When looking for a murder mystery chock full of southern charm, look no further than Maddie Day’s Four Leaf Cleaver, the eleventh installment in her Country Store series. The main character and investigator is Robbie Jordan, owner of the local B&B Pans ‘N Pancakes. In an effort to give her B&B some publicity, Robbie is hosting a Saint Patrick’s Day themed cooking competition known as Holiday Hot-Off. From the start, the whole business shapes up to be more complicated and involved than Robbie had expected. From the staff of the show not getting along, to their manager and star Tara O’Hara being demanding and rude, Robbie is more than ready for it all to be over before it even begins. However, what no one expected was for the abrasive Tara O’Hara to be found dead in her upstairs room at Pans ‘N Pancakes on the morning of the big event.
Thanks to her close friendship with Detective Buck and Oscar, Robbie is not only be a part of the investigation, but encouraged to participate. Eleven prior mysteries have made her a bit of an expert at nosing around and asking questions without sounding like she is interrogating someone – she knows just when to back off and when to put the pressure on. The fact that the murder takes place in her B&B makes the case very personal for Robbie, and she wants it resolved as quickly as possible. Talking to everyone in town is nothing unusual for Robbie, and the locals all are willing to open up to her. Things are a little trickier for those who are visiting their little town, but she manages to always find a way to strike up a conversation. Because of her close relationship with the local law enforcement, all she has to do is fire them a text or an email with whatever she finds. However, after helping out on so many prior cases, it appears that she now has a bit of a reputation as a busy body and at least one suspect refuses to talk to her because of it.
Readers will get an idea of how difficult it is to run your own B&B while trying to balance an investigation and family life. Robbie’s husband Abe O’Neill and stepson Sean all seem plenty comfortable in their life together, but it is a struggle and hard work to balance work and family life. Maddie Day does an excellent job of showing that, as well as how rewarding it can be. The story is easy to follow, and all questions readers might have are answered in the conclusion of Four Leaf Cleaver. Reading some of the previous books will give readers context for the inter-character relationships, but Maddie Day does give a little bit of background as each recurring character makes an appearance. Over all, I would suggest this book for any reader that would like some literary southern comfort and charm. — Carla Schantz
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Carla Schantz is a Courthouse Clerk Supervisor and has a bachelor’s degree in English as well as a master’s in legal studies. Books have been a passion of hers since she was young, and she is a firm believer in the purse book so that she is never without a book at any time.