Publisher's Weekly Review
Turnbridge, Mass., baker Daisy Ellery admits at the start of Popp's arresting debut and series launch, "The first time I killed a man with a pie, it was an accident." She adds, "But only the first." Daisy, a loner with a lovable dog as her only real friend, uses the special witchy talent she possesses to target men who cause serious harm to women. She has reason to worry after she finds a blackmail letter on her door that threatens to reveal she's a vigilante serial killer. Several people in her orbit raise her suspicions, including Frank, the cantankerous owner of the local diner, and do-gooder Melly, but farmer Noel also gains her attention for other reasons. Daisy needs to thwart the blackmailer before that person can spoil her efforts to help women at the upcoming state pie fair. Popp addresses social issues such as domestic violence, politics, and same-sex partnerships, and she peppers her charming and darkly humorous tale with profanity. Cozy readers looking for something different will find much to like in this unusual culinary cozy. Agent: Rebecca Podos, Reese Literary. (May)
Kirkus Review
Say hello to a witch whose pies have magical ingredients--some tonic, some deadly. When Daisy Ellery's mother died from cancer and her father fell apart, she and her dog, Zoe, took off in the pink RV her witchy family had passed down. Now she makes a living selling her deliciously enhanced pies. After she accidentally kills a man with a pie, she realizes she may have been called to avenge women who get no justice from the law. She brings pies laced with power to a support group for abused women and pies laced with vengeance to men who deserve it. Daisy parks her trailer behind Frank's Roadside Diner, where she provides pies in lieu of rent as she travels around selling her wares, accepting new women who seek her help only if they're recommended by former clients. Then her life is turned upside down when she gets an anonymous note from someone who's trying to blackmail her into killing three women. Since there's no poison in her pies, there's no way to prove a case against her, but she doesn't like being threatened. When she befriends Noel, a farm boy who's selling apples, cider, and honey at the farmers market to keep his family orchard going, he urges her to enter a pie contest with a big cash prize. As she's creating a winner for the contest with Noel's apples and honey, Daisy tries to uncover the identity of her blackmailer. Even after she discovers the shocking truth, she still has to find a way to escape the trap she's in. An exciting debut that has you rooting for a morally conflicted witch while salivating over her pies. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Daisy has the magical ability to infuse her pies with feelings. She can also use pies to kill people, specifically men who have harmed women. In addition, she makes pies for a diner and to sell out of her van. When she is blackmailed about her murder-pie sideline by someone who wants her to kill three women, she wonders if the culprit is her purple-haired friend, Melly, whom she met on the college campus, or Noel, the farmer who owns the stall next to hers. She is attracted to both and can't believe either wants to hurt her. As she uncovers clues, Daisy realizes that the blackmailer may be much closer to her than she believes. Daisy's family history, including the origin of her magical abilities, add layers to a fascinating heroine. The pie descriptions (aside from the deadly ones) will leave readers hungry, and the rapid pacing and tantalizing plot will keep them engrossed in this strong debut.
Library Journal Review
Popp's delicious new cozy combines feminism, the MeToo movement, and other recent events into a fun mystery. Daisy Ellery is out to right the wrongs of the world, one pie at a time. Her pies are to die for, literally. Using skills passed down through generations of her family, Daisy exacts vengeance for the crimes men commit against the women of her town. When she learns someone's been prowling around the camp trailer she calls home, she sets out to also solve crime. She finds a letter, guesses it's blackmail, and starts considering suspects. A local pie-baking contest may just be the key to solving this mystery and allowing her to continue helping wronged women everywhere. Using her magic, passed down through the women of the world, Daisy is able to infuse her food not only with ingredients to kill, but to also strengthen. Narrator Tanya Eby brings the effervescent Daisy to life. VERDICT Fans of The Great British Baking Show will enjoy hearing about the pies made by Daisy. This first in a new series is for fans of cozy mysteries looking for one with a modern twist.--Elyssa Everling
