What do you think?
Rate this book
Tori Miracle #3
Death, Guns, and Sticky Buns
When a quaint Pennsylvania town hosts a Civil War reenactment, only the blood will be real....
How does a once-hip New Yorker get used to living in a quaint Pennsylvania town famous for its gooey, oversized sticky buns? For Tori Miracle, it means kissing her diet good-bye, always showing up in the wrong clothes, and struggling with a love life. And now that she's filling in for the editor of the Lickin Creek Chronicle and has the town newspaper to look after as well as her own dear fastidious felines, sometimes it means cosponsoring public events like a Civil War reenactment for the local women's college.
But when this charmingly authentic reenactment is done, and each man and woman has played his or her part to the hilt, it's clear that Tori has miscalculated again. Someone used one live bullet in an antique gun. And with a man dead, it's going to be up to the only city slicker in Lickin Creek to unravel a mystery of murder in a town where calories don't count, but murder does....
How does a once-hip New Yorker get used to living in a quaint Pennsylvania town famous for its gooey, oversized sticky buns? For Tori Miracle, it means kissing her diet good-bye, always showing up in the wrong clothes, and struggling with a love life. And now that she's filling in for the editor of the Lickin Creek Chronicle and has the town newspaper to look after as well as her own dear fastidious felines, sometimes it means cosponsoring public events like a Civil War reenactment for the local women's college.
But when this charmingly authentic reenactment is done, and each man and woman has played his or her part to the hilt, it's clear that Tori has miscalculated again. Someone used one live bullet in an antique gun. And with a man dead, it's going to be up to the only city slicker in Lickin Creek to unravel a mystery of murder in a town where calories don't count, but murder does....
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
14 people are currently reading
181 people want to read
About the author
Valerie S. Malmont
7 books13 followersValerie Skuse Malmont grew up in a foreign service family and lived in several different Asian countries. She now lives in Pennsylvania.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 11, 2021
Good gravy there was a lot going on in this one. We had one of those situations where there's wholesale slaughter in a small town and no one is like, "Is this.... a serial killer? Am I... in danger?"
Instead, everyone bangs on about sticky bun recipes and how awful the heroine is. And to some extent that was unfair, as the heroine was an interesting hot messwho would have benefited greatly from laying off chasing men round Caven County and got down to it with Gloria, the hot but entirely useless animal control officer.
But to another extent, the heroine was a petulant chaos magnet with an uncanny ability to mouth off, then bounce.
The thing is, she was interesting while she did it.
There's also a lovely moment where the author nods to the cumulative trauma a cozy mystery series inflicts on a small town:
Content notes, because we do have 'em:
Instead, everyone bangs on about sticky bun recipes and how awful the heroine is. And to some extent that was unfair, as the heroine was an interesting hot mess
But to another extent, the heroine was a petulant chaos magnet with an uncanny ability to mouth off, then bounce.
The thing is, she was interesting while she did it.
There's also a lovely moment where the author nods to the cumulative trauma a cozy mystery series inflicts on a small town:
"...Let's face it, Tori, you don't have the best reputation in town."
I was shocked. "What do you mean? Surely, they've forgiven me for burning down the Historical Society. Everybody knows that was an accident."
"They might say they've forgiven you, but then you ruined the Apple Butter Festival, and they haven't had time to forget that. And of course there's the matter of the clinic closing, too."
Tears brimmed in my eyes, and I had to blink to keep them from falling out. "That's really unfair," I mumbled into a Kleenex. "I was only helping out."
Content notes, because we do have 'em:
July 19, 2016
See my full review on my blog at Mystereity Reviews
Death, Guns and Sticky Buns is the 3rd book in the Tori Miracle series. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a copy of the second book, which wasn't a huge problem but this book would've flowed a little better if I had. There are a few references to it sprinkled around that didn't confuse the story in this book. For me, I like reading a series in order, so I was a bit put out.
Tori, a recent transplant to rural Pennsylvania from New York City, is still adjusting to small town life. Her new boyfriend, Police Chief Garnet, is headed to Costa Rica for a year. Tori consoles herself by throwing herself into work as temporary editor for the Lickin Creek Chronicle and promptly gets tangled in a suspicious death, Civil War artifact thefts, and sticky buns. Gooey, tasty sticky buns (recipes at the end of the book!)
The local women's college is hosting a Civil War execution A former Congressman and a college trustee Mack MacMillan insists on playing the deserter being executed and the spectators are shocked when he actually dies after someone replaced the fake bullets in the muskets for real ones. The resolution of the mystery was original and unexpected, as was the stolen Civil War artifacts subplot, and I really enjoyed it.
Tori is a likeable main character; smart, funny, easily distracted and just a little socially awkward. I find her easy to relate to and very well drawn. The other characters in the story are really just wallpaper and I'm hoping they develop a little more in the coming stories.
Overall, Death, Guns, and Sticky Buns was highly enjoyable, a light read that will appeal to fans of cozy mysteries and/or Civil War history.
Death, Guns and Sticky Buns is the 3rd book in the Tori Miracle series. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a copy of the second book, which wasn't a huge problem but this book would've flowed a little better if I had. There are a few references to it sprinkled around that didn't confuse the story in this book. For me, I like reading a series in order, so I was a bit put out.
Tori, a recent transplant to rural Pennsylvania from New York City, is still adjusting to small town life. Her new boyfriend, Police Chief Garnet, is headed to Costa Rica for a year. Tori consoles herself by throwing herself into work as temporary editor for the Lickin Creek Chronicle and promptly gets tangled in a suspicious death, Civil War artifact thefts, and sticky buns. Gooey, tasty sticky buns (recipes at the end of the book!)
The local women's college is hosting a Civil War execution A former Congressman and a college trustee Mack MacMillan insists on playing the deserter being executed and the spectators are shocked when he actually dies after someone replaced the fake bullets in the muskets for real ones. The resolution of the mystery was original and unexpected, as was the stolen Civil War artifacts subplot, and I really enjoyed it.
Tori is a likeable main character; smart, funny, easily distracted and just a little socially awkward. I find her easy to relate to and very well drawn. The other characters in the story are really just wallpaper and I'm hoping they develop a little more in the coming stories.
Overall, Death, Guns, and Sticky Buns was highly enjoyable, a light read that will appeal to fans of cozy mysteries and/or Civil War history.
October 21, 2022
If someone is trying to kill you, do you put yourself in dangerous and isolated situations. If reading this book, make a character list.
July 20, 2009
Death, Guns, and Sticky Buns by Valerie S. Malmont
This was a new cozy author for me, although this book was copyright 2000. The style is reminiscent of Tamar Myers or Mary Daheim, with a smart but clumsy and hilarious heroine, Tori Miracle. I quite enjoyed this quick and complicated murder mystery, which takes place in a small town named Lickin Creek, Pennsylvania, where Tori has arrived from New York to fill in for the editor of the local paper. A town full of quirky characters who are about to put on a traditional Civil War reenactment. Naturally things go horribly wrong and with her boyfriend the Sheriff out of town it looks like Tori will have to do a lot of digging to prove that the wrong man has been arrested by the temporary sheriff. There are lots of red herrings, and lots of sticky buns, for which the town is famous, recipe included. It was a good read, a nice break from heavier fiction, and I will be watching to see if I can find any more of Valerie Malmont’s books. An enjoyable murder mystery with interesting bits of history blended in, including some interesting information on antique carousels.
This was a new cozy author for me, although this book was copyright 2000. The style is reminiscent of Tamar Myers or Mary Daheim, with a smart but clumsy and hilarious heroine, Tori Miracle. I quite enjoyed this quick and complicated murder mystery, which takes place in a small town named Lickin Creek, Pennsylvania, where Tori has arrived from New York to fill in for the editor of the local paper. A town full of quirky characters who are about to put on a traditional Civil War reenactment. Naturally things go horribly wrong and with her boyfriend the Sheriff out of town it looks like Tori will have to do a lot of digging to prove that the wrong man has been arrested by the temporary sheriff. There are lots of red herrings, and lots of sticky buns, for which the town is famous, recipe included. It was a good read, a nice break from heavier fiction, and I will be watching to see if I can find any more of Valerie Malmont’s books. An enjoyable murder mystery with interesting bits of history blended in, including some interesting information on antique carousels.
January 25, 2013
I enjoyed the other book I had read in this series and have begun at the beginning. Tori Miracle has moved from New York to the small town of Lickin Creed, Pennsylvania to be near her new boyfriend, Garnet. He has left for a year's assignment in Costa Rica and she has taken the job of editor of the local newspaper. The local college is holding a civil war re-enactment but the "victim" of the "firing squad" is shot dead. The man who loaded the guns with rubber bullets is arrested for the murder. Tori is sure he is innocent. She begins to look into the story for the newspaper but quickly finds that the victim wasn't the only person who was playing a role. I like this series - the plots are good and the characters are well drawn.
July 5, 2014
This book is one twist and turn after another. Garnet is out of town, and Tori is on her own. Her klutziness has her stumbling from one clue to the next. We get a good look at Gettysburg and some of the things that make it unique.
February 26, 2008
Looking forward to reading this as purely fluffy escapism.
August 20, 2008
Fun mystery
October 26, 2009
Entertaining series. I wish I hadn't read them all.
Read
August 10, 2011Interesting heroine with a sense of humor, plus 2 bonus sticky bun recipes at the end.
July 20, 2016
This series is new to me, but I will happily read more in the series. The characters are fun and the local color is intriguing
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews