Synopses & Reviews
Expert muffin baker Merry Wynter is finally ready to turn her passion into a career. But when a dead body is found on her property, shes more worried about cooking up an alibi
Merry is making a fresh start in small-town Autumn Vale, New York, in the mansion shes inherited from her late uncle, Melvin. The house is run-down and someone has been digging giant holes on the grounds, but with its restaurant-quality kitchen, the place has potential for her new baking business. She even has her first clientthe local retirement home.
Unfortunately, Merry soon finds that quite a few townsfolk didnt like Uncle Mel, and she has inherited their enmity as well as his home. Local baker Binny Turner and her crazy brother, Tom, blame Melvin for their fathers death, and Tom may be the one vandalizing her land. But when Tom turns up dead in one of the holes in her yard, Merry needs to prove she had nothing to do with his deathor her new muffin-making career may crumble before it starts...
FIRST IN A NEW SERIES!
Includes delicious recipes!
Review
“All the right ingredients: small town setting, kitchen antiques, vintage cookery, and a bowlful of mystery. A perfect recipe for a cozy.”
Review
"Victoria Hamilton's charming new series is a delightful find. Jaymie is as dependable as the vintage Pyrex cookware she collects and the plot is as full of surprises as the old Hoosier cabinet she wins at an auction."
Review
Praise for the Vintage Kitchen Mystery series:
“[A] charming new series.” —New York Times bestselling author Sheila Connolly
“Small-town setting, kitchen antiques…and a bowlful of mystery. A perfect recipe.”—Susan Wittig Albert, national bestselling author of Widows Tears
“Smartly written and successfully plotted, the debut of this new cozy series…exudes authenticity.”—Library Journal
Review
Praise for Victoria Hamiltons Vintage Kitchen Mysteries
“[A] delightful find.”—Sheila Connolly, New York Times bestselling author
“Smartly written and successfully plotted.”—Library Journal
Review
Praise for the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries
and#8220;A chilling whodunit.and#8221;and#8212;Richmond Times-Dispatch
and#160;
and#8220;Jaymie is a great characterand#160;.and#160;.and#160;. She is inquisitive and full of surprisesand#160;.and#160;.and#160;. Iand#8217;m giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!and#8221;and#8212;Debbieand#8217;s Book Bag
and#8220;Well-plotted with several unexpected twists and more developed characters.and#8221;and#8212;The Mystery Reader
and#8220;Smartly written and successfully plotted.and#8221;and#8212;Library Journal
and#160;
Review
Praise for the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries “All the right ingredients…A perfect recipe for a cozy.”—Susan Wittig Albert, New York Times bestselling author “Spiced with appealing characters.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch “A delightful find.”—Sheila Connolly, New York Times bestselling author
Synopsis
A Hoosier to die for?When vintage cookware and cookbook collector Jaymie Leighton spies an original 1920s Hoosier brand kitchen cabinet at an estate auction, it’s love at first sight. Despite the protests of her sister that the 19th-century yellow-brick house they share in Michigan is already too cluttered with Jaymie’s “junk,” she successfully outbids the other buyers and triumphantly takes home her Hoosier.
But that night on the summer porch where they’ve left the Hoosier to be cleaned up, a man is murdered, struck on the head with the steel meat grinder that is part of the cabinet. Who is this stranger—and what was he doing on their porch? Does his death have anything to do with the Hoosier?
As the police struggle to determine the man’s identity, Jaymie can’t help doing a little digging on her own, accompanied by her three-legged Yorkie Poo, Hopalong. But in her bid to uncover the truth about the hidden secrets of the Hoosier, Jaymie may be the one who ends up going, going…gone.
Synopsis
Stirring up trouble… Vintage kitchenware and cookbook collector Jaymie Leighton has been estranged from her high school best friend Kathy Cooper since they were teenagers, but she never knew what turned Kathy against her. After fireworks at a Fourth of July picnic, Jaymie discovers the body of her former friend in the park. On the ground nearby is Jaymie’s own Depression-era glass bowl, broken in two.
With her fingerprints all over the bowl and a troubled history with the victim, Jaymie suddenly finds herself at the top of the list of suspects. Did the killer intend to frame her for the murder? If so, she is ready to mix it up, because solving crimes is vintage Jaymie Leighton…
Synopsis
Stirring up trouble… Vintage kitchenware and cookbook collector Jaymie Leighton has been estranged from her high school best friend Kathy Cooper since they were teenagers, but she never knew what turned Kathy against her. After fireworks at a Fourth of July picnic, Jaymie discovers the body of her former friend in the park. On the ground nearby is Jaymie’s own Depression-era glass bowl, broken in two.
With her fingerprints all over the bowl and a troubled history with the victim, Jaymie suddenly finds herself at the top of the list of suspects. Did the killer intend to frame her for the murder? If so, she is ready to mix it up, because solving crimes is vintage Jaymie Leighton…
Synopsis
ICE COLD Trying to escape her overbearing mother, vintage kitchenware enthusiast and soon-to-be columnist Jaymie Leighton retreats to her familys cottage on Heartbreak Island. While there she hopes to write an article about the Ice House restaurant, owned by good friends and neighbors, siblings Ruby and Garnet Redmond. Once an actual icehouse, the restaurant is charmingly decorated with antique tools of the trade, including a collection of ice picks.
One night, while working on her article, Jaymie overhears an argument and, ever the sleuth, sets out to explore. But when she stumbles upon a dead body her blood runs cold. Its Urban Dobrinskie, whose feud with the Redmonds is no secret, and hes got an ice pick through his heart. Now Jaymies got to sharpen her sleuthing skills to chip away at the mystery and prove her neighbors innocencebefore someone else gets picked off
Synopsis
TO THE MANOR DEAD and#160;
The Queensville Heritage Society is restoring the once-grand Dumpe Manor. While Dumpe relatives and society members use the occasion to dust off old grudges, Jaymie Leighton prefers to adorn the kitchen with authentic Depression Era furnishings. A collection of vintage wooden mallets found in the house is a perfect addition to her display, but one also offers a late-night intruder the perfect weapon to knock Jaymie unconscious before escaping.
and#160;
Though the attack has everyone on edge, nothing is missing from the house. Perhaps it was merely a vagrant who thought the place was still abandoned. But when Dumpe Manorand#8217;s resident historian is murdered with a mallet from the same collection, itand#8217;s time for Jaymie to turn up the heat on the investigation before someone else becomes history.
Includes recipes!
Synopsis
Muffin maker Merry Wynter hopes to find a buyer for the castle shes recently inherited. But when she throws a party to draw interest, she finds someone whos bought the farm instead
Merrys career as a New York City stylist has crumbled, but her passion for muffins has helped her rise upstate in Autumn Vale. Everyone in town loves the tasty treats. Still, she would like to return to her glamorous life. Besides, the upkeep of Wynter Castle is expensive, and Merrys cup isnt exactly overflowing.
So in order to bring some prospective buyers into the mix, Merry whisks together a spooky soiree and decorates the castle with dashes of fabric and a sprinkling of spider webs. Friends new and old are invited, and everyone has a blast. But as the revelers empty out, Merry notices one partygoer who isnt leavingor breathing. Now Merry must hurry to unmask a killer before her perfect plans turn into a recipe for disaster
Synopsis
In the new Vintage Kitchen Mystery from the author of No Mallets Intended, the Heritage Society is re-creating a perfect Victorian Christmasuntil 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 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 entriesand all clues point to Cody Wainwright, the troubled son of Jaymies beleaguered newspaper editor. But considering the entire Fretter family had its share of dirty secrets, Jaymies not convinced by the case against Cody. With twists all over, shes going to have to work like the Dickens to wrap up this investigation before Christmasespecially with the real killer ready to kill again.
INCLUDES RECIPES!
About the Author
As Victoria Hamilton, Donna Lea Simpson is the national bestselling author of the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries including A Deadly Grind, Bowled Over, and Freezer I'll Shoot. She is also a collector of vintage cookware and recipes.