The Quiche and the Dead

Book excerpt: When murder is served at a California pie shop, the head baker turns amateur sleuth in this New York Times bestselling author’s cozy mystery series debut. After moving to the California coast with her fiancé, Valentine Harris thought her dream of running her own business was just pie in the sky. Five months and a broken engagement later, Val is still in San Nicholas—and running her own pie shop. But when one of her regulars keels over at the counter while eating a quiche, Val feels like she's living a nightmare. After the police determine the customer was poisoned, business at Pie Town drops faster than a fallen crust. Convinced they’re both suspects, Val's flaky, seventy-something assistant Charlene drags her boss into some amateur sleuthing. At first Val dismisses Charlene’s half-baked hypotheses, but before long the ladies uncover some shady dealings hidden in fog-bound San Nicholas. Now Val must expose the truth—before a crummy killer tries to shut her pie hole.