Lemon Meringue Murder: A Cozy Mystery: Spring Grove Mystery Series, #1

By Sasha Mckenzie

BOOKS IN THE SPRING GROVE MYSTERIES: 

LEMON MERINGUE MURDER; Book 1 

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB MURDER; Book 2 

Polly Ann's Pie Shop just opened in a small sleepy town of Spring Grove, Pa. Polly's Pie Shop is great place for the locals to gather from the young to the old--where they can gossip, do homework, show off quilt patterns--you name it, while enjoying a sugary treat. Who can resist a scrumptious piece of pie on a cold, wintry day. Everything in Polly Ann's life was finally going well, until that is, someone was murdered in the small town of Spring Grove. Polly gets more than she bargains for. As Polly is growing her business, she also has to put her amateur sleuthing skills to practice and with the help of her best friend, solve the mystery. 

The Lemon Meringue Murder is full of mystery, sugary treats, romance, and humor. 
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sasha McKenzie
• Release date: Nov 8, 2017
• ISBN: 9781519912725

Book preview

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, and events are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, brands. Or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, whole or in part, without the permission, in writing, from the author.

****

Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding, I heard my pie shop’s counter service bell ringing non-stop for 5 seconds straight. Then, someone hollered, Yoo-hoo! Anybody back there?

I set down the hot lemon meringue pie I had just taken out of the oven onto a cooling rack. The tart lemons and sugary topping, fresh from the oven, filled my pie shop with a delightful aroma. I had just opened my pie shop a couple of weeks ago and it was starting to become quite the hang out for people aged young and old to chat about the daily goings-on in town, and get a delicious slice of pie. I had a variety of customers from teenagers hanging out with their beaus—who claimed to be doing homework—to the older women from the quilting club who filled me in on the week’s gossip. There wasn’t much else for people to do in the town of Spring Grove, PA. The closest donut and coffee shop was 20 minutes away and the closest bowling alley was 50 minutes away. The only stores we had in our town were a gas station with a small convenience store and a few small boutique, thrift, and antique shops scattered downtown. Oh, yes, we did have a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market that just opened on the outskirts of town. The Neighborhood Store has been the big excitement for the small town of Spring Grove over the past year, until, that is, my pie shop, Polly Ann’s Pies, opened. Who could resist a scrumptious slice of pie, choosing from as many flavors as a Baskin-Robbins had when they first opened, served with a hot cup of coffee on a wintry, snowy day in February? I picked up a sample of my raspberry pie and took a nibble. The tanginess of the fruit mixed with the sweet sugary pie filling left my mouth watering and wanting more. The bad point to this business was the weight I packed on for every piece of pie I sampled.

I was very happy being able to run my own small business and working for myself even if it meant packing on a few pounds while I did it. But how did I end up opening Polly Ann’s Pie shop? Well, it all began a couple of months ago. To make a long story short, I had been working at a job as a receptionist for a small, privately owned dental office. My position required that you be a multi-tasker; it was full of constant stress from the minute I set foot into the door until I stepped out of the office from the non-stop ringing of the phones, to the irate customers, the unpleasant co-workers, and the arrogant boss. And on top of that, I had an hour commute to and from work on nice days and a 2-hour commute on bad weather days (from rain, sleet, and/or snow). Then, it came time for the worker’s annual raises. That’s when the boss announced that due to an unprofitable year, no one would receive raises or bonuses that year. He did, however, find enough money in