Review: A Deadly Grind By Victoria Hamilton

Series: A Vintage Kitchen Mystery (Book 1)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: May 1, 2012
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425248011

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.

My Thoughts:

This first book in the Vintage Kitchen Mystery series has left me eager to read more from Victoria Hamilton! Having a fondness for vintage recipes and antiques myself ... especially Hoosier cabinets, I just couldn't resist reading this and once I started it was quite difficult to pry myself from between the pages. Hamilton has created a wonderful cast of characters living in this quaint Michigan town. I felt as though I were among old friends with each passing page...that is until a dead body is found on Jaymie's summer porch! Filled with unexpected twists and turns, and plenty of red herrings throughout, Hamilton has created a charming mystery that left me guessing until the very end! And of course, recipes are included and I'm very tempted to give them a try...especially the Queen Victoria cake recipe. I've added this series to my list of cozy series to continue and look forward to reading the next installment, Bowled Over. Four Stars!