Pies Before Guys is an entertaining cosy mystery with several quirky characters. The plot is engaging and I loved the setting. I've read one of the other books in this series and this one didn't disappoint.

Pies before Guys is the 4th title in the Pie Town Mystery series. Val, the shops owner is looking to improve her relationship with her newly discovered half-brother Doran. Reeling from the events in the last novel, Val is seemingly desperate to establish a strong relationship with Doran as she feels he is the only family she has left. Distanced from a shady Father who works as an enforcer for the mob, Val values her potential future relationship she might be able to have with Doran. Her romantic relationship is also looking positive as her involvement with Detective Gordon Carmichael seems to be thriving. Once again through her relationships take a pause after a deadly murder occurs right after a poetry reading held at Pie Town.

Pie Town employee and student Abril was so excited for the opportunity to host a poetry reading, that the murder of Professor Starke, a prolific and creative English professor, shocks her and the town of San Nicholas.

Val's best friend and pie crust aficionado Charlene takes the opportunity to get the Baker Street Bakers involved...as well as some pie tin UFOs...but since its Charlene the reader should know better than to ask.

Another well written instalment to the series, this specific title has a lot of moving parts. In an almost "Clue" like way we often get the opportunity to be in a room with many potential suspects. This one did keep me guessing till the end. I look forward to the next adventure for Val and the Baker Street Bakers!

Thank you to Kensington Books for an advanced copy of this title in exchange for a review.

Had a really hard time getting through this one. I was so excited to continue in the series. I was disappointed in Val’s continued insecurities. I was hopeful that she would learn from her past false assumptions. Charlene was way out of control. The only character I had some interest in were the professors from the college.

A well written and fun to read cozy mystery that made me smile and kept me guessing.
The story flows without any hiccup, the cast of characters is fleshed out, and the mystery is solid.
Can't wait to read the next installment.
Recommended.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I really like a lot of the characters and plot points in this series but Charlene has become a deal-breaker for me. She’s an antagonist that we’re supposed to see as a friend to our protagonist. She drives the action in such a negative way, but because it all works out in the end, we forgive her? I cannot read these books anymore - she has no growth or development.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.

I never had the opportunity to visit pie town or meet Val and her gang before. I was really excited to hear I was going to be traveling to Cali...and a pie shop….well let’s just say it didn’t take much persuasion.
I arrived right when pie town was hosting a poetry reading. Several of the readers were from the English department at the local community college. Pretty tame right….WRONG! When the reading ends two of the professors were having a screaming match about plagiarism, and within a couple hours one of them is dead….killed with a saber...YES I said saber lol. Well Val and the Baker street bakers (Charlene made me an honorary member) had to investigate...I mean another murder with affiliation to pie town...we needed to figure this out. Man it was a wild ride...trying to keep Charlene in line sometimes is a full time job...and with Val trying to get acquainted with her newly discovered half brother...and keeping pie town from crumbling...get it because it’s pie...lol. Well let’s just say I needed lots of R and R when I got back home!

My thoughts:
I want to start by saying this is the first book I have read in the series, and I will be going back and reading the first before I decide whether its right for me. I really wanted to love it! I mean the cover is great, and the title is amusing. The premise is right up my alley...I love bakery themed cozies. I just didn’t (love it)…. I found myself not connected with Val at all. She wasn’t very interesting, and made some very dumb decisions. It was super frustrating! I also thought there needed to be more setting development. It never gave me the cozy feeling..that would keep me anticipating the next installment.

I thought the author did a really good job with the mystery. I was guessing until the reveal. It includes recipes that sound mouthwatering delicious! I also really enjoyed Charlene. I always love the older eccentric side kick...and she did not disappoint...she was quite entertaining! For these reasons and as mentioned above I came in to the middle of the series I will be giving it a fair shot by reading book 1.

For lovers of food cozies get yourself a slice of pie or one of Val’s great quiches and enjoy!


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I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Netgalley, the author Kirsten Weiss, and the publisher for this opportunity.

A well written and fun to read cozy mystery that made me smile and kept me guessing.
The story flows without any hiccup, the cast of characters is fleshed out, and the mystery is solid.
Can't wait to read the next installment.
Recommended.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Thank you to Kensington Books for giving me a digital galley of this book in exchange for feedback.

I've been looking forward to "Pies before Guys," because I've already read and enjoyed the previous books in Kirsten Weiss's "Pie Town" series. What I like about these books is that they're a little more youthful than most cozy mysteries. The stereotype is that cozy mysteries are written by and for old women, and I'm fine with that - no one enjoys watching an elderly nun and her cat solve a crime more than I do. But Weiss's "Pie Town" series is cozy mystery for millennials, and I am finding that I really enjoy the slightly-edgy-for-a-cozy-but-still-pretty-cozy tone of them.

In this volume, Val is hosting a poetry reading at Pie Town, facilitated in part by employee Abril, who is excited that her professor will be reading his poems there. The poetry is painfully bad, but when the professor is murdered just after the reading, the problem of bad poetry seems a little insignificant. Should Val investigate? Or should she leave it to her handsome boyfriend the detective, and keep her eyes on her pies? Not related to murder, is it really a good idea for Charlene to start a UFO hoax on YouTube involving branded pie plates?

I found that it took me a little time to get into this one, but by the time Val was digging in the Dumpster for a discarded and possibly important bad poem, I was all in for the Pie Town gang and the solution to the mystery.

Bonus points for included pie recipes, which I almost certainly won't actually cook but still enjoy seeing.