In the Blink of a Pie (Maple Syrup Mysteries, 3)

320 pages Publisher Poisoned Pen Press Publication date October 22, 2024

ABOUT THE BOOK

USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bruns is back with the third installment in the “delightfully sweet” Maple Syrup Mysteries, transporting readers back to the cozy town of Sugar Ridge, Vermont, where things are bound to go from sweet, to sour.

Sometimes, there’s no one you can crust…

It’s Thanksgiving in Sugar Ridge, Vermont, and Leila Khoury, manager of Sappy Endings Farm, is ready to usher in the holiday season by hosting a pie-baking contest. The day is meticulously planned, from the judging panel to the maple lattes, and Leila can’t wait for the entire town to enjoy some sweet treats.

But when a neighbor drops dead from sampling a poisoned pumpkin pie, it’s not just Leila’s perfect day that’s in jeopardy―her livelihood is now at stake. And after yet another near-fatal incident, she realizes an even more terrifying truth: the killer wasn’t targeting her neighbor, but someone even closer to home! 

Can Leila figure out who’s behind the murder, before the dough hits the fan?

Includes delicious holiday pie recipes!

MY THOUGHTS

In the Blink of a Pie is the third book in the Maple Syrup Mysteries series and I’ve read and loved them all.

A Fall themed cozy mystery has Leila Khoury returning to Sugar Ridge, Vermont, as the manager helping her mother run Sappy Endings Farm after the passing of her father selling maple syrup/sugar. along with her mother running the gift shop and cafe it’s become a pretty popular place for locals and tourists alike to stop in.

A Thanksgiving pie baking contest with them being dropped off at the farm to be judged will just add to the farm’s busy season but they’re ready for it. Business is so brisk that Leila hires a local woman to help her mother in the cafe, and she already has experience running a bagel shop, so she fits in nicely and is such a big help.

The day of the pie judging is here, and the town’s folks are all aflutter with excitement but when someone drops dead from the tasting of the pies to be judged the business drops like a rock at the farm and cafe.

While this is a cozy mystery to solve, I enjoyed that its main focus wasn’t just on this. There are other side stories and developments, a romance developing for Leila, her relationship with her boyfriend’s daughter, mother daughter strengthening relationships after it has been strained for a while.

Best friend relationships and clues that are well paced as we figure out who the suspects are and why they may have done it.
The pacing was even and on track and I really enjoyed the book a lot. I hope to see more in the series soon.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Website

https://www.catherinebruns.net

Twitter

Tweets by WritesMystery

Genre

Mystery

Catherine is the USA Today bestselling author of the Cookies & Chance mysteries. She lives in Upstate New York with her very patient husband, three sons and several spoiled pets. She holds a dual B.A. in English and Performing Arts and is a former newspaper reporter and press release writer. Catherine also writes the Italian Chef, Maple Syrup, and Cindy York mysteries. Her book, For Sale by Killer, won the Daphne du Maurier award for Mainstream Mystery/Suspense.

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