A Calculated Whisk

Victoria Hamilton

Sep 2021 · A Vintage Kitchen Mystery Book 10 · Beyond The Page

About this ebook

In the new Vintage Kitchen Mystery from the author of Cast Iron Alibi, Jaymie Leighton is confronted with two murders and the threat of danger far too close to home . . .

 

When a woman living under a cloud of suspicion for her husband’s death comes to vintage kitchen collector Jaymie Leighton with a mysterious request, she’s not sure whether, or how much, to get involved. The police believe they have new evidence of foul play in what was initially ruled an accidental death, and the woman’s terrified they’ll try to pin the crime on her. Before Jaymie can decide whether to help her, though, the woman’s found murdered in the woods near Jaymie’s cabin.

 

Still unsure whether the woman was truly innocent in her husband’s death, Jaymie decides to get to the bottom of both murders. But as she digs deeper into the couple’s past and discovers a tangled array of long-buried wounds and family secrets, Jaymie begins to sense that danger is still lurking in the woods near her home. With a killer on the loose and her family in danger, Jaymie must uncover the culprit before she loses all she holds dear, including her own life . . .

 

Includes a vintage recipe!

 

Praise for the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries:

 

“All the right ingredients . . . Small-town setting, kitchen antiques . . . and a bowlful of mystery. A perfect recipe.” —New York Times bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert

 

“[A] charming series.” —New York Times bestselling author Sheila Connolly

 

“I have loved this series from the first book . . . it’s like returning to a favorite nook for a cup of tea. It will delight, entice, and drive a reader to want to solve the murder.” —Goodreads on No Grater Danger

 

“A chilling whodunit.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch

 

“Well-plotted with several unexpected twists and more developed characters.” —The Mystery Reader

 

“Jaymie is a great character . . . She is inquisitive and full of surprises!” —Debbie’s Book Bag

Ratings and reviews

A Calculated Whisk by Victoria Hamilton is the 10th A Vintage Kitchen Mystery. It can be read as a standalone if you are new to the series. I have read this entertaining series from the beginning, and I have enjoyed each story. They just keep getting better. Jaymie Leighton Muller is a strong female protagonist who has grown over the course of the series. I like seeing her happy with her husband, stepdaughter, her jobs, and fur babies. There is a great cast of secondary characters that enhance the story. They are realistic characters which I appreciate. The author’s descriptive writing style brings the characters and the charming Michigan town to life. The mystery was interesting. There is a five-year-old crime that has been recently deemed a homicide and it involves a neighbor. At the request of Detective Vestry, Jaymie gets close to the wife of the victim to try and obtain information. Unfortunately, the woman ends up dead before she shares her information. Jaymie believes the two crimes are connected. She wants to get closure for the family so Jaymie begins digging into the case. Jaymie has her work cut out for her if she is going to solve this whodunit. It is clever how Jaymie gets helpful information from casual conversations. You never know what nugget of information will help solve the case. I thought the murder weapon was quite unique. I found A Calculated Whisk to be well-written with the story moving at a slower pace courtesy of the author’s expressive writing. I appreciated that the story contained no foul language and negligible violence. I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions and information about vintage kitchen items. I can understand Jaymie’s fascination with them. I enjoyed my visit with Jaymie and her family. Jaymie’s stepdaughter is such a sweetheart and Hoppy makes me laugh with his antics. A Calculated Whisk is an engaging tale with wire whisks, a fun new friend, a cold case, a dedicated detective, a senseless slaying, a mournful mother, and a resolute amateur sleuth.

Michigan, cozy-mystery, law-enforcement, recipes, family-dynamics, friendship, murder, murder-investigation, secrets, small-business, small-town, rural**** The first death, five years ago, was somewhat suspicious and the local detective is still fixated on the wife. Said wife was murdered now and just after the detective asked the continuing character to get involved. Interesting but unexpectedly dark. I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Beyond the Page via NetGalley. Thank you

About the author

Victoria Hamilton is the pseudonym of nationally bestselling romance author Donna Lea Simpson. Victoria is the bestselling author of three mystery series, the Lady Anne Addison Mysteries, the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries, and the Merry Muffin Mysteries. She also writes a Regency-set historical mystery series, starting with A Gentlewoman’s Guide to Murder. Visit her website at victoriahamiltonmysteries.com.