A Pie to Die for

Bakery Detectives #1

by Stacey Alabaster

Rachael will do anything to protect her bakery from the evil Bakermatic Baked Goods Company, but does that include murder?
When a food critic dies after sampling a pie from Rachael’s Bakery, she is quickly labeled the prime suspect. When the police doubt her story of innocence, she has no choice but to find the real killer. With carefree best friend, Pippa, Rachael sets out on a mission to save her bakery, but it could ultimately cost her and her best friend everything.

This is the first installment in the Bakery Detectives Cozy Mystery series. Each book is a stand alone story, but your enjoyment of each story will be increased if you read them all.


A Pie to Die For
Donuts, Antiques and Murder
Death by Chocolate Cake

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Crime, Ebooks, Romance

86 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 19, 2016

About the author

I have always loved a good mystery. From my early years watching Murder She Wrote to more recent shows like Monk, Psych, and my absolute favorite BBC show ever, Sherlock, I have studied what it takes to make an entertaining mystery. I am truly blessed to be able to write and share my own mysteries with you. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I loved writing them :)

If you want to keep up with all my new releases, be sure to sign up for my mailing list at FairfieldPublishing.com/cozy-newsletter

Reviews

[Celinaresendez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simplistic and lacked initial details. This is the start of the series and there wasn't a huge back story to help develop the main character. It has potential to be a decent series but maybe the next one will be better.

[marcia mccoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute

This is a cute cozy. The reader can easily picture the ch a racters and surroundin g s because the author's descriptions were so good. I'm not sure if it's a great idea for the young ladies to go into sleuthing though!

[Emmalynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

🙄🙄

They’re both idiots. This was an exercise in pointlessness. Racheal and Pippa are best friends from childhood but from the underlying distrust they both exhibit, you wouldn’t know it. The “investigation” into the food critic’s murder is laughable and there capture by the murderer is just plain dumb and insult the few brain cells that remained to read the rest of the story.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A Pie To Die For" is book 1 in the Bakery Detectives series by Stacey Alabaster. Rachael Robinson was starting to worry if she will be able to save her bakery business when her worse critic died under suspicious circumstances. Rachael Robinson was law enforcement number one suspect need to find the real killer to keep her bakery. Rachael with her friend Polly may a decision to start up Bakery Detectives. However, their investigations got them into all sorts of trouble and the path of the local law enforcement officers. The readers of "A Pie To Die For" will continue to follow Rachael and Poppy to see what happens.

"A Pie To Die For" is a beautiful, cozy mysteries and it is an enjoyable book to read. At times I had a good laugh with the two bakery detectives and what they get up to throughout "A Pie to Die For". However, I found parts plot of A Pie to Die for had some loose ends that did allow the book to flow for me. A Pie to Die for was the first book I have read of Stacey Alabaster, and I will read more books in this series.

The readers of "A Pie To Die For" will learn about working in a bakery and how competition can affect your business. "A Pie To Die For" highlights the devastation that happens when people use the internet the wrong way.

I recommend this book.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit short, but still very enjoyable. It has good potential for the rest of the series.

I liked that we had a baker detective without all that extraneous gobbledy-gook that some cozy mystery authors insist on giving us about the person's specialty.

I also thought the characters were fun and I always like having a romantic interest.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a clean story about a baker and her ditzy friend who investigate the murder of a troublesome customer. Not all the loose ends were wrapped up but it was a light enjoyable read. I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Rated G

[Nola Arganbright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviews make a difference.

A very simple but good cozy mystery. The book was short but the story was good with a strong well developed plot. Fun characters.

[Celia Buell (semi hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this was an incredibly nothing of a book.

In the vast world of free cozy mysteries, there's a lot of hit or miss. I think A Pie to Die for is only getting this high of a rating from me based on what I have to compare it to.

This was the type of story that, if it had been slightly longer and with more character development, it could have worked well. As it was, we barely know who the characters are before the mystery is solved. The list of suspects is completely linear, and the MC is, decidedly an idiot. She's somehow even worse than most of the cozy mystery heroines who are actively told to stay away, which is the case in most of these novels. MC Rachael Robinson goes even further by doing things that I likened to just asking for a trip to the police office. She actively refuses authority more than once because obviously it's better that way. She also clearly doesn't know, and is unwilling to learn, the difference between an interrogation and an arrest.

There's also the incredibly linear investigation that ends in a different way than expected, and the extremes the murderer takes with everything. The whole thing is a little implausible, even outside of the general implausibilities of most small town cozy mysteries.

I wish I could give this a higher rating, but it needs a lot more development before that can happen.

[Deanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh dear. I had this book in my Kindle queue for a while and finally got around to reading it.

I really thought this would be another cute food related cozy, but I can't say I really enjoyed it.
The whole thing felt like it had been written in a High School Lit class and while it was not bad, it could use a lot of work. The plot would have been interesting but story felt rushed and the characters were never fleshed out and none of them were likable or relatable.

The main character was immature and had no depth. The story-line predictable. This might be a good read for pre-teens, but not for adults.

I don't want to discourage anyone from writing, I want to see her continue to write and learn from what may seem like harsh criticism.

[Cherry London · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a lover of a good storyline and although this book has one is not well expanded on, it wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be. Don’t get me wrong, it is an interesting tale, with the death of Colleen, but it took too long to find out what she died from and how.
Everything about the investigation was kept in the dark, and Rachel was too eager to cast blame on others instead of looking at the facts, to me she was a bit too paranoid. The story could have had the girls doing a bit more sleuthing and I wasn’t impressed with Jackson, he lacked something. The book was well written, it just needs a bit more flavor.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, quick read for my February "pie" cozy challenge! I think I'll read the next book in this series. Not sure how the characters will develop but took my mind off other things for a time so for that, I am grateful...

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay story. The ending sort of sucked as it felt like it was a bum rush to the exit door. No real wrap up. One minute they're held hostage in a locked shed, wondering if they'll be killed, and suddenly all is well and everything is hunky dory... case solved. A big boo in my mind. Sorry but it felt incomplete to me. Cookie cutter characters. The lead, Rachael, was self righteous and preachy... in an off putting way. Her friend, a real ditz, is your typical someone who can't hold a job. The other characters were all stereotypical of the types needed to move a plot along in this genre. Three stars for trying.

[Jammin Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was a good introduction to a new pair of detectives - Pippa and Rachel - the Bakery Detectives. The characters were fun, and the story was a good easy read. I didn't know who the killer was until the end which is fun for me.

[نورهان | El-Badawy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. So easy for beginner learners of English. A part from that, I liked the story, so light, and the contradictory between Racheal and Pippy is so noticable how they manage to work together. I can tell it's going to be a good series.

[Sandee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. The characters were sweet and it was a quick read. The story was simple with little complexity but there is definitely potential for a series of good cozy mysteries here. I found the limited editing frustrating. Obviously a spell checker was used but the wrong correctly spelled word appeared often enough that I had to stop to figure out what word should have been used. The worst was the 'milk cartoon' the heroine took out of the fridge.
Update:
I just read this story again as part of the Winter Whodunnits book of cozy mysteries. I haven't changed my opinion about this story but this version was very well edited.

[Mary Cokenour · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars for a good concept. The main character is immature and simply a dunce, so not impressed by her at all. Instead of catching my interest, she turned me off to the entire story.

This should be labeled for YA readers, to get them interested in reading mysteries, but cutesy enough to keep young women interested in Rachel and Pippa.

[Arow · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story had good bones but needed more meat. It was like reading a first draft for and outline that needed more back story. I didn't feel connected to the characters and I feel that could have been developed more. liked the majority of the characters just wish we had learned more about them.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some editing issues, but a cute story. Rating 3.5 stars.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect, easy, cosy.

[Robynne Lozier · Rating 3 out of 5]

This really should be labelled as a novella.

The main character is Rachael, who runs a bakery shop. Her sidekick is a red-headed airhead girl named Pippa who it seems, cannot keep a job.

Rachael has been losing business, most especially since the large Bakermatic bakery shop opened up just down the street.

This book opens with Rachael attempting to sell her baked goodies at the local street fair but having less than 5 customers all day. One of those customers was a food blogger named Colleen. She sampled one slice of Rachels cherry pie. Most of Rachaels previous customers all went to Bakermatic because they were offering "Free Samples" all day. Colleen said she would be going to all of the food stalls that day.

The next day the local news on TV announced that Colleen had died. The day after the TV announcement, a man comes to Rachael's house asking questions. She eventually gets dragged down to the police station, after learning that this man is actually a police detective.

After having been accused, but not charged, Rachael's business flounders even worse because the rumour is spreading that she poisoned Colleen and now NOONE wants to buy anything from her shop.

Rachael decides to investigate and find the killer herself. But she keeps coming up against the nice police detective, when her questions and antics go too far.

The sad thing about this specific story is that while we do eventually learn WHO killed Colleen, we dont get the method or the motive. We don't know the details of HOW Colleen was killed or exactly WHY she was killed. And I think these details were skipped, because this was just a novella and not a full length novel.

I think this should have been more of a full length novel -20+ chapters instead of 7 chapters.

I gave this 3 stars, only because I do plan to read the next book to see if this improves.

[Mervi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book in the Bakery Detectives cozy mystery series.

Rachael Robinson has a a bakery in Belldale. But business has been slow recently because across the street Bakermatic is selling their cakes and cupcakes a lot cheaper. They can afford to do that because it's a big firm and they sell prepackaged cakes. Rachael takes part in the Belldale Street Fair but there, too, Bakermatic wins over pretty much all customers with their free samples. A food critic blogger, who doesn't seem to like anyone's food, tastes Rachael's pie but later the critic is found dead, poisoned. Someone spreads a rumor that Rachael is responsible and her customers desert her. It's up to Rachael and her best friend Pippa to find out the murderer.

This was a quick, fun read. The characters aren't very deep but their fun to read about. Rachael hates Bakermatic and is convinced that they must have poisoned the critic. Pippa is almost the opposite of Rachael: Rachael needs to be a responsible bakery owner while Pippa has a hard time holding down a job even for a week. But they're quite loyal to each other and both are fun to read about. They watch crime TV-shows. When the local police, meaning the handsome detective, says that Rachael is a prime suspect, Pippa and Rachael decide to investigate.

While this was a short book, it has lots of twists and turns and humor. A good introduction to the series.

[Carolyn Injoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Pie to Die For, A Bakery Detectives Cozy Mystery by Stacey Alabaster is about Rachael, a pastry chef who will do anything to protect her boutique bakery. I gave it four stars.

"I let out a little squeal as I brushed the foul, winged creature aside. 'Not today buddy, not today!' I watched it intently as it flew away, a tiny black dot disappearing into the fall sky, and was glad that I hadn't needed to swat the poor thing. I heaved a sigh of relief as I took the lids off my desserts and a sweet cloud of vanilla, chocolate, and coffee bean, all mixed together, hit my nostrils. That was the danger of serving food outdoors: flies."

I received a complimentary copy from the author. That did not change my opinion for this review.

Link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Pie-Die-Bakery...

[Poon Xin Mei · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story. So there is a few bakeries down a street in the town . It is obvious that they were competing each other in term of their sale. One day , a woman called Colleen Batters , die from eating one of the cake that she bought in the town. So Rachel is under suspension for the murder of ms. Colleen Batters. But Rachel know for herself that she is not the one who kill Colleen batters. After she come back from the investigation, she is impatient because her shops was going to close down soon. So she decided to investigate herself instead of just waiting... she has a Best Friend called Pippa. She asked her Best Friend go work at the next door Bakery as a spy. But end up they got caught .... who is the killer ? Pippa ? The other workers from other bakery ? .... to be continued .... by yourself hehe the story was niceeee. Highly recommend you guys to go read !!!

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little cozy mystery. Could have been more detailed, but enjoyable just the same.

[BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm... 2.5 stars I'd say. Definitely not three. It was alright, I guess, but nothing spectacular.

[Anouk05 · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5
Main character was annoying me very much

[S.A. Krishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple cozy mystery
The story started immediately with Rachel trying to keep her bakery running despite Bakermatics antics. Her friend Pippa tries to help Rachel and it does not help that Coleen Batters ends up dead and she is a food critic who gives bad reviews to everyone. Fun cozy simple mystery of the Bakery Detectives.

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a quick read but felt light on story. I didn't get a real feel for Rachael and as the main character in the first book of a series, felt I should know more than she owns a bakery that has fallen on hard times and has a cute but ditzy best friend. The story was full of the usual ... a murder happened and she gets blamed then feels it's up to her and not the capable police department to solve the mystery, she stumbles across the answer by being in the wrong place at the wrong time and the detective shows up to save the day. And ... there are sparks between the detective and her which will obviously be explored in future books intermingled with them having issues due to her insistence on snooping. A little more detail and deviation from what other authors have done before might have made this a more enjoyable read. Adding recipes wouldn't have hurt either.

[Marianne Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

While I liked the book I felt it could have been a bit more fleshed out. We know Pippa and Rachel are friends but it was not really explored. Same with the location and shops. I look forward to continuing the series as it develops over time.

[Gribouille Lechat · Rating 2 out of 5]

J'ai trouvé que c'était plutôt moyen. Je ne saurais pas dire exactement ce qui ne m'a pas plu, mais je n'ai pas autant aimé que les autres courts cozy mysteries que j'ai lus jusqu'à présent.
Je pense que le problème est qu'il y avait des situations qui n'étaient pas du tout crédibles, et que le personnage principal m'agaçait un peu. Heureusement la fin a un peu rattrapé les choses. Je lirai sûrement le 2e tome mais ce n'est pas une priorité.