It’s winter in Cornwall and Maddie Penrose – amateur sleuth extraordinaire – is baking up a storm for the village Christmas fair. All is merry and bright… until there’s a murder!
Maddie Penrose has been head-to-toe in tinsel, organising a delightfully cozy Christmas market. She’s just whipped up a fresh batch of mince pies and is serving them at the opening when stallholder Steve Granger pops one in his mouth… and instantly drops dead.
Determined to clear her name, Maddie must find out who poisoned the pies. It quickly becomes clear that many stallholders at the market had a motive to kill. Could it be grouchy Ruby, whose tea blends Steve mercilessly copied and sold as his own? What about Daisy from the dairy – she isn’t pleased Steve was selling Cornish cheese to rival hers. And local butcher Connor Davis has an axe to grind too… has he been plotting to handle more than just Christmas turkeys?
But who would go as far as poisoning a mince pie? Maddie is starting to get closer to the truth when there’s another murder, this time in the village bakery. Can she unravel the clues before the killer strikes again? Or is she next on their list…?
If you love amateur sleuths and cozy festive mysteries then you will adore Fliss Chester’s totally gripping novel, perfect for fans of Fiona Leitch, Faith Martin and Agatha Christie!
Mince pies as a murder weapon! While Maddie Penrose may have a knack for amateur sleuthing, this latest murder deeply troubles her. She’s quite upset when the mince pies she made during the holiday season are said to have caused the death of one of her village’s residents. Naturally, she didn’t put anything poisonous in her pies. Determined to prove her innocence, she sets out to find the culprit.
This murder has certainly dampened the Christmas spirit. Maddie wasn’t just providing the pies for a Christmas market; she was the organizer. She had been excited to clean and redecorate her grandmother’s barn for the upcoming Christmas market. That joy was certainly cut short. Taking a natural pivot, she becomes relentless in clearing her name. Of course, there had to be a motive for the murder. If Maddie can figure that out, she’s certain she’ll find the true murderer.
Unfortunately for Maggie, not everyone in the village was excited about the Christmas spirit. It soon becomes clear to her that more than one person could have been responsible for the murder. And, it’s never far from her mind that her mince pies could actually be responsible for the murder. If that’s the case, then who put poison in one of the pies?
Maddie and her grandmother, Nor, are very close, and Nor wants the culprit found as well. With inclement weather overtaking the village of Cornwall, the beautiful snow that usually brings joy is now a curse. With a murderer on the loose, Maddie must work even harder at clearing her name. Will this determination result in Maddie becoming the next victim?
I enjoyed this third installment in the Maddie Penrose series. Both Maddie and Nor are delightful characters. It was easy to imagine being right there in Cornwall with them, enjoying their company, the beautiful weather, and the excitement of organizing the Christmas market. With Maggie once again showcasing her powers of deduction, much like she would prepare a recipe, this was a very entertaining read and a nice complement to the series. I look forward to seeing what next lies in store for Maddie.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fliss Chester lives in Surrey with her husband and writes historical cozy crime. When she is not killing people off in her 1940s whodunnits, she helps her husband, who is a wine merchant, run their business. Never far from a decent glass of something, Fliss also loves cooking (and writing up her favourite recipes on her blog), enjoying the beautiful Surrey and West Sussex countryside and having a good natter.
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