"Pie a la Murder"

"Pie a la Murder" is the 4th book, I believe, in Melinda Wells' Della Carmichael mysteries. They are light, fun reads that I enjoy so I always look forward to reading the next book in the series. This installment has Della, the star of a her own cable cooking show as well as the owner of a cooking school in Santa Monica, CA, in the middle of a charity fundraiser called "Operation Pie." As if that weren't enough to keep any woman busy, the love of her life, Nicholas, informs her he has an 18 year old daughter, Celeste, that he hasn't seen since she was an infant and now she's coming to live with him. She's been living with her mother in Europe but has acting ambitions so California seems the logical place for her to be. However, when a rather unsavory Hollywood photographer is murdered and it's learned he had some embarrassing pictures of Celeste, Nicholas is the prime suspect in his death. Della has to call in all her favors and use all her resources to prove Nicholas' innocence (or is he innocent?) while dealing with his daughter who doesn't seem inclined to accept Della as part of her father's life. Will Nicholas turn out to be the murderer or will their romance survive if he is indeed innocent? pazt