Crafts and Life

For country-store owner Robbie Jordan, the National Maple Syrup Festival is a sweet escape from late-winter in South Lick, Indiana–until murder saps the life out of the celebration . . .

As Robbie arranges a breakfast-themed cook-off at Pans 'N Pancakes, visitors pour into Brown County for the annual maple extravaganza. Unfortunately, that includes Professor Connolly, a know-it-all academic from Boston who makes enemies everywhere he goes–and this time, bad manners prove deadly. Soon after clashing with several scientists at a maple tree panel, the professor is found dead outside a sugar shack, stabbed to death by a local restaurateur's knife. When an innocent woman gets dragged into the investigation and a biologist mysteriously disappears, Robbie drops her winning maple biscuits to search for answers. But can she help police crack the case before another victim is caught in a sticky situation with a killer?

We have another hit from Maddie Day, this time Robbie doesn't find the body, however her Aunt Adele does and the body belongs to a Professor who has managed to annoy a lot of people, mainly scientists who claim that his "research" is nothing of the kind and that he is just getting money from climate change deniers in order to keep his job. This does mean that the returning detective has a lot to shift through, so Robbie lends a hand (against the advice of the police it must be said!), the main reasons for her getting involved though are partly because of her Aunt, partly because her best friend had a knife stolen and that was the murder weapon, and partly because her new employee's father seems to be being framed for the murder.

This was a humdinger of a story that gripped from the start and didn't let go, these books are getting better and better with each installment!