Bad Girl Pie is a dark comedy set in New York City. Dorothy Sherlock, a prolific ghostwriter, shares her running commentary on the absurdity of the human condition as she navigates her future.

Until now, she’s spent her life crafting other people’s success stories and mourning a failed romance. After a near-fatal encounter with her abusive father and his sudden death, Dorothy resolves to write her own book, blending her expertise in dieting and dessert. 

A whirlwind trip to a tango festival in Mexico reignites her passion for love through a romantic tryst with a tango-dancing firefighter. 

Hopeful and happy, Dorothy returns home, only to discover that her agent has stolen the manuscript and sold it to a new client, and her late father has cut her out of his will. As if this weren’t enough, Dorothy reconnects with her ex-boyfriend, but after a night of bliss, she finds out that he’s living in sin with his cleaning lady. The triple whammy drives her to despair. Can Dorothy’s sense of humor and talent save her and help her find success?

My Review

Don’t get me wrong, Bad Girl Pie is a brilliant book, but I had mixed feelings about it for just one reason. My husband and I used to go ballroom dancing and while I loved the Waltz, Quick Step and Cha Cha, and he liked the Foxtrot, neither of us really took to the Tango. And certainly not the Argentine Tango.

Even watching Strictly, I decided it’s not the dance for me, though Al Pacino performing a blind tango in Scent of a Woman almost changed my mind. And there’s a lot of tango in Bad Girl Pie and for me it was far too much detail. And too much musing on the parallels of tango and life.

However, I did warm to narrator Dorothy, or Dots as she calls herself, but her ‘friend’ and two-timing agent Susanna is a snake in the grass, as they say, while her abusive father is a horrible man. Peter is also vile, but I quite took to George who she meets at the tango festival in Mexico. I’d have given him another shot, as it was obvious he wasn’t devoted to his wife Tara, who seemed more interested in dance partner Carlos.

I loved the food side of it though, even though I am not a foodie, and my favourite dessert is Crème Brûlée, with a plain shortbread biscuit on the side. Not exactly a spectacular, mind-blowing dessert. Dots’ book could have made her a household name, but that was stolen from her, and I really felt for her. I’d have been furious.

When Dots meets tango teacher Tomas, I thought romance might be in the air, but what a pretentious git he turned out to be. Sorry, but he took it all too seriously.

All in all, it was a very entertaining book, but I did end up skimming some of the tango details. That part was too niche for me, and to the potential readers of her book, apparently. But I love Dots’ sense of humour and take on life, and parts of the book are laugh out loud funny.

Many thanks to Collective Ink Books for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. Visit www.collectiveinkbooks.com for more information.

About the Author

Marilyn Horowitz is an award-winning author who has taught her trademarked storytelling method at New York University for twenty-five years. Her students have been nominated for Emmy Awards, won a Peabody Award and been produced by the major Hollywood studios.

Now sharing her storytelling secrets with a broader audience, Horowitz has written several books on the art of writing. Her most recent book, Word of the Day: Transform Your Writing in 15 Minutes a Day shares a journaling practice that demonstrates a new, easy way to create and sustain genuine happiness.

Shadows and Echoes, her latest book, co-authored with world-famous clairvoyant Martin Sherlock shares her three-year journey to enlightened self- awareness. Marilyn’s first novel, The Book of Zev was published in 2016. Horowitz is a Reiki master and is certified in Dao Yin Yoga and Authentic Movement. She dances the Argentine Tango as often as possible.

Find her on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Marilyn offers a free bi-weekly webinar. Readers can also sign up for her weekly newsletter filled with tips and tricks, and peruse her website for many additional free resources.

• Publisher: Roundfire Books
• Language: English
• Print length: 288 pages
• ISBN-10: 1803417633
• ISBN-13: 978-1803417639

Book Link: https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/roundfire-books/our-books/bad-girl-pie-novel