Pies, Lies and Lethal Doses

Pies, Lies and Lethal Doses: A Maggie Nelson Cozy Mystery

Bonnie Reed

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Librarian Maggie Nelson is excited to celebrate the Spring Festival but the mood changes when real estate mogul Gregory Steele is murdered. Maggie’s best friend and town baker, Lucy is accused of killing Gregory after she was seen arguing with him. Maggie calls on her journalist friend, Brett, to help her prove Lucy’s innocence. Can they solve the mystery before her friend is jailed for a murder she didn’t commit?

This book has its positives and negatives. I felt that the basic premises of the plot was good. There were  various suspects that easily could have been the murderer. I was surprised at the ending, which is favorable. However, I had trouble connecting with the main character. Maggie’s emotional volatility sometimes made her come across as unlikable. Also, some scenes felt like they were added humor, but they did not connect with the rest of the story and disrupted the flow. Overall, I feel this book has a lot of promise and with some tweaks, could be a solid read.

*I received an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.