Pie Hard

Mix murder with a handful of suspects and a pinch of possible motives, pour into a flaky crust, and bake until golden brown. The combination of culinary and mystery is the perfect recipe for a cozy in Pie Hard, the third in a series of cozy mysteries set around a small-town pie shop.Will Val pie hard on national TV?Business at the bakery may have slowed down, but Val Harris isn’t about to eat humble pie-not until a reality cooking show decides to whip the struggling Pie Town into shape. If Val can tolerate criticism from an abrasive pastry chef during filming, the free publicity might turn the unusual opportunity into the sweetest deal she didn’t know she needed.Except no one in San Nicholas has an appetite for dessert once murder steals the spotlight. When the show’s bossy producer gets pushed to her death, Val and her flaky, septuagenarian pie crust expert, Charlene, follow crumbs in hopes of finding the killer. But with cameras still rolling and the shocking identity of the victim’s replacement a guaranteed recipe for disaster, Val needs to stay cool long enough to solve the crime and keep Pie Town from falling apart-or else she just might go up in smoke before she ever graces the small screen.