No Grater Crime

No Grater Crime by Maddie Day is the 9th A Country Store Mystery. It can be read as a standalone if you are new to the series (but you will be missing out on some cute country cozy mysteries). Robbie Jordan is getting married in a month and still has some details to finalize. Her life becomes complicated when customers become ill after eating her mushroom omelet. Her restaurant is shut down leaving Robbie with unanswered questions and a dead patron. To top it off, some of her vintage implements have disappeared and a food truck opens across the street. No Grater Crime is a cute story that is action packed. I have been looking forward to Robbie and Abe’s wedding. They are such a sweet couple. I thought the author captured the area with her word imagery (of South Lick, Indiana) plus the dialects, dialogue, and references to nearby cities. It is funny how people call items by different names depending on what area of the country they are from. One example is soda. When I lived in Ohio, we called it pop. When I moved to Florida, I was told it was soda. I like that the author includes different examples. The mystery was interesting. There are multiple suspects in this whodunit that easily could have done the deed including Abe’s ex-wife. I had a good time following the mystery and seeing how it turned it (I love to solve the crimes). I would have liked a more thorough wrap-up. I was also baffled as to why Robbie never reported the missing items. It seemed odd. The ending will delight fans of the series. No Grater Crime is an enticing tale with mortal mushrooms, a purloined utensil, a lookie-loo, food truck trouble, and a wonderful wedding.

Another excellent addition to this fun series by Maddie Day! The newly renovated building opposite Robbie’s diner, Pans ‘n’ Pankcakes, has caused her considerable food for thought, and when it turns out to be an antiques store, she wonders how it will affect the sales of the vintage cookware she sells. Even more worrying is the siting of a mobile food truck outside the new store, closely followed by Robbie’s own store being closed when a customer dies from ingesting poisonous mushrooms. With no work to keep her occupied, Robbie turns her attention to investigating the murder and before long she begins to turn up various pieces of evidence; now all she needs is to join the dots . . . I love this series! The author also writes The Quaker Midwife series as Edith Maxwell and, whatever she is writing, she has an impeccable eye for detail. Every move is well executed and there is never any question that the right solution is found at the end of the day. There is a wonderful cast of characters and Robbie’s personal life is part and parcel of each novel. Another fabulous book, very enjoyable and, as always, entertaining. I look forward to reading the next one! An easy five star read and one I’m happy to recommend.

I have loved Maddie Day’s series, A Country Story Mystery, since I fell into the first book. The newest and ninth in the series, No Grater Crime. is my favorite since that wonderful first encounter with Robbie Jordan as she began her adventure Pans ‘N Pancakes in South Lick, Indiana. Since that first book I have drooled over tons of meals, delighted in the new friends I made, and fallen not so slowly in love with Abe, the kind of guy that real life should put in front of every good woman so she has to trip over him to miss him. A new competing business can’t seriously phase Robbie with her loyal base until something makes a whole group of clients ill and the health department closes her down. She knows that none of her staff were careless and is determine to track down how something dangerous got into her food. Once the source is revealed, she works to find out if an accidental mix up was behind the poisonings or if someone wants to destroy her business. Even wedding plans can’t compete with the idea that she and her restaurant could end up with a permanent black-eye. Maddie Day has mentioned the wedding so it is no spoiler to share that the wedding was perfect for Abe and Robbie and capped off a rough month in the best possible way. I hope this is just a new beginning for Robbie and Abe, but if it is the end of the series, it is a glorious one. I requested an ARC via NetGalley and was excited to have the request approved. I love the series and No Grate Crime is the best so far!