Murder on Cape Cod by Maddie Day

Item: Murder on Cape Cod
Rating: 5
Author: karenbaron

Posted July 23, 2022 by karenbaron in #BookishRecipe, #SummerReadsWithTheBaroness, Mystery, Review, Series / 0 Comments

Murder on Cape Cod

by Maddie Day

Series: Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery #1
Series Rating:

Published by Kensington Cozies on December 31, 2019
Genres: Cozy Crafts and Hobbies Culinary Mystery
Pages: 244
Format: Kindle
Goodreads
BookBub
Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Also in this series: Murder at the Taffy Shop

A Cape Cod shop owner and her book club must find a crafty killer in this charming new series from the Agatha-nominated author of the Country Store Mystery series.

Summer is busy season for Mackenzie “Mac” Almeida’s bicycle shop, nestled in the quaint, seaside hamlet of Westham, Massachusetts. She’s expecting an influx of tourists at Mac’s Bikes; instead she discovers the body of Jake Lacey. Mac can’t imagine anyone stabbing the down-on-his-luck handyman. However, the authorities seem to think Mac is a strong suspect after she was spotted arguing with Jake just hours before his death. Mac knows she didn’t do it, but she does recognize the weapon—her brother Derrick’s fishing knife.

Mac’s only experience with murder investigations is limited to the cozy mysteries she reads with her local book group, the Cozy Capers. So to clear her name—and maybe her brother’s too—Mac will have to summon help from her Cozy Capers co-investigators and a library’s worth of detectives’ tips and tricks. For a small town, Westham is teeming with possible killers, and this is one mystery where Mac is hoping for anything but a surprise ending…

Murder on Cape Cod by Maddie Day is a fun cozy crafts and hobbies culinary mystery that will keep you guessing.

Can Mac clear Derrick’s name?

Mackenzie “Mac” Almeida

Mac Almeida is our sleuth, even though it is a reluctant part on her end. Since she found the body, she feels obliged. She is a part of a cozy mystery readers group that meets every Tuesday to go over that week’s book. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind being a part of this group. The whole group wanted to help Mac solve the case like they had read about in their books. Mac only agrees to do it because she’s afraid of her brother being pegged as the murderer.

She’s the youngest of three siblings and loves her older brother a lot. Mainly because of her niece Coquille, whose also known as Cokey. So when you put all of that together, Mac wants to ensure that Derrick can be with his daughter again. I, honestly, like Mac as a sleuth. The way she was written not to want to go along with the whole thing was perfect. It read as if it actually happened in real life. Everything about this character screams genuine to me, and with that in mind, I probably wouldn’t mind being friends with her in real life.

The Mystery

Coming home from that Tuesday reader’s group meeting at her brother’s lighthouse, Mac stumbles upon the body of a guy she was seen arguing with earlier that day. Mac assures not only their police chief, an old classmate of Mac’s, but also the state police detective sent in to help their police force out with this case that she and her brother didn’t kill the guy.

I knew it wasn’t Derrick as he was an obvious red herring, but I was stuck between two other people. However, I ruled out the first one after voicing my opinion out loud to myself last night as I wanted her to be it for not liking cozy mysteries. The other person was a genuine thought as I didn’t like her.

Five Stars

Murder on Cape Cod by Maddie Day is a great book to read if you wish to escape reality for a bit. I loved visiting their small town of Westham on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. It was nice. Ms. Day has a great way of bringing her readers to wherever the story occurs. Thought thanks to this story, I have a craving for saltwater taffy. Mac, her family, her friends, and everyone else Mac met in this mystery felt real to me.

Also, the fact that Mac has an African Gray named Belle cracked me up. I loved that bird in this story a lot. She brought in a bit of humor in some places after we left a heavy mystery scene. I am giving Murder on Cape Cod by Maddie Day five stars and a recommendation for anyone that’s looking for a new cozy mystery series. Well, not this-year-new but new for me.

This book also has recipes in the back, so don’t forget to check those out. They are Stephen’s Killer Pizza, Tim’s Cranberry-Orange Bread, Cape Cod Wine Spritzer, and Tim’s Seared Scallops. These all sound so delicious!

Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery Series

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Murder on Cape Cod by Maddie Day.

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

About Maddie Day

Maddie Day is a talented amateur chef and holds a Ph.D. in linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-nominated author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau and three cats in Massachusetts.

As Edith Maxwell, she writes the Local Foods Mysteries (Kensington Publishing) and the Quaker Midwife Mysteries (Midnight Ink).

Look for her as Edith M. Maxwell on Facebook and @edithmaxwell on Twitter, or you can find her Maddie Day links below.

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