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Pizza Lovers #4
A Pizza to Die For
Though it's an unseasonably chilly October in Timber Ridge, North Carolina, Eleanor Swift is warm and cozy in A Slice of Delight--her scrumptious pizzeria. But when snooty Judson Sizemore breezes into town to open an upper-crust pizza parlor nearby, Eleanor's biggest worry is that her beloved restaurant's days may be numbered. . .until she hears Judson's days have come to a most gruesome end. . .
Since half the town saw Judson causing a ruckus in A Slice of Delight before he expired, Eleanor and her saucy sister, Maddie, are the prime suspects. The only way out is to prove their innocence. Soon, a little surreptitious sleuthing reveals that the dough behind Judson's impending pizzeria came from Timber Ridge's resident crusty oddball millionaire Nathan Pane. It turns out he's Judson's long-lost uncle. . .and someone is after him, too.
As Eleanor digs deeper, her suspect list grows longer than the local soccer team's pizza order--and life in the once quiet town heats up like Maddie's five-alarm Volcano pie. Could it be Judson's gold-digging sister? Or her secret boyfriend? Between working on the case, keeping her customers happy, and even finding time for an old flame, Eleanor's plate is full. But with an unhinged murderer closing in, she'll have to move very quickly--and very carefully--because the killer is already much closer than she thinks. . .
Includes delicious pizza recipe!
Since half the town saw Judson causing a ruckus in A Slice of Delight before he expired, Eleanor and her saucy sister, Maddie, are the prime suspects. The only way out is to prove their innocence. Soon, a little surreptitious sleuthing reveals that the dough behind Judson's impending pizzeria came from Timber Ridge's resident crusty oddball millionaire Nathan Pane. It turns out he's Judson's long-lost uncle. . .and someone is after him, too.
As Eleanor digs deeper, her suspect list grows longer than the local soccer team's pizza order--and life in the once quiet town heats up like Maddie's five-alarm Volcano pie. Could it be Judson's gold-digging sister? Or her secret boyfriend? Between working on the case, keeping her customers happy, and even finding time for an old flame, Eleanor's plate is full. But with an unhinged murderer closing in, she'll have to move very quickly--and very carefully--because the killer is already much closer than she thinks. . .
Includes delicious pizza recipe!
260 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
50 people are currently reading
851 people want to read
About the author
Chris Cavender
7 books184 followersChris Cavender is the pseudonym used by Agatha Award nominated author Tim Myers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
March 5, 2016
I liked this book a lot to the point of giving it 5 stars precisely because it's more of the same. Eleanor Swift is yet again a suspect. She's the definite Usual Suspect. She most solve the case to survive and drag her business to survival. So she's more motivated than the usual pro super sleuth and it's worth reading how she uncovers her culprit or how the murderer feels the heat so much that he/she uncovers herself out of urgency. This is the book that made me see a pattern for guessing identities in this series. One of the books I'm most likely to re read.
June 19, 2017
Another enjoyable visit to Timber Ridge, NC. Even though I had this one figured out I still enjoyed the ride. There are currently 4 more books in the series and I will be reading them all.
March 23, 2021
This was a light-hearted mystery. I did enjoy the plot but did not like the amateur sleuth, Eleanor. I felt like she put down her sister Maddie too much. Also, Maddie had more personality than Eleanor. I would have loved for Maddie to have been the amateur sleuth instead of Eleanor. All the other characters were more exciting than Eleanor.
I loved the pizzeria and the inner workings of a Slice of Delight shop and the competing shop where the murder took place. The killer actually did surprise me in the end.
I loved the pizzeria and the inner workings of a Slice of Delight shop and the competing shop where the murder took place. The killer actually did surprise me in the end.
March 19, 2018
This is another one of those more light-hearted cozy mysteries set in a pleasant town with pleasant characters. As a result, I found the book, well, pleasant! In this installment a competitor opens up shop nearby but the owner is mysteriously murdered on opening day. Sisters Eleanor and Maddy eagerly set out to solve the crime with the help of their friends. This is a perfect beach read or a cold weather read with a cup of warm and inviting tea or coffee.
June 22, 2023
Well now I want deep dish Chicago style pizza, all because Eleanor had to experiment. I totally didn’t get the motive but did guess the correct culprit. I enjoyed the mystery in this one and the characters were a lot of fun too.
December 30, 2014
This was a pretty good read. When a new pizza place opens up and the owner is mysteriously murdered, it's up to the swift sisters to solve the mystery. Can they find out whodunnit before the killer strikes again? Read to find out. I enjoyed this installment of the pizza lover's mysteries series and look forward to the next pizzalicious adventure!
July 30, 2018
Men shouldn’t try to write female POV main characters without actually understanding some real women. The mystery part is fine, I guess, but the two sisters are just not believable characters AT AL.
July 7, 2020
The mystery part was good but there were too many character and timeline inconsistencies in my opinion to rate it any higher.
April 19, 2025
ok. I much prefer the others I. this series so far.
January 26, 2022
This series has gotten better with every entry. In this story, Eleanor and her sister Maddy have some competition for their pizzeria 'A Slice of Delight' when a rival opens a pizza store across the street. Things get more complicated, though, when the owner is found murdered in his story, and Eleanor and Maddy are the prime suspects. There are more complications, though, with a secretly-wealthy hermit, a mean sister of the dead guy, a sleazy man who is trying to get money any way he can, and of course, the possible romantic interest between Eleanor and David. This is a good cozy mystery.
January 18, 2012
This is the kind of reviewed book that shakes my confidence a bit. It was very simple in laying out the dialogue-style, a narrator that related every nuance (it seemed) around the daily lives of two sisters running a pizza parlor in small town, USA rendering it tedious at times. Oh sure there was a murder to solve lest they be possibly accused as it was the manager of their upcoming competition in the pizza bidness (the competition had a pizza oven, the sisters had a conveyor belt), but no problem. The murderess was revealed, the threat of competition tt wud hv put them out of business was set aside (I assume, it wasn't actually made known at the end) and the townsfolk had to continue to be satisfied with the regular ol' humdrum conveyor-belt offering's. End of story.
Folks, it was something to read. After everything was all settled the authoress threw in some personal pizza recipes. So yeah, I gave it two stars, "It was okay". Yet the average rating of all reviews is on the north end of 3.5 out of 4 (Really liked it!).
Hey, as in pizza it's all in one's taste preference.
Folks, it was something to read. After everything was all settled the authoress threw in some personal pizza recipes. So yeah, I gave it two stars, "It was okay". Yet the average rating of all reviews is on the north end of 3.5 out of 4 (Really liked it!).
Hey, as in pizza it's all in one's taste preference.
June 10, 2015
Third and I'm thinking the last in this series since Eleanor, our main character who has been grieving the loss of her husband, Joe in the last three books is starting to come around. The conduit is someone from her past back again. (I did find more titles so I guess this is another red herring.)
Plus, there's the murder to solve since her old high school flame, the Chief Of Police can't seem to solve murders on his own. That doesn't bode well for his re-election coming soon. Halloween is a backdrop as is the murder of a rival pizza parlor owner.
We get many hard reminders about the tough conditions for small business owners. There's also what I can only imagine is an inside joke when the author has his characters channel frustration over the publishers dropping of a cozy line of books.
Killer is easy to figure out, never sure if that's good or bad.
Plus, there's the murder to solve since her old high school flame, the Chief Of Police can't seem to solve murders on his own. That doesn't bode well for his re-election coming soon. Halloween is a backdrop as is the murder of a rival pizza parlor owner.
We get many hard reminders about the tough conditions for small business owners. There's also what I can only imagine is an inside joke when the author has his characters channel frustration over the publishers dropping of a cozy line of books.
Killer is easy to figure out, never sure if that's good or bad.
November 21, 2011
I have enjoyed this series, and have never read a "cozy mystery" so it was a new venture for me. While I did enjoy them, I do have a few critiques throughout this particularly series. Well, really just one. The characters were enjoyable and I really liked Eleanor and her sister, Maddie and I liked reading about their escapades and peeking into their lives. However, I got REALLY tired of hearing of hearing about how Eleanor missed her deceased husband, Joe. This was highly apparent in the first and second books, but much better in the third. I realize that these cozy mysteries are supposed to be easy and enjoyable reads, but I will admit that while I had a suspect in mind early on in the book, these kept me guessing. I would definitely recommend these if you are between series or need just a simple read :)
July 1, 2011
I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book through LibraryThing Members.
I finally finished and I liked the story but not the dialogue, and on top of that, I figured out who done it way before the disclosure; so to me the culprit was too obvious.
I'm sure that there are people out there who would thoroughly embrace this book. I'm not part of the target audience.
I finally finished and I liked the story but not the dialogue, and on top of that, I figured out who done it way before the disclosure; so to me the culprit was too obvious.
I'm sure that there are people out there who would thoroughly embrace this book. I'm not part of the target audience.
July 5, 2011
this was a nook book which cost 99 cents. It is okay, not great--somewhat sentimental and mushy in places. The main character keeps repeating how she can't get over her dead husband and have a new relationship. There is a recipe at the end which I may try. This doesn't make me want to run out to the library to check out any of the other books in the series, or purchase them.
September 17, 2013
not so impressed. I cant explain it, but by page 80 i knew the killer, and ended up skipping most of the book, and read the ending. I caught the missing big moments so did not feel lost. The only think interesting about this series is I want a homemade, or fresh pizza lol
January 15, 2016
i need to remember to avoid these books. they are even more silly than the average cozy & i hate the characters.
January 12, 2017
My first book in this series. The writing is barely adequate to convey the story - there's no flair or artistry at all.
Also Eleanor seems like a terrible small business owner.
Also Eleanor seems like a terrible small business owner.
June 24, 2011
storyline has gotten better!
July 14, 2021
Confession time: I like cozy mysteries. Yeah, I don't have an explanation for it.
I read the first book in this series five years ago. My memory is that I enjoyed it. I finally got around to reading the second one last year. This is the third book in this series.
I've not read much of late as I have kept really busy this summer. But a couple things came into play the last couple days: 1. the summer reading program at the local library and 2. I re-joined Quest Scouts and the there is a pizza reading quest. So, one book satisfies two things for me, hence why I picked this up.
After having trouble getting it through Amazon from Overdrive, I downloaded Libby onto the Kindle Fire and was able to read it there. I must say I enjoyed the experience.
Eleanor and Maddy are back with another murder to solve and they are suspects!
Another pizza joint is poised to open in town and the owner is a real jerk. He and Eleanor have it out and then he is found dead. Who could have done it?
We learn about a recluse is silently wealthy (although he offered to buy Eleanor's house on the spot). We learn that the he invested in the rival pizza joint with his newly found nephew. And there is a similarly new niece. And an unknown local. There are boyfriends, another woman, and a seemingly likely storyline ealry on that did not pan out.
Art is there protecting Eleanor's back.
It's a cozy, so there isn't anything deep here, but the interplay of characters is good. Lots of bad business; they are constantly closing, opening late, or otherwise not at the business to chase down leads. Yeah, I know, it's the nature of the genre.
I enjoyed the short nod to cozies put in at some point.
A nice easy read and one I had figured out before the ending.
I read the first book in this series five years ago. My memory is that I enjoyed it. I finally got around to reading the second one last year. This is the third book in this series.
I've not read much of late as I have kept really busy this summer. But a couple things came into play the last couple days: 1. the summer reading program at the local library and 2. I re-joined Quest Scouts and the there is a pizza reading quest. So, one book satisfies two things for me, hence why I picked this up.
After having trouble getting it through Amazon from Overdrive, I downloaded Libby onto the Kindle Fire and was able to read it there. I must say I enjoyed the experience.
Eleanor and Maddy are back with another murder to solve and they are suspects!
Another pizza joint is poised to open in town and the owner is a real jerk. He and Eleanor have it out and then he is found dead. Who could have done it?
We learn about a recluse is silently wealthy (although he offered to buy Eleanor's house on the spot). We learn that the he invested in the rival pizza joint with his newly found nephew. And there is a similarly new niece. And an unknown local. There are boyfriends, another woman, and a seemingly likely storyline ealry on that did not pan out.
Art is there protecting Eleanor's back.
It's a cozy, so there isn't anything deep here, but the interplay of characters is good. Lots of bad business; they are constantly closing, opening late, or otherwise not at the business to chase down leads. Yeah, I know, it's the nature of the genre.
I enjoyed the short nod to cozies put in at some point.
A nice easy read and one I had figured out before the ending.
July 19, 2018
Edit: I only realised that the Cavender is another pseudonym for Tim Myers, who also writes the Donut Shop mysteries. No wonder Eleanor and Maddy reminded me so much of Suzanne and Gabby. Even the names and appearances are similar!
***
Started out strong, the whole rival pizzeria with obnoxious owners plot making sense. Then it went a little off tracks with the murder. We know that in a cozy a murder has to happen, that goes without saying. But the first interview with Nathan was ridiculous. There was no way two women he hardly knew would come to visit to talk about his house the very day a rival pizzeria opened next to them.
Another con was the whole gangster in a good suit angle of Art. It never quite fit in with the story. And I’m really sick of heroines in cozies being smug and proud that they never do their hair or wear makeup or dress up. It’s always the female sidekick who’s supposed to be a fashion model look alike. I wish cozy writers would strike a happy medium and give us readers some strong leading ladies who take pride in the way they look too. While I enjoyed the whole pizza environment, there were no descriptions of the decor or the toppings, and so it was all irrelevant. I did like the recipes at the end though. And the ending was rather action packed, which is always good. I spotted the murderer right at the start though, which I rarely do.
***
Started out strong, the whole rival pizzeria with obnoxious owners plot making sense. Then it went a little off tracks with the murder. We know that in a cozy a murder has to happen, that goes without saying. But the first interview with Nathan was ridiculous. There was no way two women he hardly knew would come to visit to talk about his house the very day a rival pizzeria opened next to them.
Another con was the whole gangster in a good suit angle of Art. It never quite fit in with the story. And I’m really sick of heroines in cozies being smug and proud that they never do their hair or wear makeup or dress up. It’s always the female sidekick who’s supposed to be a fashion model look alike. I wish cozy writers would strike a happy medium and give us readers some strong leading ladies who take pride in the way they look too. While I enjoyed the whole pizza environment, there were no descriptions of the decor or the toppings, and so it was all irrelevant. I did like the recipes at the end though. And the ending was rather action packed, which is always good. I spotted the murderer right at the start though, which I rarely do.
September 11, 2025
Well as a first time visitor to Timber Ridge, North Carolina, I must say I was impressed. I would like to think that I may take another trip here in the future.
I met a lot of memorable people along the way and saw some amazing small town establishments. I must say though the stand out establishment of the town was the pizzeria that goes by the name of A Slice of Delight.
If you are there stop in and visit the proprietor Eleanor and her sister Maddie. They are pretty friendly and with their background in detective work they can give you a good summation of the towns history and the people who live there such as Nathan Sizemore the eccentric old man of the neighborhood.
Rumor has it there is murder afoot and if pizza and solving crimes is your style of reading I suggest you stop in and visit the girls along with their family of characters that make the Pizzeria feel like home and who knows you may discover who dunnit in the process!
I met a lot of memorable people along the way and saw some amazing small town establishments. I must say though the stand out establishment of the town was the pizzeria that goes by the name of A Slice of Delight.
If you are there stop in and visit the proprietor Eleanor and her sister Maddie. They are pretty friendly and with their background in detective work they can give you a good summation of the towns history and the people who live there such as Nathan Sizemore the eccentric old man of the neighborhood.
Rumor has it there is murder afoot and if pizza and solving crimes is your style of reading I suggest you stop in and visit the girls along with their family of characters that make the Pizzeria feel like home and who knows you may discover who dunnit in the process!
June 25, 2020
I've really enjoyed this series so far, but I think this might be my favorite one of it yet. I'm glad it's not super close to being over with, because I'm loving the place where Eleanor finally is after her near-death experience with the killer.
I did guess the killer fairly early and sort of had the reasoning, but it was fun to read it as it played out to see what Eleanor and Maddy would do. Maddy wasn't quite the airhead she'd been in previous books and was proving to be a decent sleuthing buddy for Eleanor. I really love the character of Al. I mean, who doesn't need someone like that on your side, right? I'd love to get to the next in series sooner than I got around to this one, but there's this huge WTR/TBR list I have. ;)
I did guess the killer fairly early and sort of had the reasoning, but it was fun to read it as it played out to see what Eleanor and Maddy would do. Maddy wasn't quite the airhead she'd been in previous books and was proving to be a decent sleuthing buddy for Eleanor. I really love the character of Al. I mean, who doesn't need someone like that on your side, right? I'd love to get to the next in series sooner than I got around to this one, but there's this huge WTR/TBR list I have. ;)
October 27, 2017
I think the book was amazing! This is the only book in the series that I have read, and I loved it! Eleanor's character, realistic situation, and connections are all very believable, especially when she was having financial struggles. I think she and her entourage did a great job solving Judson's murder while Eleanor herself was the prime suspect. They pooled their resources and connections to people that helped and worked together very well to solve the crime and prove Eleanor's innocence. However, when the murderer turned out to be someone they didn't suspect at all, Eleanor's quick actions saved both her and another suspect. 5 out of 5!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2023
This 3rd volume in the Pizza Lovers books was a welcome continuation in the series. I enjoyed reading about Eleanor's foray into deep-dish pizza making. I enjoy watching her relationship with her sister, Maddie, and her loyal employees. The business competition opening in the town was a large distraction so the murder of the manager before the grand opening pointed the guilty finger at Eleanor and Maddie. Their investigation and the ensuing interactions were intriguing and engaging. Mouth-watering pizza and great relationships are at the heart of this series. They make this series work along with the well-written mystery.
March 31, 2021
Eleanor and her sister run a pizza parlor in their small town, All is going well until another pizza joint with a wood burning oven and a pizza tosser is going to open across the street. When the owner of the new place is found dead it is up to Eleanor, her staff friends and family to solve the mystery of who killed the pizza guy.
I hadn't read any of this series in awhile because they were hard to get to like some of the cast for me but this one was much better and I really enjoyed the book. I may have to check out the next just to see what happens with the different relationships.
I hadn't read any of this series in awhile because they were hard to get to like some of the cast for me but this one was much better and I really enjoyed the book. I may have to check out the next just to see what happens with the different relationships.
September 26, 2019
A Pizza To Die For is a very intriguing book of mystery and crime. For specifically a pizza crime. Eleanor Swift and her sister Maddy are in serious trouble when a new restaurant opens. Suspiciously the owner of that restaurant dies. Eleanor and Maddy find themselves being accused of the murder. As Eleanor digs deeper into this concept Eleanor then, discovers the killer s much loser then she thinks.
By, Sashwat Naik
By, Sashwat Naik
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2020
I knew who the killer was as soon as the body was found. To easy. It was nice to see Eleanor have a personality change though. 😊 She wasn't such a b**** in this book and honestly if she would have been the same way I wasn't going to read the series any more. 😐 Kevin seems to be coming around alot and it makes me wonder 😕 if he's regretting the past and how things ended with Eleanor in high school. I will keep with the series for now and see how it goes.
May 1, 2018
The book was okay, but some aspects of the story seemed unneeded or irrelevant to the overall plot.
The killer was pretty obvious to me early on, so that tainted my enjoyment of the book. But the motive I thought the killer had was proven wrong, so there was some element of surprise.
I will still be reading the rest in this series.
The killer was pretty obvious to me early on, so that tainted my enjoyment of the book. But the motive I thought the killer had was proven wrong, so there was some element of surprise.
I will still be reading the rest in this series.
December 27, 2020
Eleanor and Maddy really get into trouble in this one. A new pizza place tries to open, a murder happens, and they are suspects. Of course they have to solve the murder. Lots of things happen before they get to the truth.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews