In the new Vintage Kitchen Mystery from the author of No Grater Danger, when the town’s resident Scrooge is found dead, Jaymie says Bah humbug! to murder . . .“I have loved this series from the first book . . . it’s like returning to a favorite nook for a cup of tea. It will delight, entice, and drive a reader to want to solve the murder.” —Goodreads on No Grater DangerNow that Thanksgiving’s … Grater Danger
Now that Thanksgiving’s behind her, vintage cookware enthusiast Jaymie Leighton Müller is excitedly making plans for the upcoming Dickens Days festival—the town’s month-long celebration leading up to Christmas. With a hot cider booth on the village green to warm the hearts and bodies of the townsfolk and a diorama featuring a scene from A Christmas Carol, things are shaping up for a festive season—until the town’s local Scrooge is found murdered, a vintage pudding mould covering his cracked skull.
Nearly everyone had a reason to dislike Evan Nezer—either for his bullying ways or his obnoxious arrogance—but with his body being found in Jaymie’s diorama, she’ll have to figure out who hated him enough to see him dead. With many suspects and even more secrets coming to the surface as she investigates, Jaymie feels buried by a blizzard of clues. But with Dickens Days on hold until the police can nab the killer, she’s determined to catch the culprit so the ghost of Evan Nezer doesn’t cast a pall over the whole Christmas season.
Includes a vintage recipe!
Praise for the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries:
“All the right ingredients . . . Small-town setting, kitchen antiques . . . and a bowlful of mystery. A perfect recipe.” —New York Times bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert
“[A] charming new series.” —New York Times bestselling author Sheila Connolly
“A chilling whodunit.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch
“Well-plotted with several unexpected twists and more developed characters.” —The Mystery Reader
“Jaymie is a great character . . . She is inquisitive and full of surprises!” —Debbie’s Book Bag
About the Author:
Victoria Hamilton is the pseudonym of nationally bestselling romance author Donna Lea Simpson. In addition to the Vintage Kitchen Mystery series, she also writes the Merry Muffin Mystery series and blogs at Killer Characters. Visit her website at victoriahamiltonmysteries.com.
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Breaking the Mould is the 8th installment in the ‘Vintage Kitchen Mystery’ series written by Victoria Hamilton. I’ve read all the previous books and received a copy from NetGalley this time (thank you). I was excited to catch up on the series and because it was a Christmas-themed tale.
Jaymie is on the team to prepare for the Dickens Festival in their the upper Michigan / on the border with Canada town of Queensville. While preparing one of the outdoor fixtures with a local carpenter, the owner of a house nearby has a fit — a real Scrooge — because part of it needs to be secured by a small anchor that would reside on the very edge of his property. It’s been like that for years, but this is the man’s first year living in the house rather then renting it out. He’s a professor at the local college as well as generally disliked by most people. Of course, he ends up dead… and which local resident was it. Current or ex wife? Son? Handyman? Housekeeper or her son whom the villain ruined for no good reason? Plus several other townies are involved. This time, it’s a vintage mould that does in the murder victim. Readers are treated to a fun history of vintage Christmas items and stories, including a few delicious-sounding meals that we might want to try. Meanwhile, Jaymie visits with her friends and grows closer to her new husband, Jakob, and his daughter, Jocie.
Hamilton is a good writer who keeps us interested not only in the main mystery but all the supporting cast sub-plots and shenanigans. I enjoy catching up with the different personalities and learning about connections between the families. The villain was a righteous jerk who deserved what happened to him, in my opinion (and in book world only)! Jaymie also stands up for herself in this book to her newspaper reporter boss and the new police detective. While both were great scenes, I think it possibly came to close together and made me question whether there were too many changes in Jaymie all in quick fashion. I like her strength, but she also needs to be a little sneaky and subtle sometimes to get the job done.
Now that I’m current on 2 of the author’s series, I might need to check out one of her other ones. The next book in this series wouldn’t be available until this fall (not even sure there is one yet either) and the other series I read has been on hold for a while. Has Anyone else checked out her other books and have thoughts to share?
This is the second book in the series that I’ve read and it remains delightful! I don’t think I learned as much about vintage kitchen accessories as I did in the previous book but I did still learn about them and was educated in a very fun and subtle way. The characters remain well-written and I enjoyed the dialogue a great deal. In addition to this, I absolutely LOVED the idea of Dickens Days and all the ways that Charles Dickens was woven throughout the story. The family continues to grow as well and I love watching this blended family come into their own. The “whodunnit” was handled very sneakily. I loved the layers and didn’t come close to guessing the who or the why. All in all, it was a fantastic story that I recommend.
Thank you to Victoria Hamilton, Beyond the Page Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.
Not everyone loves Christmas but that doesn’t mean they need to ruin it for everyone. Jaymie investigates the death of the local Scrooge and finds that pretty much the whole town had a motive to want him dead. Not putting herself into the investigation as whole heartedly as before lands her in the killers hands. But don’t count her out yet, this new momma has a little girl counting on her for a magical Christmas.
Great book! It’s Christmastime in Queensville and the town is gearing up for Dickens Days. Their plans are set back by a fire and then the murder of the town’s scrooge. Lots of suspects and it was a lot of fun to try to figure out the killer. I’m looking forward to Jaymie’s next adventure!
The mystery was complex with an abundance of suspects and motives. It was kind of cutesy with the Evan Neezer bit, but OK, it’s a Christmas read. Other aspects keep me from giving more than an OK rating.
Don’t recall this series trying so hard to be PC with the dwarf/little person daughter and the mixtures of gay, Jewish and Muslim characters, etc. They don’t seem to be a natural element to the story, but as if they were deliberately placed there to be inclusive. Perhaps it was the author’s pandering attempt at “good will to all men”.
The treacly aspect didn’t engage me and I kept putting the book down to read other books.
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
For me, this series holds a special place in my heart. The first book in this series (A Deadly Grind) was my first every cozy mystery, which started my obsession with the cozy genre. Now to the present book (book 8) in the series, this book is just as good if not better than that first book. This book can be enjoyed as a stand-alone mystery or as part of the series. I love how the characters have developed and changed with each relationship and new interaction. The characters are still wonderful and have their little quirks but are now much more complex characters. The mystery is well-written and plotted with several red herrings though out the story to keep you engaged and guess whodunit. The setting of the Christmas season was a wonderful touch to the storyline to include Jaymie’s husband’s Christmas Tree Farm. This is still one of my favorite series and I recommend this book to any mystery fan and fans of vintage cookery and recipes. A bonus for readers at the end of the book, there is a recipe included.
I voluntarily agreed to read a copy of this book supplied by NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced.
BREAKING THE MOULD by Victoria Hamilton is the eight book in the Vintage Kitchen Mystery series.
The story revolves around the upcoming Dickens Days celebration held in Queensville, Michigan. Jaymie Leighton Muller, along with her husband, Jakob, and her nine year old stepdaughter, Jocie, all have a hand in the events.
The town has its own version of Scrooge in the form of Professor Evan Hollis Nezer who wants no part of Dickens Days. He seems determined to be detrimental to preparations too. Evan is despised by many as well as feared by some due to his harsh tongue and his continual legal bouts of suing everyone.
When Evan is found murdered in Jaymie’s labor of love, the diorama of a scene from Charles Dickens, “A Christmas Carol” with evidence leading to her and that he was positioned to mock the scene, she knows she has to find out who did this and why.
Jaymie wears many hats from working at the Wolver Hampton Weekly Howler to working on her own vintage cookbook, but she has become a very good amateur sleuth helping to solve other murders in town. She’s even earned the respect of the local police. Between the police and her, they have to find out who the murderer is and solve this mystery before the Christmas holiday season is ruined for the whole town. Tourism is big bucks for the businesses in town and the Dickens Days bring in lots of tourist. However, no one wants to visit a town that is tangled up in an unsolved murder.
It seems that the more answers she gets that the more questions she’s got. Can she figure out who the guilty party is? Is her life in danger since whoever is doing these things is making it appear that it’s pointed towards taunting Jaymie.
Along the way, we meet some of the colorful residents of Queensville. Some are helpful others not so. Seems there are quite a few secrets in this small town. Are they secrets worth killing for?
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that loves a great, well-written cozy mystery that has you trying desperately to the very end to figure out who the culprit is. Love it when an author keep you hanging and a guessing that way.
It can definitely be read as a standalone. I have not read all the other books in this series and had no problem figuring out who was who or keeping up with the events. As good as this one was, after reading BREAKING THE MOULD, you will be like me and looking for the other books in this series.
Breaking the Mould ( book eight in the Vintage Kitchen Mystery series) by Victoria Hamilton began with a Scrooge-type character named Evan Neezer who is trying to cause trouble for the Queensville annual Dicken’s Days celebration which is just days away. While Jaimie and her friends are dealing with that issue, a woman new to town, Jaclyn Marley, approaches her about joining the historical society, Sounds like it is going to be an adaptation of A Christmas Carol, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not. Instead it is a tale of a murder and determining whom the murderer might be with lots of ins and outs and red herrings. Jamie Leighton Muller is the lead (amateur) detective who is a character different than in most cozies with a husband and life that is both charming and run-of-the-mill.
Hamilton has developed interesting characters and lots of them with a well-thought-out plot and a fun holiday vibe. It was a totally enjoyable read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, especially a cozy.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. #netgalley #breakingthemould
amateur-sleuth, women-sleuths, cozy-mystery, Christmas
The man was a self absorbed cheat who thought he was always right. He pontificated, ruined the lives of others, and plagiarized at every chance. That he got murdered was hardly a surprise, but having his body displayed in a diorama of the Cratchit kitchen when the town was on a deadline for the kickoff of A Dickens Christmas certainly was interesting. There were always plenty of potential suspects, but the number seemed to expand until the perpetrator was exposed by the town sleuth. This is my first foray into the series.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Beyond the Page via NetGalley
This author has done it again! Another well-written and well-plotted mystery is now added to the Vintage Kitchen Mystery series. I love the inhabitants of Queensville, Michigan more and more – each time I meet them, there is something more to love about them. In this book, I especially liked that we spent more time with Jakob – but I would love it if he got into helping Jaymie solve the mysteries instead of just being background candy. Another thing to love is this book is the author’s sense of humor in naming the Scroogelike character – Evan Nezer. She also gives a ‘shout out’ to author Sue Grafton, and I loved that – and, we shouldn’t forget Jaymie’s love of reading Historical Romance novels.
The town of Queensland and Queensland’s Historical Society are getting ready for their second largest fundraising event of the year, the Dickens Days annual Christmas festival. Everyone is excited for the tree lighting scheduled for the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend. Jaymie is particularly excited because she has created a diorama that is the Cratchit’s Christmas Pudding scene from Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
As they are setting the tree into place and anchoring the Cider House into place, the local Scrooge – Evan Nezer – arrives to make a scene. He’s a particularly nasty man who has just moved into the house that directly abuts the town-owned area where the displays are being set up. He HATES the Dickens Days celebration and is determined to stop it – well – actually – he just hates everything, but the topic of the moment is the Dickens Days events. Since that area of Michigan is very windy in the winter, they need to anchor the Cider House so that it is steady in the winds. In order to do that, they have to drive a stake into the ground on Nezer’s property and he isn’t having it! “I don’t care who’s around, you can’t use my property. GET OFF!”
It seems that Nezer does nothing but antagonize everyone he meets. He cheats them, lies to them and then gloats and tells them how inferior and worthless they are. Yep, he’s a real piece of work! So, it is no surprise when he turns up dead – murdered. However, it is sad that he’s discovered by Jaymie in her much-loved and anticipated diorama.
There is certainly no shortage of suspects in the murder, basically, the whole town has had run-ins with Nezer in the last few days. Unfortunately, the murderer left clues pointing to the one man in town that Jaymie is sure didn’t commit the murder. Plus, there is a short timeframe to resolve the murder because they need to get the police tape removed and the diorama taken down so they can begin the events. So, of course, Jaymie starts to investigate on her own.
There are so many plots and sub-plots you’ll need a scorecard to keep up with them all. Each of those is a bit of a mystery in itself and the murderer will surprise you.
I thoroughly enjoyed the read and highly recommend it. I do want to mention though, there is a bit of a political slant in the book. As you read, you’ll see that anyone with any bad connotation to them at all is a “Right Wing Nut Job” or some other sort of weird conservative.
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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.