Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of A PIE TO DIE FOR (Book 1 of the Lucky Pie mystery series) by Gretchen Rue in exchange for an honest review. Split Pine Island in Northern Michigan is subject to the whims of nature. During the warm season, the island bustles with visitors and goods are readily available to be transported over on the boats and ferries bringing the tourists. Once cold weather sets in, visitors and deliveries disappear. If you don’t get your over-winter supplies on the last boat, then you have to do without. Este March’s family diner has a reputation for magically lucky pie. Sometimes, after you eat a slice, luck unexpectedly swings your way. Este’s business relies on deliveries from off island. When a new produce vendor named Jeff shows up with only part of Este’s order and charges her WAY more than the agreed-upon amount, Este is upset and, after some sharp words, pays the gouging prices for her partial order. The next morning, Jeff is found murdered on his boat. Now, Este is a “person of interest,” and her fellow residents prove more fickle than expected and begin avoiding the diner. In order for the diner to survive to the next tourist season, especially in light of the amount she paid for the last order, Este must regain her customers. So, Este must clear her name by figuring out who killed the rotten produce vendor.

I liked this book and thought it was a good start to a new series. I look forward to the next book in the series. I recommend this book to cozy murder mysteries featuring off-season island life, local conspiracies, and the magic of pie.

#APietoDieFor #NetGalley

4.5 rounded up
First read with author but certainly not the last.
Great characters, story and wonderful setting. Excellent cozy mystery. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

A Pie to Die For by Gretchen Rue is a great addition to the cozy mystery genre. It will be especially loved by the bakers of the world. While the reading was very flowable and descriptive it was a little too much food description for me. As a cozy sleuth she really needs to ask more questions to those around her and stay out of her head a little less. Thank you for the chance to read this novel.

An interesting mystery with fun characters. Would recommend.
Thank you to Gretchen Rue, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the arc of this book.

This is a delightful beginning to a series I will absolutely follow. (A Lucky Pie Mystery) with
A Pie to Die For setting the stage and characters for the upcoming series. This is your Christmas
cuddle-up story, recipes included! (I recommend the print edition to bake / cook from recipes)
This story is set on an island…maybe UP of Michigan, hard to know, undoubtably part of the charm.
The island is completely cut off in winter, which is the impetus for the underpinnings of the unfortunate
circumstances that end up showing the islanders what they can do on their own, and with luck there
could be a blossoming relationship.
I enjoyed this book, and I will say that while I was going to compare it to Joanne Fluke, it’s similarity
rests only with the inclusion of delightful recipes. The books are along the same genre, but are of their
own locale and personality. I now read and enjoy them both!
My thanks to Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley for this download copy for review purposes.

A Pie to Die For is oh so buttery soft, warm and flaky like a perfect croissant. It gives pretty much everything I crave from a cozy read!

Following a conflict riddled introduction to the new, dodgy produce man on her quaint Michigan island - Este, the owner of Lucky Pies Diner, finds herself at the center of a murder investigation. Mainly, because she insists on butting in, offering her two-cents where it wasn't solicited and refusing to steer clear of obvious danger but, hey, that's just par for the course.

This book is a perfect ramp up for early Autumn. It's energetically light but offers up enough intrigue to keep you guessing about whodunnit. 3 or 4 chapters in, I sought out the author's previous books to read in the future and, having finished this book, I don't regret it because her writing style sucked me in from beginning to end.

One thing I have come to expect, but have very low tolerance for, from cozy books are overly sappy, sugary sweet characters and stories. There was none of that but it still retains all of the warmth and coziness. The pies might give you a cavity but the characters won't. Oh and there was so much pie - sweet and savory. Gretchen is masterful, writing the mechanics of pie with so much care and thought. I loved it and the chef's kiss at the end was each and every one of the recipes.

The only dagger was that sometimes Este would ruminate a lot - too much for my liking. Rehashing some of the same thoughts over and over. There were a couple of times that I mentally noted it but, fortunately, it was only a couple of times that it briefly irked me and the pacing didn't suffer.

"A Pie to Die For" is the first in the new "A Lucky Pie Mystery" series by Gretchen Rue. I honestly didn't realize this is the same author as the "A Witches' Brew Mystery" series. They're both cozy mysteries but this one is much less paranormal than the other series Gretchen writes. It still has a touch of magic but it isn't as involved in the mystery solving or murder reveal. It works though for this series. Just a hint of luck and how much is it the person receiving a lucky pie believe luck will happen and how much is the magic?

This mystery is set on an island, much like Mackinac Island in Michigan, at the end of the tourist season. So it's a late fall, early winter, November timeframe. We also get a cute stray grey kitty that I hope gets sassier the more she becomes comfortable in a home.

The mystery was interesting and I didn't see that person as the murderer until a little before the reveal. I was leaning more towards someone else right up until the hints started shifting.

Culinary Cozy With Recipes
Ms. Rue pens a fun culinary cozy set on a small island in Michigan. Este runs the Lucky Pie Diner, family run for generations. A man she'd had a loud disagreement turns up dead and she's getting the side eye from some of the other residents. She wants to know who the murderer is and snoops despite having other issues to contend with. Fast moving and very enjoyable. I highly recommend to any cozy lover.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC, and offer my honest opinion gratis.

Oh, how much I savored this book... quite literally! I was glued to the page.
Fantastic, I loved the unique island setting, the coziness of the community, the mystery, and omg, the food descriptions!
I hope this is just the first in a series! Maybe? Please?!

#APietoDieFor #NetGalley is another fantastic book in the Lucky Pie series by Gretchen Rue.
Este March is most comfortable whipping up sweet and savory pies at The Lucky Pie Diner, and, if you're just lucky enough, you, too might receive a slice of lucky pie.
It's the end of tourist season in Split Pine, Michigan, and Este and her staff are run off their feet with the usual rush of take home frozen pies.
An unexpected visit from an unfamiliar produce delivery driver sets off a whirlwind of bizarre events, including murder.
Este can't stop asking questions, and she soon finds herself trapped, with possibly no way to escape.

This book kept me guessing from beginning to end. The characters are easy to like, and the story flows smoothly, with enough details to make me feel like I was with them at The Lucky Pie Diner.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
I'm happy to recommend this series to other cozy mystery readers.