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Who murdered the Pieman?

That's what Kat Archer, food columnist for the Hatter's Cove Gazette wants to know when Peter "The Pieman" Massey, a food critic for a competing paper, is found dead in his garage. The police believes the old man committed suicide, Kat believes differently and sets out on a quest to find out who wanted her rival dead.

A cozy mystery novella: approximately 36,000 words or 100 pages in length.

145 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 15, 2014

41 people are currently reading
186 people want to read

About the author

Elisabeth Crabtree

24 books70 followers
As a life-long mystery fan, Elisabeth enjoys writing light, comedic mysteries with a touch of romance. She would love to hear from you. Please feel free to send her a message and check out her blog for more information on upcoming releases.

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5 stars
67 (33%)
4 stars
81 (40%)
3 stars
42 (21%)
2 stars
6 (3%)
1 star
2 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
Profile Image for Kira.
1,032 reviews32 followers
October 17, 2022
Revenge of the Pieman is a cozy mystery set in a small town named Hatter's Cove.

Kat works in a newspaper office and is a food critic for the Gazette. She and a few other critics including Pieman show up at a restaurant's opening to review the food. Things take a dark turn when Pieman ends up dead the next day after telling Kat about his new blog which focused on exposing people in the food industry.

This was such a fun ride, the book had me guessing the killer the whole way and even when I started doubting the culprit, I second guessed myself because of so much conviction in their dialogues. This was a quick read with unseeable twists and a entertaining story with a bunch of quirky characters.
Profile Image for Jane.
1,489 reviews72 followers
September 20, 2022
At 40% in I decided to quit. It was lagging, it was MEH and I simply didn't care.
Profile Image for Lori Henrich.
1,084 reviews81 followers
February 15, 2015
Kat doesn't really like being the food critic and the feeling is mutual. The eateries she visits don't want her like her being the critic either. While on the job she meets a fellow food critic with the nickname of Pieman. He claims that he is leaving his position and will be starting a blog where he will divulge secrets that people want to keep hidden. When the Pieman is found dead, suspected suicide, Kat isn't convinced and she tries to figure out what really happened. The new intern is also involved in the hunt for information.

I like this series. I like the characters and the plots have been good.
Profile Image for Selena.
113 reviews1 follower
September 20, 2016
Great storyline.

Loved this book. The story was great. Great funny characters. Just like with the first book this had some laugh out loud funny parts I'm officially a fan of Elisabeth Crabtree and will be getting her other books.
Profile Image for Lee Brothers.
1,371 reviews14 followers
May 8, 2021
Pretty twisted story. I have enjoyed reading these cozy mysteries by this author and I can’t wait until she writes some more for this series. I think she’s a very talented writer with a great imagination!
Profile Image for Allison Galloway.
169 reviews3 followers
June 15, 2017
A very good read. This series is well written, laugh out loud funny, and extremely entertaining. For a quick read, I highly recommend.
893 reviews4 followers
October 18, 2017
Really fun book. Laughed a lot. Kat is a very likable character. I did not guess the killer before the reveal, and I love it when that happens. Good number of red herrings.
Profile Image for Cheyenne.
579 reviews46 followers
May 6, 2015
Kat Archer may not be the best food critic in Hatter's Cove, but she's definitely one of the best journalists in town. So when Peter "Pieman" Massey, who may have been the best food critic in Hatter's Cove, is found dead Kat is on top of it. The police think it was a suicide, but the unpleasant man Kat had talked to last night was looking forward far too much to spilling secrets and ruining lives on his new blog to off himself. Proving that easier said then done.

One thing in particular that I have to applaud about this series is the characters. This is a cozy mystery novella series, so obviously it's not heavy reading material and doesn't really dig into all the characters deeply, but there's something about how Elizabeth Crabtree portrays them that makes me like every single one.

3.5


62 reviews1 follower
February 10, 2017
Mystery

This is entertaining and the characters are interesting. Fun story line and look forward to more stories from this author
Profile Image for Linda Hurst.
101 reviews2 followers
May 30, 2015
Cute and Clever Mystery

Elisabeth Crabtree has managed to top the first book in this series with an even more clever sequel. Kat again comes across as intelligent and likeable and the other members of the Gazette's staff are lots of fun. Simon in particular, one never knows what he is going to say but he is clueless most of the time.

Lots of red herrings that quickly misled me as to the murderer really well done plotting. I look forward to reading more books by Ms. Crabtree.
Profile Image for Gina.
249 reviews12 followers
January 9, 2016
It was a free novella for my Kindle, through Amazon. Peter "The Pieman" Massey, a well-known food critic in the Key West area, is found dead in his garage. Police say suicide, but Kat Archer, another food critic (lesser loved, due to her constant bad reviews), thinks otherwise, and investigates.

This is the second in a series, and is one of my favorites. It's a light, easy read, is humorous, and has a decent mystery. Sadly, there are no recipes in this one.
Profile Image for Peg.
376 reviews1 follower
March 20, 2017
I was certain I knew who did it..

But no apparently I was wrong again. There was a lot of second guessing on everyone's part including mine. I love it when you're so wrapped up in the book you can't put it down to even get some sleep. Please tell me there's more to come with these characters. You definitely can't stop here Ms. Crabtree.
258 reviews3 followers
February 12, 2015
Cute story about a small town and murder

Enjoy this cute short story of Kitty Kat Archer and the death of the pieman. She has a new friend to add to the spice of the group she works with. As always danger is just around the corner despite the hot police.
Profile Image for Allison Kohn.
Author 69 books51 followers
February 16, 2015
A terrific ate read

This was as good as I expected it to be and I'm still laughing. It's a thrilling who done it besides being a rib tickler and you will be surprised as I was at the climax.
Profile Image for Shannon Binegar-Foster.
2,793 reviews19 followers
April 23, 2015
I just love this series. It is a fun quirky story. I was surprised to see who the killer was. I liked it so much I bought the 3rd book and can't wait to start reading it. I hope there are many more adventures to come.
Profile Image for K.M. Carroll.
Author 45 books38 followers
April 28, 2016
Had a few chuckles

Pretty good little mystery. The suspects all had plausible motives, and I didn't guess the killer's identity straight off. The second half of the book felt rushed. I started getting people mixed up. The Pieman was a good victim--so many plots! Fun little book.
160 reviews
May 22, 2016
Once again fantastic, everything I said in my last review applies. Although, I will say the intern got on my nerves and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way. That being said, the mystery, again kept me guessing. Every time I thought I had things figured out, I'd have to reevaluate.
Profile Image for K.P. Stafford.
Author 13 books28 followers
September 17, 2016
I was surprised by who turned out to be the killer. The clues weren't overly obvious, which is a good thing. However, I got irritated by one character and wanted to smack him/her. I think I secretly wanted that character to be the killer.
Profile Image for Carol A. Jolman.
10 reviews
December 9, 2014
Creative

Really enjoyed both Hatter Cove mysteries, well written and very engaging. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good mystery
Profile Image for Leanna.
39 reviews1 follower
January 7, 2015
Loved it

Loved book 2 as much as book one. Relaxing quick read. I will read other books from this author. Must read.
Profile Image for Sarah .
135 reviews1 follower
July 7, 2015
I really enjoyed this one! The author kept you guessing until the end who the real murderer was. And Kat Archer is a great narrator! Love her wit and sarcasm.
Profile Image for RJ.
470 reviews4 followers
April 2, 2016
A quick cozy mystery with lots of funny characters. Enjoyable novella to read while waiting for an appointment.
1,047 reviews5 followers
Read
September 30, 2017
Kat Archer is still the food critic for the Hatter's Cove Gazette. She's not thrilled, but at least she's also getting some real stories to whet her appetite for investigative journalism. When the two worlds overlap, she jumps into action, trying to solve the mysterious death (was it suicide, as the cops think, or murder, as she thinks?) of the competitive newspaper's food critic, dubbed The Pieman. He had just told Kat the previous night how he was retiring from being food critic to write sensational blog, premiering with the outing of a murderer!

As with #1 in the series, Crabtree packs quite a bit into a novella.

Could have used a reread from an editor, though.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews

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