THE CURSE OF THE CHERRY PIE

A cooking contest becomes a matter of life and death for a cafe owner who's also an amateur detective.

Tish Tarragon attends a funeral along with boyfriend Schuyler Thompson and a group of her besties to support widowed Celestine Rufus, Tish’s friend and employee. Schuyler, who’s running for mayor of Hobson’s Glen, Virginia, can’t linger for the funeral lunch at Tish’s Cookin’ the Books, but obnoxious new sheriff Wade Lightbody barges in, trashes the reputation of former Sheriff Reade, who left suddenly, and makes it abundantly clear that he disapproves of Tish’s sleuthing successes. Discouraged but unbowed, Tish decides to enter the Virginia Commonwealth Bake-Off in Celestine’s place in hopes of winning the prize money for her. Her savory and showstopper bake plans are well received, but her selection of cherry pie is met with horror because two former contestants who also chose cherry pie died suddenly. Tish is nearly electrocuted when someone frays the cord on her mixer, and she receives threatening notes that only make her more determined to investigate. Now that the same person has won the contest for three years running, there are plenty of accusations of favoritism. Luckily, Reade’s officers, who remain loyal to him, help Tish dig up information about the other contestants. Schuyler’s complaints about Tish’s lack of support for his ambitions while he belittles hers leave her frazzled. Luckily, both old college buds and new friends support her efforts and watch her back.

Foodies will enjoy the cooking tips along with a tricky mystery and hints of romance to come.