Biscuits and Slashed Browns

Written by Maddie Day

Narrated by Laural Merlington

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?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jan 30, 2018
• ISBN: 9781541488069

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 Biscuits and Slashed Browns

[newsieq · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It’s time for the Maple Syrup Festival in Brown County, Indiana … and our heroine Robbie Jordan is in the thick of things. Her café, Pans ‘n’ Pancakes, is hosting a breakfast cook-off contest. One of the judges, Warren Connolly, is an obnoxious professor from Boston who manages to alienate just about everyone at the event. Soon after the contest is over, he’s found dead, stabbed with a chef’s knife. And Robbie’s best friend, chef Christina James, discovers one of her knives is missing.Robbie is short-handed. Her number one assistant is out with a twisted ankle. Then the father of number two is taken in for questioning in the murder and that takes Turner Rao out of the lineup at Pans ‘n’ Pancakes. So Robbie is cooking and waiting tables alone until her Aunt Adele comes to the rescue.This is a sweet mystery series, with a great heroine and a Midwest setting that seems quite realistic, for a cozy mystery. I’ve read the three earlier books in this series and enjoyed them. Biscuits and Slashed Browns did not disappoint.

[Erin Swan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Story was excellent. Editing of audio book cut off the tail end of every chapter. Very frustrating

[Renee · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Figured this one out early. Audio kept chopping off the end of chapters.

[joannefm2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Robbie Jordan owns Pans 'N Pancakes restaurant, and is hosting one of the Brown County Maple Festival's events there. When she meets one of the judges - Professor Warren Connolly - she's not impressed. The man is arrogant and obnoxious. He's already had a disagreement with one of Robbie's regular customers, and also the father of her employee Turner, Dr. Rao. But when he's found dead by her Aunt Adele - murdered - there are suspects that hit a little too close to home. He was found on Dr. Rao's land, and killed with a knife belonging to her chef friend Christina. There's a detective who's investigating that isn't forthcoming with information, and Robbie is determined to do a little probing on her own to prove the two innocent and find out who hated Connolly enough to kill him. But since he was a man with secrets that are slowly coming to the forefront, and so are her friends, she's going to have to be careful or she might find herself not only piecing a puzzle, but being the next one to get sliced permanently...This is the fourth book in the series and I think I've liked it the most. While it wasn't all that involved as far as having tons of action, it was still an interesting book to read. Robbie still isn't sure of her relationship with Abe, having been burned a couple of times in the past, and she's also afraid she might ruin her relationship with her newest employee, Turner. But she forges ahead, because she doesn't want Christina to be suspected, and she wants to help Turner's family. Her heart is in the right place, but sometimes her actions make things go awry.Robbie, for her part, I do think acts a little too hastily, and since she does get involved, I would like to see her either tell someone where she's going every time she decides to do something rash, or take someone with her. It would show a little more responsibility on her part. Saying that, I do like the characters of Buck, Abe, and Adele quite a bit. They seem to be a little more level-headed than Robbie and keep her grounded somewhat. It would also be nice for her to either spend more time with her cat, Birdy, (they do get lonely) or at least get a second one so they'd have a playmate. The poor thing is alone almost all the time.Anyway, the murder itself was done nicely, and even though I knew the identity of the killer early on, it didn't stop my enjoyment of the book, since I like to see how the protagonist puts everything together. When the ending comes there was a dicey climax that kept me reading, and I am glad to say that all in all it was satisfying when the book ended. Recommended.

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Robbie Jordan is back in the fourth "Country Store Mystery". She is one of my favourite protaganists. She is smart, loves to solve puzzles, has some flaws, is loyal and caring and is in a burgeoning relationship. I also like how she recently found her father and is also developing a relationship with him and his family. She does not inject herself into investigations unless she has a good reason and is usually welcomed by the small town police force.

This visit to South Lick, Indiana finds them celebrating Maple Syrup. It is a festival that involves a baking contest and activities out at the local maple tree farm. Robbie's newest employee, Tucker, is the son of the farm owner. When a visiting professor, Warren Connolly, ends up dead at the farm, after a public argument between him and the owner of the farm, a fellow professor as well, Robbie tries to find the real culprit and get Tucker's father released from jail. Her friend and chef, is alos being investigated as it appears it was her knife that was found with the victim. With some drug busts also going on and Robbie short handed due to Danna's soccer injury, she has her hands full.

I love the townsfolk in this series. They are all supportive of one another, although gossip still reins. The sayings that both Buck, the sheriff and Robbie's Aunt Adele come up with, have me chuckling throughout the book. The Pans 'N Pancake store is a great setting for these stories. An old time country store that serves breakfast and lunch as well as selling old time and antique kitchen implements is just the thing to make these stories seem real. The relationship of Abe and Robbie is sweet and developing at a nice pace. I so hope things continue for them. Overall, this was a great story, well written, great pacing that kept me hooked until the end. I will say I pretty much figured out the murderer about halfway through, but the reasons for the murder were still a surprise. I definitely recommend this wonderful Cozy Mystery book and the series as well. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.

[drebbles · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When Professor Warren Connolly is murdered during the Brown County Maple Festival the police have plenty of suspects, including Christina James who has a very good reason to hate him. Country store owner Robbie Jordan is convinced that Christina is innocent and decides to help the police find the real killer. But she needs to be careful or she may be the next victim.“Biscuits and Slashed Browns” (love that title!) is a nicely done cozy mystery. This is the first book I have read in Maddie Day’s Country Store cozy mystery series so the characters and setting were all new to me - I have to say I liked them quite a bit. I love the country store/diner setting more (which is really more diner than country store) - I swear I could smell and taste the food as I was reading the book! The characters are equally well done - I liked Robbie even if she was a bit too nosy at times (and only in a cozy mystery will a character continually text clues to the police!). The other characters are also nicely done - I love the colorful turn of phrases that some of them use! The murder is well plotted with plenty of suspects - this is the type of book where the motive for the killing made me sad in more ways than one.“Biscuits and Slashed Browns” is a nicely done cozy mystery.

[ethel55_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This series continues to get better and better. Robbie Jordan is settled in South Lick, her Country Store, Pans and Pancakes is a going concern. The town takes advantage a tourism opportunity by hosting the National Maple Syrup Festival. Visitors come from all over and Robbie even hosts an event at the store. The near by university has been mentioned before, and this time, the victim has ties to the school as well as the town. A chef's knife points toward Robbie's chef friend, so she naturally does a bit of sleuthing on her own. I like many of the secondary characters. Robbie's newish boyfriend Abe and her aunt are always supportive. There were plenty of twists and many new suspects to keep me guessing until the end.

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cozies are wonderful reads for those who like more than just a mystery in their mysteries. And this one does not disappoint! Robbie is trying to find out who killed the much annoying professor, but she still has to make a living. So, between keeping her restaurant going, often short handed, to finding time to see her beau, she is always looking for clues and has her hands full. Likable characters abound in this tale, but some are not so wonderful. In fact, one of the has to be the killer. The author manages a few surprises, though it’s likely you may figure it out before Robbie does. However, that does not detract from this enjoyable and entertaining novel.

[lisaksbookreviews · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’ve loved this series from the very first page of book one, FLIPPED FOR MURDER. The characters, the location, and of course author Maddie Day’s writing, continue to bring me back again and again. BISCUITS AND SLASHED BROWNS was a fast paced tale, with a well plotted mystery that left me hanging onto my seat through all of the twists and turns. When the action packed reveal came, I was really taken by surprise. Another delightful installment of the Country Store Mysteries, BISCUITS AND SLASHED BROWNS is one mystery fans will want to add to their ever growing TBRs.As always, you’ll find some amazing, tasty recipes at the back of the book.

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

Biscuits and Slashed Browns by Maddie Day is the fourth book in A Country Store Mystery series. Robbie Jordan owns Pans ‘N Pancakes in South Lick, Tennessee. It is March and time for the Fifth Annual Brown County Maple Festival. Robbie has arranged for a breakfast cook off to be held at her restaurant and Robbie will be making her maple biscuits. Professor Warren Connolly is one of the judges for the contest, but several people are not happy with him. Robbie witnesses him having a disagreement with Professor Sonia Genest and Dr. Sajit Rao. The next morning Warren is found dead by the sugar shack on the Rao’s maple farm. The murder weapon turns out to be one of Christina James’ Tojiro knives. Christina is Robbie’s best friend and she has an excellent motive for wishing harm to come to Warren. Robbie knows that her friend did not kill Warren and sets out to find the culprit. The suspect list is quite long since Warren seemed to make enemies wherever he ventured. Then Robbie’s prime suspect, Sajit goes missing. While searching for Sajit, Robbie stumbles upon an illegal venture. Will Robbie find the killer, or will she end up the next victim? Biscuits and Slashed Browns is well-written and entertaining. The book was easy to read and had a good pace. The characters are well-developed, colorful and relatable (they will remind you of your family and friends). I appreciate that the author includes characters of various ages and nationalities. I enjoy the great small-town locale. While Biscuits and Slashed Browns is the fourth book in the series, it can be read alone. The author provides readers with Robbie’s history and touches on past storylines. There is a dash of romance which plays out softly in the background. I like that Abe supports Robbie in her sleuthing (though he does worry about her). The mystery was nicely woven into the story, there are several suspects and the author provided good clues to aid readers. I love the vintage implements featured in the story. The cozy elements include family, friends, the making of maple syrup, cooking, Southern colloquialisms, humor, romance and a smidgen of jealousy. There are recipes included at the end of the book. Biscuits and Slashed Browns is my favorite book in A Country Store Mystery series.

[lauigl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It’s the National Maple Syrup festival in South Lick, Indiana. Robbie Jordan, local chef and proprietor, holds the kickoff culinary competition in her restaurant and vintage cookware store, Pans ‘N Pancakes. One of the judges, a disagreeable Professor, Warren Connolly, suffers a choking episode, nearly turning a fun day into a disaster if not for Robbie’s beau, Abe O’Neill, who comes to the man’s rescue. Thankfully he was there since Robbie observed that those in close proximity to the professor didn’t move an inch to help him. Tragically, when said professor is found dead soon thereafter, Robbie recalls some of the instances of quarreling between Connolly and a couple of her friends and acquaintances before he met his demise. One of those acquaintances has gone missing, and Robbie’s friends are quickly moving up on the suspect list. Can Robbie find the killer and absolve her friends before she winds up toast herself?Biscuits and Slashed Browns is Book 4 in the Country Store Mystery series, and I enjoyed it. There were viable suspects and overall it was a good mystery. I chuckled at the Hoosier dialect and comical sayings, such as, “...with a lawyer stuck to him tighter than snot on a hot oven door.” LOL. I have read three of the four books in this series, and while this one was not my favorite, it’s still recommended. For the best experience I would suggest getting acquainted with the characters by starting with Book 1 in the series.

[annarellix-322425 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read other instalments of this series and always like them as they were also really good.
It is nice to read about the development of the characters and their relationships.
This is a good read, entertaining and enjoyable with no plot hole and a good pace.
Sometimes it seemed to that Robbie was a bit on the "rigid" side sticking to truth at all cost without understanding what the consequences but this was just a small down in a very good mystery.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley.