Breach of Crust by Ellery Adams is the fifth book in the “Charmed Pie Shoppe” mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, April 2016

PIE SHELLS AND DEATH BELLES

Ella Mae LeFaye’s delicious pies are still drawing long lines—as well as the attention of Beatrice Burbank, president of the Camellia Club, a philanthropic organization comprised of high-society Southern ladies from the charming and affluent town of Sweet Briar, Georgia. To ensure the success of their centennial dessert cookbook, Bea hires Ella Mae to teach the tasty tricks of her trade to the club’s members at their annual retreat. Eager to work on new recipes for customers with food allergies and dietary restrictions, Ella Mae readily agrees.

But when Ella Mae finds Bea’s body floating in Lake Havenwood, she wonders what she’s gotten herself mixed up in. Someone certainly wanted Bea to eat humble pie, and the retreat offers no shortage of unsavory characters, including Ella Mae’s longtime nemesis, Loralyn Gaynor. Ella Mae definitely doesn’t need magic to tell her she must find the killer before someone else gets panned.

There is something about this book that completely takes me over when I turn the first page. From the start, I’m taken into a magical world where Southern hospitality is at the name of the game and murder complicates things, especially for Ella Mae. Determined to prove that the body she found was indeed murder, Ella Mae and her family and friends venture out and coming close to her nemesis brings everything to the forefront.

What a wonderful and well-written story with a mystery that was both engaging and entertainingly enticing. The author does a great job of delivering this character-infused drama that put me smack dab in the middle of the action. I felt the loss and the joy of the characters portrayed in this enchanting tale of greed and a stronger bond yet to be fulfilled. This was an excellent read and one of the best in the series and I can’t wait to see what happens next in Havenwood, Georgia with the LeFayes and their friends.