Thanks for Muffin: A Merry Muffin Mystery by Victoria Hamilton

Thank you to the authors, publishers, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The recipe review and food pairings found on my Instagram feed are of my own doing.

Thanks for Muffin
A Merry Muffin Mystery
Victoria Hamilton
Beyond the Page

Merry Wynter and Percival “Pish” Lincoln are hosting an amazing and elegant inaugural gala to introduce the Wynter Woods Center for the Performing Arts while also serving as a charity fundraising event. People will travel via luxury party buses from Manhattan to Western New York for the opportunity to dress to the nines and have a holiday experience. Among the guests is a variety of talent, from a world-renowned soprano soloist and her equally talented offspring, an actor, a 90s popstar, and a producer/director. Several guests will be staying through the holiday for an amazing Thanksgiving dinner to be enjoyed the next day. The last thing needed for the grand opening weekend, was a disagreeable, philandering, muckraker reporter who ends up dead after streaming an unflattering video and nasty bit of commentary about the gala and the attendees.

This is book 8 of the Merry Muffin Mystery series and I must confess that I think there would be much to gain by reading the preceding episodes. That is not to say that this is not a stand-alone cozy, I was not lost or confused while enjoying the story but having a pre-existing knowledge of characters and relationships would have enhanced my reading experience. Ms. Hamilton does include a “Cast of Characters” at the beginning of the book which helped immensely. She also includes a few recipes at the conclusion of the story which are quite tasty and simple enough for any level of cook to complete. I enjoyed making and eating the savory Cheddar and Buckwheat Scones with a nice bowl of stew. I have plans to also try the Blueberry-Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins.  

Merry, our sleuth, is a smart cookie, or baker, I should say. She is easy to relate to and has a real big heart of gold regardless of what some people might think. She isn’t an heiress or an entitled well-to-do, but she is a hard worker with an amazing baking ability that has led to a successful business. The castle she inherited was a bit of a shambles and it did not come with a fix-it fund, so of course she is going to do anything she can to help solve the murder before the news hits the net and threatens all that she and her best buddy Pish have accomplished. Being the smart lady, she is also means that she surrounds herself with smart people. Her smart and hunky husband Virgil, a former cop turned private investigator, is pulled in on the case by local law enforcement. It is always helpful to have an inside man. Merry’s other friends pitch in and help out in a variety of ways. Which is extremely helpful because it seems like suspects are popping up left and right as Merry learns more and more about her guests and their personal histories. Who would have guessed that the gala was going to be seven degrees of Dan Sooner. 

There are plenty of clues and plenty of red herrings to keep you in that armchair sluething your way through the book. I might not have guessed who did the deed, but I really enjoyed reading this culinary cozy and will be going back to the start of the series to not only catch up but to also get all those muffin recipes.