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Pizza Lovers #7
The Missing Dough
The only thing Eleanor Swift loves more then A Slice of Delight--her Timber Ridge, North Carolina pizzeria--is her sister Maddy. So when Maddy's cheating ex-husband Grant shows up with some pie-in-the-sky idea to win Maddy back, Eleanor is happy to see her sister swiftly show him the door. But they both know Grant isn't done yet. . .
Especially when he picks a fight with Maddy's fiancee Bob in front of the whole town at the annual Founder's Day Festival. Naturally, when Grant is later found stabbed in the heart with a barbeque skewer, Bob is featured on the police chief's menu as Suspect #1. And when it turns out that Maddy stands to gain a different kind of dough--and lots of it--from Grant exiting this world, she and Eleanor know it's up to them to cook up an investigation to find the real killer.
Was it that female singer at the festival who wanted a word with the recently deceased? Or maybe Grant's haughty sister, who's colder then a day-old pizza? Or Grant's "business partner," who seemingly had the opportunity, means, and motive to mortally skewer Maddy's ex-husband? Only one thing is for sure: Eleanor and Maddy need to turn up the heat and deliver this killer. . .or their next scrumptious pizza may be their last!
Includes a delicious pizza recipe!"
Especially when he picks a fight with Maddy's fiancee Bob in front of the whole town at the annual Founder's Day Festival. Naturally, when Grant is later found stabbed in the heart with a barbeque skewer, Bob is featured on the police chief's menu as Suspect #1. And when it turns out that Maddy stands to gain a different kind of dough--and lots of it--from Grant exiting this world, she and Eleanor know it's up to them to cook up an investigation to find the real killer.
Was it that female singer at the festival who wanted a word with the recently deceased? Or maybe Grant's haughty sister, who's colder then a day-old pizza? Or Grant's "business partner," who seemingly had the opportunity, means, and motive to mortally skewer Maddy's ex-husband? Only one thing is for sure: Eleanor and Maddy need to turn up the heat and deliver this killer. . .or their next scrumptious pizza may be their last!
Includes a delicious pizza recipe!"
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
26 people are currently reading
621 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 71 reviews
December 14, 2019
I found myself blink when I gave this book a two star rating. It may not deserve this score, but maybe my taste has evolved. And now the series which scored a perfect 5 stars for the past 5 books is found wanting.
I admit that I didn't understand the bit about the website that has that aerial photo, but I understood most of the jokes and various points. In one way this book is less simple and is maybe going in the right direction, but I have been used to a slower pace which made for a very mellow, subtle, basic, and charming reading experience.
This book may be an improvement, but it just means it is no longer appealing to my nature. Nothing more, nothing lasts forever!
I admit that I didn't understand the bit about the website that has that aerial photo, but I understood most of the jokes and various points. In one way this book is less simple and is maybe going in the right direction, but I have been used to a slower pace which made for a very mellow, subtle, basic, and charming reading experience.
This book may be an improvement, but it just means it is no longer appealing to my nature. Nothing more, nothing lasts forever!
September 1, 2020
Found this book while cleaning out some closets at the house. Is an OK read. Is the 6th book of the series and while I assume it can be a standalone book it sort of requires a bit of background - cannot fault the author for this. But, there is some mind-numbing dialogue. Lots of "little sis" and "big sis" stuff as the two owners of a local pizza shop named Slice delve into trying to find out who murdered the one sisters ex-husband. About 6 suspects and some decent red herrings, but just draggy dialogue which is most of the book. Book is OK and again if you began with Book 1 you may enjoy this a lot more than I did coming in at Book 6.
July 23, 2016
Eleanor and Maddie are enjoying their time at the Festival in town. When Maddie's ex-husband appears to cause trouble, she tells him off. Later on he ends up dead and Police Chief Kevin Hurley is pointing the finger at Maddie's Fiancee attorney Bob Lemon. Can The girls prove Bob's innocence and find out who killed Maddie's jerk of an ex-husband? Read and find out for yourself.
This was a pretty good and the last of the Pizza Lover's Mysteries series that my library had on its shelves. I have enjoyed the Swift sisters' pizza making and sleuthing adventures. If you enjoy mysteries and pizza, please check this book series out at your local library and wherever books are sold.
This was a pretty good and the last of the Pizza Lover's Mysteries series that my library had on its shelves. I have enjoyed the Swift sisters' pizza making and sleuthing adventures. If you enjoy mysteries and pizza, please check this book series out at your local library and wherever books are sold.
January 14, 2020
I've really been enjoying this series, and liked this book as much as the others. Sisters Eleanor and Maddy are again investigating a murder, this time that of one of Maddy's ex-husbands. Her current fiancé, Bob, is the main suspect. All of the great characters of the series make a return in this book, and the storyline kept me guessing and suspicious of a few possible villains.
As usual, I really enjoyed the backdrop of The Slice, Eleanor's pizza parlor, and the small North Carolina town.
As usual, I really enjoyed the backdrop of The Slice, Eleanor's pizza parlor, and the small North Carolina town.
November 26, 2013
The Missing Dough by Chris Cavender
This mystery series is about Maddy and Eleanor and they own and run A Slice of Heaven pizzeria. They have part time help, one is Josh the police chief's son who's also a guru at the PC.
Grant, the ex husband is killed after being a nuisance to many in town during the fair and where many were threatening him when he dropped beer over them.
The woman are sisters and often spend the night at one another houses. This case is about the money that Grant had swindled out of others in the investment firm. His mother is also dead now and she's bequeathed something to Maddy in her will.
Rebecca is the sister who also is trying to find the money. There are ex's of Grants and his business partners that also come into the picture. Love the way the women come up with leads as to who the suspects are and how they are able to clear their names.
Love the tip at the end of the book, after the mystery is solved about left over bread dough. Love the combinations used and just the fun of experimenting...
I received this book from The Kennsington Books in exchange for my honest review
This mystery series is about Maddy and Eleanor and they own and run A Slice of Heaven pizzeria. They have part time help, one is Josh the police chief's son who's also a guru at the PC.
Grant, the ex husband is killed after being a nuisance to many in town during the fair and where many were threatening him when he dropped beer over them.
The woman are sisters and often spend the night at one another houses. This case is about the money that Grant had swindled out of others in the investment firm. His mother is also dead now and she's bequeathed something to Maddy in her will.
Rebecca is the sister who also is trying to find the money. There are ex's of Grants and his business partners that also come into the picture. Love the way the women come up with leads as to who the suspects are and how they are able to clear their names.
Love the tip at the end of the book, after the mystery is solved about left over bread dough. Love the combinations used and just the fun of experimenting...
I received this book from The Kennsington Books in exchange for my honest review
September 25, 2014
This book just seemed to be written for kids... the vocabulary wasn't challenging and I found myself really thinking;"This author won awards?" It's a cozy mystery with a cool setting in a pizzeria... it did make me salivate every time the sisters/sleuths were preparing dough etc... but as far as the writing itself... it left me kind of stunned at it's simplicity. My 7th grade English students could have done a better job. I think some authors feel that cozy mystery fans will like anything they put out there with a neat setting and a tight group of quirky characters... not so for me in this case.
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December 22, 2013Don't know how they stay in business always giving away free food.
March 3, 2022
This had a great premise. A dead ex-husband and all sorts of maybe villains. Or perhaps they were wannabe killers by accident. But the relationship the sisters have? Too sappy. Too perfect. And unrealistic dialogue between the two. They were always acquiescing to each other and commenting on how great they were. To be honest, I wanted to barf chunks. I guess sisters could really be that close, but it just didn’t ring true to me.
August 7, 2025
2.5 ⭐️
gotta be honest, the writing was kinda trash… BUT, I was invested, so not a total loss!
silly series and an easy read, but probably not for me
gotta be honest, the writing was kinda trash… BUT, I was invested, so not a total loss!
silly series and an easy read, but probably not for me
May 24, 2015
The Missing Dough is the 6th installment in the Pizza Lovers Mystery Series. The series centers around Eleanor and her sister Maddy, co-owners of The Slice of Heaven located in Timber Ridge, NC. While it is not absolutely necessary to read the previous books in the series it does help in understanding the background of the characters.
When Maddy's obnoxious ex-husband Grant arrives at The Slice in an effort to get her back, neither Eleanor, her boyfriend Dave nor Maddy's fiancé Bob are too happy. The foursome attends the local festival and sees Grant arguing with a stranger and the members of the band, only later to learn that Grant has been found murdered behind the promenade. Bob and Dave do not have alibis and become suspects, forcing Eleanor and Maddy to try and find the real killer.
It appears that Grant was mixed up in a shady investment scheme and had scammed current girlfriend, another ex-wife and his business partner out of money. His mother has also passed away leaving money to Maddy in her will, which Grant and sister Rebecca are not too happy to learn.
I've enjoyed the previous books in the series but this one seemed to be lacking in storyline and left a few loose strings. Eleanor has a great friendship with reputed mobster Art, who she seeks help from in this case, but Art says he needs to distance himself from Eleanor for her own safety. While he does contact Eleanor part way through the book to make amends, we never really know what he was involved with that might have caused trouble for her. There is the mention of a gambling ring in the next town of Cow Spots and the neighboring Chief of Police catches Eleanor and Maddy snooping around but there was really no resolution as to who was running the gambling ring or what that had to do with Grant's death.
It was nice to have Josh and Greg, Slice employees assist in the investigation a little bit, but it was awfully irresponsible for Eleanor and Maddy to ask for their help and put their lives in danger. Police Chief Kevin Hurley is back and it continues to amaze me that he can never find clues on his own and relies on the assistance of the two amateur sleuths.
I'm not giving up on the series yet, and will be looking forward to Thin Crust Killers.
When Maddy's obnoxious ex-husband Grant arrives at The Slice in an effort to get her back, neither Eleanor, her boyfriend Dave nor Maddy's fiancé Bob are too happy. The foursome attends the local festival and sees Grant arguing with a stranger and the members of the band, only later to learn that Grant has been found murdered behind the promenade. Bob and Dave do not have alibis and become suspects, forcing Eleanor and Maddy to try and find the real killer.
It appears that Grant was mixed up in a shady investment scheme and had scammed current girlfriend, another ex-wife and his business partner out of money. His mother has also passed away leaving money to Maddy in her will, which Grant and sister Rebecca are not too happy to learn.
I've enjoyed the previous books in the series but this one seemed to be lacking in storyline and left a few loose strings. Eleanor has a great friendship with reputed mobster Art, who she seeks help from in this case, but Art says he needs to distance himself from Eleanor for her own safety. While he does contact Eleanor part way through the book to make amends, we never really know what he was involved with that might have caused trouble for her. There is the mention of a gambling ring in the next town of Cow Spots and the neighboring Chief of Police catches Eleanor and Maddy snooping around but there was really no resolution as to who was running the gambling ring or what that had to do with Grant's death.
It was nice to have Josh and Greg, Slice employees assist in the investigation a little bit, but it was awfully irresponsible for Eleanor and Maddy to ask for their help and put their lives in danger. Police Chief Kevin Hurley is back and it continues to amaze me that he can never find clues on his own and relies on the assistance of the two amateur sleuths.
I'm not giving up on the series yet, and will be looking forward to Thin Crust Killers.
January 19, 2014
The Missing Dough
By: Chris Cavender
Copyright: December 2013
Publisher: Kensington
Maddy’s ex-husband, Grant Whitmore, has come back to Timber Ridge, North Carolina claiming he wants to patch things up. It’s soon evident that he has another motive altogether—Grant’s late mother left Maddy something in her will. Maddy refuses to sign the quitclaim that Grant brought with him, despite his threats. But Grant won’t be threatening anyone much longer, for later that night, his body is discovered near the Founder’s Day festival.
Matters are complicated even further when Grant’s sister shows up, accusing Maddy and her fiancé of having a part in the murder. As Eleanor and Maddy investigate, they find a great many people who might want to see Grant dead. But can they unearth the culprit before false accusations burn their reputations to a crisp?
My review:
Just when you think you can enjoy a quiet evening out with your sister and the guys the fly in the ointment appears. Maddy’s ex shows up to cause trouble. Supposedly he claims he wants her back, but she puts an end to that quickly. Grant then informs her that his mother had died and that Maddy was named in the will. He tries to get her to sign a quitclaim and she again tells him to take a hike. But that’s not the end of the trouble when he shows up dead and Eleanor and Maddy have to find the real killer to keep their boyfriends out of jail.
Next layer of aggravation for the girls is the appearance of Maddy’s ex sister in law who accuses Maddy and her fiancé of her brother’s murder. Mix in another layer which includes gangsters and threats and you have the most outrageous and interesting story yet in the Pizza Lovers Mystery series.
I highly recommend this book and all the previous ones as a great series to follow and own.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received my copy of this book from the publishers who only requested a fair and impartial review.
By: Chris Cavender
Copyright: December 2013
Publisher: Kensington
Maddy’s ex-husband, Grant Whitmore, has come back to Timber Ridge, North Carolina claiming he wants to patch things up. It’s soon evident that he has another motive altogether—Grant’s late mother left Maddy something in her will. Maddy refuses to sign the quitclaim that Grant brought with him, despite his threats. But Grant won’t be threatening anyone much longer, for later that night, his body is discovered near the Founder’s Day festival.
Matters are complicated even further when Grant’s sister shows up, accusing Maddy and her fiancé of having a part in the murder. As Eleanor and Maddy investigate, they find a great many people who might want to see Grant dead. But can they unearth the culprit before false accusations burn their reputations to a crisp?
My review:
Just when you think you can enjoy a quiet evening out with your sister and the guys the fly in the ointment appears. Maddy’s ex shows up to cause trouble. Supposedly he claims he wants her back, but she puts an end to that quickly. Grant then informs her that his mother had died and that Maddy was named in the will. He tries to get her to sign a quitclaim and she again tells him to take a hike. But that’s not the end of the trouble when he shows up dead and Eleanor and Maddy have to find the real killer to keep their boyfriends out of jail.
Next layer of aggravation for the girls is the appearance of Maddy’s ex sister in law who accuses Maddy and her fiancé of her brother’s murder. Mix in another layer which includes gangsters and threats and you have the most outrageous and interesting story yet in the Pizza Lovers Mystery series.
I highly recommend this book and all the previous ones as a great series to follow and own.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received my copy of this book from the publishers who only requested a fair and impartial review.
January 1, 2018
This series is new to me. The setting of the pizzeria was interesting to me. I liked the setting of the pizzeria, but I didn't see enough of it in this book. The camaraderie of the sisters was great. The mystery was good. There were several suspects with issues, so we uncover their secrets as well as the murder. I had a suspicion about the murder, but I can't say that I figured it out. I will be revisiting this series again.
January 6, 2015
This was an okay mystery. I have never read anything by this author and I doubt I will read another. I get frustrated when characters put themselves in harms way while sleuthing. The dialogue was a bit stilted and repetitive. The sister sleuths run a pizza restaurant when they are not hunting down the bad guys. There are much better food mystery series available.
May 13, 2019
The Missing Dough is book 6 in the Pizza Lovers series by Chris Cavender. the series surrounds two sister sleuths Maddie and Eleanor running a pizza parlor together after the death of Eleanor’s husband. In this installment, Maddie’s ex-husband comes to town only to get himself murdered, putting Maddie, Eleanor and their respective significant others right in the middle of the case. This installment had plenty of suspects and clues to keep the reader engaged in the story, but the strength of the this series is always the relationships between the sisters and their group of friends/co-workers/neighbors.
April 2, 2021
When Maddy's ex-husband (Grant) arrives in Timber Ridge looking to re-kindle their relationship he is swiftly shown the door (much to Elanor's relief!), unfortunately he is still hanging around town and manages to get into an argument with Maddy's fiance. When Grant winds up murdered, Bob is in the cross hairs for the crime, Elanor and Maddy KNOW he didn't do the deed and so they, and the staff of the pizzeria, start sniffing around to find out what happened.
Add in forgery, missing money, a really hacked off ex-sister in law and Maddy and Elanor have more on their plate than their famous everything pizza!
Add in forgery, missing money, a really hacked off ex-sister in law and Maddy and Elanor have more on their plate than their famous everything pizza!
March 12, 2017
A cute mystery involving two sisters who own a pizza parlor and in their spare time track down a killer. This time it happens to be one of the sister's ex-husband. While they didn't end on a positive note, she isn't the only enemy he made while he was alive.
Cute, quick read with twists and turns.
Cute, quick read with twists and turns.
June 30, 2018
It was a good book, but I am glad I waited a bit between this book and the second last in the series. The books are fairy repetitive, the banter is the same, and the criminals are always insane.
But I felt like there was too much emphasis on Bob being the number one suspect , but he wasn’t.
But I felt like there was too much emphasis on Bob being the number one suspect , but he wasn’t.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2019
I love these pizza mysteries! It's always great seeing Eleanor and Maddy again getting into trouble and snooping when there's a murder. This time it's Maddy's ex-husband and there are plenty of suspects.
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October 12, 2019A real cozy. I wound up really liking the pizza parlor and wish it could've played a larger part. This is book six in the series (though my first) so maybe it did in earlier entries. I'll find out eventually!
December 22, 2020
Another good read. Suspects everywhere I turn but it wasn't until the very end that I find out who the killer was. Quick and easy story with characters that I didn't really care for at first but ended up liking in the end.
December 31, 2020
Another good one in this series. Once again, I want some pizza. Eleanor and Maddy get to help solve another murder. This time they aren't too sure and end up in trouble again before getting things solved.
May 12, 2017
This is definitely a cozy mystery. A very light read, but enjoyable.
January 31, 2018
Fast read. Didn't see the end coming. :-)
April 22, 2018
Not enough pizza.
Just enough detective work.
Just enough detective work.
December 21, 2018
A fun mystery by Chris Cavender. Easy read with a twist in the mystery, killer was unexpected , interesting to speculate about the outcome .
Nothing deep or difficult in the story line.
Nothing deep or difficult in the story line.
June 15, 2019
Another sisters, Eleanor and Maddy, amateur whodunits! They seem to always find a dead body near in , or around , their pizza place! Terrific!!!!
May 19, 2021
Thin characters and awkward dialogue really bog this book down. We are not introduced to the killer until well into the story and we spend very little time with them. At least it was a quick read.
June 8, 2021
Loved it
June 9, 2021
Great quick read. Simple mystery, not scary, moved along nicely
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September 3, 2025Probably a record number of dead husband mentions in this one, but a good finale to the series nonetheless.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews