Pecan Pie and Pretense
(2025)(The fifth book in the Paws and Pastries series)
A Story by Daisy Danbury and Maisy Marple
Something deadly is brewing beneath Sugarwood Falls' picture-perfect harvest festival...
Baker-turned-sleuth Harper Lane is ready for a drama-free fall season. With her bourbon pecan pie perfected for the annual baking competition, she's focused on finally defeating five-time champion Ricky "Rhubarb" Lang and his famous pies.
But when Ricky collapses at the festival's opening day and dies from a severe allergic reaction, Harper's competitive rivalry transforms into a murder investigation. The victim's pockets contain two unused EpiPens, raising the unsettling question: was this a tragic accident or a carefully calculated murder?
As Harper digs deeper with her faithful golden retriever Buttercup by her side and handsome Detective Jack Brewster reluctantly allowing her to help, she discovers Ricky had been secretly investigating Sugarwood Falls' organic producers. Photos, soil samples, and cryptic notes reveal he was building a case against several prominent vendors''including people Harper has known her whole life.
But what begins as an inquiry into organic certification fraud soon uncovers something far more sinister: systematic water contamination affecting farms throughout the county, a corrupt mayor's land-grabbing scheme, and powerful interests willing to kill to keep their profitable secrets buried.
When Harper receives a threatening text warning her to stop investigating, she knows she's close to the truth—and in danger of becoming the next victim. With suspects including a recently paroled brewery owner, a honey-producing mailman with a secret laboratory, and an antisocial beekeeper growing questionable rhubarb, the case is filled with more twists than Harper's famous cinnamon rolls.
Can Harper uncover the truth before the killer strikes again? And is someone tampering with Sugarwood Falls' picture-perfect image to hide deadly ingredients that could destroy the town's agricultural reputation forever?
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Baker-turned-sleuth Harper Lane is ready for a drama-free fall season. With her bourbon pecan pie perfected for the annual baking competition, she's focused on finally defeating five-time champion Ricky "Rhubarb" Lang and his famous pies.
But when Ricky collapses at the festival's opening day and dies from a severe allergic reaction, Harper's competitive rivalry transforms into a murder investigation. The victim's pockets contain two unused EpiPens, raising the unsettling question: was this a tragic accident or a carefully calculated murder?
As Harper digs deeper with her faithful golden retriever Buttercup by her side and handsome Detective Jack Brewster reluctantly allowing her to help, she discovers Ricky had been secretly investigating Sugarwood Falls' organic producers. Photos, soil samples, and cryptic notes reveal he was building a case against several prominent vendors''including people Harper has known her whole life.
But what begins as an inquiry into organic certification fraud soon uncovers something far more sinister: systematic water contamination affecting farms throughout the county, a corrupt mayor's land-grabbing scheme, and powerful interests willing to kill to keep their profitable secrets buried.
When Harper receives a threatening text warning her to stop investigating, she knows she's close to the truth—and in danger of becoming the next victim. With suspects including a recently paroled brewery owner, a honey-producing mailman with a secret laboratory, and an antisocial beekeeper growing questionable rhubarb, the case is filled with more twists than Harper's famous cinnamon rolls.
Can Harper uncover the truth before the killer strikes again? And is someone tampering with Sugarwood Falls' picture-perfect image to hide deadly ingredients that could destroy the town's agricultural reputation forever?
Genre: Cozy Mystery
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Used availability for Maisy Marple's Pecan Pie and Pretense