An enjoyable, quick read that was easy to read and kept me guessing right until the end. Thoroughly enjoyable.

When a body is found on Robbie's aunt's farm, Robbie must some how fit in clearing her aunt's name while getting her restaurant/store ready for her maternity leave. It turns out that there were a lot of people in town who had ties to this man whose brief appearance stirred up quite a commotion of uneasy feelings.
Overall, the mystery is solid but it is really about the wrap up. The story ends where it could be the end of the series as Robbie realizes that she can't be as reckless as she has been before in going after murderers because of the little life she carries and will soon be looking after (and at times she was). Even if it is the end of the series, it ends with lots of positive vibes and no real dangling threads.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I wish Pans and Pancakes was located in my town! I would be eating there every day and visiting with Robbie and the rest of the gang in South Lick. This was a wonderful addition to the Country Store series and will have you sitting on the edge of your seat while you cheer Robbie on as she tries not to get involved in solving the murder mystery and deliver her baby safely. The characters are well developed and your mouth will be watering with the delightful items they put on the menu each day. Such a sense of family and community as everyone supports each other and encourages people to grow and achieve life goals. This is a great series in which to get lost in the lives and activities of the people.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Cozies for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

Adult
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Cozy Mystery
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I love all my visits to Pans ‘N Pancakes because of the fun, quirky characters, and the pure charm the setting exudes; it makes me so mad that I can’t have breakfast with all of them. The mystery in this one is a little different as they don’t know if they’re investigating a murder or not. It’s been fun to see Robbie through her pregnancy and this one she waddles around a lot and she is battling the issues of working in her last trimester, which is endearing, as is the way she is protective of her baby. Looking forward to the next one.

I was glad to catch up with Robbie and had fun in reading this cozy. Solid and entertaining, it kept me guessing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Scone Cold Dead is book 13 in the Country Store Mystery Series by Maddie Day. The amateur sleuth in this long-running cozy mystery is Robbie, the owner of a country store/restaurant/B&B in South Lick, Indiana.

Robbie is very pregnant in this installment. She is trying to get the store and herself ready for maternity leave. She is also hoping to take a break from solving murder mysteries. But of course, mystery comes knocking.

This time, the mystery involves a body found at a farm belonging to Robbie"s aunt. The mystery becomes curiouser and curiouser as Robbie investigates. There is a surprise twist that most people won't see coming.

Scone Cold Dead is a great addition to a great cozy mystery series. Maddie Day is an experienced storyteller and always spins an entertaining yarn.

Robbie is suffering from serious "pregnancy brain" in this book, but otherwise, the characters are as consistent and enjoyable as ever. I get a kick out of regulars like Chief Buck Bird.

As always, the book ends with a few tasty recipes that look fun to try out.

Although you could read this book as a stand-alone mystery, I recommend starting with book 1 so that you get the most out of the characters, especially the protagonist Robbie who has evolved considerably since the start of the series.

Thanks to Net Galley and Kensington for the ARC!

It’s been over five years since Robbie Jordan and her Aunt Adele opened their Pans ‘N Pancakes country store in South Lick, Indiana, and so much has changed in their lives. In just a few weeks Robbie and her husband Abe O’Neill are expecting their first baby together as a couple, and with Thanksgiving approaching they are hoping to take time off to prepare. Robbie can’t seem to keep herself out of the breakfast and lunch diner kitchen though, which has her meeting a mysterious guest whose body she later has the misfortune to discover in a sheep field. It turns out that Ivan Sheluk has held long ties to the town, having left behind broken hearts and a criminal past. Unwilling to allow her beloved adopted hometown enter the holiday season with a possible murderer on the loose, Robbie begins looking into Ivan’s mysterious life, but always keeping in mind the baby girl she is nesting inside her.

This 13th in the series rewards longtime readers by featuring the many residents of South Lick and Robbie’s favorite employees. As in real life, her young staff are moving on in their careers and their personal lives, which has Robbie both stressed and thrilled to see them succeed. Also explored is the return of a local with a prison record, and Robbie’s treatment towards him brings to light the challenges facing rehabilitated ex-cons who have served their sentences. What can’t be ignored in this series are the delicious descriptions of Robbie’s cooking both in her restaurant and at home, whether it’s whipping up pancakes or a couple’s dinner on her day off. The evolution of Robbie’s relationship with law enforcement has been fun to observe as well, as they have come to a point where her discoveries are treated with respect while also ensuring her safety. The characters are so likable that the final reveal is entirely appropriate for this warm-hearted entry, concluding with a Thanksgiving dinner that brings together biological and found families. This is a fun, food-filled mystery that depicts a small town full of secrets but never strays into dark territory. Readers will love this entertaining novel filled with likable characters, a welcoming setting, and more than satisfying ending.

Scone Cold Dead is book #13 in the Country Store Mystery series by Maddie Day.

Can South Lick remain murder free until Robbie has her baby? Unfortunately, there is a death in her Aunt Adele‘s field though it isn’t clear whether it is murder. I enjoyed this installment as Robbie prepared to give birth, dealt with getting Pans ‘N Pancakes ready for her maternity leave, and investigates the mysterious death. There are some delicious sounding recipes at the end. This had a sweet ending, which could be a series wrap up, but I definitely hope that we see more of Robbie in the gang in South Lick.

This is the first book I have read in this series and I wouldn't write off the series but I won't go out of my way to find more. The setting was cozy and the characters were interesting but the mystery left a bit to be desired. There wasn't a lot of investigation and this entry felt like it was more of a shifting entry. A way to introduce some new characters and to create some new situations. Not a bad book but not an exciting book either.

Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for this book.

Scone Cold Dead, the 13th book in the Country Store Series by Maddie Day, is as awesome as the rest of the series. I love that we get to watch Robbie's life move forward after she relocates from California to South Lick, Indiana, and this new phase is a BIG one. Robbie and Abe's baby is about due when a mysterious stranger shows up at the cafe. Several friends seem to recognize the man, but none want to talk about him...that is until his body is found on her aunt Adele's property. Naturally, even with all the work to get the cafe ready for her time off, Robbie feels compelled to investigate the man and his death. She is especially glad that Abe is no longer an electrician with all the weather issues coming through, but even his work at the park keeps him busier than he would like to be as the gets the house for the new arrival and watches Robbie get closer and closer to the delivery.
One of the pulls to the series is the family that Robbie has developed with the community. Time at the cafe is a visit with old friends, but there are even changes there. This is truly where the cozy in cozy mystery comes from and the reason they are loved by so many.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for allowing me to read and review and ARC of Scone Cold Dead. I hope this series last forever, but if it ended now, this would be the perfect book to say goodbye. It is an even better book to follow a new path for Robbie though!
#NetGalley #KensingtonPublishing #MaddieDay #CountryCafeMysteryseries #Scone Cold Dead.

In the 13th Country Store Mystery, a mysterious death occurs on Adele’s farm. Past meets present as the man who dies is known to a number of townspeople, but all are reluctant to discuss what they know.
Robbie is 8+ months pregnant. She is trying to work up till the birth, but it’s getting harder each day.
Robbie knows her aunt Adele is innocent, so she does what she can to investigate the death.
I really enjoyed reading Scone Cold Dead. The mystery surrounding the man and his death is well-written and the pacing is good. This book is also very much about the characters that we have come to know and love as the series has progressed. People from the past return and others have cameo appearances if they are far away. I love seeing Robbie’s story progress, and the new life she brings into the world.
I think you’ll enjoy this book best if you have read the other books in the series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

I was a little worried about reading Scone Cold Dead as I found out it is the 13th in the series but I didn't need to worry, as it stood on it's own very well! In fact, it was so good that I'll definitely be checking out the first 12 titles and any other books by Maddie Day. Scone Cold Dead ticked all the Cozy Mystery boxes. It was realistic in that the main character actually has a life outside of solving the mystery, plenty of character development, and quirky little additions that brought the story to life. I can't wait to check out more in the series!

It's hard to write a good review of this book without giving away spoilers if you follow the series. This part could be read as a standalone but you'd be missing out on a lot of the significant relationships leading up to this plot.

Robbie is due with her first baby in 2 weeks' time and is trying to get her restaurant ready for her maternity leave. When a mysterious stranger shows up in South Lick asking about her aunt, she goes on alert. When the same mysterious stranger shows up dead on her aunt's sheep farm, Robbie has to sleuth her way to the truth since there is no way Aunt Adele could be a suspect.

The best parts of these books to me are the vernacular the author creates with her dialogue. She has these delightful characters that appear to be simple country folk by their speech and it paints a wonderful atmosphere of the small-town Midwest, though just because they sound simple doesn't mean the reader should be deceived by appearances. Seeing the character relationships evolve over multiple books is also why I keep returning to this series.

And don't even get me started on how hungry this one made me. All this breakfast food, all the time and it sounds so delicious I wanted to get myself to Robbie's restaurant ASAP for some good cooking.

My thanks to Kensington Cozies and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This installment of The Country Store Mystery series is very special as the main character/head amateur sleuth is about to give birth. Robbie is close to having her baby, but she will not let this deter her from investigating a mysterious death.

When a dead body is found in Robbie's Aunt Adele's ram field, Robbie feels this one hits a little too close to home. Robbie is a little more careful in her sleuthing in this book because of her pregnancy, but her curiosity will not allow her to let it go completely.

I always enjoy visiting South Lick, Indiana and the characters in this series. Pans 'N Pancakes sounds like my kind of restaurant, and I am always drooling a little with the wonderful descriptions of the food served there. As far as characters, I love Robbie, but I have to say that Buck is one of my favorite characters. There is just something about him. He loves to eat and makes no bones about it. He is such a kind soul as well. The mystery was interesting and the back story about the victim was even more interesting. Reading this book and this series always makes me hungry. The author always includes some delicious recipes at the end which is another plus. If you are a cozy mystery lover, you can never go wrong with a book in this series. Put another check in the winner column for the Country Store Mystery series.

Thank you to Kensington and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thanksgiving is almost here, and Robbie is very pregnant with her first child. When she is depositing her money at the bank, she hears a man telling Carter Kingsley that Carter should do what the stranger was recommending. The man then opens the door for her to go out. Later that morning she sees the man from the bank come into Pans and Pancakes and asks if she knows Adele Jordan, Robbie's Aunt. The next day Robbie finds out that the man was found dead in the pasture on her Aunt's property. Robbie soon learns that her aunt Adele had once been an item with the man. Then, another former resident who had just gotten out of jail, Oliver, arrives in town.

As Robbie is getting closer to the time her baby will come, she starts having some staffing problems. Hunter has decided he will shortly begin learning to be a chef at the Culinary Institute of America. Then, Len needs to go to help his father whose health isn't good. Fortunately his sister Lou, a friend of Robbie comes to fill in for her brother. Then the woman who has been bringing her deserts says she is leaving town, and Robbie needs to find someone to do deserts.

Things get pretty exciting as the reader gets close to the end of the book. I have only read the first and the last book in this series, but am now anxious to read all those in between. I thank Netgalley and Kensington Books for the ARC so that I could read this book before publication.

I just love good old Buck Bird in this series which I’ve enjoyed since its beginning! He’s got about as many colorful, colloquial sayings as a certain campground manager in another of my fave series. Buck always cracks me up how he can put away so much food, lol. Adele’s a pretty cool character but for a while, she was having a hard time when the death of someone happened that she knew but wouldn’t admit to knowing.

Robbie had her sleuthing cut out for her but at least she wasn’t chasing down anyone. It was kinda cool how she and Lou got one last before-baby hurrah when they did a little snooping together. Lou’s an awesome friend and really came through when Robbie and the restaurant needed her. It’ll be interesting to see what directions Robbie’s investigations go now that her baby’s here. There were others who got some good news as well and one who had some bittersweet news, but even with baby on the brain, Robbie came up with a darn good solution.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Although I’ve read other books from the wonderful Maddie Day, Stone Cold Dead is the first book I’ve read from her Country Store Mysteries series. While I enjoy starting a series with Book One, I couldn’t resist the chance to read this, the 13th installment of the series! Ms. Day does a great job of giving the reader just enough of a backstory to get caught up to speed. While this book can be read as a stand-alone, in my case, she piqued my curiosity enough to want to go back and start at the beginning of this lovely series. I’m looking forward to learning the backstories of all the characters and spending much more time with them.

The main character is Robbie Jordan, the owner of Pans ‘N Pancakes, a local restaurant, and an amateur sleuth. Oh yes, there are lots of delicious passages about the food at the restaurant (and elsewhere), which I loved. The only drawback to that was that it made me hungry, and I wanted to go to the restaurant for one of Robbie’s famous breakfast feasts. The other part of the story I loved was reading about how Robbie, and her husband, Abe, were preparing for the birth of their first child in less than a month!

In this installment, a stranger comes to the town of South Lick, Indiana and walks into Pans ‘N Pancakes, asking about a woman who is also Robbie’s beloved aunt, Adele. That starts the mystery rolling, and when the stranger is discovered deceased in her aunt’s field, Adele becomes a suspect.

The chapters are brief, which, yes, kept me going long into the night because I wanted to know what happened next! I not only felt invested in the story (including Robbie’s safety so close to her due date), but thoroughly enjoyed all the characters, including Robbie’s restaurant staff, Buck, the town sheriff, Corrine, the mayor, and of course Aunt Adele. This story also addresses grief, second chances, making amends, and the power of love and friendship, without being overwrought or preachy. The dialogue is sparkling and realistic, and the characters are all well-written. There were a few twists that I also really enjoyed, especially focusing on a new character named Oliver.
Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Publishing, Kensington Cozies, for the opportunity to read this book. I have voluntarily left this review, and all opinions are my own.

Robbie is really really pregnant but she's got to jump in and investigate when a man is found dead in her aunt Adele's sheep pasture, Yikes! She's meant to be setting things up at her Pancake restaurant not asking questions! Fans of this long running cozy series will be pleased to see the movement in Robbie's life and to spend time with her husband Abe aa well while working their way through the nicely twisty classic cozy mystery. It's an easy read but it will keep you guessing, especially about the baby. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Looking forward to the next one.

Robbie is very pregnant. She’s working out schedules while she will be off for maternity leave; however, life keeps getting in the way. Then a man is found dead in her aunt’s field. This book is filled with strange men with odd links to the women in town. But the real question is what will happen first—the murder is solved or the baby is born. This is one of my favorite books in this series. #netgalley

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Maddie Day for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Scone Cold Dead coming out April 1, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I definitely haven’t read all of the books in the series. But I have read some books by this author. Robbie definitely has a lot going on in this book. She’s due to have her baby, which can definitely interfere with solving a murder mystery. I love all the food puns. The town just seemed very cozy and quaint. I really enjoyed the characters. I would definitely read more books in this series.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries!