Peach Pies and Alibis
Read Peach Pies and Alibis Online
Authors: Ellery Adams
Praise for the novels of Ellery Adams
Pies and Prejudice
“Enchanting! The Charmed Pie Shoppe has cast its spell on me! Ellery Adams brings
the South to life with the LeFaye women of Havenwood. This new series is as sweet
and tangy as a warm Georgia peach pie.”
—Krista Davis, author of the Domestic Diva Mysteries
“Full of enchanting characters in a small-town setting.”
—Jenn McKinlay,
New York Times
bestselling author of the Cupcake Bakery Mysteries
“Charming characters and a cozy setting make this mystery, the first in a series,
warm and inviting, like a slice of Ella Mae’s pie fresh from the oven.”
—The Mystery Reader
Books by the Bay Mysteries
The Last Word
“As in the two previous novels in the series, set in Oyster Bay on North Carolina’s
southeastern coast, Adams concocts a fine plot; this one finds its roots in World
War II. But the real appeal is her sundry and congenial characters, beginning with
Olivia herself. Adams’s heroine has erected a steel curtain around her emotions, but
The Last Word
finds her emerging from her shell with confidence, a confidence matched by Adams
in this unusual and appealing series.”
—
Richmond Times-Dispatch
“I could actually feel the wind on my face, taste the salt of the ocean on my lips,
and hear the waves crash upon the beach.
The Last Word
made me laugh, made me think, made me smile, and made me cry.
The Last Word
—in one word—AMAZING!”
—
The Best Reviews
“The plot is complex, the narrative drive is strong, and the book is populated with
interesting and intelligent people…Oyster Bay is the kind of place I’d love to get
lost for an afternoon or two.”
—
The Season
A Deadly Cliché
“A very well-written mystery with interesting and surprising characters and a great
setting. Readers will feel as if they are in Oyster Bay.”
—
The Mystery Reader
“This series is one I hope to follow for a long time, full of fast-paced mysteries,
budding romances, and good friends. An excellent combination!”
—
The Romance Readers Connection
A Killer Plot
“Ellery Adams’s debut novel,
A Killer Plot
, is not only a great read, but a visceral experience. Olivia Limoges’s investigation
into a friend’s murder will have you hearing the waves crash on the North Carolina
shore. You might even feel the ocean winds stinging your cheeks. Visit Oyster Bay
and you’ll long to return again and again.”
—Lorna Barrett,
New York Times
bestselling author of
the Booktown Mysteries
“Adams’s plot is indeed killer, her writing would make her the star of any support
group, and her characters—especially Olivia and her standard poodle, Captain Haviland—are
a diverse, intelligent bunch.
A Killer Plot
is a perfect excuse to go coastal.”
—
Richmond Times-Dispatch
“A fantastic start to a new series…With new friendships, possible romance(s), and
promises of great things to come,
A Killer Plot
is one book you don’t want to be caught dead missing.”
—
The Best Reviews
“Ellery Adams brings the insight of a Southern, well-funded Miss Marple to the pages.
It’s a pleasure to see this series under way.”
—
Kingdom Books
Berkley Prime Crime titles by Ellery Adams
Charmed Pie Shoppe Mysteries
PIES AND PREJUDICE
PEACH PIES AND ALIBIS
Books by the Bay Mysteries
A KILLER PLOT
A DEADLY CLICHÉ
THE LAST WORD
WRITTEN IN STONE
Peach Pies
and Alibis
Ellery Adams
BERKLEY PRIME CRIME, NEW YORK
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
USA / Canada / UK / Ireland / Australia / New Zealand / India / South Africa / China
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
For more information about the Penguin Group, visit penguin.com.
PEACH PIES AND ALIBIS
A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author
Copyright © 2013 by Ellery Adams.
Excerpt from
Poisoned Prose
by Ellery Adams copyright © 2013 by Ellery Adams.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed
in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in
or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
Purchase only authorized editions.
Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group.
BERKLEY
®
PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME logo are trademarks of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ISBN: 978-1-101-61945-2
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / March 2013
Cover illustration by Julia Green.
Cover design by Diana Kolsky.
Interior design by Laura K. Corless.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the
product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance
to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is
entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume
any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as
written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs
that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse
reactions to the recipes contained in this book.
| ALWAYS LEARNING | PEARSON |
In memory of my sister-in-law,
Joceyln Prewitt-Stanley, 1977–2012
The nectarine, and curious peach,
Into my hands themselves do reach;
Stumbling on melons, as I pass,
Ensnared with flowers, I fall on grass.
—Andrew Marvell
Table of Contents
Special excerpt from
Poisoned Prose
“There’s nothing like a wedding to ruin a perfectly good Saturday,” Mrs. Dower declared
to The Charmed Pie Shoppe’s empty dining room. She dropped the newspaper she’d been
reading on the table, leaving the radiant faces of new brides to stare at the ceiling.
Ella Mae LeFaye studied her first customer of the morning. Mrs. Dower was gray. Her
clothes, her hair, and the cloud above her head were all a shade of dark gray. She
sat alone at one of the café tables, rumbling like a thunderhead. With every breath,
she seemed to expel an invisible vapor of gloom. It gathered around her and then spread
across the pie shop like a low fog, blotting out the light, muting the twang of the
country music being piped through the radio, and squelching the pleasant aroma of
baking pies.
“Nothin’ like a challenge before you’ve even got your eyes open,” said a pixielike
woman with nut brown hair. She examined Mrs. Dower through a crack in the swing doors
leading from the kitchen into the dining room and shook
her head. “It’s hopeless, Ella Mae. You’ll never make her smile. For half a century,
that woman has been swallowin’ up all traces of joy like a human bog.”