In the new Vintage Kitchen Mystery from the author of No Mallets Intended, the Heritage Society is re-creating a perfect Victorian Christmas—until good tidings go bad… Queensville has great expectations for their Dickens Days festival. A tourist-trade boon boom means a big turnout for the opening of Queensville Historic Manor and for Jaymie Leighton, food columnist and vintage cookware … vintage cookware collector, a chance to promote the manor and give away homemade goodies. At the end of a long day of festival fun, Jaymie discovers the battered body of local woman Shelby Fretter.
Shelby predicted her own murder in journal entries—and all clues point to Cody Wainwright, the troubled son of Jaymie’s beleaguered newspaper editor. But considering the entire Fretter family had its share of dirty secrets, Jaymie’s not convinced by the case against Cody. With twists all over, she’s going to have to work like the Dickens to wrap up this investigation before Christmas—especially with the real killer ready to kill again.
INCLUDES RECIPES!
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White Colander Crime is the 5th book in the Vintage Kitchen Mystery series written by Victoria Hamilton. This is the second series I’m reading by the author, but it’s taking longer to grow attached to the characters. Jaymie is a solid investigator and lead, but she doesn’t have a lot of anchors in her life which makes her a little distant for me. Each book is helping improve that connection, but I wish she were closer with her family or had a lengthier relationship (or none at all). Over the five books, she’s dated four different guys, but at least the current one is the best one. I only bring it up because it’s hard to build a relationship with her when hers keep changing, and she hardly ever talks about or visits her family to show a strong level of intimacy. That said, it’s really my only concern in the series. The rest is smooth sailing.
The book takes place in a small tourist town on the border of Michigan and Canada. Jaymie writes for the local newspaper, clerks in a market, and works with vintage kitchen tools… sometimes helping a museum authenticate an exhibit, and at others, refurbishing tools and gadgets so they can be resold at an auction. Through her editor, Jaymie meets a group of young twenty-somethings who are involved in complex dating situation. The editor’s son might be abusive, but it’s hard to be certain whether he’s actually hit a girl or she’s faking it for another reason (we do find out the truth). Jaymie’s new boyfriend gives the kid a chance and lets him work on the farm. Soon, the girl is beaten to death. Was it the editor’s son? One of her many other boyfriends (we learn she was dating a few guys all who had a similar experience with her). It’s a confusing plot, as I couldn’t tell what was going on regarding the abuse, i.e. was she unable to stop it, or was she trying to catch bad guys in the act? We find out the whole story, and it’s full of layers that keep us guessing. Physical abuse all happens off-screen, but it does occur a few times in case any reader has triggers.
At the end, I really enjoyed the diversity of the characters in this one. It wasn’t just the normal townspeople, but most of the new folks had solid connections to the place or other characters. The plot was strong, but the culprit was fairly easy to pick out. The setting and descriptions are always enjoyable. I recommend the series for someone who wants neither a funny cozy nor a serious one… something in between more focused on the setting, a quaint town, and some interesting relationships among the citizens. It’s not a typical family-based series, nor is it is a ‘which guy will she choose’ arc.
Next up… the sixth book in the series, probably toward the end of this month.
I have been reading this series since the beginning and this one did not disappoint. Jaymie finally has her personal life and is looking for word to enjoying the Holidays in Queensville, Michigan. I liked it that she is finally growing up. The town is celebrating with Dicken’s Days and tours through the Queensville Manor. Unfortunately Jaymie also managers to find a body. Her editor’s son is the prime suspect and she asks Jaymie to investigate. I really enjoy the small town setting and the characters. There was not as much vintage kitchen lore in this book as others. The mystery was OK but I was able to solve it. There were enough suspects and motives to make it interesting. The story was a nice Christmas Cozy. I look for word to reading the next one. Enjoy
OMG! This story was busy and just confusing at times. There was a few different crimes going on and way more than a few different suspects. (I was wrong about the killer, at first). Loved the last chapter the most and I am most excited to see what the new year has in store for Jaymie, Jakob and Josie.