Princess Fuzzypants here: I have enjoyed every visit to Pancakes and Pans and Robbie’s friends and family stories. I have cared about the characters who are quirky but still realistic. It has been fun going along for the ride as her life has blossomed and grown. This time she has been approached by a reality cooking show to video a contest from her restaurant cum country store. Robbie imagines that it will offer some good publicity but what she does not expect is murder.

When the host and producer of the show dies in one of Robbie’s B & B rooms, the contest is postponed. With her natural curiosity, Robbie cannot resist helping her always hungry cop friend Buck solve the crime. The woman has made a career of using people so everyone from the contestants to her crew to her ex-husband all have reasons to wish her ill. But who hated her enough to kill her. And when a second death occurs, everyone wonders if the killer is not done.

Robbie tries to be careful and does not overstep into Darwin territory but she always manages to have a hair raising reveal of the villain. It makes for for a fun read. Five purrs and two paws up.

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Four Leaf Cleaver Earns 5/5 Stout Sips … Engaging Gem!

Maddie Day has kept this eleventh book in her series fresh and entertaining with the reality cooking show, “Holiday Hot-Off,” set to film their St. Paddy’s Day themed episode at Robbie Jordan’s Pan ‘N Pancakes shop, and one of the contestants is her husband, Abe. The rules may be simple (use an ingredient from the sponsor Hoosier Brewing Company), but the result is criminal (the host Tara Moore is found dead). The murder weapon with the four-leaf clover insignia points to a member of the crew or a competitor, so generally anyone involved in the show. Robbie’s involvement in the investigation is expected by the police since her shop is a crime scene and she’s “been there, done that,” before. In the process she uncovers intriguing thefts, blackmail, and threats. Big “Whisks” Up! This one has a healthy wife and husband team with realistic dreams and disappointments, eclectic friends up for an adventure, and a mystery with all the suspects, motives, dead ends, and peril that’ll keep you reading. And … Cheers to Stout! Enjoy these St. Paddy’s Day easy-to-follow recipes: Abe’s Irish Steak and Stout Stew, Stout and Cheese Biscuits, Raspberry Scones, Irish Cheddar Cheese Soup, and Irish Whiskey Cocoa.

Fun story! I was able to sympathize with Robbie having trouble getting pregnant because I was unable to also, so this story made me kind of sad. The mystery itself was very good and I love Robbie's relationship with her stepson.

Four Leaf Cleaver
A Country Store Mystery, Book #11
Maddie Day
5 Stars

Synopsis:

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! (Amazon)

Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Robbie and her gang are getting ready to hold a holiday cooking competition at her restaurant. But before the competition can begin the producer is found dead. Robbie and her friends have to find the killer before her husband is accused of the deed.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions made the book come alive in my mind’s eye. The mystery was well plotted and there were plenty of people to suspect and clues to find. I was not entirely sure who the killer was until it was revealed at the end, which is how I like my mysteries.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I have read all of the books in this series and the were all really good.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

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 was filled with the family and friends moments I love all twisted up with a complex mystery that was truly entertaining. The conclusion of the story put into print what we all knew and made me even more excited than I usually am for the next book in this series and I am always excited when Maddie Day has something in the works. Thank you, Maddie, for another Perfect Escape. Until next time . . .

Tara, the tough producer of the TV cooking contest is found dead with a cleaver beside her; Robbie was the hostess of the eatery where the contest took place. Suspects are coming out of the woodwork. Since the theme is St. Patrick's day at the restaurant the luck of the Irish will be needed to keep Robbie and her Irish husband out of the suspect's chair in Maddie Day's Four Leaf Cleaver.

Another successful entry in this long-running, cozy series. Robbie Jordan and the cast of interesting characters are back to discover secrets, lies and murderous ties.

Robbie Jordan’s restaurant, B&B and country store Pans ‘N Pancakes is usually closed on Mondays, but she’s making an exception for this St Patrick’s Day. The televised cooking competition Holiday Hot-Off is filming its latest themed episode at her store, and she’s happy to earn both the publicity and the paycheck.

Her enthusiasm is dampered, however, by the high-handed nature of the main producer and host, Tara Moore. Tara inherited the show from her late brother, and runs her two-person crew with an iron fist. Her assistant, Jaden Routh, does everything she doesn’t want to, including answering Robbie’s pertinent questions about what the contestants may require from the venue and, by extension, Robbie herself. At least her cameraperson Vin Pollard is on the friendlier side, at least to Robbie. It’s pretty clear that there’s no love lost between Vin and Tara.

Despite a tense day of setup, Robbie is looking forward to watching the show’s live taping the next day. As the morning wears on, however, Tara is nowhere to be found. As Tara has booked lodgings over Pans ‘N Pancakes, Robbie heads up to check on her… and discovers her lying dead in her rented room.

Lieutenant Buck Bird of the local police department is on hand, having been asked to help judge the contestants’ entries, so he quickly takes charge of the scene. Robbie figures that this pretty much ends her involvement with the Holiday Hot-Off, until Jaden informs her that an outside investor would like for the show to go on. He asks for a re-do on Wednesday. Robbie checks in with Buck and the other investigators brought in for the case, and is somewhat surprised to find that they think it’s a good idea too. Keeping the contest going means that the suspects will be that much easier for them to keep tabs on. Besides, once the crime scene is cleared, Robbie is free to continue with business. Hopefully, a good taping will help banish any shadows cast over her establishment by the murder.

Unfortunately, this enforced proximity means that the murderer can easily see what Robbie is up to as she helps Buck with the case. Will our intrepid heroine find herself on the wrong end of a murder weapon as she gets too close to uncovering the killer’s identity?

While Maddie Day’s Country Store Mystery novels are always entertaining, I was very absorbed in this one due to the continuing changes in Robbie’s family life. Since marrying Abe O’Neill and becoming stepmom to his son Sean, she’s gradually getting used to parenting a teenager while trying not to feel too anxious over her own fertility. Her concerns for her family feel honest, genuine and unselfish. I also really appreciated the accurate representation of drag culture within these pages, a territory not often covered by culinary cozies!

There were five recipes included here, many featuring Irish stouts, in keeping with the Holiday Hot-Off theme. I actually decided to try one that didn’t:

QUOTE
Raspberry Scones

2 ½ cups unbleached flour, plus more for work surface
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup cold butter, cut into half-inch dice
¾ cup buttermilk
1 large egg yolk
1 ½ cups fresh raspberries (6 ounces)
1 tablespoon coarse sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a food processor, pulse together flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add butter and pulse until pea-size pieces form. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg yolk. Slowly pour buttermilk mixture through feed tube into processor, pulsing until dough just comes together.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle raspberries on top. Knead 3 times to fold in raspberries (there may be loose pieces of dough and a stray berry or 2). Gather and pat dough into a 1-inch-thick square and pull apart into 2-inch pieces. Place pieces, about 2 inches apart, on 2 parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets and sprinkle tops with coarse sugar.

Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let scones cool slightly on sheets on wire racks. Serve warm or at room temperature.
END QUOTE

These were a delightfully light, fruity scone with the perfect amount of sweetness – though I admittedly sprinkled more than a tablespoon of sugar over them at the end. I love how it all comes together in the food processor otherwise, only really needing a bit of forming before being popped into the oven. I wasn’t really sure what was meant by 2-inch pieces, so just made round scones that were about two inches in diameter each.

This recipe made seventeen delicious scones for my family and me. My kids actually clamored to eat these while they were still cooling, and really enjoyed them both with and without butter. I’d definitely recommend this as an everyday baked good that is healthy and tasty, and not at all difficult to make.

Next week, we head to the West Coast to bake up another sweet treat in the series debut of one of my favorite cozy authors. Do join me!

Four Leaf Cleaver
by Maddie Day
Maybe it’s just me but this series seems to be getting a little bit less interesting. I still like the characters but the story just wasn’t very enthralling to me. The baby fixation was a bit excessive too. It wasn’t bad but maybe it’s time for me to say goodbye or at least take a break.

I enjoyed the food mentioned in the book. Some of the recipes sound really good! Likable characters, but I don’t care for the fact that the police seem to be rely heavily on the main character, Robbie, for help. I did enjoy the use of new technology in police work and that Robbie and her husband were going through real life issues.

Robbie is hosting a cooking competition at her restaurant. Everyone is excited and the host and coordinator are staying at her b&b. Unfortunately, the host is found dead in the inn and Robbie has a restaurant full of suspects. Another enjoyable mystery with a little surprise at the end.

Maddie Day returns with a new St. Patrick's day themed cozy mystery: Four Leaf Cleaver!

This book is another wonderful read by the author. I enjoyed the story and characters of this series, and they only added to the book's charm. The cover and the St. Patrick's day theme was well done as well. Readers will definitely root for the protagonist, Robbie. Readers both new and current fans of Maddie Day should check out this book!

My thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGallery for a digital copy of this book for my review. Here's to Maddie Day's next book!

My sixth in this series although it is the eleventh instalment, Robbie Jordan, the owner of Pans 'N Pancakes makes a great amateur sleuth. She gets involved when Tara Moore, a TV producer and head of the Holiday Hot-Off coookery contest being held for S Patrick's day, is found having being hit apparently by a cleaver.

Nefariousness lurks in this charming tale set in South Lick, Indiana. Robbie is married to handsome and charming Abe O'Neill. She is a methodical, determined and single-minded protagonist and you get a real sense of place and family from her restaurant/ diner which is one of her main focuses. The supporting cast is a real asset to the series including the regular customers and employee, a co-chef, Danna Beedle. The scrumptious sounding dishes make you happy to find some of the recipes listed at the back of the book. Humorous and endearing, I shall be continuing with this series and hope to read a few of the earlier instalments while I wait for book twelve to be released. With its compelling plot, drama aplenty, great bunch of characters and mountains of mayhem added to the mix, this one is very highly recommended as is the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

I love this series so much! The engaging characters, the intriguing mysteries with plenty of red herrings to keep me guessing...everytime I pick up a book in this series I know once I start reading, I'm not going to want to stop until I'm finished. Highly recommend.

Many thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

Wickedly well-crafted plot to keep you guessing who the guilty party is while leaving bread crumbs to the right solution! I absolutely love the characters of this series as they are so realistic that they truly feel like old friends and neighbors rather than just characters on a page. I typically listen to this series, but I couldn't wait for the audio when I saw the book was available to me now! My only regret is that I finished the book too quickly and now must wait for the author to create another delightful edition! There are so many great storylines developing for these characters that I will be waiting on pins and needles!

Robbie Jordan has agreed to let producer Tara O’Hara Moore host her cooking competition show at Pans ‘N Pancakes. It is St. Patrick’s Day which has the restaurant decked out in green shamrocks. The crew is ready to begin filming, but Tara has failed to arrive. Robbie goes upstairs to check on Tara with Buck and they find the producer dead in her room. Tara was murdered and Robbie has a restaurant full of suspects. Four Leaf Cleaver by Maddie Day is the eleventh A Country Store Mystery. It can be read as a standalone for those new to the series. I like Maddie Day’s writing style. It is casual (like a group of friends chatting) which makes her stories easy to read. Robbie Jordan is enjoying married life. She loves her husband, Abe and her stepson, Sean. Several women in Robbie’s circle announce they are pregnant. Robbie is happy for her friends, but she is sad as well. Robbie and Abe have been trying to get pregnant without success. The mystery was appealing. I knew who committed the crime, but I did not know why until later in the story. I like how the cleaver worked into the mystery. There were several suspects because the victim was not liked. Robbie asks questions and observes. She shares her insights with Lt. Buck Bird and the detective on the case. Buck gets some good news. He has come a long way since the first investigation. I enjoyed the side story lines. It was great to catch up with the characters. The ending will leave fans of the series smiling. The food cooked in Pans ‘N Pancakes and during the contest will have your mouthwatering. I agree with the patrons that the asparagus omelet should not be repeated. Four Leaf Cleaver is an appetizing tale with a cooking competition, a cleaver as a clue, a surplus of suspects, a dour detective, a profusion of pregnancies, tasty repasts, and an awful asparagus omelet.

Four Leaf Cleaver is book #11 in the Country Store Mystery series by Maddie Day.

It is Saint Patrick’s Day and Robbie has volunteered Pans ’N Pancakes as the site for a televised cooking competition. A murder put a crimp into those plans.

I enjoy this series. Each book is like a trip to visit old friends. This one did not disappoint. The mystery was good with twists that kept me guessing. Can’t wait for the next book!

Thank you to the author, Kensington, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This is book eleven in the Country Store Mystery series. I have enjoyed them all. It is a standalone but I like the character development over the series. This story deals with the death of the cooking show producer that is staying in one of Robbie’s B&B rooms.

I enjoy the character interactions and subplots throughout each story and this one is no exception.
As inmost of Ms. Day’s books there are plenty of suspects and I enjoyed turning the pages to see If I came up with the killer.

I was provided an advanced copy and these are my own opinions.

At least this death in her building didn't force Robbie to close the restaurant and shop part of her business, but her sleuthing kicked in and even old Oscar might've admitted she could be helpful. Well, except for when she'd fending off a killer and needs some backup.

I loved the family moments with Robbie and Sean. She even came up with a nickname for him that he approved of. He's really grown into a super nice older teen, but he'd always been a pretty nice kid since he's Abe's son. Sean'll make a good sleuthing buddy someday but for now it was safer to have him do online research. I did feel so sorry for Robbie who seemed to be surrounded by women with either new babies or babies on the way. I definitely was in her shoes at one point a long time ago.

Good news was celebrated by all at the end with all the pieces of the case fitting in and being explained. I'm eager to see what the next book brings!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.