Daisy is magical but she's conflicted about that magic. She uses it to save women from domestic abuse but the dark nature of the outcomes makes her doubt her own character. I enjoyed watching her make her own family and foil a blackmail scheme. ( )

*I received and advance copy for free, and I am leaving this honest and unbiased review voluntarily*

Hello Fellow Readers,

I've read a couple of books where baking and magic goes hand and hand but there is not a lot where the protagonist is using their magic for murder. Now, I am against murder (of course) but I am 100% rooting for Daisy. Does that make me a bad person? Maybe, but it does make for a very interesting story. Daisy is hard not to like, a little bit sweet, and a lot dark. I did get a little bit of Dexter vibes.

Or course, Daisy doesn't kill who she doesn't think deserves it, she very specific on who her victims are, but she does walk a very thin, fine line between hero and villain. The mystery aspect of the book was okay, although I guessed correctly on who the blackmailer was. The romance aspect was also pretty good, I kept waiting for Noel to make a sort of personality shift but was glad he remained on the up and up.

Overall, a unique start to a magic, mystery series. ( )

Daisy Ellery is a special pie maker. She imbues her pies with magic. Daisy can make a person feel courageous, she can make them tell the truth, or she can kill. She has rules in place regarding her deadly pies. The main rule is that they are only for men who have done terrible deeds. Daisy does not kill women with her pies. It seems that someone is on to her secret, and they intend to blackmail her. The blackmailer wants Daisy to deliver a special pie to three different women in exchange for his silence. Daisy needs to find out who is behind the blackmail and stop them before they share her secret. Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies by Misha Popp is the debut of A Pies Before Guys Mysteries. I thought the story had an interesting premise (I have a weakness for paranormal cozy mysteries). I was looking forward to reading a fun cozy mystery (based on the blurb). Not long after I began reading, I was disabused of that notion. Daisy is basically a gun for hire. She may not get paid, but she does kill. It is hard to like a character who manages to justify her misdeeds. I felt there should be another way for her to use her gift. Daisy said her magic was different from her ancestors, but she is not sure why it is different. I kept hoping this would be addressed (maybe in future books). I did love the descriptions of Daisy’s dresses made for her by her grandmother. I was shocked at the significant amount of foul language in this book (I find it offensive and off-putting). I like to read cozy mysteries because they do not contain that type of language. I liked Daisy’s dog, Zoe. She is a friendly dog with a sweet temperament. I also liked Daisy’s pink retro trailer, Penny. Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies does not have the fun cozy adventure that I was hoping for from the blurb. It is a dark story. The story touches upon some serious subjects (domestic violence, addiction, rape). There is no mystery to solve much to my disappointment. Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies reads more like a romantic suspense novel than a cozy mystery. There is also a pie competition and romance with a man trying to save a family orchard. The story was missing the cozy elements and the lightheartedness. As you can tell, I did not enjoy reading Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies. While Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies was not for me, I suggest you try a sample to judge for yourself. Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies is a dark magical tale with a cute canine, a retro trailer, pie happy people, an outgoing orchard owner, a persuasive speaker, a bullying blackmailer, a pie competition, and a supernatural pie maker. ( )

I received an early version of this book via NetGalley.

This book is being categorized as a cozy mystery, but it doesn't neatly fit into that genre: the main character is a murderer who bakes magical pies that can channel intent and emotion. She uses murder-pies to help free women from horrific abuse. Magical abilities run in her family, and that's as far as the mystical aspect of the book goes. When main character Daisy starts getting messages from someone threatening to out her as a murderer--and blackmailing her to send murder-pies to other women, something she never does--she goes deep into investigative mode, baking all the way.

I went into the book expecting something more quaint and cozy. This was considerably darker than I anticipated. I wasn't bothered by Daisy's homicidal ways so much as I was some of the brief descriptions of abuse and manipulation; this is a book that will need trigger warnings, but at the same time, there's something cathartic and satisfying about seeing these awful men get their due. The book has a touch of bad language (normally a no for cozies) and Daisy is also blatantly bi (which I haven't encountered in another cozy, so I was pleasantly surprised by the queer rep). The author writes about pies and baking with passion and authority, and the back of the book even includes recipes.

Magic, Lies, and Deadly Pies strikes an odd balance between grim vigilante justice and homey baking show, and I eventually got into it; however, I can see other readers bouncing off this book, hard. The ending is quite satisfying, though I am left wondering how it will work as a series since this book wrapped things up nicely. ( )

This was a tough book for me to review. Some elements of the book were very well done, but others left me wanting.

I'll start with what I thought was very novel. The main character Daisy can imbue her pies with magic, including magic that can kill the person that eats the pie. Though she has rules she aims to follow about the men she targets, only targeting men who she feels are very abhorrent, at the end of the day, she is a serial killer.

This made it somewhat difficult to cheer for her. But Popp does a good job of trying to make us understand, if not sympathize with why she does what she does.

What I thought was a bit off was the characterization of the genre. The summary refers to it as a cozy series, similar to authors like Ellery Adams. As an avid reader of cozy mysteries, I think this description is off. It's not that I dislike thriller/suspense reads, rather, that I wasn't expecting a book of this style when I first started reading it.

One of the reasons is because of the heavy references to social issues made throughout the book. I personally don't mind it as I think that it helps contribute to Daisy's backstory, but I know many readers of cozies prefer to not see such themes in their reads.

Also, there is a good bit of foul language, the MC is certainly not a moral character, there's a bit more violence than the typical cozy (as we see Daisy killing her marks) and it reads a little like a long suspense novel, as Daisy is trying to uncover the identity of someone who is blackmailing her.

I think if I had been better informed about the genre before going in, I would have approached the read with different expectations and a different mindset. If you're looking for a cozy-ish suspense novel, I'd recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

For more of my reviews, please visit:
( )