For fans of: Krista Davis

The week before Thanksgiving looks to be a busy one for retired schoolteacher Phyllis Newsom. Between setting up for her town’s Harvest Festival, caring for her sick grandson, distributing canned goods to the less fortunate, and baking a batch of pumpkin cheesecake muffins to enter in the Festival’s baking contest, she’s barely got time to think. But think she must when Festival organizer Logan Powell is found dead, dressed as a scarecrow and sitting on a hay bale with the remains of one of Phyllis’ muffins still in his mouth. The police arrest Logan’s wife Dana for the crime, but Phyllis knows her friend isn’t capable of murder and launches an investigation of her own. Phyllis must work quickly to exonerate Dana and prevent the real killer from striking again. Are her sleuthing skills up to the task?

The Pumpkin Muffin Murder is the fifth installment in Livia J. Washburn’s Fresh-Baked Mystery Series. Published just in time for Thanksgiving, it’s a swiftly paced tale with strong characterization, a clever plot, and more yummy recipes than you can shake a pilgrim at. The mystery is expertly crafted, the clues are skillfully deployed, and the manner in which Logan is killed is both clever and unique. Washburn doesn’t introduce many serious suspects over the course of the book, but rather than weakening the mystery, this actually serves to create some nice tension, for while Phyllis is fairly certain Dana is innocent, the fact that she’s unable to point the finger at anyone else is enough to make her wonder.

The nontraditional family Washburn creates by having Phyllis share her home with three other retired schoolteachers is a nice twist. The dynamic between conservative Phyllis, opinionated Carolyn, and flirtatious Eve is a fun one, and Phyllis’ friendship (and burgeoning romance) with Texas gentleman Sam is tender and sweet. The setup provides Washburn with a great built-in cast of supporting characters, and it gives the reader a nice break from the single-female-sleuth-who-lives-alone-with-her-cat formula that’s become so popular.

Washburn’s prose is occasionally bogged down by unnecessary details (what grocery store aisles Phyllis considered going down, how busy the store was, how large a turkey she bought, etc.), and the story features a couple of completely superfluous characters (as far as I can tell, Phyllis’ grandson is only there to eat muffins, utter cutesy dialogue, and fall asleep), but those are only minor quibbles.

My biggest problem with this book is that I don't like Phyllis. She’s a fully fleshed-out character with a strong narrative voice (which is more than I can say for many cozy mystery series heroines), but she just isn’t someone with whom I would ever voluntarily spend time. She's old-fashioned and judgmental, and she reminds me an awful lot of that elderly neighbor your mom used to leave you with when she couldn't find a teenager to baby-sit. On the other hand, those same characteristics are also what make her such a good amateur sleuth. Phyllis may not be good company, but she’s smart, stubborn, and doggedly loyal, and that’s exactly the kind of person you want on your side when you’re being accused of murder.

In sum, Livia J. Washburn’sThe Pumpkin Muffin Murder is a fun read. It’s a good way to pass an autumn afternoon, and it’s sure to get you in the spirit of the holiday season.

Reviewed by: Kat