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Gravy, Grudges and Goodbyes: A Small Town Thanksgiving Cozy Mystery with Cat
When café owner Claire Brennan volunteers to coordinate Pinewood Falls' 50th Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner, she expects kitchen chaos, volunteer drama, and maybe a few burnt rolls. What she doesn't expect is to find Gordon Finch, the town's insufferable food critic, dead in a vat of gravy the morning of the big event. With half the town having a reason to want Gordon gone and the local sheriff overwhelmed with suspects, Claire finds herself reluctantly investigating a murder instead of serving turkey.
Armed with her best friend Patty the librarian, retired mailman Hank and his encyclopedic memory of town gossip, and her lazy orange tabby Butterscotch, Claire begins asking questions. Gordon had been digging into old secrets, threatening livelihoods, and making enemies faster than Claire makes pancakes. From competing diner owners to pressured farmers, volunteer coordinators to building managers, everyone had a motive and nearly everyone had opportunity. As Claire juggles prep work for the rescheduled dinner and dodges threatening texts warning her to back off, she realizes the key to solving Gordon's murder lies in understanding what he discovered that was dangerous enough to kill for.
In this delightful cozy mystery full of small-town charm, quirky characters, and plenty of Thanksgiving treats, Claire must sort through gravy-covered clues and sort truth from lies before the killer strikes again. Perfect for fans of classic whodunits who love their mysteries served with a side of humor, heart, and homemade pie.
Armed with her best friend Patty the librarian, retired mailman Hank and his encyclopedic memory of town gossip, and her lazy orange tabby Butterscotch, Claire begins asking questions. Gordon had been digging into old secrets, threatening livelihoods, and making enemies faster than Claire makes pancakes. From competing diner owners to pressured farmers, volunteer coordinators to building managers, everyone had a motive and nearly everyone had opportunity. As Claire juggles prep work for the rescheduled dinner and dodges threatening texts warning her to back off, she realizes the key to solving Gordon's murder lies in understanding what he discovered that was dangerous enough to kill for.
In this delightful cozy mystery full of small-town charm, quirky characters, and plenty of Thanksgiving treats, Claire must sort through gravy-covered clues and sort truth from lies before the killer strikes again. Perfect for fans of classic whodunits who love their mysteries served with a side of humor, heart, and homemade pie.
- GenresCozy MysteryThanksgiving
118 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 4, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 23, 2025
Once again, Maisy Marple serves up a delicious mystery with “Gravy, Grudges, and Goodbyes,” the first installment in the Thanksgiving Dinners Gone Wrong Mystery Series. This tale, like a well-basted turkey, is stuffed with everything I love about a good whodunit, all wrapped in the cozy familiarity of Thanksgiving.
From the get-go, I was hooked. The story kicks off with a murder that could only happen in a Thanksgiving-themed mystery—a victim found deceased in a vat of gravy! Talk about a sticky situation! As I read, it became clear that the victim wasn't exactly the cranberry sauce of the community meal; in fact, he was more like the Brussels sprouts nobody wanted on their plate. Almost everyone in town had a bone to pick with him, and that made the suspect list as long as a Thanksgiving buffet table.
The mystery was engaging, and I found myself gobbling up the pages. Each character had a motive, but many lacked alibis, which kept me guessing who-done-it. The plot twists were nicely roasted, full of juicy surprises that left me both satisfied and wanting more.
While this book was a delightful treat, I did find myself questioning a few character actions and the timing of a certain event. However, these were minor hiccups in an otherwise smooth gravy boat of a story.
In a nutshell, “Gravy, Grudges, and Goodbyes” is a fast-paced, entertaining read that will whet your appetite for more of Maisy Marple's mysteries. It’s loaded with colorful characters, a suspenseful storyline, and a killer ending that ties everything together like a perfect pumpkin pie.
Opinionated Book Rating:
Originality: 5.0/5.0
Plot Structure: 4.5/5.0
Pacing: 5.0/5.0
Dialogue and Narrative: 4.5/5.0
Personal Enjoyment: 4.5/5.0
Overall Rating: 4.7/5.0 (Rating will be rounded up due to platforms not allowing partial ratings.)
Favorite Quote:
““The evidence is pointing in too many directions.’ He rubbed his eyes. ‘And now I’ve got the mayor breathing down my neck, the state police questioning my competence, and half the town calling with theories. Someone called this morning to say they saw Gordon’s ghost in the town hall.’ Despite everything, Claire smiled. ‘Mrs. Henderson?’ ‘How’d you know?’ ‘She sees ghosts every Halloween. And Christmas. And most Tuesdays.’”
From the get-go, I was hooked. The story kicks off with a murder that could only happen in a Thanksgiving-themed mystery—a victim found deceased in a vat of gravy! Talk about a sticky situation! As I read, it became clear that the victim wasn't exactly the cranberry sauce of the community meal; in fact, he was more like the Brussels sprouts nobody wanted on their plate. Almost everyone in town had a bone to pick with him, and that made the suspect list as long as a Thanksgiving buffet table.
The mystery was engaging, and I found myself gobbling up the pages. Each character had a motive, but many lacked alibis, which kept me guessing who-done-it. The plot twists were nicely roasted, full of juicy surprises that left me both satisfied and wanting more.
While this book was a delightful treat, I did find myself questioning a few character actions and the timing of a certain event. However, these were minor hiccups in an otherwise smooth gravy boat of a story.
In a nutshell, “Gravy, Grudges, and Goodbyes” is a fast-paced, entertaining read that will whet your appetite for more of Maisy Marple's mysteries. It’s loaded with colorful characters, a suspenseful storyline, and a killer ending that ties everything together like a perfect pumpkin pie.
Opinionated Book Rating:
Originality: 5.0/5.0
Plot Structure: 4.5/5.0
Pacing: 5.0/5.0
Dialogue and Narrative: 4.5/5.0
Personal Enjoyment: 4.5/5.0
Overall Rating: 4.7/5.0 (Rating will be rounded up due to platforms not allowing partial ratings.)
Favorite Quote:
““The evidence is pointing in too many directions.’ He rubbed his eyes. ‘And now I’ve got the mayor breathing down my neck, the state police questioning my competence, and half the town calling with theories. Someone called this morning to say they saw Gordon’s ghost in the town hall.’ Despite everything, Claire smiled. ‘Mrs. Henderson?’ ‘How’d you know?’ ‘She sees ghosts every Halloween. And Christmas. And most Tuesdays.’”
February 17, 2026
The main character us Claire. Claire owns a diner in Pinewood Falls and is asked to take over the running of the community Thanksgiving dinner. Only one problem. The town food critic Gordon. No one likes Gordon and he goes out of his way to make people hate him. On the morning of Thanksgiving Gordon is found dead in the community hall with his head in a kettle of gravy. Claire tries to figure out who did it and before she can even start, she gets a text telling her to stop asking questions or the same things could happen to her, But she keeps asking questions and thinks she knows who the killer is. Is it too late ?
November 10, 2025
Gravy, Grudges, and Goodbyes
After reading 15 books grounded in October activities, it was enjoyable to move on to November and think about Thanksgiving. But Maisy Marple seldom does the expected in her storytelling! I thought the title was a giveaway, but noooo... there was no poison in the gravy. Just ingenious plotting...so glad she's a writer and not a criminal! It's an intriguing read for this time of year.
After reading 15 books grounded in October activities, it was enjoyable to move on to November and think about Thanksgiving. But Maisy Marple seldom does the expected in her storytelling! I thought the title was a giveaway, but noooo... there was no poison in the gravy. Just ingenious plotting...so glad she's a writer and not a criminal! It's an intriguing read for this time of year.
November 18, 2025
A Devious Food Critic and Murder!
I love these delightful novellas by this author. Fast paced and enjoyable with intriguing plots and interesting characters. Six books released all at once with the same theme makes for great reading. This first book in the Thanksgiving Dinners held my attention and I had fun trying to figure out who the culprit was. With a town full of suspects and motive for the extremely unlikable victim it was a great read. On to book two.
I love these delightful novellas by this author. Fast paced and enjoyable with intriguing plots and interesting characters. Six books released all at once with the same theme makes for great reading. This first book in the Thanksgiving Dinners held my attention and I had fun trying to figure out who the culprit was. With a town full of suspects and motive for the extremely unlikable victim it was a great read. On to book two.
November 25, 2025
Loved this small town Thanksgiving Whodunit
This book definitely captured my attention. The victim in this one was a real meanie and it was kinda hard to have compassion for his demise. So many suspects made this fun to follow. I loved how the Cranberry Cafe owner, the librarian and the retired postman were the real heroes here. Definitely a keeper.
This book definitely captured my attention. The victim in this one was a real meanie and it was kinda hard to have compassion for his demise. So many suspects made this fun to follow. I loved how the Cranberry Cafe owner, the librarian and the retired postman were the real heroes here. Definitely a keeper.
January 8, 2026
Dinners
It was supposed to be just coordinating a community Thanksgiving dinner but Claire was drawn into the investigation. The culprit was a surprise. Making sure the right person was charged and repetitions were restored.
It was supposed to be just coordinating a community Thanksgiving dinner but Claire was drawn into the investigation. The culprit was a surprise. Making sure the right person was charged and repetitions were restored.
November 13, 2025
Great mystery. Claire who owns a cafe solved the murder.
December 7, 2025
loved this cute little cozy mystery with a Thanksgiving setting.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews