Cover Image: Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies

Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies

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Member Reviews

Magic, Lies, and Pies is an one of those books that have you on the side of the killer. Usually we read books that we are definitely not a fan of the murderer but to have a whole business of making pies and using it as a way to kill abusers and rapists, you can’t hate her for that. At least I can’t. I definitely wasn’t expecting this book to turn out like it did. I found myself hoping that Daisy didn’t get caught.

I find that there were so many things about this book that wasn’t for me. I am not interested in all the political propaganda when I read fiction, especially in a cozy mystery. Romance and cozy mysteries are more where I want to relax and escape the real world we live in. They are a nice way to get out of our head and when authors bring them into our reading it takes away from the escape.

“Like there are these things that matter on a large grand scale, the kind of things Melly cares about, like stopping fascism and curing climate change, and that’s obviously super important, but then there are the little individual things, like a woman who’s getting hit at home or a girl whose rapist gets a free pass for being popular. Do you go for the big sweeping save-the-world changes that will help the most people, or do you chip away at the little problems, fixing one and another and another until you have this huge snowball of good deeds built up?”

― Misha Popp, Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies
The story was pretty interesting and I kept wanting to listen. However, this book is full of feminist, leftist ideologies that portray most men as horrible sexist women beaters and rapist. I personally have had experience with men like this. I have been in situations like the women in this story however I do not think most men are like that. It is sad when women think that men are all horrible pigs.

The fact that one of her rules is that she will never use this on a woman like men are the only ones in relationships that can be abusive is ridiculous. I have know a few men who would get beat on by their woman. They weren’t weak or anything, they just believed that they weren’t supposed to hit women so they never retaliated. That is what we teach our boys. They aren’t allowed to hit females. Then you end up with men in abusive relationships. Would Daisy think that was ok? Would she take on a case to kill a woman that was abusive? What is the woman was not only abusive to the her husband but also to the children.

Now I haven’t read the remaining books in this series and I likely won’t so I don’t know if that is something that she later considers. I do hope that is something that is changed in this series though.

I listened to the audio version of this book and really enjoyed the narrator. It was originally a NetGalley arc that I ended up taking forever to get to.

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3.75

I enjoyed the narrator chosen for this story. She fit the personality of the character and did well telling the story.

Overall this was a fun story to listen to and I didn't want to stop listening. The storyline is interesting and the characters are enjoyable. I had hoped for a few "gasp" moments, but there were still a few surprises in the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook.

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I gave this one a fair shot but I just couldn't really get into it. I kept waiting for something to happen but it was very lack luster. I feel like cozy mysteries just aren't for me.

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Maybe cozy mysteries are just not for me. The story sounded interesting and different so I gave it a shot but it just didn’t grab my attention. Not enough suspense and too much politics. But it was a nice light read. Overall just ok.

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I've tried several times to read this book but it's to political for me. I like to escape not her about an authors political views.

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I recently discovered how much I enjoy a cozy mystery, and was excited to read MAGIC, LIES, AND DEADLY PIES, the first book in the Pies Before Guys mystery series.

The characters were so fun, and I really loved Daisy. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Tanya Eby. Overall it was a cute read, and I’m looking forward to the next book!

*many thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

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Daisy Ellery has a magical way with pies. Her creations can inspire, give courage, and provide many other emotional outcomes. Daisy can also whip up a murderous pie that will prove fatal to men who have harmed woman. But when someone discovers her secret talent, he begins to blackmail Daisy. Her life is then in danger and she must discover the blackmailer's identity before it is too late.
This cozy mystery is the first in a new series. I was given an ARC by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
#netgalley
#magic
#piesbeforeguys
#mishabopp

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I loved getting to know the characters in this series. They were relatable or likeable and it created a comfy atmosphere for the story. I thought this book was fun and a quick read. The story wrapped up nicely and left the magical realism of it open to more in the series.

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Didn’t connect with this very well and didn’t like the storyline. I wonder if I would have enjoyed it more reading the book instead of listening (which is typically the case for me).

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I listened to the audiobook and honestly couldn’t finish it. I just couldn’t get into the storyline and didn’t care about the main character. This book is being marketed as a cozy mystery and it is a new genre I wanted to check out, but after reading some of the online reviews it seems that it doesn’t even really fit in that genre. Oh well, gave it a try.
Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the Advance Reader Copy.
#MagicLiesandDeadlyPies #NetGalley

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This book was hilarious. It's also a bit odd, but it's the perfect quirky read if you want something that's got cozy mystery vibes but doesn't require a lot of bandwidth or focusing.

The author is clearly an anti-Trumper and she changes the bad guy's name but barely so it's hilarious.

The main character has inherited her family's business of pie making and delivering "magic" pies to men that put women in very very terrible situations in which there is no escape for them, so the pies make the men disappear. It appears as if someone is onto her and threatening to divulge her secrets so she has to get to the bottom of this.

The one thing that was very triggering is a mention of someone who died because she was denied the right to an abortion for hours while she was experiencing a medical emergency. This was incredibly triggering, especially given the timing now with the reversal of roe vs. wade.

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This was such an original story. Very empowering with strong topics, served up in a lighter way. A vigilante pie maker, what a concept!

Although penned as a Cozy Mystery, I would say this is more of a Soft Boiled mystery. Some of the topics and language would be too strong for some traditional readers.

I would recommend this book to someone looking for a light mystery with feminism and LGBQT undertones.

#piesbeforeguys

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TW: Domestic violence & sexual violence

Our main character is a murderer that we root for. It’s a less gruesome version of Dexter & the victims get pies that kill them. Also, it’s done with magic.

Going into this, I thought it would a light, maybe kind of silly book that would be a fun read. I was absolutely blown away by the social commentary in this book though. She kills by a code (seeing the Dexter parallel?). The code boils down to only men and when there is no other way out for women. Topics of domestic violence, sexual violence, and gender inequality are raised in this book in a way that brings attention to some complicated issues while maintaining an approachable feel. I’ve never attempted to write anything like that, but I can only imagine that it’s a pretty tough balance.

I also loved that pit bulls were represented as non-aggressive in this book! It sounds weird, but as a pit mom, it’s tough to see the way they’re portrayed in media.

The narrator did a wonderful job balancing the serious aspects of this book with the light nature of the premise.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Misha Popp for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

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3.5
This was good, not what I was expecting but still pretty good.
When Daisy Ellery first killed a man with a pie it was an accident but now she has found that it’s her calling. She bakes a sweet sort of vengeance into each one then along with her dog, Zoe, the pies are delivered to men who’ve done wrong to the local women. However, when a crime occurs that she didn’t actually do she has to find the real culprit before she pies no more.
Daisy parks her Pies Before Guys mobile bakery outside of the local diner and is informed by the diner owner, Frank, that someone’s been snooping around her in a very suspicious manner. She’s not in the best of graces with Frank as it is. Then, she finds a letter on her door threatening to reveal her and what her pies can do.
Now, she just cannot figure out who is blackmailing her. There are a few suspects she can think of but she just can’t truly imagine them doing such a thing. With an upcoming statewide pie contest, Daisy figures it’s her big chance to help wronged women everywhere, if she doesn’t meet her final demise first that is.
This was good. For some reason I thought it was a little darker than it was. Yes, that’s right because poison pies aren’t dark enough. It was still an enjoyable little story with fun characters and a nice little mystery bouncing around.
The narrator for the audio book was excellent so if you like audio books I think you'd enjoy this one a lot.

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I loved the concept and was intrigued by the premise. Unfortunately the execution just didn’t do it for me. This cozy mystery was just a little too silly for this reader.

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This was a cute cozy murder novel. I loved the concept of a revenge pie vigilante and consumed the whole thing in a day

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I had no idea what to expect when I started listening to this book. I thought it might be a cozy culinary mystery with recipes but it was so much more. I kinda felt like it was a mixture of cozy mystery and Dexter! The story kept me engaged and the narrator was engaging. I hope there is a sequel to this book.

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It seemed like the mystery happened and was solved within one chapter. This book was just way too predictable. The reader was good.

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*Trigger warnings: rape, domestic violence, addiction, cussing

Daisy Ellery is capable of a specific type of magic: she can bake abilities/wishes into her pies: whether it’s happiness for the people eating it or avenging women done wrong by men. Someone knows her secret, though, and has sent her a note to blackmail her. Daisy hopes to win the upcoming statewide pie contest, but to do so, she will need to figure out who her blackmailer is and keep them from ruining her business and her life.

I love stories with magical realism, and this was an interesting premise. Daisy is bisexual, and it made me happy to see the rep in a book that wasn’t specifically about her sexual orientation. Tanya Eby did a fantastic job narrating the audiobook. I look forward to seeing where Popp takes the series next!

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

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I have mixed feelings about this book. Murder, Lies and Deadly Pies by Misha Popp is classified as a cozy mystery but I would say it's more of a dark suspenseful romance book. While it had aspects of a mystery from trying to find out who is blackmailing the main character, it had more of a romantic feel with the two characters the main character has to choose from. I say a dark romance because the Daisy, the main character, bakes pies infused with magic to kill guys who harm women. So she's a serial killer disguised as a lovely pie maker. I couldn't quite connect with her because she shows no remorse for justifying why she bakes the pies. I did like that she also bakes pies to help college students who are stressed and courage pies to those that may need it. This book does touch on some sensitive subjects such as abuse and rape. Overall I enjoyed the book but wouldn't recommend it as a cozy mystery read. If you like cutesy serial killer books with a touch of romance then I would say this book is for you.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this Audiobook in return for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

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