Dinner Pies: from Shepherd's Pies and Pot Pies to Turnovers, Quiches, Hand Pies, and More / Ken Haedrich, 271 pp.

There are books that make you cry because a cute puppy dies, or a war is lost, or the star-crossed lovers are finally united.  And then there are the really, really good books that make you cry because after you read them you can finally make a pie crust. Consistently.  And it doesn't look like it has hail damage, even.

I can't put my finger on the secret here, but whatever it is, I will never try anyone else's crust recipe.

As for fillings, I certainly didn't try them all, but several were quite nice: broccoli, mushroom and ham quiche hit the spot, and the Italian sausage and spinach polenta pie was a stunner.  The next time I check this out, I plan to try the baked reuben sandwich, which is basically a reuben inside turnover pastry.  Not a bad idea, huh?