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Breach of Crust by Ellery Adams

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Last night I finished reading Breach of Crust. It's the fifth installment in Ellery Adams' "Charmed Pie Shoppe" mystery series, featuring magical pie baker Ella Mae LeFaye.

Despite losing her magic, Ella Mae's pie shop is still a huge draw in Havenwood. Her reputation brings Beatrice Burbank to the shop. Bea is the president of the Camellia Club, a group of philanthropic, wealthy women from Sweet Briar. Bea wants Ella to teach the Camellias to make pies as part of their plan to produce a fundraising dessert cookbook. Ella Mae readily agrees, but when she finds Beatrice floating in Lake Havenwood, the sweet deal turns sinister. Bea's death is ruled an accident, but Ella Mae doesn't believe it, and neither does Bea's daughter, Liz. After discovering that her nemesis, Loralyn Gaynor, has thrown her lot in with the Camellias, Ella is even more suspicious.

When a second Camellia is murdered, it's up to Ella Mae to find out what's going on. In addition to investigating two murders, Ella is asked by Opal Gaynor to arrange for a meeting between her and her daughter, Loralyn. Opal has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and she wants to reconcile with Loralyn before she passes away. Unfortunately for Ella Mae, solving the murders may be simpler than turning Loralyn's cold heart.

A lot of depth to this story, what with two, over-arching story lines going on. The plot moved along quickly, and it was woven throughout with both history and mythology.

Favorite line: "Don't let anyone else write your story. Not any man. Nor any woman. Write your own."

Very good, five stars!

It was on Wednesday night, the 3rd, that I finished reading Pecan Pies and Homicides, which is the third book in author Ellery Adams' "Charmed Pie Shoppe" mystery series, featuring baker and witch Ella Mae LeFaye.

After a neighboring enchanted grove is deliberately destroyed by fire, the magical denizens of that town turn to Havenwood to begin anew. Ella Mae, whose mother is the vaunted Lady of the Ash for Havenwood, is ready to welcome all to her community. Not everyone shares her enthusiasm. Opal Gaynor, the grande dame of Havenwood's magical society, hosts a party to welcome those from Oak Knoll; however, the Gaynors have only invited the cream of the crop. Ella Mae attends the party as her friend Suzy's "plus one", and there she meets the lovely and ethereal Eira Morgan, along with Eira's ogre of a husband. When Eira is later found dead, frozen to death just steps from the entrance to Havenwood's enchanted grove, Ella Mae is convinced that the woman's husband is responsible. As the Lady's representative, it's up to her to find answers.

In the meantime, Ella Mae's business is booming, and she is trying to get ready for Havenwood's annual winter carnival. She ends up hiring Jenny and Aiden, siblings who were displaced from Oak Knoll, to help in the pie shop and to handle deliveries. Ella Mae is also dealing with her growing feelings for Hugh Dylan, as well as still grieving the loss of her mother, Adelaide. It is Ella's fondest wish to find a way to rescue Adelaide from her duty as the Lady of the Ash. A book in the Gaynors' library may hold a clue, and Ella Mae will do anything to get it, even make nice with her lifelong nemesis, Loralyn Gaynor.

There was a lot going on in this book, but it made for a fast-paced, exciting read. At times, the story seemed to veer into the realm of urban fantasy, what with elementals, both fair and foul, a truly terrifying creature, another fire, and another murder. One thing that bugged me ( Spoiler )

Favorite line:"I don't know why the two of you are hootin' and hollerin' like hyenas on crack..."

I'm a bit on the fence about this one. It was exciting and engrossing, but there were just as many questions left unanswered as there were answered. I also felt cheated of the abilitiy to make a good guess as to who the murderer was. Giving this one a four:

****

This evening, I finished reading Pies and Prejudice. It's the first book in the "Charmed Pie Shoppe" mystery series by Ellery Adams.

After walking in on her husband cheating on her, Ella Mae LeFaye leaves Manhattan and returns to her hometown of Havenwood, GA. There, she reconnects with the women who raised her: her aloof mother, her beloved aunts, and her mother's housekeeper, Reba. Ella Mae also bumps into her old childhood crush, Hugh, and her childhood rival, Loralyn Gaynor.

Her family is so delighted at her return, that they help Ella Mae buy a small building, which she plans to open a pie shop in. Unfortunately, it's the same piece of real estate that Loralyn's fiance was planning to buy for her. When the man is found dead, having been struck over the head with Ella Mae's rolling pin, Ella Mae finds herself the primary suspect in his death. Unwilling to sit by and let the local police do their job, Ella Mae begins nosing around for information, beginning at the victim's equine veterinary practice.

Just when Ella Mae's new pie shop has a successful opening, another tragedy occurs. Now it's a race against time to find a killer before anyone else is hurt.

The story was peopled with wonderful characters. I loved all of Ella Mae's aunts, as well as her stern mother and the scrappy Reba. Ella Mae's terrier, Chewy, provided plenty of comic relief, and the pies that Ella Mae baked were making me drool on the pages. Ha ha!

My biggest complaint about the book is that it didn't end with the reveal of the murderer. It dragged on a few more chapters, ostensibly to tie up some loose ends, but that just seemed weird to me. A one-chapter epilogue, sure, but that much more? *shakes head*

Favorite line: "It's like I left my dreams in a jar on a shelf in my childhood closet, and now I only need to reach up and open the lid so they can come true."

Four stars:

****