck instead of a plain piece of pie.
I really had a great time visiting Este and the residents of Split Pine, Michigan. The murder was a fun and not too easy to solve mystery. I think I'm really going to enjoy this series and I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

This is the first in the series of a Lucky Pie Mystery series. I am undecided about the series but will give the next book a try.

I felt the repeated telling the reader how lucky the pies are without any real evidence or why (rumored magic) was done to ad nauseum. I also thought there was way to much description even though I realize the author is trying to set the series up. Let some of the description wait for the other books in the series.

The mystery was a bit weak but there were some tries at misdirection. This island sounds uninviting and stuck in its ways. I can only hope the town evolves and the people get a little less cranky.

This book is a good background for the series.

I received an advanced readers copy from Netgalley and am not required to leave a positive review.

A Pie to Die For

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“ Este March runs the family-owned Lucky Pie Diner on Split Pine Island in Northern Michigan. The pies at Lucky Pie aren’t just good, they’re magical, with a family recipe that grants certain customers their greatest hopes and dreams when they eat the pie. The remote island is closed to outsiders over the winter months, but on the last day of the season, the unpopular new produce vendor, Jeff, turns up dead on his boat, and Split Pine Island’s peace goes up in smoke.”

This was an awesome kick off to this series! The character descriptions and setting descriptions were awesome to the point I felt like I was there and knew the people personally. The mystery was a good one and I had an idea of the killer but didn’t know for sure until the end. I felt like this was one of those books I needed to keep reading and I will recommend this series to all cozy mystery readers and then some. Can’t wait for the next one.

I really enjoyed A Pie to Die For. Este March is a fun main character. I enjoy the setting on Split Pine Island. The setting came alive for me. I like the diner and the lucky pies. The mystery is well crafted. I found the details behind the murder really interesting.
I would enjoy another trip to Split Pine Island. The recipes at the end sound yummy and are made in the book. I love that connection to the story.
Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to review this book.

This was interesting but soooo slow. I really enjoyed the cozy atmosphere but cozy does not always have to mean sluggish. It dragged on and that made the reading experience not as good as it would have.

Eagerly anticipating this series debut, especially after enjoying the author's previous work, I was drawn to the intriguing theme that forms the foundation of this series. Este's diner, with its captivating feature of 'lucky pies,' adds a unique touch. These daily 'specialty' pies are bestowed upon customers whom Este senses might benefit the most, turning a bad day into a moment of joy.

While the debut novel grapples with the typical 'first book problem,' emphasizing series plot setting and character introduction, the sleuthing aspect of the narrative stands out.

Anticipating more depth in the series debut, I hoped for insights into the origins of the 'lucky pie.' Despite frequent mentions of its impact and Tom's persistent inquiries about the secret, the narrative leaves this enchanting aspect unexplored.

While the tale begins on an engaging note, it loses momentum as Este becomes more engrossed in managing her diner than in actively sleuthing. Regarding the killer's identity, the narrative hints at one or two main suspects in Este's list, but red herrings are scarce. The revelation of the killer in the final chapters feels abrupt and somewhat disconnected, lacking sufficient clues to build anticipation. Despite these drawbacks, I look forward to the next installment, which will likely determine whether I continue following this series.

I Adore Cozy Mystery books and series. I will literally curl up with them anywhere and promptly get lost in the pages. This is the first of a new series and I am so ecstatic over it!!! I loved this!! I need the next one in the series please!!!!
I just reviewed A Pie to Die For by Gretchen Rue. #APietoDieFor #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

A Pie To Die For
Gretchen Rue
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved it. A great start to a new series by a great author. My January has been crazy but I loved snuggling up at night & being part of Split Pine before drifting off to sleep. Este has a good community and I loved the little bit of magic "luck" that was woven into the pies. This definitely is a place I would visit and I hope to be able to get to know the characters even better with more books.

I am always on the lookout for a new cozy mystery series and the book A Pie to Die For is a great start to a new series for me.
Este runs the family-owned Lucky Pie Diner, and everyone loves the pies she sells!
The author did a great job of putting the words on to the paper to make me be able to visualize the setting, so the story came alive for me.
The murder is a mystery that has a lot of good angles to finding out why the delivery man was murdered and who could be guilty.
A good cozy for me is one that isn’t easy to solve for me.
Thank you NetGalley, Gretchen Rue and Crooked Lane Books for the copy of A Pie to Die For. This is my personal review.

A Pie to Die For by Gretchen Rue due to be published February 6th 2024 is the very first book in The Lucky Pie mystery series.
Este March runs the Lucky Pie Diner on Split Pine Island, a tourist attraction that is about to close for the winter season. When a man is found murdered Este was the last person to see him alive and is therefore a suspect. Of course she needs to clear her name.

This book kept me guessing from beginning to end. The characters are easy to like, and the story was great! Almost felt like I was there and I knew the characters. I just love a story that makes me feel that way.

Thank you Netgalley, Gretchen Rue, and Crooked Lane books 📖

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars

[ thank you @netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own! ]

THOUGHTS:

Honestly, I loved this one. I can see it being a new favorite series of mine and it’s only book 1!

Set in Split Pine, Michigan, Este March runs her family-owned Lucky Pie Diner. On the last day of the season (the remote island is closed off to visitors) the new produce vendor winds up dead. Este helps solve the case to find out who did it and clear her name because the local sheriff suspects she was the last one to talk to the vendor. 🔍

I liked the island/town setting. I liked our main character, Este. I loved her diner and loved the magic with the pies, they are super special. She bakes two lucky pies everyday and doesn’t say which ones they are. Everyone wants a piece of the lucky one! ✨

And the constant food descriptions? I was dying to try some of the recipes! And guess what?! There are a bunch (8 to be exact) recipes in the back! I feel like I need to try my hand at baking a pie now. 😋

The mystery was good. It kept me guessing till the end. To say I was shocked was an understatement! Ha!

So add this book to your TBR because I think everyone needs to read this one! 🥧

A Pie to Die For by Gretchen Rue is the first book in the new Lucky Pie Mystery Series. I hate giving any book less than four stars, but I just couldn’t justify eeking it up a star. I’ll start with the positives though, because there were many.

I love that it takes place on an island in Michigan that basically gets cut off from the mainland during the winter. The characters were well developed. I loved Nora, the little gray kitten. I really enjoyed the main character, Este’s, relationship with the town’s sheriff, Tom. While Tom did warn Este to stop investigating, he actually listened to her.
And I really liked all the baking she did throughout the book, at her shop and also at her house, and she was actually at the shop often and doing work. The recipes at the end look like things I would try and she makes it super easy to make pie dough.

No for the first bummer, which I could have overlooked since it’s first in the series and I would hope it would progress more in future books, and that is, the premise of the lucky pies. We don’t exactly find out how this ability came to be, but there is the possibility that she’ll find out some information from her father or Grampy in future books, so that’s fine. Although she knew she made some lucky pies during the book, we never see any results of any of them. I would have liked to have read at least one or two instances when something good happened to one of the people who stopped by her shop and got a lucky pie.

And for the biggest thing, was how often Este went over the suspects and motives. I know it happens all the time in cozies, but Rue mainly had Este going through the information in her thoughts. Not much talking with friends about it, which would have made it a bit more interesting. I found myself skimming a lot in this book when that started happening, and I would say it’s about half of the book.
Now I could have even overlooked this, but it’s not her first cozy series, so that’s not great that she did this.
And I realized the other reason why I didn’t enjoy it was because there really was not that much dialogue in this book, just a lot of Este thinking her thoughts.

I would give book two in the Lucky Pie Mysteries a try, just to see if we find out more information about the pies or see some islanders seeing their luck turn, or if there was more dialogue and less going over the clues. But if not, then I would have to go onto other series, since there are so many out there.