Bonnie A. (ladycholla) -
Very good story added to this series.
Amanda (RockStarGirl) reviewed When the Grits Hit the Fan (Country Store, Bk 3) on + 329 more book reviews
This book was a lot of fun. Robbie owns (and runs) Pans 'N Pancakes, a small town Indiana diner that specializes in breakfast and good home cooking. She has a lot of regular customers and hosts a variety of different groups, including the university's sociology meetings. After a heated meeting, one of the members of the group ends up dead, and Robbie's diner is host to a whole lot of suspects. Was it someone in the sociology group who'd had enough? Was it a family member, or someone from his past? And things get even more interesting when Robbie decides to renovate her diner and discovers secrets in the walls. There are plenty of colorful characters, good food, and lots of secrets and suspects. I was wrong more than once about who the killer was but it all tied together nicely at the end. I haven't read the first two books in the series yet, but I definitely will.
Brenda H. (booksinvt) -
When the Grits Hit the Fan is the third installment in the Country Store Mysteries series featuring Robbie Jordan, owner of Pans 'N Pancakes in South Lick, Indiana. Robbie along with her co-chef Danna, are making a name for themselves serving up delicious food in the small town, and in her spare time Robbie is finishing up the remodel on the upstairs of the old General Store in hopes of opening a Bed and Breakfast.
Robbie is hosting the bi-weekly dinner for grad students and professors from the University of Indiana Sociology Department, when a fight erupts between her best friend Lou Perlman and Professor Charles Stilton. Charles has published Lou's undergraduate papers as his own and she's irate. Charles also manages to offend Department Chair Zenobia "Zen" Brown by questioning her sexuality.
Robbie and Lou head out for a snowshoe and stumble upon Charles' body stuffed down an ice fishing hole in the lake. It's not surprising that the Lou and Zen become the two prime suspects and Robbie sets out to clear her friends names. It soon becomes apparent that Charles wasn't well liked either on campus or by the local townsfolk, and that includes his wife and son.
In addition to trying to locate Charles' killer, Robbie discovers a hidden tunnel from the store to her barn and that someone has been making use of the tunnel to sneak around obviously looking for something. Faced with having to solve two mysteries, Robbie turns to her boyfriend Abe O'Neill for help and the two soon find themselves in danger.
A great cast of well developed characters that draw you in from page one. Mouthwatering recipes will have you wishing you were sitting down for breakfast at Pans 'N Pancakes. With just the right touch of romance this series will satisfy all cozy fans - looking forward to many more adventures with Robbie and her friends.
Robbie is hosting the bi-weekly dinner for grad students and professors from the University of Indiana Sociology Department, when a fight erupts between her best friend Lou Perlman and Professor Charles Stilton. Charles has published Lou's undergraduate papers as his own and she's irate. Charles also manages to offend Department Chair Zenobia "Zen" Brown by questioning her sexuality.
Robbie and Lou head out for a snowshoe and stumble upon Charles' body stuffed down an ice fishing hole in the lake. It's not surprising that the Lou and Zen become the two prime suspects and Robbie sets out to clear her friends names. It soon becomes apparent that Charles wasn't well liked either on campus or by the local townsfolk, and that includes his wife and son.
In addition to trying to locate Charles' killer, Robbie discovers a hidden tunnel from the store to her barn and that someone has been making use of the tunnel to sneak around obviously looking for something. Faced with having to solve two mysteries, Robbie turns to her boyfriend Abe O'Neill for help and the two soon find themselves in danger.
A great cast of well developed characters that draw you in from page one. Mouthwatering recipes will have you wishing you were sitting down for breakfast at Pans 'N Pancakes. With just the right touch of romance this series will satisfy all cozy fans - looking forward to many more adventures with Robbie and her friends.
When the Grits Hit the Fan by Maddie Day is the third A Country Store Mystery series. Robbie Jordan owns the Pans âN Pancakes in South Lick, Indiana. The restaurant is full of graduate students and professors from Indiana University's Sociology Department. Robbie's friend, Lou Perlman is having a heated conversation with Professor Charles Stilton. Professor Stilton had been Lou's advisor for her research paper, but he recently had his own paper accepted for publication on the same topic. He claims that it was parallel research, but Lou states he stole her material. New department head, Dr. Zenobia âZenâ Brown manages to settle the group, before it breaks up for the night. The next day Lou and Robbie decide to get some exercise and head out on snowshoes for a walk in the woods. They end up at Crooked Lake, and Robbie notices an ice fishing hole. Robbie has not seen one previously and peers in to check out the fish. Instead of fish swimming under the ice, Robbie finds Dr. Stilton swimming with the fishes (I couldn't resist). It turns out that Dr. Stilton had a habit of angering others which makes for a long suspect list. Unfortunately, Lou is at the top of that list. While business is slow (because of the winter weather), Robbie is working on remodeling the second floor of her building. She wants to turn it into a bed and breakfast. She has been finding a variety of objects inside the walls including newspapers and vintage shoes. Robbie must put her remodeling plans on hold when Lou is bumped up to prime suspect. Robbie starts delving into Charles Stilton's life and history to find out who made him fish bait. One person is not happy with Robbie's meddling and sets out to stop her from discovering the truth.
When the Grits Hit the Fan is an entertaining cozy mystery. I found the book to be nicely written, easy to read, and it has a good flow. I enjoyed the characters and the setting. I like in the descriptions of the old kitchenware items that Robbie has on display in the restaurant (I love antiques and vintage items). When the Grits Hit the Fan is the third book in A Country Store Mystery series, but it can easily be read alone. The author provides background details on Robbie and her business. I give When the Grits Hit the Fan 3.5 out of 5 stars. There are two mysteries in the book, and I appreciated how the author tied them together. I just wish the solution to both crimes had not been so simple. I was hoping there would be a nice surprise twist at the end that would leave me by flummoxed. I did find that some information was repeated a few times over the course of the novel. This cozy mystery is a little more cozy than mystery. It is nice, though, to revisit South Lick, Indiana and get updates on the citizens that populate this quaint town. There are recipes at the end of the book. The next book in A Country Store Mystery series is Biscuits and Slashed Browns!
When the Grits Hit the Fan is an entertaining cozy mystery. I found the book to be nicely written, easy to read, and it has a good flow. I enjoyed the characters and the setting. I like in the descriptions of the old kitchenware items that Robbie has on display in the restaurant (I love antiques and vintage items). When the Grits Hit the Fan is the third book in A Country Store Mystery series, but it can easily be read alone. The author provides background details on Robbie and her business. I give When the Grits Hit the Fan 3.5 out of 5 stars. There are two mysteries in the book, and I appreciated how the author tied them together. I just wish the solution to both crimes had not been so simple. I was hoping there would be a nice surprise twist at the end that would leave me by flummoxed. I did find that some information was repeated a few times over the course of the novel. This cozy mystery is a little more cozy than mystery. It is nice, though, to revisit South Lick, Indiana and get updates on the citizens that populate this quaint town. There are recipes at the end of the book. The next book in A Country Store Mystery series is Biscuits and Slashed Browns!
