One Poison Pie is the first book in a new cozy series by Lynn Cahoon. Released 26th Jan 2021 from Kensington, it's 272 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of
contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've
really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For
Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU
subscription library to borrow and read for free.
This
is a small-town catering cozy with light paranormal overtones complete with cat, feisty grandma, (and a recipe for pie at the back). I found
the characters a bit formulaic and "trope-y" and the plotting predictable. One
of the major (really *the* major) plot device(s) is so beyond the
bounds of possibility that it just never really achieved liftoff for me.
No spoilers, but it's the main impetus for the first murder and most of the
subsequent plot action. The dialogue is often clunky and a bit cartoonish; Officer Baldwin is a buffoonish bully and some his lines are cringe-worthy. The story arc, denouement, and resolution are satisfying however and the author is experienced and writes well.
I do recommend the book to readers who are especially fond of small-town cat cozies with outlandish plots, but understand that there are some major issues going in and bring a hefty suspension of disbelief to the party. There are many wonderful long running series which got off to a rocky start. This could possibly be one of them. There are glimmers of an interesting and engaging story.
Three and a half stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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