A Slice of Murder (Pizza Lover's Mysteries) [Kindle Edition]

Chris Cavender (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Pizza lovers will relish the pseudonymous Cavender's delightful first in a new cozy series, which introduces Eleanor Swift, owner of A Slice of Life, a pizzeria in Timber Ridge, N.C. When late one winter night Eleanor delivers a pizza (one of my specials decked out with pepperoni, sausage, ham, bacon, hamburger, and little bits of sliced sirloin), she finds her customer, Richard Olsen, lying dead on the floor with a kitchen knife in his chest. Kevin Hurley, the surly local police chief who pursued her back in high school, responds to her 911 call. Suspecting Eleanor is guilty, Kevin does his best to make her life difficult. Olsen's dotty sister thinks so, too, but once she's convinced of Eleanor's innocence, she asks Eleanor's help in solving the murder. Eleanor's occasionally married sister, Maddy, assists in the sleuthing. A lively pace and a thrilling climax more than compensate for some distracting chatter and not always relevant sibling spats. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description

Not too much happens in the sleepy little town of Timber Ridge, North Carolina--which is fine with pizza-purveyor extraordinaire Eleanor Swift. The spunky owner of A Slice of Delight is trying to mend her broken heart and could use a little quiet time. But when a late night delivery customer turns up dead, she's in for just the opposite in this delicious mystery series debut, featuring pizza as the prima character . . .

"Pizza lovers will relish Cavender's delightful first in a new cozy series." –Publishers Weekly

"Cavender introduces a promising cast of characters." –Booklist

"The camaraderie of the Timber Ridge, NC, sisters is reminiscent of Nancy Martin's Blackbird siblings." –Library Journal

"A delightful mystery--as filling as a big slice of warm pizza." –Armchair Interviews

"As warm and satisfying as a pizza straight from the oven. I can't wait for seconds!"--Laura Levine

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 452 KB
• Publisher: Kensington Books; Reprint edition (July 1, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003IYI7PU
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,946 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars love pizza....loved A Slice of Murder !!, September 12, 2009

By 

Frances M. Freel (California USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Slice of Murder (A Pizza Lover's Mystery) (Hardcover)

the title interested me & I always enjoy a good mystery. I'm new to this author & thoroughly enjoyed the people of Timber Ridge, North Carolina. Eleanor & Maddy kept sleuthing while keeping the pizzeria open...I really enjoyed their ups & downs & would look forward to reading 'just one more chapter' ...finished the book in two days !..another book about them would be most welcome...a great read..highly revcommend it !! thank you !

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I'll take another slice, August 23, 2009

By 

Sassy girl "Sassy" - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Slice of Murder (A Pizza Lover's Mystery) (Hardcover)

I picked this book up because it was from an author I hadn't heard of before.
The whole time I was reading this book, I kept thinking I know this author.. I know this author. Now, I find out it is Tim Myers.
I don't care what name he uses,I love his books.
I enjoyed meeting new characters and feeling my way through the plot
and emotions of the town people. A good cozy read.
I hope there is another book on the way.
Maybe add some pizza recipes in the next installment. I'll bite.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars My husband swears that there's no such thing as bad pizza. I disagree., July 25, 2011

By 

L. Burns "Bigdog Mom" (New England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Slice of Murder (Pizza Lover's Mysteries) (Kindle Edition)

Eleanor Swift is a thirty-something widow who owns a pizzeria in a small North Carolina town. One evening she discovers the body of one of her customers when she delivers a pizza to his home. The police Chief (obviously operating under the premise that "whoever smelt it, dealt it") is convinced that Eleanor committed the murder. Along with her sister, Maddy, Eleanor sets out to find the real killer.

I really didn't enjoy this and I felt that it was missing many of the elements that I look for in a "cozy" mystery.

What do I want from a "cozy"? I want a protagonist that I feel like I come to know and care about. I want to be drawn into the characters' lives via the domestic details. I want a sense of "place"; I like to feel as if I'm getting a picture of what gives each town it's unique regional flavor.

Despite the first person narrative, I really found out very little about Eleanor. She misses her late husband. Got it. Other than that, there were few personal details; certainly not nearly enough for me to form a picture of her as a character. I know that the story takes place in a small southern town. I know this because the author told me so in the first few pages, otherwise it could easily have taken place in upstate New York or just about anywhere else for that matter. I never got a "feel" for the town or it's residents; nothing in the narrative made the region come alive for me. The dialog between Eleanor and Maddie had such an awkward feel to it; it was stilted and didn't sound like two sisters having a conversation.

As for the mystery...I know this is a "cozy" and I'm not asking for realism, just a little plausibility. If Eleanor was the prime suspect, why wasn't she taken into custody (at least for questioning) the night of the murder? Little things like blood splatter on skin and clothing are easily disposed of - who would allow their chief suspect to go home and shower away the evidence? And Eleanor and Maddy's one and only investigative technique seemed to be walking up to people and asking "Hey, did you kill the guy?".

Now I do think there is some potential here and perhaps the author does develop the characters more fully in the next installments, but honestly it didn't pique my interest enough to want to continue with the series.

No strong language or sexual content.