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Pizza Lovers #5
Rest In Pizza by Chris Cavender
Cozy towns like Timber Ridge, North Carolina—the home of Eleanor Swift’s delectable pizzeria, A Slice of Delight—don’t take well to prima donna celebrities. So no one is particularly pleased when TV host and famous chef Antonio Benet roars into town for a book signing and manages to insult Eleanor, her deliciously saucy sister Maddie, and everyone else within earshot. Insults are one thing, however…but a cold dish of murder is quite another…
Eleanor knows she’s on the menu of suspects who would bury a kitchen knife between the rolling-in-dough chef’s shoulders. But so is Beth, the owner of the bookstore, who may have some deep secrets to dish. Or Benet’s personal assistant, who very well may have had it with pampering his blowhard boss… and may even have some pie-in-the-sky ambitions of his own. And then there’s the TV producer—is it true the crusty chef was bellowing about going to another network before he reached his premature expiration date?
With her freedom—and even her looking-good-for-a-minute-there love life—on the chopping block, Eleanor’s got a seriously full plate. The only way out of this mess is a pretty tall deliver the real killer before she finds a knife in her back.
Includes delicious pizza recipe!
Eleanor knows she’s on the menu of suspects who would bury a kitchen knife between the rolling-in-dough chef’s shoulders. But so is Beth, the owner of the bookstore, who may have some deep secrets to dish. Or Benet’s personal assistant, who very well may have had it with pampering his blowhard boss… and may even have some pie-in-the-sky ambitions of his own. And then there’s the TV producer—is it true the crusty chef was bellowing about going to another network before he reached his premature expiration date?
With her freedom—and even her looking-good-for-a-minute-there love life—on the chopping block, Eleanor’s got a seriously full plate. The only way out of this mess is a pretty tall deliver the real killer before she finds a knife in her back.
Includes delicious pizza recipe!
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
47 people are currently reading
837 people want to read
About the author
Chris Cavender
7 books184 followersChris Cavender is the pseudonym used by Agatha Award nominated author Tim Myers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
June 15, 2015
Eleanor and Maddy are back in a brand new adventure. When a famous chef named Chef Benet comes to town to appear at their friend Cindy's bookshop, he insults everyone including Maddy and Eleanor who thinks they are below him due to them owning a pizzeria. When he is found cut open at A Slice of Delight, the pizzeria is closed again. Can Maddy and Eleanor solve the mystery of who killed the mean and pompous wind-bag that is Chef Benet before they end up next? Find out and read this for yourself.
Rest in Pizza is the 4th installment of the Pizza Lover's mystery series. I have enjoyed this series since I started it with book 2 and cannot wait to finish the series in two more books. If you love Pizza and a good mystery, definitely check this series out. It is available at your local library and wherever books are sold.
Rest in Pizza is the 4th installment of the Pizza Lover's mystery series. I have enjoyed this series since I started it with book 2 and cannot wait to finish the series in two more books. If you love Pizza and a good mystery, definitely check this series out. It is available at your local library and wherever books are sold.
March 6, 2016
I recently ate an 8 part pizza all by myself and I discovered that this food, however well prepared, is not my favorite meal. The pizza lovers mysteries though agrees with me extremely well. This is the fourth book of Chris Cavender about Eleanor Swift of Timber Ridge, and like its three predecessors it gets its five stars. A very juicy cozy mystery, that's what this book is.
I read an Amazon review some while back saying that the main character isn't detailed enough. That was never a problem with me. From the first three books, I had a strong imagining of who the heroine was and how she looked like. The same went for her sister and acolyte, Maddy Spencer, who I sometimes imagine as the red clad courtesan from Sin City. From meager descriptions I easily fell at ease with the mystery, the slow build up, the murder, the amateur sleuthing and the rest. But now in the fourth book, Rest In Pizza, there is significant change and character development, so much that the investigation takes a backseat throughout most of the story.
Eleanor Swift finally starts to find closure from her premature widowhood. In the third book, the David Quinton guy courting her without fulfillment leaves Timber Ridge, and this plus a change in his attitude not to mention approach, makes him finally desirable, if only faintly, in the eyes of our pizza parlor owner. What I didn't expect was that David's change of personality arrived just in time for Eleanor's own change. It's strongly suggestive that one change precipitated the other. By the way I always imagined David Quinton as John Stewart. He would have been perfect for the role. David and Eleanor share quite a few kisses in the book. Most of them instigated by Eleanor. Heh.
Other books that receive less stars from me lack the heart that this book has in spades. There's a very vague blueprint of some random town from North Carolina that was brought to life in this book. And I don't ask for more. I'm usually not in the mood for detailed description. For me it adds nothing to the narrative and I feel the author is cheating or stalling or nursing a severe case of writer's block. Following that, I'll also keep my review short. I have read one other book by Chris Cavender, but as Tim Myers, in a candle making mystery. I have to say that Tim Myers doesn't - cannot - duplicate the magic that Rest In Pizza possesses. I have to, indeed trot out the time worn verdict that the Pizza Lovers series is greater than the sum of its parts.
One thing I could not figure out. Art Young's exit from the book very early on. I felt confident that this checkov gun was to appear later in the book. Not so, not here. That character is not my favorite, and it neither adds nor subtracts from the book's appeal. But I do feel that not repeating Art's helping out Eleanor brings variety to the table. I think that he'll have a bigger role in what hopefully would be the next pizza book. There are less characters this time around. The focus is on the three shops; the pizza place, the bakery, and the library. I always rue that imagining locations in detail is not my forte. I don't live in America so though the description of the town brings atmosphere to the mystery, I don't get the full picture. But the reading experience in this book is exceptional.
Now, let me tell you how I guessed the murderer's identity. From my experience with the previous books in the series I got to expect the expected. Firstly all criminals have been women. Then, all of these women are suspected somewhat, but no rigorous investigation is conducted against them. So, no men, plus no focus. Then another distinction, if not requirement, is that the woman is nasty and mean, and not shy about it. That happened in all previous books. Finally the gal has to be from out of town. Always. Not the locals. Always the stranger. Piece of cake.
I read an Amazon review some while back saying that the main character isn't detailed enough. That was never a problem with me. From the first three books, I had a strong imagining of who the heroine was and how she looked like. The same went for her sister and acolyte, Maddy Spencer, who I sometimes imagine as the red clad courtesan from Sin City. From meager descriptions I easily fell at ease with the mystery, the slow build up, the murder, the amateur sleuthing and the rest. But now in the fourth book, Rest In Pizza, there is significant change and character development, so much that the investigation takes a backseat throughout most of the story.
Eleanor Swift finally starts to find closure from her premature widowhood. In the third book, the David Quinton guy courting her without fulfillment leaves Timber Ridge, and this plus a change in his attitude not to mention approach, makes him finally desirable, if only faintly, in the eyes of our pizza parlor owner. What I didn't expect was that David's change of personality arrived just in time for Eleanor's own change. It's strongly suggestive that one change precipitated the other. By the way I always imagined David Quinton as John Stewart. He would have been perfect for the role. David and Eleanor share quite a few kisses in the book. Most of them instigated by Eleanor. Heh.
Other books that receive less stars from me lack the heart that this book has in spades. There's a very vague blueprint of some random town from North Carolina that was brought to life in this book. And I don't ask for more. I'm usually not in the mood for detailed description. For me it adds nothing to the narrative and I feel the author is cheating or stalling or nursing a severe case of writer's block. Following that, I'll also keep my review short. I have read one other book by Chris Cavender, but as Tim Myers, in a candle making mystery. I have to say that Tim Myers doesn't - cannot - duplicate the magic that Rest In Pizza possesses. I have to, indeed trot out the time worn verdict that the Pizza Lovers series is greater than the sum of its parts.
One thing I could not figure out. Art Young's exit from the book very early on. I felt confident that this checkov gun was to appear later in the book. Not so, not here. That character is not my favorite, and it neither adds nor subtracts from the book's appeal. But I do feel that not repeating Art's helping out Eleanor brings variety to the table. I think that he'll have a bigger role in what hopefully would be the next pizza book. There are less characters this time around. The focus is on the three shops; the pizza place, the bakery, and the library. I always rue that imagining locations in detail is not my forte. I don't live in America so though the description of the town brings atmosphere to the mystery, I don't get the full picture. But the reading experience in this book is exceptional.
Now, let me tell you how I guessed the murderer's identity. From my experience with the previous books in the series I got to expect the expected. Firstly all criminals have been women. Then, all of these women are suspected somewhat, but no rigorous investigation is conducted against them. So, no men, plus no focus. Then another distinction, if not requirement, is that the woman is nasty and mean, and not shy about it. That happened in all previous books. Finally the gal has to be from out of town. Always. Not the locals. Always the stranger. Piece of cake.
March 25, 2017
Eleanor and Maddie are at it again, this time, a chef was murdered right under their noses... I mean, right inside their Pizza parlor, A Slice of Delight and all hell broke loose when possible suspects were revealed. Not that everyone's concerned about the chef's death though. Chef Benet wasn't exactly the most pleasing person you'd want to meet.
I enjoyed this murder mystery suspense, Eleanor is quite a gal, knows when and where to strike and investigate. Her sister is a great company, I love their dynamics together although most of the time they argue over silly things. Chef Benet may had seen his murder coming, given his annoying superior attitude. Over all, the story went great, and I was thrilled for the last 3 hours reading it. Perfect summer read!
Rating 3.5 stars
I enjoyed this murder mystery suspense, Eleanor is quite a gal, knows when and where to strike and investigate. Her sister is a great company, I love their dynamics together although most of the time they argue over silly things. Chef Benet may had seen his murder coming, given his annoying superior attitude. Over all, the story went great, and I was thrilled for the last 3 hours reading it. Perfect summer read!
Rating 3.5 stars
June 2, 2025
This was a good one! I like the characters in this series and I enjoyed the ones that were in town for the book launch. Investigating with Eleanor is always an adventure and this was no exception. Good mystery.
August 16, 2012
I enjoyed the idea of this installment in the Pizza Parlor series, but Eleanor is really starting to get on my nerves. She is pushy and nosy and thinks that she's entitled to information that she isn't. I love the other characters, but Eleanor as the main character is just annoying me. I don't know if I'll read the next one or not.
May 27, 2017
Well now I am craving pizza, as I always do when I read this series but the books are a lot of fun.
February 24, 2018
1. dead body in a pizza place - and it's not the first? and people still eat there?
2. this whole book is basically just the two main characters bugging the same 5 people again and again. at some point I think the suspects would clam up
3. also, ostensibly this amateur investigation is because the main character might be a suspect, but the police chief literally is like, "you're not a suspect"
4. too much maudlin interpersonal drama. I think there were 4 different instances of "I'm so upset I'm not going to talk to you right now" situations + multiple "I'm sorry I lashed out at you," apologies
2. this whole book is basically just the two main characters bugging the same 5 people again and again. at some point I think the suspects would clam up
3. also, ostensibly this amateur investigation is because the main character might be a suspect, but the police chief literally is like, "you're not a suspect"
4. too much maudlin interpersonal drama. I think there were 4 different instances of "I'm so upset I'm not going to talk to you right now" situations + multiple "I'm sorry I lashed out at you," apologies
May 20, 2018
Rest in Pizza is the 4th in a Pizza themed cozy mystery series by Chris Cavender. The pizza parlor is owned by one widowed sister, Eleanor Swift, who runs it with the help of her sister Maddy Spencer and some part-time employees. In this outing, a TV celebrity chef, an obnoxious personality, comes to town for a book signing, and manages to get himself murdered in Eleanor’s pizza parlour. This puts Eleanor and her sister on the trail of a killer and maybe in the killer’s sights themselves. Fun, quick, mystery read with realistic characters in a well drawn small town setting. This is a cozy series that I do enjoy.
January 8, 2019
One of the categories for book challenge this year is "a book with pizza in the title" and there weren't a lot of non-cookbook options. I hate cozy mysteries, I'm sorry.
April 11, 2012
It’s not often you walk by your friendly neighborhood pizzeria and stare through the window to see a well-known chef sitting in a chair with a huge knife buried deep inside his chest, but that’s exactly what the scene is inside A Slice of Delight.
The pizza parlor is owned by Eleanor Swift, and is located in the little town of Timber Ridge, North Carolina. Although it sounds and looks like the perfect little community to reside in, this is definitely not the first time that murder has been committed within town lines.
Eleanor Swift is a young widow who works hard running the pizzeria with the help of her sister, Maddie. These women are down to earth and neither give two ‘hoots’ about celebrities in their midst, so they are certainly a duo that is very uninterested when a prima donna comes to town. When a close friend asks the girls to help open up a local bookstore, that’s when Maddie and Eleanor come in contact with ‘The Chef.’
A pompous man who’s the host of his own cooking show, Chef Benet truly believes he’s an expert on everything. He seems to have ‘ridden’ into town at full boil, and begins to insult everyone in sight—including Eleanor and Maddie—so it really comes as no surprise that the victim who can be seen through that big window of A Slice of Delight is the one man who wasn’t happy unless he was shooting off his mouth.
It seems that everyone is a suspect. And seeing how the weapon of choice was a knife from Eleanor and Maddie’s pizza kitchen and the scene of the crime is their establishment, the local Sheriff is delving deep into each conversation that the sisters may have had with the victim.
These ‘cozy’ pizza mysteries have been truly outstanding, and this particular one will leave the reader once again wanting a whole lot more of the great writing and cool plots that Chris Cavender continues to serve!
*Reviewed by Amy Lignor, author of Until Next Time, for Suspense Magazine
The pizza parlor is owned by Eleanor Swift, and is located in the little town of Timber Ridge, North Carolina. Although it sounds and looks like the perfect little community to reside in, this is definitely not the first time that murder has been committed within town lines.
Eleanor Swift is a young widow who works hard running the pizzeria with the help of her sister, Maddie. These women are down to earth and neither give two ‘hoots’ about celebrities in their midst, so they are certainly a duo that is very uninterested when a prima donna comes to town. When a close friend asks the girls to help open up a local bookstore, that’s when Maddie and Eleanor come in contact with ‘The Chef.’
A pompous man who’s the host of his own cooking show, Chef Benet truly believes he’s an expert on everything. He seems to have ‘ridden’ into town at full boil, and begins to insult everyone in sight—including Eleanor and Maddie—so it really comes as no surprise that the victim who can be seen through that big window of A Slice of Delight is the one man who wasn’t happy unless he was shooting off his mouth.
It seems that everyone is a suspect. And seeing how the weapon of choice was a knife from Eleanor and Maddie’s pizza kitchen and the scene of the crime is their establishment, the local Sheriff is delving deep into each conversation that the sisters may have had with the victim.
These ‘cozy’ pizza mysteries have been truly outstanding, and this particular one will leave the reader once again wanting a whole lot more of the great writing and cool plots that Chris Cavender continues to serve!
*Reviewed by Amy Lignor, author of Until Next Time, for Suspense Magazine
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October 27, 2013I've enjoyed this series so far. I realize they're not the best cozy mysteries ever written, but I like the pizza angle.
However, by this book, the descriptions of Eleanor always making pizza have gotten a little tedious. And does it seem weird to anyone else that now there have been 2 murders in her pizza place? I realize that there needs to be some sort of plot element to make the main character investigate, but I wish the author could come up with something else other than Eleanor is the main suspect, or the murder happened in her resteraunt.
The other thing that bothered me about this installment is it seemed disjointed from the others, like the author had been away from this particular series for awhile and had forgotten what had happened in the other books. The main thing the bugged me was the complete changing of a character's name, Nathan, who plays a major role in the 3rd book. I'm a little confused about the timeline too, since the third book has a definite timeline with it being Halloween, but the others it's hard to pin down how long it's been since the last things happened.
So will I be picking up the next book in the series? Probably. In fact, it's on hold at the library for me right now. So these things haven't scared me off yet. But if it keeps going downhill, I will probably start looking for a new cozy series.
However, by this book, the descriptions of Eleanor always making pizza have gotten a little tedious. And does it seem weird to anyone else that now there have been 2 murders in her pizza place? I realize that there needs to be some sort of plot element to make the main character investigate, but I wish the author could come up with something else other than Eleanor is the main suspect, or the murder happened in her resteraunt.
The other thing that bothered me about this installment is it seemed disjointed from the others, like the author had been away from this particular series for awhile and had forgotten what had happened in the other books. The main thing the bugged me was the complete changing of a character's name, Nathan, who plays a major role in the 3rd book. I'm a little confused about the timeline too, since the third book has a definite timeline with it being Halloween, but the others it's hard to pin down how long it's been since the last things happened.
So will I be picking up the next book in the series? Probably. In fact, it's on hold at the library for me right now. So these things haven't scared me off yet. But if it keeps going downhill, I will probably start looking for a new cozy series.
May 8, 2012
This is a fun series for cozy fans who like food related mysteries in small town settings. I wasn't crazy about the actual mystery in this one but I still enjoyed the ongoing character development. I love the descriptions of the pizza parlor and of the town. I will continue to look forward to new releases in this series.
October 23, 2023
Book #: 67
Title: Rest in Pizza
Author: Chris Cavendar
Series: Pizza Lovers Mysteries #4
Format: 248 pages, Hardcover, ILL
Pub Date: First published January 1, 2012
Started: 10/18/23 Ended: 10/23/23
Awards: none
Categories: 2023 Book, Mystery, A Book with a Recipe in it
Rating: **** four out of five
Eleanor, the owner of A Slice of Delight Pizzeria, allows her kitchen to be used as a demo kitchen when world famous chef Antonio Benet agrees to have a book signing at her best friend Cindy's grand opening of her book store. Antonio is a prima donna and annoys everyone around him. But, who was annoyed enough to drive a knife through his heart in Eleanor's kitchen?
This was actually book four in the series, when I meant to order book three, but there's no long arc across the books, so they can be read in nearly any order. It was an enjoyable read, I had no idea who the killer was. I intend to read the whole series.
Title: Rest in Pizza
Author: Chris Cavendar
Series: Pizza Lovers Mysteries #4
Format: 248 pages, Hardcover, ILL
Pub Date: First published January 1, 2012
Started: 10/18/23 Ended: 10/23/23
Awards: none
Categories: 2023 Book, Mystery, A Book with a Recipe in it
Rating: **** four out of five
Eleanor, the owner of A Slice of Delight Pizzeria, allows her kitchen to be used as a demo kitchen when world famous chef Antonio Benet agrees to have a book signing at her best friend Cindy's grand opening of her book store. Antonio is a prima donna and annoys everyone around him. But, who was annoyed enough to drive a knife through his heart in Eleanor's kitchen?
This was actually book four in the series, when I meant to order book three, but there's no long arc across the books, so they can be read in nearly any order. It was an enjoyable read, I had no idea who the killer was. I intend to read the whole series.
August 23, 2023
i really feel that the author can think of a different way to get Maddy and Eleanor investigating. they are always suspects and always say "we have to investigate and find the culprit so that people will still come to our restaurant" and the restaurant doesn't even struggle after the chef dies there, more people wanna come to sit at the table where the body was at. like what!?
and not to mention one of the main suspects from the last book, Nathan Sizemore, is Nathan Pane in this book? what's the deal with that??
overall, quick and easy read but i wish there was something new in this series
2.8/5 stars
and not to mention one of the main suspects from the last book, Nathan Sizemore, is Nathan Pane in this book? what's the deal with that??
overall, quick and easy read but i wish there was something new in this series
2.8/5 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2018
The killer wasn't who I expected, which made for a surprise ending. But I felt like their motive was weird and didn't really make sense. There were other parts of the story that got tiresome or seemed like they weren't adding anything to the plot.
This series isn't great, but it isn't terrible either. I do wish they mentioned a time frame more often though. How much time has passed between book one and this book? Eleanor says "in recent years" but does that mean all this took place in one year, two, five?
This series isn't great, but it isn't terrible either. I do wish they mentioned a time frame more often though. How much time has passed between book one and this book? Eleanor says "in recent years" but does that mean all this took place in one year, two, five?
May 31, 2019
Chef Antonio Betet comes to the small town of Timber Ridge to participate in a bookstore opening. He manages to insult almost everyone in his range including Eleanor Swift and her sister Maddy who work at A Slice of Delight. The sisters find the Chef stabbed with one of their kitchen knives in the pizzeria. They decide to try to solve the case.
I decided to take this with me to read and wound up finishing it in one sitting. I enjoyed the characters and the situations. I would recommend this to other cozy mystery readers.
I decided to take this with me to read and wound up finishing it in one sitting. I enjoyed the characters and the situations. I would recommend this to other cozy mystery readers.
August 9, 2017
This book was given to me, otherwise I might have read them in order. It was a quick read with fun characters. A murder mystery that wasn't scary. Considered part of the 'cozy mystery' genre, it was a similar style to an Agatha Christie or Murder She Wrote sort of story which I enjoyed. I will now have to go back and read the other books in the series since I have heard they are just as enjoyable.
October 11, 2021
Since I'm not working at the library anymore, I'm not exposed to new authors or impulse picks. So I am forced to rely on author's names I remember. That's how I ended up with another Chris Cavender book. Very dry and tough to warm up to the main character, a North Carolina widow who owns a local pizzeria. From a long residence in Asheville, I think the fictional town is a cover for Spruce Pine up in the mountains. Short,quick read.
December 30, 2021
This cheesy mystery is just what I needed. I loved the sister duo helping the small town figure out the murder mystery at the Slice. The author did a wonderful job of describing the story the entire time while making me question “who did it?” While I had my guess, there were so many people that I thought murdered the famous author. I enjoyed the ending of Maddy’s choice and the happiness for Eleanor. I’m interested to see if we find out more about Paul from the pastry shop.
January 30, 2023
3.5 rounded up. Got a little old hearing about Eleanor's husband that passed. It was constant to the point I feel like she may still need to be in therapy as it seems to loom over her entire being.
The mystery was good and kept me guessing! I don't know that it left me wanting to read more. I felt the relationship between the sisters was a bit awkward and forced. It seemed like a lot of the dialog was cliche.
The mystery was good and kept me guessing! I don't know that it left me wanting to read more. I felt the relationship between the sisters was a bit awkward and forced. It seemed like a lot of the dialog was cliche.
April 28, 2018
A fun , cosy mystery with pizza as the backdrop !
I like the characters and the story line is interesting and engaging. Eleanor and her sister work well together and manage to solve the mystery of the dead chef in their pizza cafe.
This is #4 in the series and I will definitely look for others by the same author.
I like the characters and the story line is interesting and engaging. Eleanor and her sister work well together and manage to solve the mystery of the dead chef in their pizza cafe.
This is #4 in the series and I will definitely look for others by the same author.
February 12, 2019
The murder didn’t happen until after the first 100 pages. That’s kind of a deal breaker for me. You would think things would move quickly after that, but they didn’t. I’ve read worse books for sure, but this is already not one of my favorite series. I’m on the fence about moving on to the next book.
August 25, 2019
Who taught the author how to write women? Why do they hug so much? Why are there weird moments with side characters that have NOTHING to do with the murder mystery? If we condensed this book into things truly only relevant to the main story line, it would be 1/3 of the original length. I only purchased it because of the title and I'm only being generous because it really made me want pizza.
November 6, 2019
I am loving these cozy pizza mysteries! I love the banter between the sisters, and of course I love pizza. I just wish I knew why they changed the name of character Nathan Sizemore from the previous book to Nathan Pane. His neice Gina Sizemore also appears in both books 3 and 5, but she remains a Sizemore. Just an editorial mistake?
August 24, 2020
Normally, I give all of these pizza mysteries by Chris Cavender 5 stars, and this one is great too, as far as the storyline goes, but the errors were a little distracting. However, I've read books by other authors that are a lot worse. There's no way for me to give it 4 and 1/2 stars, but that's my true rating. Excellent read all the way around.
December 14, 2020
Come to the Slice for pizza 🍕 and a dead body. 😉 It could just be me but I don't think I would be interested in going to a restaurant that keeps having dead bodies found there. Anyway it was a good read and I had it narrowed down to those two but I just wasn't sure. Wonder who's going to die next and if their body will show up at the Slice. 😊
December 28, 2020
Eleanor and Maddy are at it again when a chef is killed in the restaurant. They have their suspects and are on the hunt again. Once again it's a close call for both of them. Another good read and I'm on the hunt for the next one.
June 26, 2017
i get tired of her doing things no proper business owner would do. but other than that i like the series. might have something to do with 14 years working for Pizza Hut
April 22, 2018
This book combines my favorite genre and my favorite food. It’s an amazing series and would highly recommend to mystery lovers!
May 18, 2018
I am sorry for your loss
Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews