The Curse of the Cherry Pie

Meade’s delicious fourth Tish Tarragon mystery (after 2020’s The Christmas Fair Killer) finds Tish, the owner of Cookin’ the Books Café and Catering in Hobson Glen, Va., hoping to win the prestigious annual Virginia Commonwealth Bake-Off. Tish, who plans to turn over the $15,000 first prize to a recently widowed friend and employee in need of the money, discovers that two strong contenders, who were expected to unseat Whitney Liddell as champion, died during a previous bake-off. She begins to look more closely at her competitors, particularly Whitney, a proponent of Christian family values who has won the event for three consecutive years. Cutthroat tactics, blind ambition, and murderous impulses are brought to a boil as Tish unearths some surprising means and motives for the two deaths. Meade skillfully sets up tantalizing red herrings, while leaving the actual clues hidden in plain sight. In contrast to earlier outings, Tish doesn’t constantly refer to all the great books she’s read or drop silly puns, and she’s no longer willfully oblivious to danger. Fans will welcome her growing maturity as a character. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds Literary. (May)