Thursday, July 21, 2011

Review & Giveaway: Pie à la Murder by Melinda Wells


Mass Market Paperback, 320 pages
published July 5th 2011 by Penguin Group (USA)
ISBN
0425242218 (ISBN13: 9780425242216)
primary language English

Della Carmichael hosts her own cooking show, In the Kitchen with Della, on cable tv. Along with this endeavor, she also runs a culinary business with Eileen O'Hara, her honorary daughter.

Nicholas D'Martino has been the main man in her life for the last year but it seems he has kept one big secret from Della. He springs the surprise of an 18 year old daughter,Celeste, on her only because Celeste is  coming to stay with him in his home in Santa Monica.

Celeste, quite the cosmoplitan young lady,has been living in high style, with her mother in London and Vienna. Now, she wants to be an actress and where better to go but California? Neither her mother nor Nick is thrilled with her career choice and after living among the Hollywood types for years, Nick has good reason.

So, when Alex Redding, photographer to the stars, takes a risqué photo of Celeste, Nick is furious.When he goes to confront Alex, he finds him with his head bashed in. Ooooh, not a pretty sight; obviously, someone else is not a fan of Alex either!

Even though Della is not too far behind Nick when he finds the body, the police insist he still had enough time to commit the crime and now he is their prime suspect. His credible motive is sufficient for them. Della is convinced Nick doesn't have it in him to be a killer despite any strong motive. There must be someone else in Alex's life with a murderous grudge; but with some conflicting alibis, it's confusing. Della needs to stir the suspect pot a little and see what shakes out. Will she be in time to save her man?

Although this is the 4th book in the Della Cooks series, I jumped right in and didn't feel like I was missing anything vital about the characters. Della and Nick are both credible and likeable. The setting is great and that always adds some nice ambiance to the plot. Their romance part of the book just enhanced the story and showed them as normal human beings. I did figure out the culprit but it took me until close to the end. Good job, Melinda! Lots of recipes included at the end. 4****
Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Berkley in exchange for my honest opinion.

To celebrate this month's release of Pie a La Murder, Berkley is allowing me to host a giveaway for one copy of the book. Open to US only and deadline to enter is July 30th at 5 PM (est).  Please be sure to leave an e mail address in your comment. Bonus entries available for this contest are as follows:

+2 for being a follower old or new. Just remind me how you follow and under what name.
+3 for blogging or tweeting about the giveaway. Leave me a link, please.

Good luck!

38 comments:

  1. Cooking and murder? Sounds like fun to me! Please enter me. kathy(at)bermudaonion.net

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like a great book! Thanks for the giveaway!

    +2 I follow you via GFC (Throuthehaze)

    throuthehaze at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great giveaway! I'm a GFC follower and I tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/Bookworm307/status/94032662771142656

    Beverly aka Booklady

    ReplyDelete
  4. Book Dilettante aka Book bird dog is a follower!

    Would love to win this cozy!

    harvee44 (at) yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. It sounds like another fun cozy - glad you could read it out of order and not feel like you were missing anything.
    meah56 at gmail dot com

    I'm a GFC follower - (Mary)

    ReplyDelete
  6. +2I'm a follower. I follow in my Googlereader.

    teakettle58(at)yahoo(dot)com

    An unknown daughter who is eighteen yrs. old???? OMG.

    +3I tweeted.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'd love to win! I'm a follower under the name of Susan.
    sdryburgh at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. This sounds like a fun read...it sounds like what just happened in the news with the newspaper man, who someone threw a pie in his face, this week.

    iowagramma.ann@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am a GFC follower.

    iowagramma.ann@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. I will post this on my sidebar.

    iowagramma.ann@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sounds like a good book.

    sgiden at verizon.net

    +1 GFC follower SandyG265

    ReplyDelete
  12. This book sounds like it would be interesting and like Kathy, I like the angle of cooking and murder. Thanks for the great giveaway! I would love the chance to be entered!

    zibilee(at)figearo(dot)

    I also follow your blog through google reader.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love watching cooking shows (but hate to cook) so this should be a fun read!
    kpbarnett1941[at]aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks for the giveaway. Please count me in,

    lizzi0915 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  15. I follow on GFC under Bethie

    lizzi0915 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Would love to enter!
    I am a GFC follower +2

    Lisa.2713 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm a GFC follower (Literati Wannabe)... thank you for the giveaway!

    vanessanicole21 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sounds like a fun read. Thanks for the chance.

    dlodden at frontiernet dot net

    ReplyDelete
  19. I follow with GFC.

    dlodden at frontiernet dot net

    ReplyDelete
  20. Love cozies!! Thanks for the chance to win!

    irbratb(@)gmail(.)com

    ReplyDelete
  21. I follow via GFC: Vicki Newell
    irbratb(@)gmail(.)com

    ReplyDelete
  22. TWEET:
    http://twitter.com/#!/irbratb/status/94183831581626368

    irbratb(@)gmail(.)com

    ReplyDelete
  23. Looks like another great cozy, thanks for the chance to win!

    +2 I am a GFC follower.

    JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  24. Sounds really good! I'd love to be entered to win.

    old follower on gfc under Martha Lawson

    mlawson17 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  25. Recipes and mystery, nice combination :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Sounds fun. Please count me in. Thanks for the giveaway
    mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  27. This sounds like a great book! I would really like to read it, so thanks for the chance to win a copy:)

    jwitt33 at live dot com

    ReplyDelete
  28. Sorry, I forgot to mention that I am a GFC follower:)

    jwitt33 at live dot com

    ReplyDelete
  29. E mail entry Anne booklady85[at]hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  30. Hmm, I'd dump a guy that didn't mention he had a daughter

    ReplyDelete
  31. Awesome giveaway!

    +2 I'm a GFC follower (Stacie)
    +3 I tweeted -
    http://twitter.com/#!/StacieBromley/status/94918720165646337

    scouts579(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  32. Love food cozies. This is wonderful, please enter me in this contest.

    I am a GFC follower.

    I tweeted:

    http://t.co/aSwLNLX
    My Twitter name is Carolee888


    CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  33. I just added this to my goodreads list last night to read.. lol I would totally love to be added to the giveaway!

    I even shared on Twitter
    http://twitter.com/#!/MommaMiaof3

    I just found your page so I'm a new follower (as Sweet).

    Awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  34. I forgot my email addy! Ah. See how excited I am.. lol

    sweetladychaos2(@)hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  35. i LOVE cozies!!!! thank you for this giveaway!!!!

    i'm a follower & does sharing on FB count??? www.facebook.com/cyn209......cyn209 is also my name that i follow under!!!

    cyn209(AT)juno(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  36. An 18-year-old daughter is a pretty big secret to writhhold!!?? : )

    No need to enter me. I have so many books to read already that I don't need another one.

    By the way, I'm just back from vacation and catching up on your blog but am only going to leave one comment or I'll never get all the way caught up with blogging.

    ReplyDelete
  37. I must get over the number in the series thingie and just dive in!! I want a standard poodle...I think they're cool!!

    stacijoreads@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  38. I'd love to read this!

    sharonsnote at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete

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