The Curse of the Cherry Pie

Tish Tarragon #4

by Amy Patricia Meade

The Last Slice

As the owner of the literary themed Cookin’ the Books Café, Letitia “Tish” Tarragon has seen some odd situations. But when she enters the Virginia Commonwealth Bake-Off to give a suddenly destitute friend the $15,000 prize, she can’t understand why choosing cherry pie as her signature bake unnerves everyone. It turns out the last two contestants who planned that dish inexplicably died. Since Tish doesn’t believe in curses, she starts investigating exactly what happened…

But she soon finds motives and suspects aplenty stewing between competing chef egos, secret identities, hidden affairs and underhanded voting. And with her sleuthing dogged by increasingly lethal accidents, Tish must cook up a spectacular finish to expose a clever murderer out to serve her one killer dessert.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy

Paperback

Published October 24, 2023

About the author

Author of the critically acclaimed Marjorie McClelland Mysteries, the Rosie the Riveter historical mysteries, and the recent Vermont series, Amy Patricia Meade is a native of Long Island, NY, where she cut her teeth on classic films and books featuring Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown.

Later in her youth, she’d come to admire the works of Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, leading her to pursue a degree in English as well as business.

Amy currently resides in Bristol, England where she's busy adding to her Tish Tarragon and Vermont Country Living Mysteries.
When not writing, Amy enjoys travel, testing out new recipes, classic films, and, of course, reading mysteries.

Reviews

[Tina]

The Curse of The Cherry Pie was delicious mystery with a twist. It has fabulous food descriptions. The not so typical bake-off was a thrill to read as I love reading culinary competition mysteries. Awesome plot-twists .The writing was fast paced. There were not so likeable characters mixed with some great ones that drew me into the story.. I loved getting to know restaurant owner and bake-off baker Tish as she tries to solve this mystery. Enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Servern House Publishing for giving me this ARC to read. This is a honest review.

[Linda]

A delectable cozy mystery with a main character as charming as her name! Tish Tarragon is a sleuth extraordinaire in this well-plotted and fast-paced mystery. With a pantry full of suspects to sort through and her own safety at risk, Tish has her hands full—and not only with pie crust and cherries. The feel-good ending made me want to bake my own celebratory cherry pie! I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

[Bonnie DeMoss]

Tish enters the Virginia Commonwealth Bake-off to help a friend. She soon learns that deciding to make a cherry pie was a mistake.

This is a somewhat interesting mystery set during a bake-off. I was not really invested in the characters and I’m not interested in reading more of this series.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley. My review is voluntary.

[LittleRead]

When Celestine loses her husband, Trish takes her friend’s place in the Virginia Commonwealth Bakeoff contest in hopes of winning the prize money to help her friend out with her finances. While Trish signed up for the contest, she didn’t sign up for yet another murder investigation.

Trish finds out that the two women before her who baked cherry pies for their final item both died the night before the winners were announced. Since Trish had also planned on making a cherry pie, she begins receiving threats to quit the competition. Not one to be easily scared, Trish finds out more about the women and what happened before. Soon it turns into a murder mystery and Trish isn’t just racing against the clock to complete her recipes, she’s racing against the killer to find them before they do her in.

A great series set in my old home state of Virginia, I can’t help but feel at home each and every time I read a book in the series. Be sure to look at the recipe at the end and you can cook along with Trish.

[Missi Martin (Stockwell)]

The Curse of the Cherry Pie, the fourth book in the Tish Tarragon Mystery series by Amy Patricia Meade will have you focused on nothing else while you read it.

The Curse of the Cherry Pie starts with main character Tish Tarragon and her friends attending the funeral of Lloyd Rufus. Lloyd was the husband of Tish's employee and friend Celestine. Then after the funeral while they were attending the luncheon for the family at Tish's cafe, Cookin'the Books, they meet the new Sheriff who no one likes, most of Tish.

As in previous books in this series, there is a lot going on. Tish recently moved in with her boyfriend, Schuyler, who is a lawyer but recently decided to enter politics and run for Mayor, the previous Sheriff, Clemson Reade, left Hobson Glen at Christmas without saying goodbye to Tish. Tish has decided to enter the Virginia Commonwealth Bake-Off in Celestine's place as she is dealing with her loss and grief. Little did anyone know how cut-throat the competition would be !!

After Tish hands in the dishes she will be making during the competition, she finds out there is a Cherry Pie Curse !! There were two previous contestants that were scheduled to bake cherry pies for the event and both died before they could complete the bake-off. Once contestants hear that Tish is scheduled to make a cherry pie, they try to talk her out of it. But she is not one to back down so she doesn't change her mind or her list of dishes.

Unfortunately Tish suffers a baking accident and receives threatening notes from a mystery person obviously trying to get her to quit. And the new sheriff is not one to confide in or expect help from so it's just Tish, her two best friends, Mary Jo and Julian, as well as a deputy who is assigned to be on hand at the convention center. Schuyler is too busy with work at the law firm as well as his campaign for Mayor. Also Schuyler is one of the people trying to convince Tish to quit the bake-off as well as change other things about herself....like stop looking into the previous murders as well as the threats on her life, work less at the cafe, and stand next to him while he is campaigning.

Readers will be instantly sucked into this book and not want to stop reading. You are going to neglect chores, people, sleep and whatever else whiile you hang out with Tish and crew. The Curse of the Cherry Pie is a crazy rollercoaster ride with stomach dropping moments as well as twists and turns that you will not see coming .... but it will all be good when you get to the end and see where Meade ends the story leaving the reader wanting to dive into the next book, From Ladle to Grave as soon as you can !!!

[Victoria Ellis]

The Curse of the Cherry Pie is a contemporary cosy murder mystery book set in a small American town. It is the fourth book in the Tish Tarragon series, but it is the first one I picked up, as I saw it at my local library. As with most books in this genre, the order is not very important, and I didn't find it difficult to pick it up and was able to enjoy it. In this book we follow Tish, a cafe owner and amateur sleuth, as she enters a cooking competition armed with a cherry pie recipe, only to learn that two previous contestants died before they could bake their own cherry pies. As you can imagine from this description it's a fun little mystery, and a short one at just over two hundred pages, that passes the time. I enjoyed the descriptions of various recipes and foods, which were often named after literary puns. The mystery itself kept me guessing and I enjoyed the final reveal of the perpetrator. It did veer a little into a cold case at times, given that the target was our main character, which I don't personally enjoy, but that is me being very picky. Overall this was a nice little mystery, not a series that I feel I have to keep reading, but I enjoyed my time reading this one.

[Bridget]

The Curse of the Cherry Pie is the fourth book in a series by Amy Patricia Meade featuring Letitia 'Tish' Tarragon. Set in Virginia, Tish, the owner of Cookin' the Books Café, stands in for her friend, Celestine Rufus at a prestigious bake-off competition, the Virginia Commonwealth Bake-Off. Tish is nervous about her signature bake, a frangipane cherry pie, as the contestants who have baked cherry pies in the last two competitions have both wound up dead.

An extremely enjoyable cosy mystery with a very likeable protagonist in Tish, I was thoroughly engrossed in this story. The plot was engaging and it sported a colourful cast of supporting characters, including Mary Jo Okensholt and Jules Davis (Tish's best friends from their University days). This was my first leap into the series at book four, and it was a good standalone read, as I did not feel lost. A great tale that has left me keen to check out the first three instalments.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Severn House Publishers via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

[Cozy Reviews]

This is the 4th Tish Tarragon mystery and one of my favorite books of this series.. I love Tish and the mysteries in this series. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity.

Tish takes over as a cooking competitor for her friend who has just lost her husband. Her friend needs the money so Tish hopes to win. She is planning on baking a cherry pie but finds out the last two competitors were murdered that were preparing to cook cherry pies in the competition. Our Tish is not deterred and is one the case to solve this mystery and hopeful win the competition for her friend in need.

I love the charcters, the baking and the sleuth. .This is a fun addition to the series.

[Eileen]

Tish's friend and star baker Celestine pulled out of a Virginia Commonwealth Bakeoff. Tish decides to take her place reluctantly, but wondering if Cherry Pie will be up to the grade. As all gets underway Tish finds out that two previous contestants also had the Cherry Pie on their menu. However, there was two murders before they made their bakes. Tish gets involved, again looking for answers to how this happened. It gets very complicated and lots of jealousy arises among may of the contestants.....It is a great read and I enjoyed the way this author writes. It is one of those books you cannot put down.

[Susan]

Tish leaves her cafe to her employees and sets out for the Virginia Commonwealth Bake-off, planning to make her cherry pie as the last of three entries. Then she learns that the previous two women who announced that they were making cherry pies died before the contest was over. Obviously a coincidence--but why is Tish getting threatening messages? She's also coping with her significant other, an ambitious lawyer who wants Tish's help in his run for mayor. Fortunately, Tish has her loyal college pals Jules, a tv weatherman, and MJ, who helps at the cafe, to aid in her sleuthing.

[Jerri Cachero]

What do you do when your friend withdraws from a prestigious baking competition when her husband passes away? If you're Tish Tarragon, you volunteer to take her place and win the prize money her friend desperately needs. Problem is, one of your creations, a cherry pie, is thought to be cursed as the two contestants who had wanted to make a cherry pie, in year's past were both murdered.

I loved Tish, her friends MJ, Jules (and his canine sidekick, Biscuit), Celestine and all the wonderful characters at Cookin' the Books literary cafe who made this mystery so enjoyable. The book kept me reading and guessing until the very end. Twists & turns, humor, friendship, delicious food and a just enough romance made the cozy perfect! I didn't want the book to end and I'm hoping for another one soon!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Stephanie]

As with most culinary cozy mysteries, there is a lot of food discussed in this book. Not only is Tish a literary caterer (her dishes are always inspired by books) and a cafe owner, she’s also taking part in a Bake-Off, so things are definitely heating up in the kitchen! While this is the fourth book in the series, you can definitely read it as a standalone – there’s enough of a background and introduction to bring everyone up to speed. But honestly, I highly recommend reading this entire series.

There are so many things I love about this book. Not only was the “curse” interesting to watch unravel – there was no shortage of suspects – there were a lot of twists and turns to keep me guessing until close to the end. The pacing of the story was very even and never really slowed down. But it never felt like an information dump either. It moved along nicely and I zipped through the book at a steady pace.

Over the course of the last three books, Tish and her friends have really gone through a lot of personal development. I find it one of the most interesting group of friends in any cozy mystery series. They have real problems and they go through ups and downs in a very realistic way. It would seem like there’s a lot of drama happening alongside the main mystery (new relationships, affairs, divorces, etc) but the personal stuff never seems to distract from the main storyline, so it’s a nice balance. It also gives me a feeling of getting to know the characters very well. I can’t really say much more without giving away spoilers, so I’ll just say that Tish goes through a lot this book, and I was happy with how things ended up for her.

Of course, along with the literary-inspired dishes, another rare feature of this series is that the sidekicks (in this case, Tish’s two best friends Mary Jo and Julian aka Jules) often do some investigating on their own. While this isn’t completely unheard of in cozies, Meade often gives the sidekick a chapter of their own, which I love! She does this in this book and MJ does some digging on the side for Tish at the local dentist’s office.

And while Jules doesn’t get his own chapter, he is there for almost all the action and I couldn’t be happier. He’s definitely my favourite character in the series. He’s a bit silly and easily-distracted, but he’s also loyal and fun and I think the perfect friend to Tish and MJ. We all need more Jules in our lives!

The ending of this book was very satisfying but also kept things very open for the next book. I obviously adore this series and I can’t wait for more of Tish and her friends.

[Ppcfransen]

After the unexpected death of her husband, Celestine doesn’t feel like to compete in the Virginia Commonwealth Bake-off, although she could sure use the prize money. Tish offers to compete in her place. The competition organizer is okay with this, so with just with a week to prepare (think of recipes and tweak them to perfection) Tish enters the bake-off with hopes of winning.

Everyone at the bake-off pales when she mentions that for her final bake she will bake a cherry pie. As it turns out: in the past two years the contestants who intended to bake a cherry pie died before the final day of the competition. Tish doesn’t believe in any such curse, but when she receives a threatening note and someone tampers with her mixers, Tish wants to know what the connection was between the two women, ‘cause that may be the thing that got them killed.

Very likeable read. During the day Tish collects clues by talking to fellow contestants and overhearing things, in the evening she bounces off ideas on her friends and a local policeman, who doesn’t seem out of place at all for helping out or sharing information. The information comes it good doses and there are plenty of twists and turns.

I read an ARC through NetGalley.

[Patricia Romero]

A Tish Tarragon Mystery

We are back at Cookin’ the Books Cafe’ with literary caterer Tish Tarragon and Celestine, her baker of the most heavenly foods.

Celestine has entered the very uppity Virginia Commonwealth Bake-Off but at the last minute is unable to attend. Although Tish isn’t sure she can measure up to her baker, she will jump in and try and at least win the prize money to help her friend.

Her entries sound lovely. And her final entry will be a Frangipane Cherry Pie. Keeping her fingers crossed, she shows up on the first day only to find out the last two contestants who baked a cherry pie died.

The rivalries in the baking world are legendary and even though this isn’t the Great British Bake-Off, one of the contestants is acting as a Royal. The winner of last year is about the most out of touch and ridiculous baker ever. Looking more like June Cleaver than Julia Child, she has a facade that is about to crack like an egg.

And it looks as if someone is out to shut down Tish’s chances on day one. As the shenanigans progress, Tish may not live to see who wins!

Always a good tale with Tish!

NetGalley/ May 4, 2021, Severn House

[Grace Koshida]

Tish Tarragon agrees to sub for her grieving friend Celestine Rufus at the annual Virginia Commonwealth Bake-Off. As the event gets underway, the judges and staff have an unusual reaction to Tish's choice of her signature bake: a frangipane cherry pie. Then Tish learns that contestants from the previous two competitions had also planned to bake cherry pies but had suddenly died before the event. Bitter rivalries, simmering jealousy and the desire to win the top prize show their ugly head when Tish gets threats warning her to quit. A tampered mixer gives Tish a jolt and the bake-off is delayed by a day.

The acting sheriff does not take the threats seriously until the judges intervene. Meanwhile, TIsh's boyfriend is in the final campaign stretch for a mayoral race and he is putting pressure on Tish to be more supportive. Tish finds some incriminating evidence which forces a change in the judges and chairmanship of the bake-off. A few months later, the final signature bake takes place and the winners are revealed.

This was an entertaining read in the Tish Tarragon culinary mystery series. I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Severn House with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

[Jamie Rutland]

Reading a book in this series by Amy Patricia Meade is like "coming back home". The setting is wonderful...the great state of Virginia...and the characters are so vividly describe and interact with one another so well that you feel like you really know them.

In this book, a friend of Tish's loses her husband before she is to participate in a baking competition. Tish takes it upon herself to replace her friend in the competition to hopefully win the prize money for her friend, who needs financial help. When Tish finds out that what she is planning to enter in the contest, a cherry pie, has had fatal consequences for two previous bakers, it is a shock. Seems those two contestants were murdered.

Tish begins to dig into the deaths and proceeds to try to find the killer before the killer finds her. I loved this book (especially Jules' doggie, Biscuit, lol) and the great characters in it. I highly recommend this book!

[Pamela]

Found this outing and the bake-off so interesting, I stayed up till 4 am to finish it in one outing! Tish, along with her good friends Mary Jo, Celestine, and, of course, TV newsman Jules, who is covering the statewide competition. Each lead character brings realistic emotions and conversations to the plot, which centers on poison at the bake-off this time.
Tish fills in at the three-day competition to help Celestine (whose husband just died) win the prize money she needs, only to discover at least three strange and fraudulent accidents and people at the event. In the midst of being zapped by a frayed electrical cord while working at her Cafe and competing, she struggles with her relationship with mayoral candidate Schuyler, as they have radically different goals in life.
While I guessed one of the villains, the author had a creative ending with a surprise in who the villains really were and their relationship.

[Crystal Toller]

This is the 4th book in the Tish Tarragon Series. When Celestine's husband dies unexpectadly and she cannot compete in the Virginia Bake Off Tish volunteers to take her place so that Celestine can use the prize money for living expenses while she handles her late husbands affairs. There is also a new Sheriff in town, Sheriff Lightbody. How Tish, with Jules and Mary Jo's help manages to discover the killer makes for a great read. This book had a few surprises that I wasn't expecting but I am anxious for the next book in the series to see what happens. This series is delightful and I feel like the characters in this series seem so real to me. Loving this series and highly recommend this book and the series.

[Jordan Stivers]

Absolutely loved it! The Tish Tarragon series continues to be my favorite in the cozy mystery genre for its wonderful characters, clever twists, and always having a little message in the plot. Unlike other cozies where the characters can remain a bit static, everyone grows in this story. In particular I was so very proud of Tish in the end. Every time I finish one, including now, I'm impatiently waiting for the next one!

Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

[Annarella]

Tish Tarragon Mysteries are amongst my favorite series and I always love to read about Tish and her friends.
This one is not one of my favorite because I don't like mysteries in a cooking contest setting.
That said this is a good addition and an entertaining story. I was happy to catch up with the characters and I think that something is going to change in the next stories.
The mystery is complex and kept me guessing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Lacey Harrington]

The Curse of the Cherry Pie is the fourth in the series. It can be read as a stand alone but I would start at the beginning. Cookin’ the Books Cafe is the MC Tish’s baby. Her friend and employee Celestine sadly loses her husband. Tish offers to take Celestine place in the Virginia Commonwealth Bake-Off. Two contestants are dead and she works hard to find the truth and win the prize money for her friend.
#TheCurseoftheCherryPie #NetGalley

[Marie]

I loved this book so much.....this has to be my favorite so far of the series.....I cried lots during this book for some reason. I thought FOR SURE I had this book figured out but I wasn't even close. I guessed some of the small details but was so OFF THE MARK for the big ending.

I really enjoyed this book and my heart is happy again with the way it ended. On to the next!!!
GREAT BEACH READING BOOKS!!!

[Donna McKenzie]

Love this wonderful addition to a very good cozy mystery. There is a Bake Off contest in town and it is clear as Tish Tarragon enters it to take the place of a friend. That something isn't quite right. While juggling her private life and finding out what is really going on. There are no shortage of suspects and motives. The ending is fun as well.

[Jeanie Jackson]

Amy Patricia Meade's books touch my hearts as well as my mind. The Curse of the Cherry Pie is a cut above the typical cooking competition mystery with both the reason Tish participates in the contest and her interaction with the other contestants. The red herrings are well played and suspects abound, making the plot both fast paced and intricate. Ms. Meade's characters always draw me in, but the way the friends surround one in pain is so realistic and special that I felt like I was part of that group. The fast paced plot interwoven with details of the competition create an awesome balance of intrigue and interest for those who enjoy baking shows.
Tish's life has been evolving throughout the series and we see a major change growing thought this novel leaving hope for one more potentially positive change yet to come.
My thanks to NetGalley and Servern House Publishing for the chance to read this awesome ARC. As always, I love to share my pleasure in a good book with my friends and followers.
#NetGalley #TheCurseofTheCherryPie #SevernHousePublishing

[Susan Mattes]

Some political correctness in the story but an ok mystery?

[Kayla]

YAY for WWRD!!! Welcome back!

[Colleen]

Fun mystery! This will be a new series for me to enjoy.

[Alexis Williams]

Enjoyed this cosy mystery. Didn't work out the killer at all

[S Kazlo]

Another fabulous page turner by Amy Patricia Meade. You'll love all the twists and turns. And the ending - wow.

[Harlequin Books]

Mystery & Detective
Miniseries
A Tish Tarragon Mystery