This is the 7th in the Country Store Mysteries

Robbie Jordon is heading back to Santa Barbara for her high school reunion, with some sad memories of her mother's passing two year's before. She meets up with some old friends she hung out with in high school one being a police officer Jason and her best friend Alana and of course her nemesis
Katharine. She discovers from a environmental activist that her mother might have been poisoned from a group that they where trying to shut down. When Paul also dies Robbie starts asking questions and following up leads, when she isn't eating some amazing food to take back to South Lick to try on her customers. With lots of different people trying to get this company shut down, there are a number of suspects for Robbie to go through. Will she find the killer? Read to find out.

I love all the books in this series and I really enjoyed getting to know where Robbie grew up and some of her friends in this one. Another great read!

Nacho Average Murder will tease your taste buds as well as your mind in solving this crime. The characters will keep you wondering who to believe. This is a wonderful who dun it.

Synopsis:

Robbie Jordan is temporarily leaving Pans ’N Pancakes, her country store in South Lick, Indiana, to visit Santa Barbara, California—where wildfire smoke tinges the air, but a more immediate danger may lie in wait . . .

While looking forward to her high school reunion back in California, Robbie’s anticipation is complicated by memories of her mother’s untimely death. At first, she has fun hanging out with her old classmates and reuniting with the local flavors—avocados, citrus, fish, and spicy Cali-Mex dishes. But then she gets wind of rumors that her mother, an environmental activist, may not have died of natural causes. With the help of friends, Robbie starts clearing the smoke surrounding the mystery—but what she finds could make it hard to get back to Indiana alive . . .

Includes Recipes for You to Try! (Goodreads)

Review:

The characters are well developed and well rounded. Robbie is smart, strong and caring and she likes to see justice served. She goes back to California for her high school reunion, she just wants to have a good time. But that changes when a member of an activist group is murder, she wants to help solve the murder. Especially since her mother was killed in a similar way, and she was an activist too. Robbie has some help from old friends from school and her mom’s old friend. But I really missed Robbie not being in South Lick, Indiana, where her family and friends are and having them help her. But Robbie deserves to go on vacation too.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions made the book much more enjoyable. The writing style flows smoothly and the book is a quick easy read. I thought the mystery was well plotted and it was not easily solved.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. This is a great series and I look forward to reading the next one when it comes out.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

Nacho Average Murder is the 7th Country Store Mystery and takes Robbie Jordan away from her home and country store in South Lick, Indiana, to her high school reunion in Santa Barbara, California. In the midst of catching up with high school pals Alana and Jason, suspicions are raised about Robbie's mother's death. Robbie's mother was part of an agri-activism group who's goal was stopping the use of a toxic fumigant manufactured by high school classmate Katherine's father's company. A member of the group, Paul, tells Robbie of his suspicion's around her mother's death, and not long after this conversation, Paul appears to die of the same condition that took Robbie's mother's life. Suspicions abound and Robbie sets off to find out what happened to her mother and Paul, with the help of pals. Robbie's investigations put her in danger, but through it all, Paul's killer is brought to justice and Robbie is able to return home to Indiana, boyfriend Abe and Pans "N Pancakes with lots of new ideas for food dishes to add to her menu!

This is a thoroughly enjoyable book that keeps you guessing until the end. The story provides insight into Robbie's background and friends in Santa Barbara while introducing you to some new characters that I hope do take Robbie up on her offer to visit in South Lick, particularly Carmen and mama Luisa!

Even though Nacho Average Murder is part of a series, this book stands alone and canbe thoroughly enjoyed even if you've not read the others.

Robbie's back in Santa Barbara for her high school reunion. As we all know, reunions often lead to bad behavior but that's not the case here. Yes, Robbie's run smack into Katherine, who is still a mean girl, but she's also hooked up with her friends, Alana and Jason. Robbie's mom died two years ago of what Robbie was told was natural causes but Paul, one of her friends in the environmental movement, believes she was killed- and then he dies! Both her mom and Paul ran afoul of Agrosafe, a chemical company run by...Katherine's father. Robbie, with the help of Alana and Jason, finds the truth. While I like the Indiana setting of the earlier books in the series, this move to California freshened it- brought in new characters and (smile) new food. Don;t worry if you haven't read the earlier books as this will be fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc. This is for cozy fans. AND, there are recipes!

I have read a few books of this series and a few others of Maddie Days that are not. I have liked reading them. With Nacho Average Murder, Ms. Day takes Robbie Jordan outside of South Lick and returns her to her childhood home of Santa Barbara California to attend her high school reunion and some well-deserved vacation. While there she is confronted with news about her mother's death two years earlier, and the death of the man who created the prospect that it might not have been because of natural causes. Robbie can't help but begin asking questions and trying to figure out whether this death was natural or murder. This time around, she is assisted in her efforts by her mother's best friend as well as two of her friends from high school. They were entertaining characters.

The mystery is solid. Robbie does what she always does and begins asking questions that start to get her into trouble. There are several possible suspects to choose from. As a result, the killer's identity was not a surprise and it would have been nice to have a bit more of the evidence flushed out about this character's motive for the murder. It felt a bit rushed at the end.

All in all, this was an pleasurable read, but I will be happy when Robbie was back in South Lick. The town has become so much a part of the series that I missed it when Robbie left. I wouldn't mind seeing some of the characters from this book make a visit. I think it could be interesting.

Nacho Average Murder by Maddie Day the 7th instalment in the "A Country Store Mystery" series. I really enjoy this series and have bought all of them on my kindle, I still need to read some of the earlier ones.

This is the second book I have read in the series , and it can be read as a stand alone. This time round Robbie takes us to Santa Barbara for her high school reunion. While there we meet her high school bff’s as well as some other loveable characters whom I hope we meet again.

I found myself engrossed in the story and reading it in one sitting. I loved the descriptions of the food as well as the setting, I could really picture myself there. It was entertaining, full of twists and turns and a bit of a cliffhanger at the end.

I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends.

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Kensington Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

Robbie Jordan returns to Santa Barbara for a high school class reunion and to connect with old friends. However, when people start making suggestions that her mother's recent death was not natural causes as thought but murder Robbie knows she needs to investigate.

The story did a good job of getting me caught up in the Santa Barbara local and had some excellent ideas for yummy food. Top that with a mystery filled with clues that kept me guessing made it an enjoyable read. Thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Robbie Jordan heads back to her native California for her high school reunion. It's a bittersweet return because it is her first time back since her mother's death two years prior. When she gets wind of rumors that her mother's death may not have been from natural causes, she tries to follow up with an environmental activist. Her mother was lobbying to have a harmful pesticide banned and so is the activist Robbie meets. Robbie soon learns a former schoolmate's father is the producer of the chemical and she tries to uncover more about the company's products. With someone stalker her, Robbie fears she has stumbled over something incriminating. I always enjoy the Robbie Jordan series, but this one felt like it ended abruptly. .

Class reunions can be hard enough with out throwing mystery and murder into the mix. That is just what the author did in this latest installment of the well loved series. Set in Robbies hometown, not only is she faced with faces from her past, but told her mother’s death might not have been an accident and finds herself in the middle of a more recent murder. This story is a perfect addition to the series.

NACHO AVERAGE MURDER, the seventh book in the Country Store Mystery series by Maddie Day, is a delightful visit to Santa Barbara, California! I was especially thrilled when I found out that the protagonist, Robbie Jordan, was making a trip from her Indiana residence back to her hometown. I grew up in the area and it was obvious that Ms. Day researched it thoroughly. She accurately captures the sights, sounds, flavors, and smells of the location, from the beaches to the mission grounds, to the restaurants and Latin-inspired food, to the quaint shops and the historical culture. I enjoyed how she infuses her story with our Southern California Latino heritage via the dishes Robbie ate and the Spanish phrases we use frequently, no matter our ethnic background. It added to the authenticity of the locale.

Robbie’s visit is instigated by her tenth high school class reunion, where the mean girls are still the mean girls. I liked that Robbie feels like she’s moved beyond the self-doubt they inflicted on her in high school and how she reaches out to try to connect. It shows an insight into Robbie and the growth of her character over the years. While in town, she finds some disturbing information that perhaps her mother’s untimely death might have really been a murder connected to her involvement with local environmental activism. It becomes even more suspicious when her mother’s friend dies in the same manner.

Ms. Day weaves an intriguing mystery that involves a possible cold case and questionable environmental agriculture practices. Robbie treads carefully as she begins to ask questions to find out what really happened to her mother and friend since her usual posse of friends and law enforcement aren’t there to back her up. I did feel that Robbie took a few too many chances walking in deserted areas on her own but the author’s tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of her foolhardiness brought some humor to the scenes. As the story develops it becomes clear that people are hiding secrets and as a result, there are lots of suspects to keep the reader guessing. Plenty of clues are sprinkled throughout and I fell for the misdirection thrown in several times. But as the reveal unfolds it all begins to tie together into a cohesive, entertaining read!

While Robbie may not be doing the cooking in this newest installment, she does partake of some amazing meals while in Santa Barbara. Always on the lookout for new recipes to add to her menu at Pans ‘N Pancakes in Indiana, she makes notes of the dishes and takes pictures. Ms. Day shares those recipes with a Southern California flair, at the back of the book, and they all sound fantastic!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Nacho Average Murder is a fitting title for this book as it is indeed quite different than the previous ones. In this book Robbie travels to California to attend her class reunion and go for a short vacation. Ofcourse she stumbles upon another mystery to solve while she's there. I really like this series and happily dove into this latest book.

I both liked and disliked the change of scenery. For some reason in many cozies I feel the change of scenery just doesn't work as well. I think the author handled it pretty good in this book, but I still missed the usual setting and side characters. The book had a whole different feel due to the change in scenery as a lot of the familiar and usual elements and characters of previous books where missing. It was fun to meet new side characters and discover this new place and even find out a bit more about where Robbie grew up. The different foods and new foods she tries where fun too. So the change in scenery was both good and had me missing the familiar at the same time.

The mystery for some reason didn't fully grip me. I usually really enjoy the mysteries in this series, but this one just didn't fully work for me. The few possible suspects where obvious from the start and even the means and motive was clear. It just wasn't as mysterious. It was clear why someone had wanted the dead man death and how they did it and I even had a good idea who had done it. I wasn't really surprised at the reveal and the reveal scene felt a bit anticlimactic, especially after a few suspenseful scenes earlier on when Robbie is in danger. I also felt that Robbie was a bit less cautious than in most books.

One of my favorite parts of this book was seeing Robbie interact with some old friends like Allana, Jason and Liz as well as make new friends in Hector, Carmen and Carmen's mother as well as a few other characters she meets. I also liked seeing her taste new foods and as she was away from her restaurant her days where filled with sleuthing and lots of mentions of food. As Robbie eats so many different new things the food theme came across in a different way and I liked reading about all the new things she ate and the clear foodie focus this book had.

To summarize: This is a great cozy mystery series and this was another fun book in this series. While I didn't enjoy this one as much as many of the earlier books it was still a great read. The mystery didn't grip me as much. The means and motive where pretty clear from the start and there are a few possible suspects that are present form the start as well. I wasn't surprised at who the murderer was, although there were a few unexpected twists along the way. This book is set in a different place than the rest of the series as Robbie takes a short vacation, this was fun, but it also made me miss some of the familiar elements of previous books. There are some nice new side characters that Robbie meets in this book and I liked seeing her try new foods and eating some great local dishes. While this was a fun change of scenery I look forward to Robbie being back in South Lick in the next book again.

In this seventh installment in Maddie Day's A Country Store Mystery series, Robbie Jordan has returned to her hometown of Santa Barbara, California, to attend her high school reunion. While catching up with old friends, she learns that her mother, an environmental activist who died suddenly from a brain aneurysm two years ago, may have been murdered by a wealthy and powerful man named Walter Russom. Walter is the father of Robbie's high school nemesis and owns a pesticide company. His products are known to be very harmful to living things, and Robbie's mother was determined to get his company shut down. With the help of her high school friends, Alana and Jason, she sets out to uncover the truth about her mother's death.

This is one of my absolute favorite cozy mystery series and each book gets better and better. It was fun seeing where Robbie grew up and meeting her old friends. I enjoyed the California setting and the mouthwatering descriptions of food. The mystery was well-plotted, with enough clues, suspense, and suspects to keep readers on their toes. I really liked the ending and thought it was a refreshing change from the action-packed reveals that you normally see in cozy mysteries. This is a delightful series, with a charming setting, wonderful, well-developed characters, and delicious recipes. South Lick, Indiana, is one of my favorite fictional small towns, and I look forward to my next visit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

This is the seventh book in the Country Store mysteries series by Maddie Day.

Robbie is visiting her hometown to go to her class reunion but is bombarded by ghosts of her mother’s death. Someone reveals to her that her mother’s death might not have been accidental like she thought.

I like how they took the character out of her setting but the story still felt cohesive and I loved her trek to her hometown in Indiana. I enjoyed watching Robbie revel in the tastes of her new friend’s restaurant business and connecting with her friend Jason who works in the cyber section of the police department.

The mystery really keeps you interested. She throws in a lot of red herrings and suspects so discovering who was behind it all was quite a challenge. I really liked the journey of this book. We got to see her emotions where her mother was concerned. We got to see her enjoying the local cuisine and finding time to meet with friends she had lost contact with. I do hope they continue to use some of these characters in future books. I totally dig the new setting and hope she revisits it occasionally just to change up things from time to time.

If you love a good cozy mystery, definitely check this one out.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

This is the seventh I the series and is not set in South Lick, Indiana. Robbie is going to a High school reunion in Santa Barbara, CA.

I really enjoyed this book. I was thrilled at first that it was not set in Indiana but that quickly was dismissed as the story unfolded.

I found the premise intriguing, the story interesting, and the plot well-thought out.

I highly recommend this book.

Nacho Average Murder is the 7th installment in the Country Store Mysteries. And a very different installment it was from the previous ones. I really like this series. Maddie Day's voice speaks to me and even when there is a lull in activity I never get bored with it. On a personal level, I am having problems concentrating on anything but especially books and if I can't get connected quickly then there just isn't anything in it for me. This was a quick connection. I can't wait to see the next episode to see how things are going back home.

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for an early review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

I enjoyed this book. It's unusual as the main character Rob is on vacation while investigating. She started investigating her mother's death but finds that a recent death of her mother's associate was murder. She alerts the police to the possibility and is there when the killer is caught, thanks to the cyber-sleuthing of the killer's brother. I enjoyed the descriptions of the area and especially all the food eaten. #NachoAverageMurder #NetGalley

At first, I really enjoyed this one a lot! Robbie seems smart and passionate and very relatable. The writing is very specific, naming kinds of birds or plants or foods--not in a way that feels forced or researched, just in what seems like a bright person telling a story. But then she does many really stupid things and says she should have known she couldn't go around just asking questions with impunity, etc. And then she turns around and just keeps doing it. Along with other tropes like leaving her phone in her car at important moments. "How could I be twenty-eight years old with a half dozen murder investigations behind me and leave my phone anywhere except on my person?" Good question. And her self-awareness of the stupid things she's doing just make it all the more irritating.

So, I liked the character herself, the premise of trying to figure out if her mother's death was murder--and if so, by whom, the setting, and the general writing. But I hated that Robbie acts in ways that seem totally contrary to her established character a number of times throughout the book. It's obvious it's because she has to find out some certain plot point and the author couldn't figure out a better way to engineer it. Frustrating.

This was my first book in this series. I'll go back to the beginning and try book 1, because there WAS lots I like about it. But if Robbie acts smart/stupid in every book, then that'll be it for me.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Love this series. while robbie is at her reunion in California she gets in touch with old friends. when a murder happens she sets out to find the killer. To hear more read the book

In this 7th book in the Country Store Mystery series, small-town Indiana diner/B&B owner Robbie Jordan returns home to California for her 10th high school reunion. At first, I was disappointed to see Robbie outside of her element and without the usual series characters, but this story grew on me as Robbie sampled regional cuisine and local events.

This is one of my favorite current cozy series and, as an occasional change of pace, seeing my favorite character in a different locale was fun but I do hope the author returns to small town Indiana.

Once again, a top-notch mystery with great, though different than usual, characters. Highly recommended!!