Breach of Crust

Ella Mae LeFaye has been thinking about expanding the menu at her pie shop to include recipes for customers with food allergies and dietary restriction and Beatrice Burbank's invitation to teach members of the Camellia Club how to make pies seems like the perfect opportunity to try out some of those recipes. Unfortunately, before the event happens Ella Mae finds Beatrice's body floating in Lake Havenwood and it wasn't an accident. Ella Mae quickly realizes that there is something very dangerous going on with the Camellia Club but she will have to fight this evil without her magic powers which are gone. In order to fight, she will need the help of friends but at what cost?

“Breach of Crust” is the enchanting fifth book in Ellery show more Adams’ Charmed Pie Shoppe cozy mystery series. Actually the series is part cozy mystery, part supernatural (many characters in the book have magic powers), and part mythology - it may sound like an odd combination but it works in this series which gets stronger with every book. Adams has done a wonderful job creating the world Ella Mae, her family and friends live in with some of whom having magic powers and others who don't (and don’t know magic exists). This world and the people in it grow and change with every book – especially Ella Mae in this book. Adams takes her time revealing the mystery in this book but by the time she does, I was completely caught up in the storyline. This is really not so much a “who done it” as it is a “why are these things happening” type of book and the answer to that is well done and a bit frightening especially to those living in Havenwood, Georgia. The ending of the book (no spoilers here) grabbed at my heart, made me want to cry, and terrified me all at the same time - well done Ms. Adams!

“Breach of Crust” is another great mystery by Ellery Adams! show less

Breach of Crust by Ellery Adams is the fifth book in The Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery series. Ella Mae LeFaye is getting ready to close up The Charmed Pie Shoppe for the day, but they are waiting on a customer who has ordered every pie on the menu. However, she has only taken one bite from each piece. The customer asks to speak with Ella Mae. Her name is Bea Burbank. Mrs. Burbank is president of the Camellia Club in Sweetbriar, Georgia. She is organizing their annual retreat. They are asking three different dessert chefs to teach the members recipes they can use in their latest fundraising cookbook (for scholarships and to help a young woman who was burned with her surgeries). Ella Mae, of course, agrees to help. The retreat will be held show more Havenwood so it is no trouble for Ella Mae.

Ella Mae is also working to help Opal Garner. Opal is dying of cancer and she wants to see her daughter, Loralyn before she dies. Loralyn fled town and no one has seen her (or heard from her). She also happens to be Ella Mae’s enemy. Ella Mae, though, cannot refuse to help a dying woman. To help extend Opal’s life (or heal her), Ella Mae and friends start looking for a magical object. Will she be able to find one in time? Ella Mae is on her dock late at night and notices someone in the water. She dives in and finds the body of Bea Burbank. It turns out that their research for a magical object leads them right back to the Camellia Club (and want to guess what else Ella Mae finds). Ella Mae can solve Bea’s murder, find a magical object, and help Opal at the same time!

Breach of Crust was a delight to read. I enjoyed every moment of this book, and I really did not want it to end. In order to understand what is going on in Breach of Crust, you do need to read the other books in The Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery series (or you will be lost). Breach of Crust is well-written (as usual), has charming characters, romance (not just between Hugh and Ella Mae), humor, and some magic. Ellery Adams crafted an enchanting tale with Breach of Crust. I give Breach of Crust 5 out of 5 stars (which you know I rarely do). The ending in this novel will leave you smiling.

I received a complimentary copy of Breach of Crust from NetGalley in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel. show less

Boy has this series gotten 'out there'. It's almost more fantasy than cozy mystery.

I liked the characters and setting as much as ever, but the plot of this one was just too much for me. The murder mystery was well plotted, but the whole climax at the end was just too melodramatic and over-the-top; if it had been written to be an urban fantasy, it would have worked much better; as a cozy, it just comes across too cute to take seriously.

I loved the very end though; it was believably sweet.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

That I didn't love this book more is not this book's fault. It all comes down to personal preference. I like my mysteries to have a lot of mystery in them, and I don't typically tend to be drawn to books centered around magical beings (with definite exceptions). There just wasn't enough mystery in this book for me, particularly as the cover does bill it as a mystery book.

That I finished this book is absolutely a testament to Adams' writing. I quickly realized the mystery wasn't going to be the focus, but I found Adams' characters, setting, and writing style all so charming (series reference show more intended) that I had to keep reading. I especially enjoyed the multiple kick-butt female characters, and the lovely romance between the main protagonist and her firefighter boyfriend. Adams hooked me to the point that even though this wasn't really a mystery book (in my opinion), I may just be coming back for more. show less

A cute, cozy mystery. I liked it enough to want to back read the series.

[I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.]

Ella Mae, no longer possessing magical powers, makes efforts to adjust to her new lifestyle with Hugh and her family. When she receives a request from Opal Gaynor to find her arch enemy Loralyn, she agrees while at the same time trying to determine exactly how the Camellia Club is related to the magical world especially after its president is found floating dead in the lake.

I really enjoy this series, the characters, the stories, and how good vs. evil is portrayed. Brand new - how long must I wait for the next one?

A wonderful end to an enchanted series. This could very well be another series I will reread repeatedly because it gives me the kind of nourishment my soul sometimes desperately needs.