Batter Off Dead

Maddie Day

Feb 2022 · A Country Store Mystery Book 10 · Kensington Cozies

About this ebook

In South Lick, Indiana, fine foods and classic cookware can be found at Robbie Jordan’s Pans ’N Pancakes. Unfortunately, her country store also seems to stock up on murder . . .
 
Robbie and her new husband Abe O’Neill are enjoying a summer evening in the park with fellow townsfolk excited for some Friday night fireworks. In attendance are senior residents from Jupiter Springs Assisted Living including Grant Bird, father to South Lick’s very own Police Lieutenant Buck Bird. Despite his blindness, Grant is a member of his group home’s knitting circle, spending quality time with some lovely ladies.
 
But when the light show ends, one of the knitters who sat with Grant is found dead, a puncture wound in her neck. The poor woman’s death echoes that of Buck’s mother and Grant’s wife—an unsolved homicide. To help find the killer, Robbie’s going to have to untangle the knotty relationships deep in the victim’s past . . .
 
Includes Recipes for You to Try!
 
“This deliciously clever cozy—set in a deceptively charming little town—is fresh, intelligent and delightful. A winner!”
 
—Hank Phillippi Ryan, Agatha, Anthony, Macavity, and Mary Higgins Clark Award–Winning Author on Flipped for Murder
 

 

Ratings and reviews

Batter Off Dead by Maddie Day is the tenth A Country Store Mystery. It can be read as a standalone if you are new to the series. However, if you read the series in order, it allows you to get to know the characters and the town. I thought Batter Off Dead contained good writing and developed characters. The book moved along at a steady pace. I like the small-town atmosphere in this series. Robbie Jordan is happily married to Abe and her restaurant is doing very well. The restaurant is busier than ever. We follow Robbie as she goes about her day-to-day life in South Lick, Indiana. I like how the author incorporates Indiana phrases and history of the area into the story. The mystery has two components. It involves a murder in the present and one in the past. Both have a tie to Lt. Buck Bird. There were a handful of suspects in the death of Vi Perkell. Robbie asks questions and listens to diners to gather clues. Robbie needs to be careful, or she could get burned. The whodunit is wrapped up with a tense reveal and all my questions were answered. I like that we get to meet Buck’s father and grandmother. Simone, Buck’s grandmother, is sharp as a tack and a stylish dresser. Grant, Buck’s father, is a sweet man who can no longer see but creates lovely, knitted items. A friend of Robbie’s is pregnant, and it makes her think about the future. I enjoyed my visit to South Lick where I got to catch up with Robbie, Abe, Buck, and the others plus I got to solve a crime. There are recipes at the end for some of the items served at Pans n’ Pancakes. Batter Off Dead is a warm tale with delectable crepes, a cold case, a copycat crime, a crafting club, curious clues, and a caught killer.

Indiana, restaurant, law-enforcement, small-business, small-town, family-dynamics, family, friendship, amateur-sleuth, murder, murder-investigation, cozy-mystery, threats, thriller**** Seems like I only catch up with this series on the even numbered books, but it wouldn't have mattered if this was the first one I've read because anything important was skimmed in this one. Newlyweds Robbie and Abe own and operate a country store named Pans 'n Pancakes and are tuned in to all the local goings-on. When an elder is found to be murdered during the holiday fireworks, it sets off a lot of investigations, including an unsolved one from the past. Great characters and a cohesive mystery plot are the best assets. Add in the concerns and lingo of the characters which are classic small town everywhere, the problems of the small business owner who is the central character, and a lot of witticisms. Great but quick read! I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

About the author

Agatha and Macavity finalist author Maddie Day is a talented amateur chef who knows both Indiana and Cape Cod intimately. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and blogs with the Wicked Authors and at Killer Characters. Day lives with her beau north of Boston, where she gardens, cooks, and devises new murderous plots. She hopes you’ll find her at maddiedayauthor.com.