35) Muffin but Murder by Victoria Hamilton

The Blurb :

Muffin maker Merry Wynter hopes to find a buyer for the castle she’s recently inherited. But when she throws a party to draw interest, she finds someone who’s bought the farm instead…

Merry’s career as a New York City stylist has crumbled, but her passion for muffins has helped her rise upstate in Autumn Vale. Everyone in town loves the tasty treats. Still, she would like to return to her glamorous life. Besides, the upkeep of Wynter Castle is expensive, and Merry’s cup isn’t exactly overflowing.

So in order to bring some prospective buyers into the mix, Merry whisks together a spooky soiree and decorates the castle with dashes of fabric and a sprinkling of spider webs. Friends new and old are invited, and everyone has a blast. But as the revelers empty out, Merry notices one partygoer who isn’t leaving—or breathing. Now Merry must hurry to unmask a killer before her perfect plans turn into a recipe for disaster…

My Thoughts :

I remember liking the debut in this Merry Muffin Mysteries and was looking forward to this sequel.  However when I finally got around to sitting down with this one I instantly felt a little 'meh' about the whole thing.  The first chapters in the book were basically a rehashing of the first book with some new bits and bobs thrown in to confuse.  I kept going, waiting for the murder mystery, but the wait was a long one and I have to say I was tempted to give up.

The one good thing about this sequel is the concept.  It is a nice enough idea despite being a little unrealistic at times but most cozies are.  However there are so many little annoying things inside this second book that really make me wonder if I would read a third installment.  The muffin aspect isn't really that big and doesn't make much sense this time around.  I find it hard to believe that after inheriting this amazing castle that Merry hasn't explored it all.  Maybe she hasn't see all of the grounds but the fact that she went into the attic for the first time in this book was very weird and laughable.

I think the main pain in this book is the amount of characters.  I tried to keep them in their place and know who they all were and how they were connected but it was impossible.  Even the main characters who all seem to be living in the castle were hard to keep track of.  Either there was just too much information or the author didn't manage to explain things properly.  I am too confused to know for sure.

What else?  Well the sudden announcement that there was another probable heir was confusing.  Merry's dithering about it was also confusing.  I think the majority of people would insist on an instant DNA test.  Yet she decides to have people search for clues and interview people who knew her uncle.  A waste of time.  Oh and the party also seemed like a big waste of time.  I don't understand how one grown woman with so many supposedly clever friends around her can't come up with a better way to make money and keep the castle.

I could keep going but at the end of the day I finished the book despite the many problems I had with the story and characters.  The murder mystery plot wasn't that bad but all the twists and turns the author put in the book to make it possible and plausible really ruined the general concept and make things too complicated.

If there is a third book in the series I may read it.  I do like Victoria Hamilton's Vintage Kitchen mysteries and will definitely be catching up with them soon.

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87) Freezer I'll Shoot by Victoria Hamilton

The Blurb :

Trying to escape her overbearing mother, vintage kitchenware enthusiast and soon-to-be columnist Jaymie Leighton retreats to her family’s cottage on Heartbreak Island. While there she hopes to write an article about the Ice House restaurant, owned by good friends and neighbors, siblings Ruby and Garnet Redmond. Once an actual icehouse, the restaurant is charmingly decorated with antique tools of the trade, including a collection of ice picks.

One night, while working on her article, Jaymie overhears an argument and, ever the sleuth, sets out to explore. But when she stumbles upon a dead body her blood runs cold. It’s Urban Dobrinskie, whose feud with the Redmonds is no secret, and he’s got an ice pick through his heart. Now Jaymie’s got to sharpen her sleuthing skills to chip away at the mystery and prove her neighbors’ innocence—before someone else gets picked off…

My Thoughts :

Before I start this review I have to apologise to the lovely publishers who gave me this copy to review.  It has been months since I got this one and it has been sitting on my to be read pile for so long because this wasn't the first in the series!  I was so eager to try this one that I didn't realise that this was the third book and I have spent the months trying to get copies of the first two (not too hard but on a budget) and obviously reading (also not hard but too many books and not enough time!).  I feel really bad about it but I am glad I took the time to read the previous two books because otherwise I wouldn't have understood the on-going story and of course it would have ruined the first two books if I had started with this third installment.

The story in this third installment in the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries was as wonderful and well thought out as the previous two.  Jaymie's amateur sleuthing gets her deeper and deeper into the investigation and manages to get her into a lot of trouble.  However it also opens up the character base and location with more people being introduced into Jaymie's life and more area being covered while she is living on the the island.

There were some interesting developments in Jaymie's life in this book.  As she tries to solve the newest murder she manages to get herself involved with she is also juggling a few private matters.  Her parent's being around causes some problems and Daniel's parents being around causes even more.  Her run ins with Detective Zack are getting to be slightly awkward and her boyfriend Daniel starts to show his real colours.   Meanwhile Jaymie is busy trying to make herself well known as a cookery writer and her neighbours are dealing with some health problems.  So there is more than one mystery to read about in Freezer I'll Shoot and it is definitely a good idea to start this series at the beginning.

While it wasn't easy to solve the crime, Jaymie manages to get to the bottom of everything by the end of the book.  I was there with her all the way and have to say it wasn't easy work.  There were a few twists I saw coming but other than that the mystery was just that.  A mystery.  The gossip, snooping and general nosiness of all involved is a great way to get clues and this small community really has enough people willing to open up to Jaymie and help her solve the crime even if they don't realise it.

This time around I found myself annoyed by Daniel and obviously his parents.  I am not sure that this is the right guy for Jaymie and I would love to see things advance between her and the lovely detective.  Also something that keeps bugging me in these books is Jaymie's young naive attitude.  She is supposed to be in her early thirties but she comes across as a girl in her early twenties or sometimes even a teenager.  I hope she gets around to growing up some more and acting her age.

All in all I am really enjoying this series and I am definitely going to continue reading about Jaymie's adventures.  Victoria Hamilton is a great cozy mystery writer who really builds up a great location filled with loads of interesting facts, people and history.  I can't wait to see what she comes up with next and may even have to pre-order the next book.  I am quite addicted.

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79) Bowled Over by Victoria Hamilton

The Blurb :

Vintage kitchenware and cookbook collector Jaymie Leighton has been estranged from her high school best friend Kathy Cooper since they were teenagers, but she never knew what turned Kathy against her. After fireworks at a Fourth of July picnic, Jaymie discovers the body of her former friend in the park. On the ground nearby is Jaymie’s own Depression-era glass bowl, broken in two.

With her fingerprints all over the bowl and a troubled history with the victim, Jaymie suddenly finds herself at the top of the list of suspects. Did the killer intend to frame her for the murder? If so, she is ready to mix it up, because solving crimes is vintage Jaymie Leighton…

My Thoughts :

A long time ago, so long ago that it is embarrassing.  I saw a book up for review that I wanted to try and requested it.  It was a book by Victoria Hamilton's Vintage Kitchen Mysteries.  Now what I didn't know is that the book I requested was the third book in the series and within a few pages I realised I was ruining the series if I didn't read the books in order.  So I decided to get hold of the first two books and catch up quick.

Unfortunately I didn't catch up as fast as I hoped to and it is only now that I have finally managed to read the second book in the series and still have that third installment waiting for review!!  The worst thing about all this is that I am really enjoying the series so far.  Despite not really understanding anything about the vintage kitchenware or the recipes the characters are nice, the location interesting and the mysteries are well written.

Bowled Over is the second installment and the whole way through I was putting pieces together a little quicker than Jaymie.  I even knew who the murderer was but I wasn't quite sure how it all fit together.  I enjoyed coming across the clues as they appeared.  Some of which Jaymie didn't notice until later but that added some excitement to the story and stopped her from being a perfect know it all.

Anyone looking for something new in the cozy mystery genre should give this series a try.  The concept is unusual and maybe like me you aren't really interested in the Vintage Kitchen angle.  However it is a nice little twist and doesn't take over the whole book.  It is makes for interesting reading and maybe you will learn something along the way or get a kick out the whole thing.

Now I hope to read the third book within the next couple of weeks and finally send in my review (if I still can!) and hope that the next installment is as good as the first two so I can give it a big thumbs up.

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37) A Deadly Grind by Victoria Hamilton

The Blurb :


A Hoosier to die for?

When vintage cookware and cookbook collector Jaymie Leighton spies an original 1920s Hoosier brand kitchen cabinet at an estate auction, it’s love at first sight. Despite the protests of her sister that the 19th-century yellow-brick house they share in Michigan is already too cluttered with Jaymie’s “junk,” she successfully outbids the other buyers and triumphantly takes home her Hoosier.

But that night on the summer porch where they’ve left the Hoosier to be cleaned up, a man is murdered, struck on the head with the steel meat grinder that is part of the cabinet. Who is this stranger—and what was he doing on their porch? Does his death have anything to do with the Hoosier?

As the police struggle to determine the man’s identity, Jaymie can’t help doing a little digging on her own, accompanied by her three-legged Yorkie Poo, Hopalong. But in her bid to uncover the truth about the hidden secrets of the Hoosier, Jaymie may be the one who ends up going, going…gone.

My Thoughts :

On my cozy mystery binge I decided to finally start this series.  I actually have book number three on my Kindle to review.  It has been there for a while but I didn't know when I accepted the book that it wasn't the first in the series (don't you just hate it when that happens?).  So now I am trying to get hold of the previous books so I can read and review the third installment.  I don't like reading books out of order.

I have already read another book by Victoria Hamilton so I knew she wasn't a cozy mystery newbie.  However I think this book was her first cozy mystery because I have to say it felt like it.  There were little signs of first time clue grabbing and trying to make the plot more complicated that it should be.  I enjoyed the book a lot but there were times when I felt myself speed reading through some of the 'boring' parts.

The theme was interesting enough.  I found myself looking up 'Hoosier' within a couple of chapters because I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.  I have to admit I wouldn't mind having one myself and quite like the idea of one of these vintage items standing in my kitchen.  It actually made me wonder where the author takes this series in the upcoming books because I don't know what other vintage kitchen items could be mixed up murder mysteries.

As for the characters, they were nice enough.  I don't feel like I really got the chance to get to know anyone else very well other than Jaymie and I found it extremely hard to remember that she was a lot younger than she kept behaving/sounding.  There is a lot of potential regular characters that I think could turn out to be very likable and interesting.  I think the next couple of books will have to build up the other cast to make this series more readable.

All in all this wasn't bad and I am looking forward to part two.  The location, history and details were a nice touch and it was obvious that the author put a lot of thought into making it all believable and real. Hopefully I will get to book two as soon as possible so I can move on to the third installment and finally review the book.  I love a good cozy and I think I have found another one to add to the ever growing list of ones I enjoy reading.

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133) Bran New Death by Victoria Hamilton

The Blurb :

Expert muffin baker Merry Wynter is finally ready to turn her passion into a career. But when a dead body is found on her property, she’s more worried about cooking up an alibi…

Merry is making a fresh start in small-town Autumn Vale, New York, in the mansion she’s inherited from her late uncle, Melvin. The house is run-down and someone has been digging giant holes on the grounds, but with its restaurant-quality kitchen, the place has potential for her new baking business. She even has her first client—the local retirement home.

Unfortunately, Merry soon finds that quite a few townsfolk didn’t like Uncle Mel, and she has inherited their enmity as well as his home. Local baker Binny Turner and her crazy brother, Tom, blame Melvin for their father’s death, and Tom may be the one vandalizing her land. But when Tom turns up dead in one of the holes in her yard, Merry needs to prove she had nothing to do with his death—or her new muffin-making career may crumble before it starts...

My Thoughts :

I came across this cozy mystery on Netgalley a couple of weeks ago and decided to give it a try.  I really like cozy mysteries and I am always on the look out for new ones to add to my ever growing list of must buys.  This debut in a series had something to do with muffins so I could only imagine it being yummy.  I decided to give it a go and can say I am really pleased I did.

Merry was an interesting character right from the start.  She has had so many life experiences and it is nice to see her just taking off and doing something different.  She is strong, clever and been through a lot.  I could sympathize with her and I could also understand why she could just drop everything and go off to Autumn Vale.  I think all of us want to do that at some point in our lives.

So as things progressed I liked Merry even more.  I couldn't really see the point in her friend being there but she was funny enough and did offer some support.  It was actually hard sometimes keeping up with all the characters in Autumn Vale but it wasn't too much of a problem as the mystery continued and by the end I felt like I was also living in this quaint and quirky town.

The plot was good and kept me interested.  There were lots of ways the mystery could have unfolded and it was nice to be kept guessing.  The whole concept was a little rough around the ends with me and obviously Merry not really knowing what was really going to happen with her castle.  However the uncertainty and the lack of closure on this subject will have me reaching for the second book when it comes out.

All in all a great debut in the Merry Muffin Mystery series.  I have now seen that the author also has another mystery series out and I am going to add the first one to my wishlist.  However I am very interested in seeing what happens next to Merry, the castle and the rest of Autumn Vale.  A great start and a definite must read for cozy lovers.

 

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