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Pies Before Guys Mystery #1
Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies
Daisy Ellery’s pies have a secret ingredient: The magical ability to avenge women done wrong by men. But Daisy finds herself on the receiving end in Misha Popp’s cozy series debut, a sweet-as-buttercream treat for fans of Ellery Adams and Mary Maxwell.
The first time Daisy Ellery killed a man with a pie, it was an accident. Now, it’s her calling. Daisy bakes sweet vengeance into her pastries, which she and her dog Zoe deliver to the men who’ve done dirty deeds to the town’s women. But if she can’t solve the one crime that’s not of her own baking, she’ll be out of the pie pan and into the oven.
Parking her Pies Before Guys mobile bakery van outside the local diner, Daisy is informed by Frank, the crusty diner owner, that someone’s been prowling around the van—and not just to inhale the delectable aroma. Already on thin icing with Frank, she finds a letter on her door, threatening to reveal her unsavory secret sideline of pie a la murder.
Blackmail? But who whipped up this half-baked plot to cut a slice out of Daisy’s business? Purple-haired campus do-gooder Melly? Noel, the tender—if flaky—farm boy? Or one of the abusive men who prefer their pie without a deadly scoop of payback?
The upcoming statewide pie contest could be Daisy’s big chance to help wronged women everywhere…if she doesn’t meet a sticky end first. Because Daisy knows the blackmailer won’t stop until her business is in crumbles.
The first time Daisy Ellery killed a man with a pie, it was an accident. Now, it’s her calling. Daisy bakes sweet vengeance into her pastries, which she and her dog Zoe deliver to the men who’ve done dirty deeds to the town’s women. But if she can’t solve the one crime that’s not of her own baking, she’ll be out of the pie pan and into the oven.
Parking her Pies Before Guys mobile bakery van outside the local diner, Daisy is informed by Frank, the crusty diner owner, that someone’s been prowling around the van—and not just to inhale the delectable aroma. Already on thin icing with Frank, she finds a letter on her door, threatening to reveal her unsavory secret sideline of pie a la murder.
Blackmail? But who whipped up this half-baked plot to cut a slice out of Daisy’s business? Purple-haired campus do-gooder Melly? Noel, the tender—if flaky—farm boy? Or one of the abusive men who prefer their pie without a deadly scoop of payback?
The upcoming statewide pie contest could be Daisy’s big chance to help wronged women everywhere…if she doesn’t meet a sticky end first. Because Daisy knows the blackmailer won’t stop until her business is in crumbles.
324 pages, Hardcover
First published May 10, 2022
187 people are currently reading
7278 people want to read
About the author
Misha Popp
4 books199 followersMisha Popp (she/her) enjoys writing about murdery women and over-the-top baked goods, but not so much about herself. She lives in rural Massachusetts where she bakes entirely too many pies and sculpts things out of chocolate. An unrepentant school nerd, she has a collection of degrees that have nothing to do with the jobs that pay her.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,060 reviews
March 7, 2023
This is a Magic Realism Cozy Mystery, and this is the first book in the A Pies Before Guys Mystery series. I loved getting to know the characters in this series. I loved the magic realism that is in this book. I think the magic was explained very well in this book. Daisy's character was a very unique character, and I loved her character. I do not think she is the normal cozy mystery series main character. I loved the old dresses that this book talks about her wearing, and those dress sounded so fun and cute. Daisy truly bakes little extra in her pies which I loved the idea behind this. There was also a small romance which I enjoyed to. I cannot wait for the second book in this series. I think this series is going to be so much fun. I loved that this book was much more then just solving a murder in a small town. I think if you want a different take on a cozy mystery then this will be the book for you. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Crooked Lane) or author (Misha Popp) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
October 17, 2023
Contrary to its feminine vigilante justice plot, there's an appealing charm in the characters and setting. But the political and social agendas muddy the storyline and change the assumed intent and direction. I much preferred the charming, feminine side and thought the agendas brought a different, sometimes masculine tone to what started as a "light" read. Definitely not the cozy mystery I and many readers imagined this to be.
The romance aspect was made odd by the addition of a third party and romantic moments playing out in front of the other party. Also, I didn't see the romantic interest from Daisy or her new friend and read the relationship to be more friendship and solidarity based. Reading some of the other reviews, there are aspects of the whole story that other readers noticed and commented on that I just didn't see or didn't see as prominent themes. The unexpected direction disengaged my interest and it was difficult for me to continue on with attentiveness.
I did have a craving for pie and would have loved to enjoy a buffet of all the delicious pies mentioned! Not quite for me, but other readers may like this just fine. Just be aware this is not the cozy mystery you are likely envisioning.
The romance aspect was made odd by the addition of a third party and romantic moments playing out in front of the other party. Also, I didn't see the romantic interest from Daisy or her new friend and read the relationship to be more friendship and solidarity based. Reading some of the other reviews, there are aspects of the whole story that other readers noticed and commented on that I just didn't see or didn't see as prominent themes. The unexpected direction disengaged my interest and it was difficult for me to continue on with attentiveness.
I did have a craving for pie and would have loved to enjoy a buffet of all the delicious pies mentioned! Not quite for me, but other readers may like this just fine. Just be aware this is not the cozy mystery you are likely envisioning.
May 5, 2022
I've heard about killing them with kindness, but killing them with pies? That's a whole other story!
"I have spent most of my life helping women live better lives by killing the men in their lives."
Daisy Ellery’s have the special ability to do many things, but one of them is deadly. She can bake vengeance into her pies and she and her beloved dog, Zoe, deliver them to men who have done horrible things to women.
One day, Daisy finds a letter outside her van threatening to expose her and her deadly pie making business. What's a girl to do????
This was a fun audiobook and enjoyed the premise. This book had yummy sounding pies (with a recipe at the end of the book), some romance, some drama, and some secrets thrown in.
If you are looking for a book that doesn't take itself too seriously, is fun and entertaining, look no further. But make sure you eat first, as they delicious sounding pies will make your mouth water!
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
"I have spent most of my life helping women live better lives by killing the men in their lives."
Daisy Ellery’s have the special ability to do many things, but one of them is deadly. She can bake vengeance into her pies and she and her beloved dog, Zoe, deliver them to men who have done horrible things to women.
One day, Daisy finds a letter outside her van threatening to expose her and her deadly pie making business. What's a girl to do????
This was a fun audiobook and enjoyed the premise. This book had yummy sounding pies (with a recipe at the end of the book), some romance, some drama, and some secrets thrown in.
If you are looking for a book that doesn't take itself too seriously, is fun and entertaining, look no further. But make sure you eat first, as they delicious sounding pies will make your mouth water!
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
February 5, 2023
3.35⭐
Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, cozy mystery
This one was a little different type of mystery than I am used to, kinda cozy~ish. I am more of a mystery thriller reader and I am usually not one for cutesy covers either. The title captured my eye and I'm glad I gave it a whirl.
This was fun ~ well as fun as baking pies with the intent of murder can be. The men totally deserve it though because they are abusive. Daisy bakes good pies that help people, too, so she's not all bad.
There's a little magic and a little mystery trying to figure out who is blackmailing Daisy because they know her secret. I always love when there's a dog and Zoe was super cute.
I like the name of her mobile bakery van Pies before Guys.
The narration by Tanya Eby was good.
Although I was listening and couldn't write them down if I wanted to, I did like that there were recipes at the end.
*Thanks to Dreamscape Media LLC, Misha Popp and NetGalley for the advance audiobook. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
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Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, cozy mystery
This one was a little different type of mystery than I am used to, kinda cozy~ish. I am more of a mystery thriller reader and I am usually not one for cutesy covers either. The title captured my eye and I'm glad I gave it a whirl.
This was fun ~ well as fun as baking pies with the intent of murder can be. The men totally deserve it though because they are abusive. Daisy bakes good pies that help people, too, so she's not all bad.
There's a little magic and a little mystery trying to figure out who is blackmailing Daisy because they know her secret. I always love when there's a dog and Zoe was super cute.
I like the name of her mobile bakery van Pies before Guys.
The narration by Tanya Eby was good.
Although I was listening and couldn't write them down if I wanted to, I did like that there were recipes at the end.
*Thanks to Dreamscape Media LLC, Misha Popp and NetGalley for the advance audiobook. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Follow me here ➡ Blog ~ Facebook
May 2, 2022
Daisy Ellery was proud of her family name and the gift that had been passed down for generations. The ability of imbibing their magic into whatever their chosen career – her grandmother with sewing, her mother with hairdressing, Daisy with baking pies – was an ability for the greater good. But Daisy’s ability had skewed a little to one side although she never, ever, crossed her specific lines. Daisy’s mobile baker’s van – Penny – had also been passed down through the family, and now she had Penny parked by Frank’s diner, cooking pies for him and cooking her delectable pies to take to the markets to sell. With Zoe – her dog – always by her side, Daisy was a loner – until she met Farmer Boy, Noel.
Daisy’s online business – Pies Before Guys – was a side business which was private, only passing on names by recommendation, and Daisy would look into the background before accepting or denying. Daisy did all she could to help women who were in a bad relationship, domestic violence victims and more, but sometimes she couldn’t help. And sometimes she found herself in way too deep and with blackmail arriving on her doorstep, that was one such occasion. But ignoring it and getting on with the statewide pie competition was her goal. What would be the outcome after the blackmailer’s deadline had arrived?
Although Magic, Lies and Deadly Pies is marketed as a cozy mystery, it doesn’t follow the guidelines of same. The reason being, well two actually – one is the language which is never in a typical cozy, and the other is the darkness of the plot. That said, author Misha Popp has the light fantasy (with the magic) and the mystery/suspense genre down well. If you don’t mind swearing and a dark plot in your cozy, it’s one I recommend.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
Daisy’s online business – Pies Before Guys – was a side business which was private, only passing on names by recommendation, and Daisy would look into the background before accepting or denying. Daisy did all she could to help women who were in a bad relationship, domestic violence victims and more, but sometimes she couldn’t help. And sometimes she found herself in way too deep and with blackmail arriving on her doorstep, that was one such occasion. But ignoring it and getting on with the statewide pie competition was her goal. What would be the outcome after the blackmailer’s deadline had arrived?
Although Magic, Lies and Deadly Pies is marketed as a cozy mystery, it doesn’t follow the guidelines of same. The reason being, well two actually – one is the language which is never in a typical cozy, and the other is the darkness of the plot. That said, author Misha Popp has the light fantasy (with the magic) and the mystery/suspense genre down well. If you don’t mind swearing and a dark plot in your cozy, it’s one I recommend.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
January 12, 2023
i’ll see your “i’m not like other girls” and raise you “i’m not like other serial killers”
content/trigger warnings; rape mentioned, domestic abuse discussed, murder, death, cancer recounted, alcoholism recounted, addiction recounted, stalking, blackmail, ableism, car accident recounted, death of mother recounted, death of father recounted, misogyny, kissing, kidnapping,
rep; daisy (mc) is bisexual. melly (li) is queer (no label given).
the majority, if not all, of the negative reviews for this book are complaints that it’s not a cozy mystery as they were made to believe and people angry that this book is just man hating garbage. this is not one of those reviews. i don’t care about the cozy mystery thing and i’m all for the “women kill shitty men” genre of books. however, similar to how i feel about they never learn, another “women kill shitty men” book, that trope is executed HORRIBLY.
i don’t have a problem with books that have murderers for main characters, but i do have a problem with books that spend the entire time trying to convince me that the murderer main character is a good, righteous person, actually. i now truly understand what people are talking about when they criticize a book for trying to tell them how to feel. the author is desperately trying to make us support and sympathize with daisy, to the point where we’re supposed to feel sorry for her when faced with the consequences of being a murderer.
if she had just accepted the fact that she’s not a good person, that even killing bad people is still killing people, and therefore wrong, and just...didn’t care because ridding the world of evil men is worth the cost, then i would’ve been on board. what fun is a character who does bad things but deludes themself into thinking they’re doing good things? take dexter morgan for example, who comes to mind because a reviewer falsely compared daisy to him, he’s a serial killer of serial killers. but he doesn’t have a single bit of daisy’s self-righteousness (she actually says her murders are “well, kind of righteous” and noel says her murders are “brave and righteous”) and self-importance. he knows he’s just as bad as the people he kills. he knows he’d be getting what’s coming to him if ever found out. daisy is more comparable to joe goldberg, ironically, because joe deludes himself into believing the bad things he does are actually good.
aside from murder, daisy stalks people, spies on them, and violates their privacy. she of course has a reason why those things are not bad when she does them, whether it’s a “they started it” excuse (how old are we?) or being convinced she’s doing it for “the greater good.” she convinces herself that she hasn’t crossed the “serial killer line” because there’s a difference between “helping someone who asks for it and deciding on my own, from the outside, who the world would be better off without” and “magic isn’t the same as taping a man to a chair, killing him in cold blood.” and i gotta say, the logic does not hold up. it doesn’t matter how or why you’re killing people, you’re still a serial killer.
she’s got one hell of a savior/chosen one complex, acting as if she doesn’t kill men with pies then the world would be worse off, and the people around her contribute to it. noel tells her, “you’re doing something nobody else can or will do, and it’s important.” as if daisy’s murder pies are the only way to help women (which we know they aren’t, as daisy refused to make a pie for a woman who already escaped her shitty man and one woman who daisy had a hard on for killing her husband shows up at the end wanting a celebration pie for leaving her husband).
when noel points out that what she does is still murder, she says, “it doesn’t have to be” and explains that her magic will either make the shitty man change or die, depending on what the man is capable of. if he isn’t capable of change, he dies. but this is explained at the end to justify her being a murderer to her love interest, and we don’t get to see a man change, nor do we ever see her make a pie with the intent or hope of it changing a man. she literally calls them “murder pies” the entire book. this is such a cop out to absolve her of responsibility. she isn’t choosing to kill them, they are choosing death by not being willing to change. it’s bullshit. if you have to do this much mental gymnastics to justify your main character being a murderer because you still want them to be a sweet and lovable character people root for, then don’t even bother making them a murderer in the first place.
daisy claims her magic does “good without damage” but that’s simply not true. taking the feelings of the shitty men she kills out of the equation, she is hurting other people. their loved ones. you can argue that their feelings don’t matter either if they loved a shitty man (which is crap, btw), but what about the loved ones who didn’t know? what about the people whose father, brother, son, uncle, nephew, friend, mentor, etc. just died one day and they had no one idea he was a bad man? they’re now grieving a loved one. death is trauma. their lives are now forever changed. is that not damage?
she goes on about consent and how awful people are who violate it, while actively violating people’s consent herself (not just murdering people and imposing feelings on people with her magic, but also by making people susceptible to telling her things or doing things for her with her magic that they wouldn’t otherwise). then there’s this absolute garbage line: “it also crosses the consent line. not for the men, obviously—they lost that right the moment they put someone in need of my services” i mean??? consent is not a right someone can lose?? this line of thinking is what makes people think it’s okay to make rape jokes about prisoners. they’re bad people, right? so it’s okay if they get raped, right? no. fuck you.
this segues nicely into the utter garbage that is the feminism in this book. the moment i knew i was not going to like the portrayal of feminism is when daisy explains that killing women is a line she will never cross, even when they deserve it, because “there are already too many men out there slaughtering the female of the species.” she goes on to say she “doesn’t even have a pie that could hurt marginalized genders” and this to me is just so incredibly shallow and ridiculous. even if someone who isn’t a man is a rapist or abuser or just a danger to others in general, their gender gives them a pass?
what kind of embarrassing, bioessentialist, childish attempt at feminism is this? this is the type of shit that ruins the “women killing shitty men” trope for me. you don’t have to give everyone else a pass in order to focus on men. (another aspect of this is a mention of how plenty of women “fall prey to the stand-by-your-man nonsense” which assumes all women who stand by a shitty man are his victim and not capable of also being shitty herself. more “women good/victims, men bad/perpetrators” shit.)
many times throughout the book i found myself wondering what daisy is actually doing for women. she repeats over and over that she “saves women,” but does she really? because she seems to really only care about punishing shitty men. and there is a difference. if she cared about women, she wouldn’t kill the shitty men in their lives and then move onto the next. she wouldn’t hang around domestic violence support groups solely to scope out the most vulnerable and then move onto the next. she would offer help in other ways, too (beyond a boost of strength in a pie). of course, these shitty men suddenly being out of the picture for good can help, but what about after? is she helping them with money or finding a job or housing, if their abusive husband/boyfriend was the source of that for them? is she urging the women who reach out to her to first exhaust other options, or to seek therapy after? is she doing anything other than killing men and patting herself on the back for saving a damsel in distress?
for someone who is so concerned for victims, she treats them like shit sometimes. when speaking to emma, she’s very cold and unsympathetic, cutting her off to say she doesn’t want to “hear your justifications for his assholery.” who speaks to a domestic violence victim who is in the thick of her abuse like that? shouldn’t she know that denial and excuses are very common? there’s a moment when melly jumps to conclusions about daisy being at a domestic violence support group and daisy aggressively responds, “you think what exactly? that i’m a victim?” someone who cares so much about victims shouldn’t be so offended by someone thinking she might be one, too.
there’s a whole lot of grossness surrounding melly’s sister, aria. her husband is a scumbag and there’s this vibe that daisy and melly judge her for this. melly derisively refers to aria as a “wife with a capital w, like it’s her primary identity” and her “barefoot-and-pregnant-in-the-kitchen nonsense” but if that’s what a woman wants, you’re the one in the wrong for judging it. it’s that “women cooking and cleaning is the issue, not women being forced/expected to cook and clean” attitude, like women are wrong for the things they want if those things have been forced on or expected of women.
when daisy confronts aria about her husband, daisy thinks, “she must think i’m about to tell her we’re having an affair, because in her world that’s the worst thing possible, the only reason a strange woman would want to have a private conversation about her marriage” and “out of everything I just told her, the fact that he made other sex tapes is her biggest concern? relationships really do make people blind” which is super fucked up considering she grabbed her stomach because she’s pregnant, not because she’s sick with the thought of her husband cheating. it’s actually misogynistic for daisy to just assume aria is vapid and shallow with no concerns outside of maintaining her perfect little marriage.
also, it’s fair to be hurt that your husband told you he had never filmed himself having sex before you and then you find out he’s been doing to it since college. that’s fair. that doesn’t make her blind or shallow or an “ostrich stinking her head in the sand.” then when aria asks what she’s supposed to do, daisy thinks, “leave him. expose him. kill him! do something other than just be pissed off about sex tapes” again being super judgmental and unfair. not everyone jumps to murder (?!) or divorce at the word of a stranger. (also, funny how the tapes were originally a horrible violation worthy of murder, and now they’re dismissable sex tapes.)
not only is aria judged for not being like daisy or melly, because women can only be one way, right? but the burden of her husband’s actions is placed on her shoulders, she as a woman is shamed for her husband’s actions. “i’m giving you a chance to stop this before it escalates” is an incredibly unfair responsibility to place on a woman. her husband’s actions are not her responsibility and it’s not on her if he continues to hurt women. daisy then thinks “at least melly has conviction. a backbone,” because she willing to run headfirst into hard and dangerous situations without stopping to think about them and the consequences? something daisy was just angry at her for because it negatively affected her? come on. putting down women for not immediately, or at all, publicly going against shitty, powerful men is fucked up.
a tiny thread for a bit of the book that bothered me is with melly and her comments on daisy baking pies and daisy’s response to it. first, melly makes comments about how daisy couldn’t possibly want to bake pies for the rest of her life, to which daisy dismisses and says her pies, the murder kind or otherwise, are important. but when melly randomly and without cause calls the pie baking contest “archaic and sexist,” daisy wants to explain that it’s not just about baking pies, it’s about saving women with murder pies. a shift from her previous “all pies are important” stance. then daisy claims she too had thought the contest was “archaic and sexist,” despite never having expressed that. daisy goes on to wonder if “the pies, penny, the contest” (penny is her rv that she lives in and cooks/sells pies out of) make her a “bad feminist,” which i could forgive if she was a teenager completely new to the concept of feminism, but she’s a grown woman who shouldn’t wonder if liking “stereotypical” things makes her a bad feminist. come on.
there’s forced feminist preaching/commentary at times where i don’t feel it’s warranted, like when a guy asks for daisy’s number and she thinks “he takes the rejection with a good-natured shrug. ‘had to try.’ part of me wants to interrogate him about this, figure out why he thinks spotting a woman in his path means he ‘has to’ try to make things awkward.” when it’s not really that deep. not every guy who hits on a woman is doing so because he’s a predator who feels entitled to any woman he sees.
another example is when noel expresses concern for daisy when she tells him about her stalker and she “wrly” calls him a “knight in shining armor” or when she calls a man a predator because he’s older than his girlfriend. daisy also thinks if anyone would understand her killing shitty men it would be melly because of her “feminist slogan buttons and her strident opposition to all things misogynistic” and i’m sorry girl, being a feminist and anti-misogyny doesn’t mean being a murder or murder apologist. for fuck’s sake.
some other things that bother me: daisy is really shitty about addiction. she sees noel at a meeting as thinks, “i must’ve imagined it. when i look again, i’ll see i was wrong. of course I am. there’s no way it’s him. not my noel.” then she promptly starts avoiding him because “i know the damage addicts can do” and when she sees him again he starts rambling and she thinks “it’d be cute if i thought i could still trust him” all of which is so fucking gross and ableist. i don’t care about her dad being an addict and how that affected her. you don’t get to use your situation with one addict to make generalizations about all addicts. then noel is like, “i’m not an addict i swear,” as if that would make him a bad person, and she’s relieved he was a drug dealer in college and has to go to na meetings as part of his probation.
daisy says that melly outed her to noel as a murderer and that the antagonist is going to out her to the world. i am very adamant about not using coming out or outing language for things that aren’t queerness. to evoke queerness by using language that is, if not exclusive to, primarily associated with, queerness in the context of someone being exposed for being a murderer is quite frankly offensive. any consequences daisy might’ve faced would’ve been warranted, unlike any negative consequences to a queer person being outed. it’s even more frustrating when queer authors do this. the word “expose” is right there. (this is like when people say a celebrity was outed as an abuser or racist or something. just say exposed, for fuck’s sake.)
and i didn’t care for hearing melly’s entire rally speech, getting so much of the baking contest (which the outcome of was obvious, considering she makes magic pies), and the baking process in general. more murder would’ve been cool. sometimes the writing is weird and sometimes it’s flowery.
i did like the dog, zoe and daisy’s sort of not really boss, frank. not enough to save this from one star, though.
all in all; just let characters be murderers without trying to convince the reader it’s morally right
content/trigger warnings; rape mentioned, domestic abuse discussed, murder, death, cancer recounted, alcoholism recounted, addiction recounted, stalking, blackmail, ableism, car accident recounted, death of mother recounted, death of father recounted, misogyny, kissing, kidnapping,
rep; daisy (mc) is bisexual. melly (li) is queer (no label given).
the majority, if not all, of the negative reviews for this book are complaints that it’s not a cozy mystery as they were made to believe and people angry that this book is just man hating garbage. this is not one of those reviews. i don’t care about the cozy mystery thing and i’m all for the “women kill shitty men” genre of books. however, similar to how i feel about they never learn, another “women kill shitty men” book, that trope is executed HORRIBLY.
i don’t have a problem with books that have murderers for main characters, but i do have a problem with books that spend the entire time trying to convince me that the murderer main character is a good, righteous person, actually. i now truly understand what people are talking about when they criticize a book for trying to tell them how to feel. the author is desperately trying to make us support and sympathize with daisy, to the point where we’re supposed to feel sorry for her when faced with the consequences of being a murderer.
if she had just accepted the fact that she’s not a good person, that even killing bad people is still killing people, and therefore wrong, and just...didn’t care because ridding the world of evil men is worth the cost, then i would’ve been on board. what fun is a character who does bad things but deludes themself into thinking they’re doing good things? take dexter morgan for example, who comes to mind because a reviewer falsely compared daisy to him, he’s a serial killer of serial killers. but he doesn’t have a single bit of daisy’s self-righteousness (she actually says her murders are “well, kind of righteous” and noel says her murders are “brave and righteous”) and self-importance. he knows he’s just as bad as the people he kills. he knows he’d be getting what’s coming to him if ever found out. daisy is more comparable to joe goldberg, ironically, because joe deludes himself into believing the bad things he does are actually good.
aside from murder, daisy stalks people, spies on them, and violates their privacy. she of course has a reason why those things are not bad when she does them, whether it’s a “they started it” excuse (how old are we?) or being convinced she’s doing it for “the greater good.” she convinces herself that she hasn’t crossed the “serial killer line” because there’s a difference between “helping someone who asks for it and deciding on my own, from the outside, who the world would be better off without” and “magic isn’t the same as taping a man to a chair, killing him in cold blood.” and i gotta say, the logic does not hold up. it doesn’t matter how or why you’re killing people, you’re still a serial killer.
she’s got one hell of a savior/chosen one complex, acting as if she doesn’t kill men with pies then the world would be worse off, and the people around her contribute to it. noel tells her, “you’re doing something nobody else can or will do, and it’s important.” as if daisy’s murder pies are the only way to help women (which we know they aren’t, as daisy refused to make a pie for a woman who already escaped her shitty man and one woman who daisy had a hard on for killing her husband shows up at the end wanting a celebration pie for leaving her husband).
when noel points out that what she does is still murder, she says, “it doesn’t have to be” and explains that her magic will either make the shitty man change or die, depending on what the man is capable of. if he isn’t capable of change, he dies. but this is explained at the end to justify her being a murderer to her love interest, and we don’t get to see a man change, nor do we ever see her make a pie with the intent or hope of it changing a man. she literally calls them “murder pies” the entire book. this is such a cop out to absolve her of responsibility. she isn’t choosing to kill them, they are choosing death by not being willing to change. it’s bullshit. if you have to do this much mental gymnastics to justify your main character being a murderer because you still want them to be a sweet and lovable character people root for, then don’t even bother making them a murderer in the first place.
daisy claims her magic does “good without damage” but that’s simply not true. taking the feelings of the shitty men she kills out of the equation, she is hurting other people. their loved ones. you can argue that their feelings don’t matter either if they loved a shitty man (which is crap, btw), but what about the loved ones who didn’t know? what about the people whose father, brother, son, uncle, nephew, friend, mentor, etc. just died one day and they had no one idea he was a bad man? they’re now grieving a loved one. death is trauma. their lives are now forever changed. is that not damage?
she goes on about consent and how awful people are who violate it, while actively violating people’s consent herself (not just murdering people and imposing feelings on people with her magic, but also by making people susceptible to telling her things or doing things for her with her magic that they wouldn’t otherwise). then there’s this absolute garbage line: “it also crosses the consent line. not for the men, obviously—they lost that right the moment they put someone in need of my services” i mean??? consent is not a right someone can lose?? this line of thinking is what makes people think it’s okay to make rape jokes about prisoners. they’re bad people, right? so it’s okay if they get raped, right? no. fuck you.
this segues nicely into the utter garbage that is the feminism in this book. the moment i knew i was not going to like the portrayal of feminism is when daisy explains that killing women is a line she will never cross, even when they deserve it, because “there are already too many men out there slaughtering the female of the species.” she goes on to say she “doesn’t even have a pie that could hurt marginalized genders” and this to me is just so incredibly shallow and ridiculous. even if someone who isn’t a man is a rapist or abuser or just a danger to others in general, their gender gives them a pass?
what kind of embarrassing, bioessentialist, childish attempt at feminism is this? this is the type of shit that ruins the “women killing shitty men” trope for me. you don’t have to give everyone else a pass in order to focus on men. (another aspect of this is a mention of how plenty of women “fall prey to the stand-by-your-man nonsense” which assumes all women who stand by a shitty man are his victim and not capable of also being shitty herself. more “women good/victims, men bad/perpetrators” shit.)
many times throughout the book i found myself wondering what daisy is actually doing for women. she repeats over and over that she “saves women,” but does she really? because she seems to really only care about punishing shitty men. and there is a difference. if she cared about women, she wouldn’t kill the shitty men in their lives and then move onto the next. she wouldn’t hang around domestic violence support groups solely to scope out the most vulnerable and then move onto the next. she would offer help in other ways, too (beyond a boost of strength in a pie). of course, these shitty men suddenly being out of the picture for good can help, but what about after? is she helping them with money or finding a job or housing, if their abusive husband/boyfriend was the source of that for them? is she urging the women who reach out to her to first exhaust other options, or to seek therapy after? is she doing anything other than killing men and patting herself on the back for saving a damsel in distress?
for someone who is so concerned for victims, she treats them like shit sometimes. when speaking to emma, she’s very cold and unsympathetic, cutting her off to say she doesn’t want to “hear your justifications for his assholery.” who speaks to a domestic violence victim who is in the thick of her abuse like that? shouldn’t she know that denial and excuses are very common? there’s a moment when melly jumps to conclusions about daisy being at a domestic violence support group and daisy aggressively responds, “you think what exactly? that i’m a victim?” someone who cares so much about victims shouldn’t be so offended by someone thinking she might be one, too.
there’s a whole lot of grossness surrounding melly’s sister, aria. her husband is a scumbag and there’s this vibe that daisy and melly judge her for this. melly derisively refers to aria as a “wife with a capital w, like it’s her primary identity” and her “barefoot-and-pregnant-in-the-kitchen nonsense” but if that’s what a woman wants, you’re the one in the wrong for judging it. it’s that “women cooking and cleaning is the issue, not women being forced/expected to cook and clean” attitude, like women are wrong for the things they want if those things have been forced on or expected of women.
when daisy confronts aria about her husband, daisy thinks, “she must think i’m about to tell her we’re having an affair, because in her world that’s the worst thing possible, the only reason a strange woman would want to have a private conversation about her marriage” and “out of everything I just told her, the fact that he made other sex tapes is her biggest concern? relationships really do make people blind” which is super fucked up considering she grabbed her stomach because she’s pregnant, not because she’s sick with the thought of her husband cheating. it’s actually misogynistic for daisy to just assume aria is vapid and shallow with no concerns outside of maintaining her perfect little marriage.
also, it’s fair to be hurt that your husband told you he had never filmed himself having sex before you and then you find out he’s been doing to it since college. that’s fair. that doesn’t make her blind or shallow or an “ostrich stinking her head in the sand.” then when aria asks what she’s supposed to do, daisy thinks, “leave him. expose him. kill him! do something other than just be pissed off about sex tapes” again being super judgmental and unfair. not everyone jumps to murder (?!) or divorce at the word of a stranger. (also, funny how the tapes were originally a horrible violation worthy of murder, and now they’re dismissable sex tapes.)
not only is aria judged for not being like daisy or melly, because women can only be one way, right? but the burden of her husband’s actions is placed on her shoulders, she as a woman is shamed for her husband’s actions. “i’m giving you a chance to stop this before it escalates” is an incredibly unfair responsibility to place on a woman. her husband’s actions are not her responsibility and it’s not on her if he continues to hurt women. daisy then thinks “at least melly has conviction. a backbone,” because she willing to run headfirst into hard and dangerous situations without stopping to think about them and the consequences? something daisy was just angry at her for because it negatively affected her? come on. putting down women for not immediately, or at all, publicly going against shitty, powerful men is fucked up.
a tiny thread for a bit of the book that bothered me is with melly and her comments on daisy baking pies and daisy’s response to it. first, melly makes comments about how daisy couldn’t possibly want to bake pies for the rest of her life, to which daisy dismisses and says her pies, the murder kind or otherwise, are important. but when melly randomly and without cause calls the pie baking contest “archaic and sexist,” daisy wants to explain that it’s not just about baking pies, it’s about saving women with murder pies. a shift from her previous “all pies are important” stance. then daisy claims she too had thought the contest was “archaic and sexist,” despite never having expressed that. daisy goes on to wonder if “the pies, penny, the contest” (penny is her rv that she lives in and cooks/sells pies out of) make her a “bad feminist,” which i could forgive if she was a teenager completely new to the concept of feminism, but she’s a grown woman who shouldn’t wonder if liking “stereotypical” things makes her a bad feminist. come on.
there’s forced feminist preaching/commentary at times where i don’t feel it’s warranted, like when a guy asks for daisy’s number and she thinks “he takes the rejection with a good-natured shrug. ‘had to try.’ part of me wants to interrogate him about this, figure out why he thinks spotting a woman in his path means he ‘has to’ try to make things awkward.” when it’s not really that deep. not every guy who hits on a woman is doing so because he’s a predator who feels entitled to any woman he sees.
another example is when noel expresses concern for daisy when she tells him about her stalker and she “wrly” calls him a “knight in shining armor” or when she calls a man a predator because he’s older than his girlfriend. daisy also thinks if anyone would understand her killing shitty men it would be melly because of her “feminist slogan buttons and her strident opposition to all things misogynistic” and i’m sorry girl, being a feminist and anti-misogyny doesn’t mean being a murder or murder apologist. for fuck’s sake.
some other things that bother me: daisy is really shitty about addiction. she sees noel at a meeting as thinks, “i must’ve imagined it. when i look again, i’ll see i was wrong. of course I am. there’s no way it’s him. not my noel.” then she promptly starts avoiding him because “i know the damage addicts can do” and when she sees him again he starts rambling and she thinks “it’d be cute if i thought i could still trust him” all of which is so fucking gross and ableist. i don’t care about her dad being an addict and how that affected her. you don’t get to use your situation with one addict to make generalizations about all addicts. then noel is like, “i’m not an addict i swear,” as if that would make him a bad person, and she’s relieved he was a drug dealer in college and has to go to na meetings as part of his probation.
daisy says that melly outed her to noel as a murderer and that the antagonist is going to out her to the world. i am very adamant about not using coming out or outing language for things that aren’t queerness. to evoke queerness by using language that is, if not exclusive to, primarily associated with, queerness in the context of someone being exposed for being a murderer is quite frankly offensive. any consequences daisy might’ve faced would’ve been warranted, unlike any negative consequences to a queer person being outed. it’s even more frustrating when queer authors do this. the word “expose” is right there. (this is like when people say a celebrity was outed as an abuser or racist or something. just say exposed, for fuck’s sake.)
and i didn’t care for hearing melly’s entire rally speech, getting so much of the baking contest (which the outcome of was obvious, considering she makes magic pies), and the baking process in general. more murder would’ve been cool. sometimes the writing is weird and sometimes it’s flowery.
i did like the dog, zoe and daisy’s sort of not really boss, frank. not enough to save this from one star, though.
all in all; just let characters be murderers without trying to convince the reader it’s morally right
June 2, 2023
estaba esperando más de los pies asesinos, pero aún así la pasé bien leyendo este libro.
December 13, 2021
Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies is a book that seems to have all the elements of a great cozy mystery. A cute cover, an awesome title, and an interesting premise.
Daisy is our main protagonist and she has this amazing power of infusing magic into her pies. This magic renders her pies deadly and once she found out she could kill someone with them after accidentally killing a man, she decides to make that her calling and goes on avenging women who suffered in the hands of evil men.
She soon starts a word-of-mouth free service she calls Pies Before Guys, calls herself an avenging pie maker, and goes on with her business of killing men who she deemed have done their share of evil in the world. Until one day she finds an anonymous letter threatening to expose her killer business, so she sets out to discover the owner of the letter.
I have to say that when I read the synopsis of this book I was really intrigued. I figured this was going to be a cozy and funny story with some mystery element in it. Unfortunately, the final product was quite different from what I had in mind.
The concept of being able to infuse pies with magical powers was a very interesting start. But as you read the story, you soon realize that there is nothing really cute about that and that in fact, Daisy is no better than any other gun for hire or even a serial killer. Although Popp tried really hard to make us sympathize with Daisy and her struggles growing up, I had a real hard time connecting to her or any other character in this book, except for Zoe, the dog.
Another thing that did not work out for me was the misrepresentation of the book genre. The synopsis, title, and book cover lead you to believe that you are embarking on a cozy mystery adventure, but the reality of the story is a lot darker than that. Once you get past this initial annoyance, the story does get a little better and the pie recipes at the end of the book are a nice addition, but not enough to pull off a 3-star rating from me.
Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies is scheduled to be published on May 10, 2022. I want to thank Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Daisy is our main protagonist and she has this amazing power of infusing magic into her pies. This magic renders her pies deadly and once she found out she could kill someone with them after accidentally killing a man, she decides to make that her calling and goes on avenging women who suffered in the hands of evil men.
She soon starts a word-of-mouth free service she calls Pies Before Guys, calls herself an avenging pie maker, and goes on with her business of killing men who she deemed have done their share of evil in the world. Until one day she finds an anonymous letter threatening to expose her killer business, so she sets out to discover the owner of the letter.
I have to say that when I read the synopsis of this book I was really intrigued. I figured this was going to be a cozy and funny story with some mystery element in it. Unfortunately, the final product was quite different from what I had in mind.
The concept of being able to infuse pies with magical powers was a very interesting start. But as you read the story, you soon realize that there is nothing really cute about that and that in fact, Daisy is no better than any other gun for hire or even a serial killer. Although Popp tried really hard to make us sympathize with Daisy and her struggles growing up, I had a real hard time connecting to her or any other character in this book, except for Zoe, the dog.
Another thing that did not work out for me was the misrepresentation of the book genre. The synopsis, title, and book cover lead you to believe that you are embarking on a cozy mystery adventure, but the reality of the story is a lot darker than that. Once you get past this initial annoyance, the story does get a little better and the pie recipes at the end of the book are a nice addition, but not enough to pull off a 3-star rating from me.
Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies is scheduled to be published on May 10, 2022. I want to thank Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
January 27, 2023
Listen. We all have regrets
February 23, 2023
this was a cute and cozy mystery with bits of romance and attention drawn to social and health issues / rights. i really enjoyed it. the only reason this isn’t 5 stars for me is because i felt like the ending was a little rushed and it didn’t hit as hard as it should have given the lead up to the climax. other than that though, this was really sweet and i’d definitely read more books like this one.
February 5, 2023
THIS WAS SO GOOD!!! I loved how the story tackled serious topics while also staying lighthearted and fun. The main mystery was really fun too and I absolutely adored all the side characters. Definitely recommend!!
May 14, 2022
This was adorable!!! Well, as adorable as a book about murder pies could be, which is to say a lot and no, I do not accept any criticism!!!
Daisy, our heroine, bakes pies to make people happy. The way she does this is with talent and a little bit of generational magic woven in.
Her grandmother was a seamstress, her mother a hairdresser and Daisy's magical talent ended up manifesting as pie baking.
Occasionally, Daisy does special orders for her secret branch called Pies Before Guys, where she, you guessed it, makes murder pies, but only for those men who deserve it.
A problem arises when someone starts snooping around her home (a lovely van called Penny) and blackmailing her into doing things she has no intention of doing. How will dear Daisy handle this? Read to find out.
I love everything about this. It has a cozy mystery vibe, but not too cozy, a few scenes were a bit scary like a thriller and the background romance was cute.
My favourite part was obviously all the pies. I never got tired of Daisy describing them and I love that there are a couple of recipes at the end of the book.
As far as the mystery goes, I have to say that I didn't guess who the blackmailer was, but I did guess a part of it. And I wasn't expecting it to be revealed so early in the story (somewhere around 56%). Maybe it's better we found out early though, I don't mind either way.
And to come back to the romance for a second, there are two possible love interests, but I felt the one Daisy chose at the end was more obvious? Like we were given more clues that she would end up with that person vs the other person.
I'm content with that choice, because we didn't get to see a lot of the other one aside from the events they attended with Daisy, so I didn't make a connection to that character like I did to the other one.
Bonus points for LGBT rep, both the main character (I'm assuming based on the choice of love interests) and the side characters.
*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Daisy, our heroine, bakes pies to make people happy. The way she does this is with talent and a little bit of generational magic woven in.
Her grandmother was a seamstress, her mother a hairdresser and Daisy's magical talent ended up manifesting as pie baking.
Occasionally, Daisy does special orders for her secret branch called Pies Before Guys, where she, you guessed it, makes murder pies, but only for those men who deserve it.
A problem arises when someone starts snooping around her home (a lovely van called Penny) and blackmailing her into doing things she has no intention of doing. How will dear Daisy handle this? Read to find out.
I love everything about this. It has a cozy mystery vibe, but not too cozy, a few scenes were a bit scary like a thriller and the background romance was cute.
My favourite part was obviously all the pies. I never got tired of Daisy describing them and I love that there are a couple of recipes at the end of the book.
As far as the mystery goes, I have to say that I didn't guess who the blackmailer was, but I did guess a part of it. And I wasn't expecting it to be revealed so early in the story (somewhere around 56%). Maybe it's better we found out early though, I don't mind either way.
And to come back to the romance for a second, there are two possible love interests, but I felt the one Daisy chose at the end was more obvious? Like we were given more clues that she would end up with that person vs the other person.
I'm content with that choice, because we didn't get to see a lot of the other one aside from the events they attended with Daisy, so I didn't make a connection to that character like I did to the other one.
Bonus points for LGBT rep, both the main character (I'm assuming based on the choice of love interests) and the side characters.
*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*
May 6, 2022
Daisy Ellery is a special pie maker. She imbues her pies with magic. Daisy can make a person feel courageous, she can make them tell the truth, or she can kill. She has rules in place regarding her deadly pies. The main rule is that they are only for men who have done terrible deeds. Daisy does not kill women with her pies. It seems that someone is on to her secret, and they intend to blackmail her. The blackmailer wants Daisy to deliver a special pie to three different women in exchange for his silence. Daisy needs to find out who is behind the blackmail and stop them before they share her secret. Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies by Misha Popp is the debut of A Pies Before Guys Mysteries. I thought the story had an interesting premise (I have a weakness for paranormal cozy mysteries). I was looking forward to reading a fun cozy mystery (based on the blurb). Not long after I began reading, I was disabused of that notion. Daisy is basically a gun for hire. She may not get paid, but she does kill. It is hard to like a character who manages to justify her misdeeds. I felt there should be another way for her to use her gift. Daisy said her magic was different from her ancestors, but she is not sure why it is different. I kept hoping this would be addressed (maybe in future books). I did love the descriptions of Daisy’s dresses made for her by her grandmother. I was shocked at the significant amount of foul language in this book (I find it offensive and off-putting). I like to read cozy mysteries because they do not contain that type of language. I liked Daisy’s dog, Zoe. She is a friendly dog with a sweet temperament. I also liked Daisy’s pink retro trailer, Penny. Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies does not have the fun cozy adventure that I was hoping for from the blurb. It is a dark story. The story touches upon some serious subjects (domestic violence, addiction, rape). There is no mystery to solve much to my disappointment. Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies reads more like a romantic suspense novel than a cozy mystery. There is also a pie competition and romance with a man trying to save a family orchard. The story was missing the cozy elements and the lightheartedness. As you can tell, I did not enjoy reading Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies. While Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies was not for me, I suggest you try a sample to judge for yourself. Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies is a dark magical tale with a cute canine, a retro trailer, pie happy people, an outgoing orchard owner, a persuasive speaker, a bullying blackmailer, a pie competition, and a supernatural pie maker.
February 27, 2022
I received an early version of this book via NetGalley.
This book is being categorized as a cozy mystery, but it doesn't neatly fit into that genre: the main character is a murderer who bakes magical pies that can channel intent and emotion. She uses murder-pies to help free women from horrific abuse. Magical abilities run in her family, and that's as far as the mystical aspect of the book goes. When main character Daisy starts getting messages from someone threatening to out her as a murderer--and blackmailing her to send murder-pies to other women, something she never does--she goes deep into investigative mode, baking all the way.
I went into the book expecting something more quaint and cozy. This was considerably darker than I anticipated. I wasn't bothered by Daisy's homicidal ways so much as I was some of the brief descriptions of abuse and manipulation; this is a book that will need trigger warnings, but at the same time, there's something cathartic and satisfying about seeing these awful men get their due. The book has a touch of bad language (normally a no for cozies) and Daisy is also blatantly bi (which I haven't encountered in another cozy, so I was pleasantly surprised by the queer rep). The author writes about pies and baking with passion and authority, and the back of the book even includes recipes.
Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies strikes an odd balance between grim vigilante justice and homey baking show, and I eventually got into it; however, I can see other readers bouncing off this book, hard. The ending is quite satisfying, though I am left wondering how it will work as a series since this book wrapped things up nicely.
This book is being categorized as a cozy mystery, but it doesn't neatly fit into that genre: the main character is a murderer who bakes magical pies that can channel intent and emotion. She uses murder-pies to help free women from horrific abuse. Magical abilities run in her family, and that's as far as the mystical aspect of the book goes. When main character Daisy starts getting messages from someone threatening to out her as a murderer--and blackmailing her to send murder-pies to other women, something she never does--she goes deep into investigative mode, baking all the way.
I went into the book expecting something more quaint and cozy. This was considerably darker than I anticipated. I wasn't bothered by Daisy's homicidal ways so much as I was some of the brief descriptions of abuse and manipulation; this is a book that will need trigger warnings, but at the same time, there's something cathartic and satisfying about seeing these awful men get their due. The book has a touch of bad language (normally a no for cozies) and Daisy is also blatantly bi (which I haven't encountered in another cozy, so I was pleasantly surprised by the queer rep). The author writes about pies and baking with passion and authority, and the back of the book even includes recipes.
Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies strikes an odd balance between grim vigilante justice and homey baking show, and I eventually got into it; however, I can see other readers bouncing off this book, hard. The ending is quite satisfying, though I am left wondering how it will work as a series since this book wrapped things up nicely.
May 7, 2022
I am not sure how I feel about this book. If I am being honest, I am not sure how I feel about the protagonist Daisy Ellery. The premise sounded interesting but the book does not have all the cosy elements and lighthearted moments (even in the midst of murder) that one expects from cosy mysteries. Daisy seems a little too comfortable with the concept of killing people no matter what her justification for doing so is. I love the description of the pies though which are absolutely yummy sounding delicacies (minus the deadly magic) and the author even provides a few recipes in the end.
In short, this book was a mixed bag for me.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Crooked Lane Books and the author Misha Popp for an e-Arc of the book.
In short, this book was a mixed bag for me.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Crooked Lane Books and the author Misha Popp for an e-Arc of the book.
May 26, 2022
I listened to the audio version of this disturbing book. I find it odd that so many reviewers seem OK with the main character Daisy murdering men. So being judge, jury and executioner is OK as long as you dress it up and add in cutesy pie stuff?
If the roles were reversed and a male was murdering “bad” woman how would the people loving this novel feel?
If the roles were reversed and a male was murdering “bad” woman how would the people loving this novel feel?
February 6, 2023
Oh. My. God. This was fantastic. This book was made for me. It is about a baker who uses magic in her pies. She bakes good happy things into the pies that she sells to people and donates etc but then she bakes murder into pies for shitty men.
She's got this sort of like underground network where women come to her when they have a man in their life who is abusive and/or terrible and the only way they feel they can get out of situation is for him to not exist. So Daisy bakes the magic into her pies and she gives it to the men and that's that.
Now if you go through and read the reviews people are not on board with this. I on the other hand, am completely on board. We need less terrible men in the world and why not use baking to do it. I have absolutely no sympathy for privileged cishet men who think that they can take what they want without any regard for anyone else. Yeah murder is murder but some people you know...
This book is super queer in a casual way and I lived for it. I didn't know this was queer going into it but the main character is very clearly queer but it isn't the main focus of this book. There's not even any labels on page. I really read her as aspec as well as bi or pan. She talks about not prioritizing romance or sex and it just not being important to her. If you're looking for a specific label I would guesstimate maybe grayromantic and/or graysexual but I am happy leaving it queer. There is also a hot feminist activist girl who Daisy goes on a date with and a golden retriever farm boy who she also goes on a date with. I love them both.
So anyway the whole premise of this book is that someone is blackmailing Daisy in to trying to kill women because they know her secret and if she doesn't do this then they're going to turn her in. This is a cozy mystery but it's also quite serious. There are a lot of discussions about domestic abuse and assault and it's definitely something to consider if you're looking for content warnings.
I really enjoyed this book. It's really funny despite having serious undertones. I loved Daisy and everything about her. I love that she lives in this makeshift camper bakery and she has a pitbull and she wears these '50s style dresses. I love that her underground murder bakery is called pies before guys. I genuinely loved this book. I'm so happy that I found this on a whim and highly recommend it.
She's got this sort of like underground network where women come to her when they have a man in their life who is abusive and/or terrible and the only way they feel they can get out of situation is for him to not exist. So Daisy bakes the magic into her pies and she gives it to the men and that's that.
Now if you go through and read the reviews people are not on board with this. I on the other hand, am completely on board. We need less terrible men in the world and why not use baking to do it. I have absolutely no sympathy for privileged cishet men who think that they can take what they want without any regard for anyone else. Yeah murder is murder but some people you know...
This book is super queer in a casual way and I lived for it. I didn't know this was queer going into it but the main character is very clearly queer but it isn't the main focus of this book. There's not even any labels on page. I really read her as aspec as well as bi or pan. She talks about not prioritizing romance or sex and it just not being important to her. If you're looking for a specific label I would guesstimate maybe grayromantic and/or graysexual but I am happy leaving it queer. There is also a hot feminist activist girl who Daisy goes on a date with and a golden retriever farm boy who she also goes on a date with. I love them both.
So anyway the whole premise of this book is that someone is blackmailing Daisy in to trying to kill women because they know her secret and if she doesn't do this then they're going to turn her in. This is a cozy mystery but it's also quite serious. There are a lot of discussions about domestic abuse and assault and it's definitely something to consider if you're looking for content warnings.
I really enjoyed this book. It's really funny despite having serious undertones. I loved Daisy and everything about her. I love that she lives in this makeshift camper bakery and she has a pitbull and she wears these '50s style dresses. I love that her underground murder bakery is called pies before guys. I genuinely loved this book. I'm so happy that I found this on a whim and highly recommend it.
October 30, 2021
This was a tough book for me to review. Some elements of the book were very well done, but others left me wanting.
I'll start with what I thought was very novel. The main character Daisy can imbue her pies with magic, including magic that can kill the person that eats the pie. Though she has rules she aims to follow about the men she targets, only targeting men who she feels are very abhorrent, at the end of the day, she is a serial killer.
This made it somewhat difficult to cheer for her. But Popp does a good job of trying to make us understand, if not sympathize with why she does what she does.
What I thought was a bit off was the characterization of the genre. The summary refers to it as a cozy series, similar to authors like Ellery Adams. As an avid reader of cozy mysteries, I think this description is off. It's not that I dislike thriller/suspense reads, rather, that I wasn't expecting a book of this style when I first started reading it.
One of the reasons is because of the heavy references to social issues made throughout the book. I personally don't mind it as I think that it helps contribute to Daisy's backstory, but I know many readers of cozies prefer to not see such themes in their reads.
Also, there is a good bit of foul language, the MC is certainly not a moral character, there's a bit more violence than the typical cozy (as we see Daisy killing her marks) and it reads a little like a long suspense novel, as Daisy is trying to uncover the identity of someone who is blackmailing her.
I think if I had been better informed about the genre before going in, I would have approached the read with different expectations and a different mindset. If you're looking for a cozy-ish suspense novel, I'd recommend this one!
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.
For more of my reviews, please visit:
I'll start with what I thought was very novel. The main character Daisy can imbue her pies with magic, including magic that can kill the person that eats the pie. Though she has rules she aims to follow about the men she targets, only targeting men who she feels are very abhorrent, at the end of the day, she is a serial killer.
This made it somewhat difficult to cheer for her. But Popp does a good job of trying to make us understand, if not sympathize with why she does what she does.
What I thought was a bit off was the characterization of the genre. The summary refers to it as a cozy series, similar to authors like Ellery Adams. As an avid reader of cozy mysteries, I think this description is off. It's not that I dislike thriller/suspense reads, rather, that I wasn't expecting a book of this style when I first started reading it.
One of the reasons is because of the heavy references to social issues made throughout the book. I personally don't mind it as I think that it helps contribute to Daisy's backstory, but I know many readers of cozies prefer to not see such themes in their reads.
Also, there is a good bit of foul language, the MC is certainly not a moral character, there's a bit more violence than the typical cozy (as we see Daisy killing her marks) and it reads a little like a long suspense novel, as Daisy is trying to uncover the identity of someone who is blackmailing her.
I think if I had been better informed about the genre before going in, I would have approached the read with different expectations and a different mindset. If you're looking for a cozy-ish suspense novel, I'd recommend this one!
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.
For more of my reviews, please visit:
July 18, 2024
Very fun read. Glad I have an ARC of the sequel ready to go.
April 18, 2022
Disclaimer, I have only read about 2 other "Cozy" type mysteries and from what I understand this is NOT a true fit into that genre. I was drawn to the book just because the cover was super cute. But what unfolded on the pages (well the audio version) just ended up being Misha Popp's stance on social and political issues. Clearly this woman is a feminist that hates all men, Men in this book are demonized as abusive, power hungry sex offenders.
I did not connect with one of the characters. Not a single one, yes people even the dog (not that I ever do) I saw some people fell in love with her dog Zoey, really?? The dog had no personality....not sure what people saw there....moving on. The main character Daisy I think is suppose to be this "Charming" girl that wears her grandmothers handmaid clothes and is a baker (sounds like a Hallmark movie right?) Not exactly Daisy makes pies that are laced with magic to kill men (Only men can be killed by her pies and they have to be given one because someone asked her to make one of these special kiler pies.....stupid.) Basically cut to the chase she is a serial killer dressed in ridiculous clothes,
Melly-a total left of left liberal is possibly the most annoying character? Is just an angry woman that Pops uses as a way to shout her social message. I am not even going to repeat all the Political and Social Messages she forces upon the reader.
Throw in the fact that Popp saturates the book with sexually diverse characters in a distasteful way in my opinion.
Ill save you time and rewrite the book you can read it in 30 seconds.
I'm Daisy an angry woman that kills men under the disguise as being innocent ditzy girl. Obama is the best thing that has ever happened to America. Trump is worse than the devil. Traditional gender roles are broken and I'll throw it in your face. Men are ALL like Donald trump unless they fit into the sexually diverse group. Oh yeah and dogs reign supreme.
Sorry this was NOT a hit with me. I will not read this author again.
Thank you Net Gally for this advanced audiobook read. I was not paid or compensated for this honest review.
I did not connect with one of the characters. Not a single one, yes people even the dog (not that I ever do) I saw some people fell in love with her dog Zoey, really?? The dog had no personality....not sure what people saw there....moving on. The main character Daisy I think is suppose to be this "Charming" girl that wears her grandmothers handmaid clothes and is a baker (sounds like a Hallmark movie right?) Not exactly Daisy makes pies that are laced with magic to kill men (Only men can be killed by her pies and they have to be given one because someone asked her to make one of these special kiler pies.....stupid.) Basically cut to the chase she is a serial killer dressed in ridiculous clothes,
Melly-a total left of left liberal is possibly the most annoying character? Is just an angry woman that Pops uses as a way to shout her social message. I am not even going to repeat all the Political and Social Messages she forces upon the reader.
Throw in the fact that Popp saturates the book with sexually diverse characters in a distasteful way in my opinion.
Ill save you time and rewrite the book you can read it in 30 seconds.
I'm Daisy an angry woman that kills men under the disguise as being innocent ditzy girl. Obama is the best thing that has ever happened to America. Trump is worse than the devil. Traditional gender roles are broken and I'll throw it in your face. Men are ALL like Donald trump unless they fit into the sexually diverse group. Oh yeah and dogs reign supreme.
Sorry this was NOT a hit with me. I will not read this author again.
Thank you Net Gally for this advanced audiobook read. I was not paid or compensated for this honest review.
June 3, 2022
I was excited to read this book as it looked so promising. Unfortunately I had to stop after reading the first chapter. This book is in the Cozy Mystery category however it doesn't follow one of the main factors defined as being a cozy.....within the first chapter there were 3 curse words and not a mild one at that. Cozies are defined as having NO profanity and within 7 pages there were three......
January 30, 2023
3.5 stars
Frankly speaking, I was not expecting anything from this book because cozy mysteries are more often not my thing. But this one worked mostly because I loved the "good for her" energy in this book and the main character was very interesting to read about.
Frankly speaking, I was not expecting anything from this book because cozy mysteries are more often not my thing. But this one worked mostly because I loved the "good for her" energy in this book and the main character was very interesting to read about.
August 11, 2024
This slapped!!! I wish I would have started this series sooner because I'm already planning when I'm going to get to the sequels. This was like promising young woman (2020), but imagine that cozy and with magically killing pies. If you are intrigued by the cozy mystery genre, but want something more queer and no involvement of law enforcement, this is the book for you. A perfect mix of vigilante justice, magic, mystery, and a sweet romance too.
December 28, 2022
This was cute and feminist af
April 16, 2022
Picture Dexter.
Except instead of a man working as a blood pattern analyst, you must envision a sweet, pie baking lady named Daisy.
Magical pies that kill the bad guys.
The problem is: Someone knows what she is doing and that someone is now blackmailing her. They want some people murdered in exchange for their silence.
This definitely falls into the cozy mystery genre, which is often one I struggle to get into, but this concept really appealed to me and I felt pretty invested from the start. I can’t say that I was madly in love with the story as a whole, but I did enjoy it.
I did like that there wasn’t any frivolity in Daisy’s murderous ways. Arguably, she isn’t a cold-blooded killer. Instead, she is someone offering a sweet chance at redemption, but you’ll have to read this book to understand the secrets of her pies!
Despite all of its fun aspects, you should know it addresses some serious themes (outside of murder), which include rape, domestic violence, death of a parent, and addiction. The tone is always light and the traumatic elements are never graphically detailed. This was one of the main factors that made it difficult for me to fully adore the story. It’s not that I mind seeing such things illustrated in books. It’s simply that I’ve survived certain aspects this touched upon and I struggle when I see them superficially developed. I’m sure it wouldn’t have been appropriate to go deeper in this type of story, though.
As a bonus, the book includes recipes at the end, so if you love pie and mysteries, this book might be a delicious addition to your TBR.
3.5 stars
I am immensely grateful to Dreamscape Media & Crooked Lane Books for my audio review copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies will be out on May 10, 2022!
Except instead of a man working as a blood pattern analyst, you must envision a sweet, pie baking lady named Daisy.
Magical pies that kill the bad guys.
The problem is: Someone knows what she is doing and that someone is now blackmailing her. They want some people murdered in exchange for their silence.
This definitely falls into the cozy mystery genre, which is often one I struggle to get into, but this concept really appealed to me and I felt pretty invested from the start. I can’t say that I was madly in love with the story as a whole, but I did enjoy it.
I did like that there wasn’t any frivolity in Daisy’s murderous ways. Arguably, she isn’t a cold-blooded killer. Instead, she is someone offering a sweet chance at redemption, but you’ll have to read this book to understand the secrets of her pies!
Despite all of its fun aspects, you should know it addresses some serious themes (outside of murder), which include rape, domestic violence, death of a parent, and addiction. The tone is always light and the traumatic elements are never graphically detailed. This was one of the main factors that made it difficult for me to fully adore the story. It’s not that I mind seeing such things illustrated in books. It’s simply that I’ve survived certain aspects this touched upon and I struggle when I see them superficially developed. I’m sure it wouldn’t have been appropriate to go deeper in this type of story, though.
As a bonus, the book includes recipes at the end, so if you love pie and mysteries, this book might be a delicious addition to your TBR.
3.5 stars
I am immensely grateful to Dreamscape Media & Crooked Lane Books for my audio review copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies will be out on May 10, 2022!
April 22, 2022
I definitely have some mixed feelings on this book! Right at the beginning of the book I thought, oh this is going to be funny due to the style and word choices, but that seemed to taper off a bit as the book progressed. This book is listed as a mystery, but I didn't get the normal mystery vibes or hook into the plot. It tended to meander about a bit too much and was more about a "murder for hire" business and being found out than a true mystery.
What I did really like was the overall concept from a creativity standpoint. Putting magic into pies to influence the targeted eater was quite intriguing (even if used to harm). The descriptions of the magic and pies added good explanation and some fun. Of course, some pie contests were part of the plot for some added fun.
The narrator was pretty entertaining and helped add a little of the comedic relief. If it hadn't been an Audiobook, I dont know if I would have pushed through it. Overall if you like contemporary comedic dramas, this book may be more for you than if you are into mysteries.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this Audiobook for my honest review.
What I did really like was the overall concept from a creativity standpoint. Putting magic into pies to influence the targeted eater was quite intriguing (even if used to harm). The descriptions of the magic and pies added good explanation and some fun. Of course, some pie contests were part of the plot for some added fun.
The narrator was pretty entertaining and helped add a little of the comedic relief. If it hadn't been an Audiobook, I dont know if I would have pushed through it. Overall if you like contemporary comedic dramas, this book may be more for you than if you are into mysteries.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this Audiobook for my honest review.
June 8, 2022
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book was like a cozy, and a serial killer had a baby. 😂 It was definitely darker and more morally ambiguous than your regular "cozy mystery" but I loved it. It was well written and well paced. The plot was engaging and had me hooked from page one. The characters were likable, and we get yummy sounding pie recipes at the end. I mean, really, what more can you ask for? The only small niggle I had with it was that I wish we had gotten more (in depth) background about Daisy's "gift." Perhaps this author will explore that more as the series goes on. 🤞🏻
**ARC Via NetGalley**
This book was like a cozy, and a serial killer had a baby. 😂 It was definitely darker and more morally ambiguous than your regular "cozy mystery" but I loved it. It was well written and well paced. The plot was engaging and had me hooked from page one. The characters were likable, and we get yummy sounding pie recipes at the end. I mean, really, what more can you ask for? The only small niggle I had with it was that I wish we had gotten more (in depth) background about Daisy's "gift." Perhaps this author will explore that more as the series goes on. 🤞🏻
**ARC Via NetGalley**
May 30, 2022
This was more of a 3.7 almost 4 stars. It really reminded me of a slightly magical version of The Maid in terms of the morally ambiguous main character. For most of the book I wasn’t sure if I connected with the MC or not. The book deals with some pretty heavy topics that she doles out punishment for through magical pies, however, nothing is described in great detail. I don’t have an issue with the book not going int great detail about those topics, other than knowing They are the reasons for her actions ( there’s enough books out there with gory details if you go looking), I’m just not sure how much of a cozy mystery this book is. I also, again, don’t like the dumb love triangle troupe, even if it sorta resolved itself here, but the author does the ( who knows what the future holds nonsense) ughhh just let fictional characters be happy already, the real world sucks enough as it is 😒😁😁😁😁.
Anyway, pies were baked, relationships formed, family discovered and lost, and through it all, the murderous pie business is …..
Anyway, pies were baked, relationships formed, family discovered and lost, and through it all, the murderous pie business is …..
April 20, 2022
Love these characters! The main character is the sweetest serial killer you will ever meet! She dresses like a 50's housewife and makes the best pie ever, although a few have a magical twist that kill bad men. Witty and fun, this audiobook is perfect those who are looking for a sweet, paranormal, serial killer with a cause! This book was so much fun to listen too and the narrator brought the characters to life! Each character is flawed which makes them so much more relatable. I don't know if the author plans to do another book with these characters or not, but I will definitely be watching for more. In fact, I'll be heading to see if this author has any other books as her writing is fun while dealing with a serious issue that many women have faced. If only we could all bake a magical murder pie or maybe it's good that we can't....
May 7, 2022
I liked the concept of a lethal pie that exacts revenge on targeted men. It’s a unique plot so I wanted to read more.
What I liked: the RV, all the yummy pies, the power and magic Daisy has, and her community support.
What I didn’t like: the thinly veiled political pontifications interlaced in the narrative. It really turned me off.
I read fiction to escape the realities of life, not get pummeled by politics.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the early copy.
What I liked: the RV, all the yummy pies, the power and magic Daisy has, and her community support.
What I didn’t like: the thinly veiled political pontifications interlaced in the narrative. It really turned me off.
I read fiction to escape the realities of life, not get pummeled by politics.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the early copy.
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