FLIPPED FOR MURDER is Book 1 in Maddie Day's Country Store cozy mystery series. This story pulled me in right away because of the engaging and likable main characters. The victim is horrid and so the suspects are many and varied. Stella Rogers brought a little rain into every life she touched. FLIPPED FOR MURDER is my favorite type of mystery—one in which the sleuth has a good reason for getting involved in a murder investigation. Shop owner Robbie Jordan hunts down clues to get herself off the radar of the local police, as well as to clear the name of her eatery.

The evil that slithers through the quaint Indiana town is insidious. Not only does Robbie have to deal with a murderer on the loose, but she gets hit with sabotage to her restaurant and other very personal attacks. Over the course of FLIPPED FOR MURDER, she tries to figure out who is behind both and if it is the work of one individual. Robbie is a likable sleuth who is smart and doesn't take foolish risks when digging for information. Maddie Day tempers the suspense and thrills with a little humor.

The secondary characters in FLIPPED FOR MURDER, like Robbie's Aunt Adele and friend Phil, are a big part of what makes this story so enjoyable. These characters keep things light in the face of murder and danger lurking around every corner. I also like the smidgen of romance between Robbie and her sweet real estate lawyer. These characters also provide good sounding boards for Robbie as she tries to figure things out. Robbie's late mother is also a strong presence in this story and feels like an unseen supporting character.

FLIPPED FOR MURDER has everything I look for in a cozymdash; small town quirkiness, an engaging mystery, and a lead character surrounded by friends, and a hint of romance. I look forward to reading the next book in this charming cozy mystery series by Maddie day.

Book Summary

In this freshly baked series, author Maddie Day lifts the lid on a small town in southern Indiana, where a newcomer is cooking up a new start--until a murderer muddles the recipe...

Nursing a broken heart, Robbie Jordan is trading in her life on the West Coast for the rolling hills of southern Indiana. After paying a visit to her Aunt Adele, she fell in love with the tiny town of South Lick. And when she spots a For Sale sign on a rundown country store, she decides to snap it up and put her skills as a cook and a carpenter to use. Everyone in town shows up for the grand re-opening of Pans ‘n Pancakes, but when the mayor's disagreeable assistant is found dead, Robbie realizes that not all press is good press. With all eyes on her, she'll have to summon her puzzle-solving skills to clear her name, unscramble the town's darkest secrets, and track down a cold- blooded killer--before she's the next to die...