Pie A La Murder

A Della Cooks Mystery #4

by Melinda Wells

Della is in the middle of Operation Pie, a bake sale to raise money for charity, when her sweetie pie, Nicholas, drops a he has an eighteen-year-old daughter named Celeste, whom he hasn’t seen since she was a baby, and she’s coming to live with him. But when Celeste becomes embroiled with a Hollywood photographer who intends to exploit her, her father flies into a rage. And when he’s discovered at the scene of the man’s murder, Della must find the real killer ...

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Food, Cooking, Mystery Thriller

487 pages, Paperback

First published July 5, 2011

About the author

Melinda Wells is a pseudonym used by Linda Palmer.

Series:
* Della Cooks Mystery

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good ending to the series. I enjoyed the characters and the mystery was great. It kept me guessing and was exciting. There were lots of recipes at the end. #readforkimberly

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s an alright book... but there was something about it I just didn’t like...

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another heroine who has to solve a crime. At least this one was well written.

[John Bohnert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author printed my bread pudding recipe in the back of this book.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

4th book in series. Della finds out that Nicholas has an 18 year old daughter from a past marriage. His ex-wife has kept him from her all these years and now the Celeste is 18 she wants to meet her dad. She comes to live with him and doesn't like that he's with Della. She wants to become an actress and so Liddy Della's best friend takes them to a charity gala so she can meet celebrities. She ends up having Alec Redding a famous photographer do some portfolio pictures for her. Celeste talks him into doing a racy one part nude holding a pie to strike out at Della. When the picture is sent to her mother and her fiance prince she comes looking for Della. Meanwhile Alec is found murdered in his home studio, by Nicholas!! He becomes the main suspect and Della spends all the time she can to prove her didn't do it.

There was suppose to be a 5th book but just found out that Melinda Wells AKA Linda Palmer died of cancer in 4/2013.

[Allison Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not exactly sure what changed but the main character was suddenly acting like an idiot in this book. She was stopped in commission of a crime no less than 4 times. Somehow she managed to get out of trouble each time. She walked into countless bad situations where her life was in danger. By the end I was rooting for someone to kill her. Not really, but an interesting and smart woman was very out of character for this book. A little disappointing. The mystery was okay, but I hope that book 5 will see a return to the original Della.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great series. I love a book that includes pets and recipes!
Then if you add a little romance and a murder to solve
you have a hit novel. Della Carmichael is our central
character and cook Extraordinaire!!

[Linda Haring · Rating 4 out of 5]

His daughter hasn’t seen him or talked to him in 17 years. She is jealous? Celeste talks and everyone talks about her like she has a relationship with her father. That just didn’t make any sense. Oh well. I enjoyed this series and sorry to see it was the last one.

[Denise Kulesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another awesome book by Melinda Wells. Della is always in the "wrong place, right time" to stumble upon crime scenes. She was able to prevent her boyfriend Nick from being arrested for murder.

[Danni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Della Carmichael hosts her own cooking show, In the Kitchen with Della, on cable tv. Along with this endeavor, she also runs a culinary business with Eileen O'Hara, her honorary daughter.

Nicholas D'Martino has been the main man in her life for the last year but it seems he has kept one big secret from Della. He springs the surprise of an 18 year old daughter,Celeste, on her only because Celeste is coming to stay with him in his home in Santa Monica.

Celeste, quite the cosmoplitan young lady who is used to living in high style, has been with her mother in London and Vienna. Now, she wants to be an actress and where better to go but California? Neither her mother nor Nick is thrilled with her career choice and after living among the Hollywood types for years, Nick has good reason.

So, when Alex Redding, photographer to the stars, takes a risqué photo of Celeste, Nick is furious.When he goes to confront Alex, he finds him with his head bashed in. Ooooh, not a pretty sight; obviously, someone else is not a fan of Alex either!

Even though Della is not too far behind Nick when he finds the body, the police insist he still had enough time to commit the crime and now he is their prime suspect. His credible motive is sufficient for them. Della is convinced Nick doesn't have it in him to be a killer despite any strong motive. There must be someone else in Alex's life with a murderous grudge; but with some conflicting alibis, it's confusing. Della needs to stir the suspect pot a little and see what shakes out. Will she be in time to save her man?

Although this is the 4th book in the Della Cooks series, I jumped right in and didn't feel like I was missing anything vital about the characters. Della and Nick are both credible and likeable. The setting is great and that always adds some nice ambiance to the plot. Their romance part of the book just enhanced the story and showed them as normal human beings. I did figure out the culprit but it took me until close to the end. Good job, Melinda! Lots of recipes included at the end. 4****

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Berkley in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Meg Fee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continue to enjoy this book series, but this book is the least likable of them. We're introduced to the past of Nicholas, Della's significant other of about a year. He's got an 18 year old daughter that he never really got to know because his ex tricked him into giving up custody and left the country with her. One thing leads to another and suddenly Nicholas is the prime suspect of the murder of a photographer who had taken a photo of the daughter that was not... kosher. Though I'd like to add that right now I dislike the daughter. We'll see if my opinion changes for book 5, assuming she's in it. As a side note: I've decided my favorite character in this series is Phil, the head of publicity.

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick, fast-paced, adventurous dash through Los Angeles to discover a murderer. I found myself at times, shocked, dismayed, worried about our sleuth, Della, and finished up feeling there was a true Champion.

The police are looking at Della's gentleman friend, Nicholas for a murder that involves a racy photograph of his newly-found daughter, Celeste. Della is amazingly mature about how she is treated by Celeste, and even Nicholas. I was, at times, feeling she was too tolerant.

Delicious recipes flow throughout the book as Della is a Television cook with her own show. This was very interesting and exciting.

I cheered at the ending. I do recommend this book.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, one of the men in tv chef Della's life is in trouble because of his daughter. First it was her friend John O'Hara, now it's her significant other journalist Nicholas. His ex-wife took their daughter off to Europe as a young child; now the 18-year-old is back and Nicholas is eager to get to know her. But Celeste is very beautiful, the target for a conniving photographer. When there's a murder, the police--especially O'Hara, who hates reporters anyway--suspect Nicholas. Della and her friends struggle to find out the real culprit. Not as much cooking in this one, though there is a large recipe section.

[Diane ~Firefly~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though it had been a while since I read the previous book, this story flowed right along. I'm not thrilled with the "secret teenage daughter" bit. Also, Della went a bit far now and again during the investigation. And I love how she figured out the killer based on a "look in their eye" thing. But other than those couple things it was a good read. I do like Della and Nick as well as their friends.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had never read a book by Melinda Wells and was happy to find that she has written a series of the,I would recommend theis book to people who like mysteries, people who enjoy cooking shows.It probably would mostly appeal to women., and
This delicious tale combines a murder tale with twists. Our herione Della, gets into so many scrapes that you wonder how she'll survive. There is also a lover and his bratty daughter, a future prince and a best friend.

[Andrea Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another suspenseful and entertaining reads from the imagination of Melinda Wells. I really like the main character Della and her friends. There are recipes included at the end of the book. I hope that there will be many more of these in the future. They are good for a light read when you are reading other more involved books such as Proust. I highly recommend these for someone who enjoys a good and easy to follow mystery that keeps the reader guessing at every turn.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Melinda Wells' Della Cooks series is always enjoyable for me. The recipes are fun too (although I haven't cooked in a while - I do plan to try some!). The characters are people I'd like to have for friends and somehow Della gets into and out of situations that are dangerous but don't make her TSTL (too stupid to live) like some heroines. Another good entry in the series.

[❂ Murder by Death · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rather dislike the predictability of any cozy mystery series focusing at least one book on the protagonist having to 'save her man' against unfair murder accusations. However this was a good story and a fun, fast read. The characters get more likeable with each book and it's a solid series overall.

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Out of the 4 books that I have read in the series, this was my least fave. The plot plods along, and it is very predictable. Many times while reading I wondered how dumbed down each character was going to get until the blessed ending. I like the main character, her friend Liddy, and the cat & dog. I think this will be the end of the series for me.

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Della Carmichael's sweetie pie Nicholas drops a bomb-he has a teenage daughter, now living with him. When the daughter's friend is found murdered, the protective Nicholas is a suspect, and Della must find the real killer before they all get burned.

Seven Layer Death was supposed to be the next book but was never written.
(Linda Palmer pseudonym)

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun series, what do you get when you have a dating couple and a unknown daughter. You get upheaval and upset. This book was not my favorite of the series, but I did enjoy the mystery and the recipes.

[Sandybear76 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Della's boyfriend is getting a visitor, his daughter his ex-wife took to Paris for the last 18 years! Della is trying to be friends with the daughter Celeste but it is tough going. Della is also launching a new contest on her cooking show - a bake sale contest for charity.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the while I read this I kept thinking I'd already read this-but upon cking......nope!? I didn't get "a familiar read" feeling I usually have when returning to an authors newest book...hmmm, wonder if this series all read the same but the style of murder is just different.

[Nora-adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another delicious mystery from the devious mind of Melinda Wells. This is the fourth book in her Della Cooks Mystery series and I've read them all. This latest adventure is a twisting plot with possible killers popping up every five minutes.

READ THE BOOK, YOU'LL LOVE IT!!!!

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now I know I shouldn't say this because I don't want to move the series too fast, but I thought that Nick might propose to Della at the end of of this one.
Guess we still have a bit of time to wait on that one.

[Melanie Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great installment in the Della cooks series. This time it comes with complications in the form of a boyfriend's teenage child. Fun read, good recipes-- pretty much what I want in a cozy.

[Grey853 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got about halfway through and stopped. Boring.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was cute even though it started out a little slow. It got kind of humorous toward the end as the mystery is solved. Maybe not my favorite "cook" mystery author but certainly respectable.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]