Leave It to Cleaver

Wow just wow. I loved this book ,more actually then all the rest and here's why. Mrs. Hamilton has masterfully and carefully grown her protagonist Jamie in the most beautiful way that I applaud her . This character lacked self confidence in herself, not her cooking or writing but in herself yet she endured and you see that in this book and in her interactions with the secondary characters. The story was written in the past and present and it flowed beautiful throughout the pages. Mrs. Hamilton gave us insight into the series secondary characters and we saw how that young adolescents shaped them into the adults that Jamie knows and loves. The mystery itself was fascinating it's mystery within itself bodies found years later, murders happening years ago and connected in was no one saw or could have imagined. The family that Jamie had built with Jacob and Jocie and the trust they have with each other showed in the school incident, I loved how she handled that encounter it eased her mind going into this already made family that she loves and that loves her back. The best part was being able too see, well read about Becca her sister and how she dealt with having a baby sister in her young adult life it explains the relationship they have and the one she has with her mother. So here is my overall review. This was a masterfully written story ,with well developed characters and a mystery the was woven together like a beautiful quilt that is meant too last a lifetime while bring joy too others.

I love this story where the past and present collided in the staging of this well-executed story. The mystery was tightly woven keeping me immersed in all that was happening from the discoveries of the bodies, to the recollection of the past and to the present where a killer lurks in plain sight. I like how this was set up with a slew of suspects and clues that had to be deciphered the more Jaymie dug deeper into the evidence that would eventually lead to the killer’s identity. The author had a way with the narrative bridging the gap between the decades and putting me in the middle of both time periods which felt rather comfortable not losing any steps in this storyline. Boasting a great cast of characters, engaging dialogue with a small-town atmosphere, this is the best book in this fabulous series and I can’t wait to see where we go next with Jaymie and her friends.

was very pleased to be asked to read and review Victoria Hamilton's Leave it To Cleaver, a Vintage Kitchen Mystery that is out later this month by Beyond The Page Publishing. This is the first book in the series I have read. Even though Victoria Hamilton is one of my most favorite cozy mystery authors this series I had not read. This one has so much emotion in it. I did not realize what a great sister cozy this would be. The drama and the reflection of the past tied with the present day made for a very full and all encompassing read. I love the cover and the cozy feeling you get at the end of this book. Spoiler Alert! It is a bitter sweet but happy ending as cozies go!