Candy Slain Murder
As December sweeps through South Lick, Indiana, Robbie’s life seems merry and bright like the string lights glistening around town. But strange happenings signal a bumpy ride into the holidays. First, a man raises eyebrows at Pans ’N Pancakes when he claims to be the long-lost half-brother of Robbie’s assistant. Then a fire destroys the home of a controversial anesthesiologist, exposing skeletal remains in his attic. Unavoidably intrigued, all Robbie wants for Christmas is to stop her winter wonderland from becoming a real nightmare. With a decades-old mystery taking shape, can she run as fast as she can in pursuit of a killer who’s harder to crack than a stale gingerbread man?
Series: A Country Store Mystery – Book #8
Author: Maddie Day/Edith Maxwell
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Culinary/Holiday
Publisher: Kensington Books
Page Count: 30
Rating: 
Robbie is a fun, lovable character who makes readers want to visit her wonderful pancake cafe and spend the Christmas season with her friends, family, and customers. In the newest addition to the “A Country Store Mystery” series, Candy Slain Murder, Maddie Day has made this series even more thrilling.
It’s almost Christmas in South Lick, and Robbie and the crew are working on their newest creations at Pans ‘N pancakes. Everything seems to be going great until an unexpected murder, a long-lost brother, and a handful of strange events leave Robbie stuck in the middle of another murder investigation. This time the murder I sold long before her time, but that doesn’t make it any less important. Several mysteries need to be solved, but time is not a friend, and before you know it, there is another victim. Add in the unexpected introduction of Danna’s brother, one she never knew she had, and you have the makings of a holiday story that will lift your spirits and keep you happy.
Characters in this series have held the reader’s fascination since the beginning. They keep the action moving, add flavor to the town, and keep readers happy. Suspects are found around every corner, and motives abound. Even with Christmas and the holiday season on the horizon, everyone knows Robbie will be knee-deep in whatever horrendous murder occurs. Readers know that Robbie will place herself in danger, solve the murder, and catch the bad guy.
The killer isn’t a surprise, but this book’s ending will have fans smiling with holiday cheer. Candy Slain Murder is a quick, easy read that gives readers a chance to spend some quality time with the characters they have come to love. This latest addition to the series is the book everyone wants to read and savor this merry Christmas season.
I recommend these Christmas cozies for those looking for older holiday reads. Sarah Fox’s unique “A Literary Pub Mystery” or Leslie Budewitz’s delectable “A Food Lovers’ Village Mystery”.
About the Author:
Maddie Day (aka: Edith Maxwell) has always been a writer. She made her living writing technical documentation in the software industry, wrote features and essays as a free-lance journalist, edited medical texts, and produced several published articles and a doctoral dissertation in the field of linguistics. And before that, she wrote fiction and news articles, with her first paid published story appearing at age 9. Creating fiction, long and short, is what makes her happiest (although she wrote a prose poem about her late father that she’s rather proud of).
She is active in Sisters in Crime and is a member of Mystery Writers of America. She is also a long-time member of the Society of Friends (Quaker), and the recent past Clerk of Amesbury Friends Meeting. Her art story was featured in the National Endowment for the Arts 50th anniversary celebration.
As a former organic farmer, Maddie knows the language and tensions of someone like Cam Flaherty, the farmer in the Local Foods mysteries. Edith lived in southern Indiana for five years and loved the slow pace and language of its natives, so it made sense to set the Country Store Mysteries there. She taught independent childbirth classes and worked as a doula for some years, giving her insight into the life of a historical midwife, as portrayed in the Quaker Midwife Mysteries. And her new Cozy Capers Book Group series comes straight out of both her imagination and several solo writing retreats on Cape Cod.
Maddie lives in Amesbury, Massachusetts, but is originally a fourth-generation Californian. She has two grown sons and lives in an antique house with her beau and their two cats.
Contact Maddie: edithmaxwellauthor@gmail.com
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