Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!
I am delighted to share my thoughts about Four Leaf Cleaver today!
Four Leaf Cleaver (A Country Store Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
11th in Series
Setting – Indiana
Kensington Cozies (January 24, 2023)
Paperback : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 149673565X
ISBN-13 : 978-1496735652
Kindle ASIN : B0B17HL15D
The eleventh installment in Maddie Day’s deliciously popular Country Store cozy mysteries . . . It’s Saint Patrick’s Day in South Lick, Indiana, but a holiday cooking competition at Robbie Jordan’s country store and restaurant Pans ’N Pancakes is put on the back burner when a killer strikes.
There’s no mistaking Saint Patrick’s Day at Pans ’N Pancakes. Robbie may only be Irish by marriage to Abe O’Neill, but the shelves of vintage cookware in her southern Indiana store are draped with glittery shamrocks and Kelly-green garlands and her restaurant is serving shepherd’s pie and Guinness Beer brownies. The big event, however, is a televised cooking competition to be filmed on-site.
Unfortunately, someone’s luck has run out. Before the cameras start rolling, tough-as-nails producer Tara O’Hara Moore is found upstairs in her B&B room, bludgeoned apparently by the heavy hilt of a cleaver left by her side. Now, not only does Robbie have a store full of festive decorations, she’s got a store full of suspects . . .
Includes Recipes for You to Try!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Robbie Jordan is feeling pretty lucky. She has married her favorite Irishman Abe O’Neill and gets along very well with his teenage son, Sean. Her Pans ’N Pancakes Country Store and Restaurant is all decked out for the holidays and serving Irish fare. Plus her place has been chosen to host a St. Patty’s Day themed cooking competition.
The production staff and the show’s host arrive to get things ready to start filming the next day. The sponsor stops by to drop off the ingredient every dish must contain. A contestant even comes in to get the lay of the land. Robbie is excited and hopes the event will go off without a hitch and bring some publicity to her restaurant and store.
Sadly, as people start to arrive to tape the show, host Tara O’Hara Moore is missing. She is not answering calls or texts. She had booked a room at the B&B upstairs so Robbie goes to check on her guest. She finds Ms. O’Hara Moore dead and a huge cleaver on the floor. The woman has clearly been hit several times probably by the cleaver. Robbie is thankful the killer didn’t use the cleaver as intended but is very upset that she was killed and in one of her rooms no less.
It is always fun to drop in for a visit with Robbie and the gang in South Lick, Indiana. Pans ’N Pancakes is the place to be to catch up with town gossip and old friends. All of Ms. Day’s characters are well-developed and continue to evolve in each new story. Many of Robbie’s friends are expecting and she and Abe are trying to add their own little bundle to the family. Sean is a wonderful stepson, learning to drive and even helping Robbie with a little internet sleuthing. I love the way these relationships are growing. Danna is having some romance issues and Turner is busy helping his family make maple syrup on their farm after he ends his day at the store but both are perfect employees, they support each other and Robbie and come up with some great ideas for specials. Buck and Oscar work together to catch the killer and both are happy when Robbie adds her two cents. Oscar has some fun news of his own.
We are introduced to several new characters in the show’s production staff, contestants, and sponsor. A couple of other people drop in at Pans ’N Pancakes too. They are all cleaver-ly created and many are suspects. One has an interesting hobby and a family dilemma. Most are hiding something or full of blarney. One of them just has to be guilty.
The mystery the author puts forth was pretty complicated and between Robbie and the professionals they were getting close. Then Robbie found herself in a pickle and I was kicking myself because I had gone in a different and very wrong direction in my personal investigation instead of going with my gut. I do enjoy the way Ms. Day entangles her subplots and the murder mystery and this time that must have gotten me a bit distracted. LOL
Being set in a restaurant food is always on the table and tickling my taste buds. I was thrilled to see the recipe for Phil’s Stout and Cheese Biscuits. I have copied it down and handed it off to my personal chef, also known as my husband. I hope he is able to whip some up soon.
Four Leaf Cleaver
Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent
Maddie Day is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. She lives with her beau and an energetic kitten north of Boston
As Edith Maxwell, she writes the Local Foods Mysteries 
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.
Also by Maddie Day
Coming August 22, 2023
Written as Edith Maxwell
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
