Scone Cold Dead
Country Store Mystery #13
By Maddie Day
ISBN 9781496742285
edithmaxwell.com/maddie-day/
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie
Synopsis:
After a body is found in a local farmer’s field, country store and café owner Robbie Jordan suspects that a newcomer in South Lick, Indiana, may not be a stranger to everyone in town . . .
Robbie is just weeks away from giving birth. While her husband Abe scrambles to get the house ready for their baby’s arrival, Robbie makes last minute arrangements to keep her shop and restaurant, Pans ’N Pancakes, up and running when she’s on maternity leave. And it seems Robbie and Abe aren’t the only ones grappling with anxiety—a stranger is causing a stir in town and Robbie’s Aunt Adele appears unusually preoccupied at the baby shower . . .
But when someone finds a body in the ram field on Adele’s sheep farm, it’s Robbie’s turn to be worried. Especially after Chief Buck Bird uncovers a troubling link between Adele and the possible murder victim. Robbie has no choice but to knit the clues together and solve this mystery before anything else gets flocked up . . . (From Goodreads)
Review:
This was a perfect thirteenth installment in the Country Store Mystery series! As the characters grow and thrive, I continue to learn about them. Each are skillfully described by realistic conversations and actions with the exception of Robbie’s mother, who we relearn about through Robbie’s and Aunt Adele’s memories.
Robbie and Abe are only a couple weeks from welcoming their first baby, possibly even on Thanksgiving, and they couldn’t be happier. Robbie has reduced her hours a tad, but she continues to work every day. In overall excellent health, she wants to work as close to delivery as possible, and with one employee/ friend leaving before the next semester begins, there are concerns she needs to address.
One day at the bank, Robbie saw a man she didn’t know in a verbal disagreement with one of the managers. A short time later, the man is in Pans ‘N Pancakes to be seated, and she spoke with him briefly. He recently came to town to look for some people, in part to make amends. One of those people is Robbie’s Aunt Adele. She won’t give anyone Adele’s phone number and tried to call and text Adele that evening, but Adele didn’t respond.
Two other ladies, Corrine, the mayor and mother of one of Robbie’s employees, and Hope, the woman who bakes all of the desserts Robbie sells, saw Ivan and reacted. Corrine was very surprised to see him, but Hope walked out. Buck, everyone’s favorite chief of police, joined Ivan at his table as the diner was full.
The following morning, Samuel, Adele’s gentleman friend, arrived late at the diner for the weekly men’s prayer group he leads. When he did arrive, he spoke quietly with Robbie before meeting his friends. Early that morning, alerted by their barking dog, Samuel found a dead man in Adele’s pasture. Adele seemed to recognize him and showed strong feelings of either grief or anger. She refused, however, to talk with anyone about it, including Samuel and Adele. Samuel saw no obvious cause of death, but the police collected evidence all around the area as a “suspicious death”. Samuel’s description of the man matched up perfectly with Ivan.
When Detective Sergeant Juanita McWilliam arrived from the state, she was very by-the-book. She behaved as if Adele had killed him, even without knowing yet whether he had been murdered. Adele finally revealed the truth of the man to Buck and the state detective, knowing that both Samuel and Robbie have her back. Knowing Ivan, however, could possibly give her a motive in their eyes.
Even with her due date near, Robbie won’t abandon her dear aunt, the only sister of her late, beloved mother. She was clearly limited in what she could do, other than ask questions of people who might have known Ivan. To his credit, Buck knows that Adele, a former mayor, would never kill anyone, but he has to do his job while walking a fine line with the state police. It is the same for Corrine, the current mayor, who will defend Adele no matter what. I have so appreciated Buck and Corrine, for their down-home expressions, outlooks on life, and their extraordinary minds that peacefully coexist with their aw-shucks personalities. Those who underestimate Corrine, Buck, and Robbie will quickly repent of their error.
It is almost a relief for them to have a couple other suspects, especially when someone threatens Robbie. It takes a cold-hearted person to threaten a young pregnant woman! Robbie has a logical mind when it isn’t flooded with pregnancy hormones, but she is determined to keep Adele from being charged with something she didn’t do.
This was a great example of a cozy mystery, with the small-town setting, challenging mystery, engaging primary characters, and the loving relationship between Adele, her hubby Abe, and his son, Sean, and his sweet nickname for her. Adele and Robbie also have a special relationship that has grown throughout Robbie’s life. Finally, there are a couple potential suspects, one of which is a huge red herring. The resolution was the ultimate surprise, one I would never have come to on my own. I also had great appreciation for Robbie’s new hire! I highly recommend this to all who enjoy challenging cozy mysteries, including “foodies” and those who enjoy the Midwest and the charm of small-town life.
