Strangled Eggs and Ham
A Country Store Mystery
by Maddie Day
About the Book
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Kensington (June 25, 2019)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 1496711254
ISBN-13: 978-1496711250
Digital ASIN: B07HW1D15K
Robbie Jordan’s rustic country store is growing in popularity. But when a dead body appears, it turns out that Robbie’s home-style cooking attracts hungry customers—and murder!
While Robbie scrambles through breakfast orders for her expanding clientele at Pans ‘N Pancakes, tempers run as high as the sticky August heat in South Lick, Indiana. Real-estate developer Fiona Closs plans to build a towering luxury resort at one of the most scenic hilltops in Brown County, and not everyone can see the sunny side of the imposing proposition—including Robbie’s furious Aunt Adele, who doesn’t waste a minute concocting protests and road blockades. When tensions boil over and a vocal protester is silenced forever at the resort site, Robbie ditches the griddle to catch the killer. But if slashed tires are any indication, she’ll need to crack this case before her own aunt gets served something deadly next . . .
Includes Recipes for You to Try!
About the Author
Maddie Day is a talented amateur chef and holds a Ph.D. in linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-nominated author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau and three cats in Massachusetts.
As Edith Maxwell, she writes the A Local Foods Mystery series (Kensington Publishing) and the Quaker Midwife Mysteries (Midnight Ink). You can find all Maddie’s/Edith’s identities at www.edithmaxwell.com. She blogs every weekday with the other Wicked Cozy Authors at wickedcozyauthors.com. Look for her as Edith M. Maxwell and Maddie Day on Facebook and @edithmaxwell and @maddiedayauthor on Twitter.
MURDER, SHE COOKED
Strangled Eggs and Ham by Maddie Day is the sixth A Country Store Mystery. Robbie Jordan owns Pans ‘N Pancakes in South Lick, Indiana. The town is currently in an uproar thanks to Fiona Closs, a developer, who wants to build an upscale resort on top of one of the most beautiful hills in the county. Robbie’s Aunt Adele is leading the protest against the development, but not everyone is against the new project. Geoffrey DeGraaf, a lawyer, was enticed to extend his stay by Robbie’s best friend, Lou. He has agreed to provide legal advice to the Adele’s South Lick Anti-Resort Coalition. The next day, Robbie gets a call from a distraught Lou who went to meet Geoffrey for a ride. She found Geoffrey strangled at the site of the resort. With the restaurant overwhelmed with customers and a lack of staff, Robbie is busier than a one-armed paper hanger. But after a series of incidents intended to scare off Aunt Adele, Robbie becomes determined to find the saboteur. So, Robbie slings aside her spatula to sift through the clues with the intent on serving up the killer to local law enforcement.
Strangled Eggs and Ham is a charming cozy mystery. It can be read alone if you have not read the previous books in A Country Store Mystery series. I like the setting of South Lick, Indiana and how the author captured the accents and colloquialisms of individuals who live in the Midwest. Buck certainly has some unique phrases and I am amazed at that man’s appetite. Robbie Jordan has her hands full running the restaurant and her B&B. Robbie is a friendly main character and who likes to be active (bikes all over) and stay proactive. Aunt Adele is a hoot. Adele is spry and has no qualms about breaking the law (she actually hopes to get arrested). She is against the proposed resort and has some plans in place that will cause quite a ruckus. Her friend, Vera is a willing coconspirator. The mystery provided a couple of suspects and there are good clues to aid the reader in solving Geoffrey’s death. The reveal is suspenseful, and action packed. There are a couple of unanswered questions at the end. There is supposition, but I wish we had a firm resolution. I enjoyed how the resort issue was handled by the town. There are recipes at the end for some of the delights Robbie whipped up for guests at Pans ‘N Pancakes. Strangled Eggs and Ham is an enticing cozy mystery with the friendly town, quirky residents, tantalizing food, good gossip, and one nosy parker out to solve a perplexing puzzler of a whodunit.
Excerpt from Strangled Eggs and Ham
MURDER, SHE COOKED
I kept my voice as soft as I could, so the other diners wouldn’t overhear. “I talked to my friend Lou a few minutes ago. She found his body. He was staying upstairs in my B&B.”
Her pale eyebrows went north. “How did you already hear he was dead?” I asked. “Police scanner app.” She pointed to the phone. “But the site is within South Lick town limits, so not in our jurisdiction.”
I knew the county sheriff handled homicides in unincorporated territory, as they had in June with the murders in neighboring Beanblossom. “Jurisdiction,” I said. “Does that mean they’ve already decided it was an unnatural death?”
“Starting to look like it.” She started to say more but clamped her mouth shut, instead. “How so?” I doubted she’d tell me, but it was worth a try. “Not at liberty to divulge.” Yeah. As I’d thought. “Did Buck go on the call?”
Wanda shrugged. “No idea. Probably.” “Miss?” A diner waved from across the room. “I’m in a bit of a hurry?” I held up my index finger in acknowledgment as I sighed. “Did you want to order?” I asked Wanda. “Pancakes, bacon, and biscuits with gravy,” she muttered at the phone. She looked up and added, “Please.”
“You got it.” I headed over to the customer who was in a hurry, and then to the cooking area and handed Danna the order slips. Another homicide in South Lick. Another unnatural death. I was starting to feel like I lived in Cabot Cove. But this wasn’t Maine. It wasn’t a television show. I wasn’t Jessica Fletcher. This was real life, right here in Indiana . . .
My Summary
Strangled Eggs and Ham by Maddie Day is the sixth A Country Store Mystery. Robbie Jordan owns Pans ‘N Pancakes in South Lick, Indiana. The town is currently in an uproar thanks to Fiona Closs, a developer, who wants to build an upscale resort on top of one of the most beautiful hills in the county. Robbie’s Aunt Adele is leading the protest against the development, but not everyone is against the new project. Geoffrey DeGraaf, a lawyer, was enticed to extend his stay by Robbie’s best friend, Lou. He has agreed to provide legal advice to the Adele’s South Lick Anti-Resort Coalition. The next day, Robbie gets a call from a distraught Lou who went to meet Geoffrey for a ride. She found Geoffrey strangled at the site of the resort. With the restaurant overwhelmed with customers and a lack of staff, Robbie is busier than a one-armed paper hanger. But after a series of incidents intended to scare off Aunt Adele, Robbie becomes determined to find the saboteur. So, Robbie slings aside her spatula to sift through the clues with the intent on serving up the killer to local law enforcement.
My Thoughts
Strangled Eggs and Ham is a charming cozy mystery. It can be read alone if you have not read the previous books in A Country Store Mystery series. I like the setting of South Lick, Indiana and how the author captured the accents and colloquialisms of individuals who live in the Midwest. Buck certainly has some unique phrases and I am amazed at that man’s appetite. Robbie Jordan has her hands full running the restaurant and her B&B. Robbie is a friendly main character and who likes to be active (bikes all over) and stay proactive. Aunt Adele is a hoot. Adele is spry and has no qualms about breaking the law (she actually hopes to get arrested). She is against the proposed resort and has some plans in place that will cause quite a ruckus. Her friend, Vera is a willing coconspirator. The mystery provided a couple of suspects and there are good clues to aid the reader in solving Geoffrey’s death. The reveal is suspenseful, and action packed. There are a couple of unanswered questions at the end. There is supposition, but I wish we had a firm resolution. I enjoyed how the resort issue was handled by the town. There are recipes at the end for some of the delights Robbie whipped up for guests at Pans ‘N Pancakes. Strangled Eggs and Ham is an enticing cozy mystery with the friendly town, quirky residents, tantalizing food, good gossip, and one nosy parker out to solve a perplexing puzzler of a whodunit.
Strangled Eggs and Ham is available at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Google Play, and IndieBound. The next book in A Country Store Mystery series is Nacho Average Murder which releases March 31, 2020. To enter the giveaway, you can use the Rafflecopter form below or click here. Good Luck! Please take the time to visit the other stops on the tour (schedule below) for author interviews, character interviews, recipes, excerpts, reviews, character guest post, and guest posts. Thank you for joining me today and I hope I have helped you find a new book to read. I will be back tomorrow with my review of A Ghostly Suspect by Tonya Kappes. May you have a joyful day. Take care and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
Tour Participants
June 24 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews - REVIEW
June 24 – ⒾⓃⓉⓇⓄⓈⓅⒺⒸⓉⒾⓋⒺ ⓅⓇⒺⓈⓈ - SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
June 25 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW
June 25 – Socrates Book Reviews - SPOTLIGHT
June 25 – ❧Defining Ways❧ - SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
June 26 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 26 – Celticlady's Reviews - SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
June 26 – Author Teresa Watson – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
June 27 – The Avid Reader - REVIEW, EXCERPT
June 27 – Reading Is My SuperPower - REVIEW
June 27 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW
June 28 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT
June 28 – A Blue Million Books – CHARACTER GUEST POST
June 28 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
June 29 – StoreyBook Reviews - SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
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June 30 - Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW
June 30 - Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews - SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
July 1 – Sapphyria's Books – REVIEW
July 1 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog – REVIEW
July 1 – I'm All About Books – GUEST POST
July 2 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 2 – Brooke Blogs - SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
July 3 – Curling up by the Fire - REVIEW
July 3 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 3 – The Cozy Pages - SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
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