Death Over Easy

Written by Maddie Day

Narrated by Laural Merlington

Restaurateur Robbie Jordan is ready for the boost in business a local music festival brings to South Lick, Indiana, but the beloved event strikes a sour note when one of the musicians is murdered . . .

June's annual Brown County Bluegrass Festival at the Bill Monroe Music Park in neighboring Beanblossom is always a hit for Robbie's country store and cafe, Pans 'N Pancakes. This year, Robbie is even more excited, because she's launching a new bed and breakfast above her shop. A few festival musicians will be among Robbie's first guests, along with her father, Roberto, and his wife, Maria. But the celebration is cut short when a performer is found choked to death by a banjo string. Now all the banjo players are featured in a different kind of lineup. To clear their names, Robbie must pair up with an unexpected partner to pick at the clues and find the plucky killer before he can conduct an encore performance . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jul 31, 2018
• ISBN: 9781977378712

Maddie Day

Agatha and Macavity finalist author Maddie Day is a talented amateur chef who knows both Indiana and Cape Cod intimately. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and blogs with the Wicked Authors and at Killer Characters. Day lives with her beau north of Boston, where she gardens, cooks, and devises new murderous plots. She hopes you’ll find her at maddiedayauthor.com.

Reviews for Death Over Easy

[newsieq · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The little town of South Lick, Indiana, is bustling with tourists attending a bluegrass festival nearby. Our heroine, Robbie Jordan’s is busy running her café, Pans ‘n’ Pancakes. The father she didn’t know growing up and with whom she recently connected is visiting from Italy; he and his wife are staying at the Bed and Breakfast Robbie recently opened over the café – plus she has her first paying B&B guests.As if that isn’t enough, there’s a murder. Although she doesn’t intend to step on the toes of police investigators, the girl can’t help herself. The college-student victim, who was appearing at the festival, has more than her share of non-admirers, but no one appears to have a motive for murder. Then there’s a second murder. Death Over Easy is a delightful, frothy confection – one that will appeal to cozy readers, especially culinary mystery fans. The recipe for sugar cream pie looks particularly tasty.

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A music festival hits a sour note when one of the performers is found murdered with a banjo wire around her neck. Robbie’s father and step-mother are visiting from Italy, and this is not how Robbie envisioned their stay at her B&B. It’s hard to imagine things getting worse, but they do. It’s another murder for Robbie to get involved with, even as the detective on the case warns her away. Interesting, entertaining, and intriguing, this is another fine addition to the series.

[joannefm2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the fifth book in the series, and I have read all of them. I've enjoyed all of them, too. Robbie seems down-to-earth and really doesn't go looking for trouble; even if she asks questions of people she doesn't go around accusing them of murder. She's just curious and wants as much information as she can gather to eliminate suspects. She's also built her business, doing her own carpentry and as much work as she can without help, which is a nice change. I do wish she were able to spend more time with her cat, though. Birdy must be terribly lonely, and if she's going to be away as much as she is, then she might want to think about getting Birdy a companion kitty so he's not lonely. (Yes, cats can get lonely, too).While I was entertained by the story line, I didn't understand why the idiot Detective Henderson would even question Robbie's father and his wife. First, they barely knew the girl, not having seen her for decades; then, where would either one of them have gotten the murder weapon without anyone knowing about it? What reason would they have to even have the murder weapon in their possession? Not to mention, neither of them had the slightest motive. It seemed patently ridiculous that they would be so calculating as to plan to visit Robbie and come upon someone they hadn't seen for years, then decide to kill her. The most that should have been asked of them is what they could tell Detective Henderson about her family. That's it. So there was that - and it didn't leave me in much of an impression that Henderson knew what she was doing.Aside from that, the rest of the story flowed nicely, and I thought there were plenty of red herrings, giving us enough suspects to sift through the story. I am glad to say that not a lot of attention was paid to the bluegrass music itself, since not everyone who reads mysteries would be interested, but more attention was given to finding the killer, which is just as it should be. We are learning more about mayor Corinne, and I'm finding her more endearing and funnier each time we meet her.I would have to have liked to know more about the backstory between Don and Roberto (it may have been mentioned in a previous book; but if so, I've forgotten it since I read so many books); it would have helped to understand Don's hesitance to see Roberto.But when all is said and done, the mystery was decent enough, the ending was a bit of a surprise, and I look forward to reading the next in the series. Recommended.

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There is so much going on in Robbie Jordan's life in South Lick, Indiana. She has just opened the B&B portion of her business, her father and his wife are visiting from Italy and in nearby Beanblossom the Bill Monroe Blue Grass festival is in full swing. When one of the performers is found murdered and several of her guests are on the suspect list (including her father and his wife), she takes it upon herself to ask questions and snoop around. Shortly after she begins her sleuthing, another prominent member of the community is also killed, garrotted with a banjo string, the same as the first victim.

It is great to read this series and meet up with all my favourite characters. Adele and Samuel made several appearances and Phil supplied his yummy desserts. We got to see a lot of Abe and Robbie together, and it is nice to see how their relationship is growing. Even the mayor had her part in her own bluegrass band. I found that rather humorous, as she always seemed so straight laced. Danna, Robbie's assistant not only was working, but her boyfriend was a suspect and she made several appearances. There was a bit of a reference to PTSD in the story, but it was not a focal point, just a fact. The reveal of the killer(s) was amazing. Once the mystery started to be unraveled, I couldn't wait to find out who was responsible. Not only did Robbie find herself in danger, but so did some of the others close to her. A fantastic ending and it is going to be tough to top this one in her next book. Bravo Maddie Day. The publisher, Kensington Publisher, generously provided me with a copy of this book upon my request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

[lauigl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Bill Monroe bluegrass festival in BeanBlossom, IN, is underway, and Robbie Jordan, owner of Pans n’ Pancakes, is excited since the venue will provide opportunities for a few musicians and dancers to stay at her newly opened little B&B in South Lick. Her boyfriend, Abe O’Neal, is one of the performers at the festival, and she’s proud watching him from the audience. But when she and other observers see him arguing with one of the band members, and then that same member is found dead the next day, Robbie gets involved in the investigation since the suspects include her boyfriend, her father and a couple of guests staying at her Inn. Death Over Easy is Book five in the Country Store Mystery series. I enjoyed it despite having absolutely no knowledge of bluegrass music, banjos and whatnot. One of my favorite things about this series is revisiting with recurring characters, particularly Buck Bird, an incredibly tall, lanky Detective with a bottomless pit appetite and a deep Hoosier accent. He pronounces the victim, Pia Bianchi, as Ms. by-ON-chee. ? And says things like, I Knowed It. I like it when several of the characters in a mystery book are potential suspects, and when some of the characters think the victim was a great person, while others feel the person was the absolute worst. This was how it went in Death Over Easy. I kept trying to ascertain the true nature of the victim’s character. And even though I had an idea who the murderer was fairly early on, it didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the book.

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Death Over Easy by Maddie Day is the fifth novel in A Country Store Mystery series. Robbie Jordan owns Pans ‘N Pancakes in South Lick, Indiana. Robbie currently has her father and his wife visiting from Italy and they are staying in her newly refinished B&B rooms over her restaurant. It is June and time for the Brown County Bluegrass Festival that is being held in nearby Beanblossom. It will mean extra business for her restaurant plus some of the musicians are staying in her B&B. Robbie enjoys an evening at the festival despite Pia Bianchi causing some disharmony. The next morning Lt. Buck Bird stops by for breakfast and mentions that Pia was found dead at the Beanblossom covered bridge that morning. She was strangled with banjo strings (ouch). When Sue Berry ends up at the top of the suspect list, Robbie swings into action. Pia managed to antagonize a notable number of people giving Robbie a suspect list longer than an operetta. Robbie will need to compose the clues into a harmonious tune to pick out the cut-throat killer. Death Over Easy is nicely written and has a steady pace which makes for a satisfying reading experience. I like the characters in the story. Robbie is a smart, strong woman who has started a new business as well as doing construction on the upstairs rooms to expand her business. It is sweet that Robbie is finally getting to know her father, Roberto Fracasso. I wish his wife, Maria spoke better English, so we could get to know her as well. The town of South Lick is quaint small town with friendly residents. The author has created a cozy environment. It is like visiting old friends when I pick up a new A Country Store Mystery. It is neat how each book features a different theme or event and I enjoy the various vintage kitchen tools mentioned. There are many pleasing cozy moments throughout the story as Robbie cooks, attends the festival, spends time with her kitten, and interacts with her friends, co-workers, boyfriend and family. The mystery was straightforward with some misdirection, a handful of suspects, a search through the woods, and a twist at the end. I like that the local police work with Robbie and are not portrayed as dullards. While Death Over Easy can be read alone, you would be missing some of the background on Robbie Jordan. I recommend reading A Country Store Mystery series in order. There are recipes at the end for a couple of the dishes featured in the story. Death Over Easy is a charming cozy mystery that will have you eager for the next A Country Store Mystery.