Loved this book. Just the right combination of humor, mystery, suspense and fun characters.
Robbie (AKA Roberta) flies home to California from Indiana for her High School reunion. She is thrilled to be able to catch up with her best friends, Alana and Jason, and even get to know a few friends better, like Hector and his family. While there, she learns that her mother, who died suddenly from a brain aneurysm two years ago, may have actually been murdered instead. Thus begins her investigation. She learns that a powerful and wealthy man, Walter, runs a chemical company that is in fact selling a product that is extremely lethal to living things. Many other farmers in the area are having a hard time with the fumes from the spray. Robbie's mom was part of the group trying to stop the company from selling the chemicals. When another member of the group, Paul, suddenly dies exactly the same way Robbie's mom did, everything takes on a new light in the police station. Robbie can't help but investigate on her own, even when the detective warns her not too. But can they figure out who murdered Pul, and if Robbie's mom was also murdered, before she has to fly home on Saturday?
Great book with wonderful characters. Recipes at the end look delicious, will be trying a few this week.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Very fun story of Robbie out of her usual element of Pans and Pancakes and out of Indiana. Really enjoyed her trip to somewhere different. Loved all the new characters and the different setting. Great mystery. Loved the ending! Can't wait for more of Robbie and the gang!

This is the seventh book in A country store mystery series. Robbie has taken a vacation from pans n pancakes to attend her high school reunion. While catching up with old friends Robbie can’t help but think about the untimely passing of her mother from a brain aneurysm. Then she gets wind of rumors that her mother, an environmental activist, may not have died of natural causes.

Robbie finds herself involved in a police investigation when another environmental activist also dies of a brain aneurysm. Can Robbie help figure out if it was murder or natural? Can she also make it home safe to Abe or will she end up a victim of something more sinister??

I feel generous to have given 'Nacho Average Murder' two stars. This was such a disappointment, I justifiably expect more from Maddie Day. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Robbie but this latest offering was cliched and in some instances for me downright offensive. It is as if going to California unleashed lectures on the unsuspecting readers (and I am from CA) about every kind of identity politics. I don't appreciate having my faith described as 'worshiping some white-bearded, white-skinned old guy sitting on a cloud', or indicating that there 'wasn't a mixed-race or same-sex couple in the bunch, and no Asians or obvious Latinos among the brides and grooms'. I mean, what is an 'obvious' Latino. The whole environmental companies and Catholic Church as evil and 'sordid' just didn't do it for me. I'm glad Robbie is going home to Indiana.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Robbie Jordan owns a restaurant and B&B back in Indiana, but right now she's in California, where she grew up, to attend her tenth high school reunion. She's going solo, because none of the attendees are bringing their significant others, so she's spending time with people she knew in high school -- basically her friend Alana, who works in chemistry, and her friend Jason, who's a cybertech for the police department. Who she can do without is the mean girl from school -- Katherine Russom, who obviously is still holding a grudge for some long ago infraction Robbie did to her in high school, that Robbie can't even remember.

While there she's staying at a B&B that offers excellent Mexican food, and she's also sampling much of the local fare that she can't get back in Indiana. But learning more about Agrosafe, the company that Katherine's father Walter owns, and has been peddling to farmers around the area, has her wondering if her mother wasn't a victim of poisoning to get her out of the way. After speaking with a friend of her mother's, Paul, he's soon found dead and Robbie tells the police to check for poison. Now she's on her own mission - to find out more about Agrosafe, her mother and Paul's death, and if either of their deaths were intentional...if only she doesn't get put out of the way herself...

This is the seventh book in the series and I've read all of them. There were a couple of things that bothered me, so I'll get those out of the way first: I've actually never been to a high-school reunion that didn't allow spouses or significant others. It even seems odd that someone would want to go without them. That's half the fun - introducing your spouse to the people you went to school with, so they can put faces to the stories you tell. Also, I didn't like the fact that Robbie didn't have a house sitter and left poor Birdy alone again - with only Danna coming over to feed and water him. The poor baby has to be lonely there by himself. (Yes, cats do get lonely, just like dogs). Then, I've come to the conclusion that Abe isn't her boyfriend, since they're rarely together. They're more like friends with benefits. I get that they both work, but there's always excuses why they can't see each other. If you love someone, you want to be with them. Period. So there's that; and I'm done with my personal opinions. (Yay).

But back to the story: when Robbie has suspicions, she naturally wants to know if her mom died an unnatural death, instead of the brain aneyurism that was listed. So she starts to investigate, and it brings her to the company that Katherine's father owns - a company that might be poisoning people and animals if the farmers use it. A chance encounter with a local woman has her convinced of this, so she investigates further.

But it also puts her in the eye of someone who doesn't want her investigating, and she discovers that she's being followed. While she's able to elude the mysterious car, it's apparent that even the police know what's going on. With the help of Jason and Alana, Robbie gets closer to the truth, which surprises her when answers come from the most unlikely source ever.

The plot was done well, and the mystery was taut with enough red herrings throughout to make us also question Robbie's mom's death. This makes for an interesting mystery that can be read in one evening. It's intriguing to watch Robbie try to put the pieces together without ruffling the feathers of the police and the people who don't want her to investigate. The murderer was also someone who was unexpected, and it really was a senseless death, but then, murder always is. This was an enjoyable book and I look forward to the next in the series. Recommended.

The 7th installment in the Country Store mystery series. Robbie Jordon has gone back home to Santa Barbara for her high school reunion and while looking forward to meeting up with old friends and classmates. She plans to spend a week but she begins to hear rumors about her Mother’s death and that perhaps it was not of natural causes. Her Mother was an environmental activist and when someone from her same group is found dead in a similar way she begins to question what she thought and begins searching for a murderer. Another great installment in this series although she is not in her store. This series just keeps getting better.

Thank you Kensington Books and Netgalley for permitting me to read this book before publication.

Robbie (owner of Pans N Pancakes in Indiana) returns to Santa Barbara, California, for her 10-year high school reunion. She books a B&B for a week so she can catch up with friends and visit her old haunts. Her mother had died two years earlier in Santa Barbara and now Robbie heard that some townsfolk didn’t think her mother had died of natural causes. Then a friend of her mom’s and fellow protestor against a fertiziling chemical turns up dead.

Robbie can’t help but get caught up in the investigation even though the police detective tells her to stop.

I haven’t read a cozy mystery for a long time and this one was surprisingly good. This title is the seventh in the Country Store Mysteries.

Robbie is a very active person, riding a bike almost every where and not relaxing at all while on vacation. The references to what she ate and the recipes in the back of the book got my saliva going so the author did a very good job of writing about food.

The area descriptions also made me want to visit Santa Barbara. I may read more in this series because I really enjoyed this one. I recommend it to all the mystery aficionados.

This was another good installment in the Country Store series. This time Robbie is back in her hometown for her high school reunion. This gives this a good fresh approach in this book. We see new characters as Robbie sets out to solve a mystery that starts with the possibility that her mother's death was not natural. The story progresses well and the characters are interesting. The only thin I felt was lacking is that the ending felt a bit rushes with the solution of the murder and the resaons behind it.

High school reunions always seem to lead to something happening and Robbie is no exception, though with a twist involving her mom's death. Loved this installment of the series.

When Robbie Jordan returns to her home town for a high school reunion, she never expected to hear the manner of her mother's death questioned. After recovering from that bombshell, she start to ask questions...and the man who originally questioned her death, suddenly dies.
She spends her time catching up with friends and asking a lot more questions. The local detective takes her seriously after she is vetted by not only her friend from school, now a tech detective, but also the police chief from the town she now resides in. She is able to clue him in on information, he might not have had and he is able to get the answers quicker.
Ms.Day takes us to Santa Barbara, the reunion and through well described land marks. She rounds out her story with a variety of great characters.
I requested this bit of intrigue from NetGalley and recommend to any cozy lover, but of particular interest to those who are following the Country Store series. I offer my opinion gratis.

First in this series that I have read. Love the title of the book.
Nice cozy mystery.
The main character is likeable. Secondary characters were likeable too.
Wanted a sopapilla when done reading 😀 Great quick read. Wish I had read other books in series first.

What a great installment in this series. I still love the characters and this plot was new and exciting!

Robbie Jordan heads home to Santa Barbara for her 10 year high school reunion. Connecting with old friends brings back memories of her youth and her mother. When she finds out that her mother may not have died from a brain aneurysm, Robbie speaks to a man who believes her mother was poisoned. Paul and her mother were part of an environmental group working to stop a local pesticide company from using a harmful product with negative aid effects for both humans and animals in the area and he believed that pesticide was used to kill her mother. When the man is found dead in his apartment much like her mother, Robbie presses the department to check for the toxin in his bloodstream.

While Robbie never planned to spend her vacation tracking down a killer, it seems vacation had other plans for her. While spending time catching up with her friends they also do a little sleuthing as well. But will Robbie be able to find the answers she seeks before heading back to Indiana or will she be checking out of Santa Barbara for good?

This is a great series and it was fun to have Robbie head back to home town of Santa Barbara. Maddie Day always brings her characters to life as well as the food, which you can almost smell as you are reading. Foodie cozy lovers, this series is for you! Don’t miss the recipes, they sound delicious!

This is my favorite cozy mystery series. Robie Jordan is a very likable character, well all the characters are enjoyable! I wish I could eat at her restaurant.

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley and Kensington Books.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

It was supposed to be a few days off to spend time at a high school reunion but it would soon turn to murder. For Robbie ends up getting caught up in a rumor about her mother’s death not being of natural death as people thought.

She’ll have to sort out of the the truth and figure who wanted her environmentalist mom dead. Another delightful read.