Customer Reviews

Death by Deep Dish Pie: A Toadfern Mystery (Toadfern Mysteries)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In Paradise, Ohio, the annual July 4th Founders Day Celebration is the highlight of the year. The biggest event is the pie eating competition sponsored by the Breitenstrater Pie Company. Only this year's contest will be one that no one will ever forget!

When an executive dies during the contest, rumors of murder surface. That is when local laundromat owner, Josie Toadfern, and her circle of friends jump into the mix. But what Josie does not know is that there is a deep, dark family secret lingering in the air that may very well shock all those around.

**** This is a story that just begs readers to come get lost in Paradise and all the people that life there. The characters are full of flavor and wit. I found it to be amusing and charming, all at once. A "must read" for mystery fans. ****

K. Blair for Huntress Reviews.

Everyone in Paradise, Ohio, is eagerly awaiting the upcoming July 4th Founders Day Celebration. Trudy Breitenstrater is a mixed up youth who gets local laundromat owner and stain removal expert Josie Toadfern to sponsor her to the Paradise Historical Society meeting. At this meeting the Paradise Town Hall Players usually each get their parts for the upcoming July Fourth Breitenstrater Founder's Day play. Seems Trudy has rewritten the town play, unbeknownst to Josie. No one seems too happy about this. Especially her father, Alan.

Then Alan announces that at the annual pie eating contest sponsored by the Breitenstrater Pie Company, he will be making a big announcement. His brother Cletus says that he has one too.

Since Josie's uncle Otis has walked off the renovation job at the Paradise Theatre, she steps in to help her cousin Sally complete the job before July 4th.

At the pie eating contest, Cletus is no where to be found, so Alan steps into his place. Unfortunately Alan ends up dead before he can make his announcement. Apparent heart attack, but Josie thinks the timing smells of murder. But, can she figure out what really happened.

She enlists her friend Winnie to do some research. She also gets her boyfriend Owen to help, but only minimally because he has recently lied and she isn't sure what her feelings are for him anymore. This is just one of the many things going on to sidetrack Josie.

Many things begin to happen. Josie is right in the middle of most of them trying to uncover the truth. She ends up putting herself in danger as well.

This is a well-written mystery. It is a good cozy. Josie and her friends are likeable characters. Paradise is a typical small town with many secrets.

I recommend this book.

The small Ohio town of Paradise is home to Josie Toadfern, owner of Toadfern?s Laundromat and an expert in removing stains. Paradise is a small town where the leading family, the Breitenstraters own the town?s main business the Breitenstrater Pie Factory. Josie is looking forward to the annual pie-eating contest but the day is marred when Alan Breitenstrates dies after eating a pie that was originally meant for his brother Cletus. Cletus never showed up for the event even though he attended it every year for decades.

Josie, who was watching the scenario, casually, asks her boyfriend and her best friend to take the pies and bring them back to the Laundromat while she distracts the police and a security guard. Though the authorities think the victim died of a heart attack, Josie wants to get the pies tested to see if they contained poison. When a ferret eats a piece of one of the pies and falls into a coma, Josie is sure that at least one of the pies is poisoned. She intends to find out who poisoned the pie thinking that information will lead her to a killer.

Shannon Short?s second Toadfern mystery is very delightful and a real puzzler because no one is above suspicion in this charming cozy. The cast of characters are totally charming and quirky, the type of people one would want for a next-door neighbor. DEATH OF A DEER DISH PIE is an upbeat who-done-it that will have readers laughing at some of the actors of the main characters, including the protagonist.

Harriet Klausner

This book is an enjoyable mystery.

The main character in this book is realistic and enjoyable to read about. She finds herself in a mess with her boyfriend lying to her about all of his past, the largest employer in her town dropping dead in a pie, a fireworks stand blowing up and a business to run.

The one negative that I would say about this is that her initial belief that the murdered person was murdered was based on very little. There was no real reason to think he had been murdered. A little bit more before the death would have made that part much more believable.

That is a small point though and all in all it did not distract from the enjoyable mystery. I was kept guessing until the end.

This was the first book I have read by this author but I am going to be looking for more to read, it was that enjoyable.

Enjoy.

I purchased this book based on the reviews. I was very disappointed. I expected a funny, cozy mystery. I found it "trying" and annoying. If Ms. Short is attempting to use the last names of the characters in her book as humorous, amusing or entertaining, it's my opinion she's fallen "short" of her goal. They only slowed the overall flow of the story by being cumbersome and uncomforable during the read and wondering if as you read it if you were pronouncing what you were reading correctly. I should have been able to override this frustration and I probably would have if the storyline had been a little more worth the effort. The characters with their bizarre names just weren't captivating and didn't do the job of keeping the reader glued to the pages. This is the first book I've read by this author and it didn't leave me with the desire to run out and buy another one. Maybe her other books are an improvement over this one but because "Death By Deep Dish Pie" left me with no appetite to give this author a second helping I'll just leave my review of this author as "lacking". She wasn't humorous as anticipated or promoted and I found myself speed reading just to reach the end of the book. I'm sure all I missed was "fill in" gibberish. I found her extremely overrated and I'm unsure as to why she achieved the praise she did for this book. Color me simply "not getting it".