Biscuits and Slashed Browns Book Birthday

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Edith here, writing as Maddie Day from north of Boston.

But first – a special news break: Jessica Ellicott’s Murder in an English Village: A Beryl and Edwina Mystery (Jessica being our own Jessie Crockett) and my Called to Justice: A Quaker Midwife Mystery are BOTH nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Historical Novel! The nods are cause for much celebration, and you, dear readers, will be hearing more about the nominations in the forthcoming weeks. In the meantime, Jessie and I are happy to accept accolades, toasts, and whatever else seems appropriate.

Now, back to today’s topic – also a cause for celebration…

Yes, it’s my book birthday! I’m so excited for the fourth Country Store Mystery to slide into the hands of eager readers.

Biscuits and Slashed Browns

For country-store owner Robbie Jordan, the Maple Syrup Festival is a sweet escape from late-winter in South Lick, Indiana—until murder saps the life out of the celebration. Robbie drops her maple-curry biscuits to crack the case before another victim is caught in a sticky and murderous trap.

Some pretty awesome reviews are already in:

  • “…wonderful culinary cozy mystery series … great characters, terrific local dialect, a charming setting … engaging mystery”
  • “…well-plotted and exciting story”
  • “…vivid characters and locales”
  • “…fast paced plot… just the right touch of romance … a delightful addition”
  • ” …suspenseful, dangerous climax wraps the story up for an exciting ending”
  • “…delicious recipes…”

I was amazed when I learned that Brown County, Indiana, has hosted a National Maple Festival, and I knew I had to use it in a book. The county is hilly and wooded and looks a lot like Vermont despite being quite a bit farther to the south, so it’s no surprise one of its products is high-quality maple syrup.

I hope you enjoy the story! Now I’m off to find a cake and a bottle of bubbly to celebrate.

Readers: Do you make the recipes in the back of foodie cozies like mine?  If so, which ones have you liked best? If not, why not?

Published by Edith Maxwell

Agatha Award -winning author Edith Maxwell writes the historical Quaker Midwife Mysteries (Beyond the Page) and short crime fiction. As Maddie Day she writes the Dot and Amelia Mysteries, the Country Store Mysteries series, the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries, and the Cece Barton Mysteries (all from Kensington Publishing). She lives north of Boston in an antique house with her beau and cat Martin, where she writes, gardens, cooks, and wastes time on Facebook.

61 Thoughts

  1. Happy Book Birthday. I simply don’t have room to cook in the trailer. 14’x44′ means barely enough room for me, the cat, books, yarn, fabric for quilts, and storing all the pots and pans I USED to use before I downsized to NO counter space.

  2. Congrats to both Jessica and you on being nominated for HIstorical Fiction Agathas. Happy birthday to Biscuits and Slashed Browns. Know it will be another delightful treat. … as for the recipes…. where’s the kitchen??????

  4. Congrats to both of you on the Agatha noms! And excited for the release of Robbie’s new story. I have made recipes from books, I seem to have the best luck with cookies.

  6. Happy Book Birthday!! I do sometimes try the recipes but it’s been a while. It’s usually the desserts and it has to be easy to make. I am looking for healthier recipes, need to get more fruits and veggies in our diet.

  8. Congratulations, Edith – on the book birthday and the nomination!

    I do make the recipes, actually. My favorite is the Tomato Basil Chicken recipe in the back of Joyce Tremel’s second BREWING TROUBLE book (Tangled Up in Brew). That one also has a recipe for caramel-pecan brownies that I have eaten (yummy), but not made myself.

  11. Congratulations Jessica and Edith for being nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Historical Novel!!!! I must say definitely earned. <3

    Happy book birthday Edith on the release of your amazing book "Biscuits and Slashed Browns"! It's a totally amazing book that I had the privilege to read an ARC copy of. All I can say is that EVERYONE needs to read it. They won't be disappointed in the least.

    Yes, I love the recipes in the back of the cozies I read. I think whether one tries them or not, they are a connect to the book itself and make the story more "real" so to speak. I have tried several of the recipes and have loved all of them.

  12. Congratulations Edith! Can’t wait to read this latest adventure. RE recipes–Joanne Flukes recipes are great, and a couple have become frequent requests from families. And huge congratulations on the nomination!

  15. I LOVE having recipes at the back of cozies. Sometimes when I’m reading and what they are making sounds so good I’ll skip to the back to see if it’s one of the recipes included. If it is…let the cooking adventures begin!!!!!! If it’s not…Pinterest it is!

  16. Congrats, Edith! And Happy Book Birthday! My mother hailed from Indiana and often spoke about the beauties of Brown County. I’ll be thinking of her as I read it.

  17. Congrats on the book birthday! I’ve finished the book and enjoyed it as always. Still need to get the review written.

    And congrats on the nominations as well!

  18. Happy book birthday, Edith. What a week for you! And no, I don’t make recipes from mystery books. I love to cook and especially bake already, have a large ccokbook collection and now have my mo’s recipe file too. Honestly, I don’t need more temptation!

  19. Congrats to both of you on the nominations! Happy Book Birthday, Edith! While I’m reading the books, I always say I’m going to try the recipes, but I never have.

  20. Congrats to Jessie, and double congrats to Edith!! What a great day to celebrate. I’m really looking forward to reading Maddie’s latest. I usually read through the recipes but seldom make any. Most of them have more ingredients than I want to fuss with!

  21. Congratulations to both of you. I love looking at the recipes. I’ve made some from Joanne Fluke and the pretzel salad from Joyce Tremel.

  22. Congrats to both of you on the nominations! And Congrats Edith on the book birthday. I have to say I enjoy reading the recipes in cozies, but I don’t necessarily make them.

  23. Happy Book Birthday to you!! I DO try some of the recipes out that I have found in the cozies. And do you know that I have never had one fail? You all must test and test and test them out before we see them. I have tried a variety of recipes, cookies, cakes, entrees, beverages.

    1. Thank you, Sharon. Well, we do test them, And then test them again. I happen to live with someone who does not enjoy cooking, and he loves those repeated tests!

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