A murder mystery with (a) a sleuth who runs a food-related shop; (b) is part of a series named after the aforementioned shop; (c) features a female entrepreneur whose (eventual? possible? hoped for?) boyfriend is a policeman (detective) and side kick is a tad eccentric; and (d) has a funny title? This does not distinguish Pie Town Mysteries -- or Bleeding Tarts from many others in the cozy food-related mystery genre. It's like there is a formula. (Kidding. Of course there is a formula.)
Having said that, Bleeding Tarts is a reasonably fun romp. Added to the genre: a "fake" ghost town set up in Silicon Valley to attract the wedding and other events crowd as well as pies. I had not given much thought to pies (not being the sort who can make a pie crust) and so had not thought about how many varieties there could be of both sweet and savory types. Nor had I given a moment's thought to the not in of hand pies. Now I have.
Also adding to the genre, given the ghost town, characters named after the Three Stooges seems a bit much -- but it adds to the silly ambience, especially since they are all about trick shooting and horses. Also, there is a guy named Patel (yes, that sort of Indian) who makes dream catchers. And a pink VW van (why do these caterers and entrepreneurs spend so much time talking about their cars?). Gamers who sit in the corner of the cafe. Gossiping men. And the worst sounding alcoholic drink ever: root beer and kahlua. Yuck.
As for the mystery, featuring Val (Valentine) Harris as the pie shop owning amateur detective and a side kick who is both older than her and a fan of the paranormal, here's what I have to say: there were loads of red herrings, several dead bodies, numerous attempts on the heroine's life (including an attack by Prius) and. . . . eventually the working out of who-dun-it. (At some point, I actually caught the relevant clue and knew who did it -- well before then end -- and that is unusual for me. It was dumb luck on my part.)
I am turning into a slow reader, I find, and that may not work so well for cosy mysteries that are meant to be read in kind of a rush in a sitting or two. I had trouble keeping my mind on things -- not the fault of the book. It was fine. I just needed something to take me further away from today's terrible politics.
Having said that, I may actually try making Kirsten Weiss's blueberry/peach/ginger pie. You never know.
Weiss, by the way, writes a whole raft of series novels, including some steam punk. And some werewolf-y things. So, check out her website!
