Live and Galette Die (Lucky Pie Mystery #2)
by Gretchen Rue
My Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: m/f
Blurb:
It’s summer on Split Pine Island and the little community is abuzz with excitement. A popular home renovation show will be spending the summer on the island and doing improvements for some of the local residents and businesses. Local pie-maker Este March may not be able to make her own luck with her magical baking skills, but she is over the moon when she finds out that her unfinished house will be the star jewel in the makeover series.When the crew for the show arrives on the island, things aren’t as sweet as Este and the islanders hoped. The show’s producer starts butting heads with everyone, until one afternoon she’s found dead–in Este’s house!
Now Este needs to uncover who bumped off the unpopular producer, all while she begins to uncover more details about the magic pies-making skills that were passed down to her through the generations. She used to believe the luck was random, but as it turns out, she might have more control over it than she previously believed.
Can Este find a killer, hone her magic, and make herself at home, or will a killer set their sights on her before she is able to unravel the mystery?
My Review
I really enjoyed the first book in this series and when I was in the mood for a comfort read I knew it was time to read the second book. I had a great time reading this one. I liked returning to this small island town, this time in the midst of summer with tourists and with a home renovation show coming to the island. I liked reading more about Este and the Lucky Pie diner. And there’s a great mystery as well.
This book definitely switched things up with set at a different time of year and showing the island in the summer. The different time of year and how it impacted the island was clear. And then there is this house renovation show coming to the island and one of the members of the production crew ends up dead in Este’s new house. I liked the mystery and seeing how Este got involved. Although I was a bit confused when she admitted she did not think someone was the killer and then later does believe he is the killer without anything clearly changing her mind. It took me a while, but toward the end I managed to figure out who had done it, Este did not figure it out till later and I wished that had played out differently than with her literally stumbling upon a big clue and the murderer seeing that. The reveal and wrap up was well done.
I really liked reading about Este, seeing her interact with her friends and family and seeing how she runs the shop. I liked reading about the delicious sounding pies she bakes and the fun flavors she comes up with. I also liked learning a it more about her magic with the pies and seeing her try some new magic with it and seeing how it plays out. I am curious to see how that plays out in future books. The magic is a pretty small part of the story, but pretty prominent and important at the same time. I like the unique baking magic and seeing how it works. I have to say I am not really feeling the romance, but it’s only a minor part of the book.
To summarize: I had a great time reading this one. It’s such a fun and cozy read. I like reading about Este and seeing her interact with other characters. The pies she bakes all sound delicious and I really liked reading about the baking. The mystery was an interesting one with the dead body showing up in Este’s not yet finished house and the victim being someone from the house renovation tv show crew. I managed to guess who the murderer was, but Este didn’t figure it out until she stumbles upon a big clue by accident and the murderer confronts her. I wished that part had played out differently as I like when the sleuth figures it out by being smart. The resolution and wrap up was well done. I liked reading more about the small town on this island and seeing it in a different season than the first book. I also liked learning more about the magic pie baking skill Este has as she experiments more with it and learn more in this book.
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