When the Grits Hit the Fan by Maddie Day is the third book in the “Country Store” mystery series. Publisher: Kensington, March 28, 2017

Despite the bitter winter in South Lick, Indiana, business is still hot at Robbie Jordan’s restaurant. But when another murder rattles the small town, can Robbie defrost the motives of a cold-blooded killer?

Before she started hosting dinners for Indiana University’s Sociology Department at Pans ‘N Pancakes, Robbie never imagined scholarly meetings could be so hostile. It’s all due to Professor Charles Stilton, who seems to thrive on heated exchanges with his peers and underlings, and tensions flare one night after he disrespects Robbie’s friend, graduate student Lou. So when Robbie and Lou go snowshoeing the next morning and find the contentious academic frozen under ice, police suspect Lou might have killed him after their public tiff. To prove her friend’s innocence, Robbie is absorbing local gossip about Professor Stilton’s past and developing her own thesis on the homicide—even if that means stirring up terrible danger for herself along the way . . .

I love it when a book has me completely immersed in all that is happening as Robbie finds herself, yet again, involved in another murder when it looks like her friend is the lone suspect and she’ll have to mix it up a bit to find a killer hiding in plain sight.

This book pulled me in immediately with visually appealing narrative that placed me in the middle of all the action. The staging was done to perfection with a tightly woven mystery that had all the elements I love in a mystery, from discovery of the body to the appearance of potential suspects to the cleverly placed clues to engaging dialogue and to a lovable cast of characters.

The author did a great job in keeping the tone and the flow of this story moving at a nice pace that kept me intrigued in all the possibilities that may or may not happen. The small twists and turns added to the enjoyment of this story’s concept and I really love the camaraderie that exist with our heroine and those that interact with her on a daily basis. All in all, this was the best book in this delightfully charming series and I look forward to the next adventures that await Robbie, Abe and her friends.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) from the publisher.