Having been diagnosed with Celiacs disease many years ago, I leaped on the first book in the Baker's Treat Mysteries, Gluten for Punishment, when it first came out. A mystery series that featured a gluten free bakery is my idea of heaven! Especially as it also included gluten free recipes!!

I was in need of another trip to Oiltop, Kansas, and dove into the second book in the series, Murder Gone A-Rye. It was every bit as delightful and enjoyable as the first book.

In Murder Gone A-Rye, Toni is trying to keep her Grandma Ruth out of jail, when she becomes a suspect in the murder of her archenemy, Lois Striker. Toni's grandmother is not the sweet, old lady variety. No she's the feisty, hellion on a scooter type and Toni has her hands full stopping Ruth, along with her Aunt Phyllis, investigating the crime and getting arrested again!

I love Grandma Ruth and all of Toni's family. They are a big, loud, fun family and there is never a dull moment!! For me, Toni's family absolutely makes this series. Grandma Ruth is a laugh a minute, and the kind of awesome grandmother you wish you had. She is eager to discover long-buried secrets and she's not afraid to get into trouble, or arrested either!! With Ruth at the helm of the mystery, it was never dull - not even for a second.

In my opinion, Murder Gone A-Rye was even better than the first book. The characters are fantastic, the mystery itself was intriguing, as it involved a long-ago murder, and I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to pick up the third book in the series, Flourless to Stop Him. ( )

I've known a lot of grandma's in my life and I've never met a one that I didn't like.

I don't like grandma Ruth.

About a third of the way through this book it occurred to me that you could make a drinking game out of reading it: take one shot of your preferred liquor every time someone mentioned how brilliant grandma Ruth is; two shots if her lifetime membership to Mensa was mentioned*. If you hadn't passed out slobbering drunk by chapter 10, you'd be soused enough that grandma wouldn't seem so stupid, juvenile, selfish or arrogant.

I'm all for senior characters written as smart, active, independent and lively; but a 90-year-old and a 60-something year-old running around town committing multiple instances of B&E? It's farcical. It's topped only by 90 year old grandma climbing a 10 foot tall statue, falling off and breaking her leg and arm - but the fall put her out of commission for the rest of the book, so I was willing to go with it. (This 90 year old, btw, needs a motorised scooter or a walker to get around, so I don't know what the author was trying to sell here - but as I said, it took grandma out of the story, so I was willing to buy it.)

Toni, the MC and the grand-daughter condemned to put up with Ruth, finds herself unwillingly dragged into all of grandma's messes. She does have a spine and occasionally tries to corral the juvenile nonagenarian, but consistently gives in like a twit. She's likeable in all other ways; smart, independent and strong. It would be so refreshing for an author to create a character that didn't let her family push her around.

Now that I'm done kvetching, let me say that once you remove my above grievances, this is a well written, well plotted book. We have an old un-solved murder and a new murder connected to old families, war heroes, and town politics. The suspects are limited, but even so, I never saw that ending coming. If grandma got run over by a reindeer, you'd have a great cast of characters, a small-town Kansas setting, and interesting dialogue without a lot of introspection, lets-review-the-clues, or info-dumps.

But gah! I don't like grandma Ruth.

* The word "treats" could also be used. While also really over-used, it's over-use is sprinkled rather consistently throughout the narrative, allowing for a more sustained state of inebriation throughout the book. ;-) ( )

http://www.girllostinabook.com/2014/07/review-murder-gone-rye-by-nancy-j-parra.h... ( )

It was fun getting back to Oiltop, Kansas' new gluten-free bakery in MURDER GONE A-RYE. This time around, Toni Holmes has to split time running her shop during Thanksgiving rush and keeping her ornery Grandma Ruth out of trouble. Ruth is a suspect in the murder of Lois Striker, who was the secretary of Oiltop's mayor decades earlier. The mystery was intriguing and well-crafted, blending the Lois Striker case with a cold case murder from 1959. This town has been hiding some juicy secrets over the years, and someone in particular wants them to stay buried at any cost.

The residents of Oiltop are a delightful bunch, and their antics had me giggling several times. We're introduced to Aunt Phyllis who's as quirky as Grandma Ruth. When those two get together, plenty of mischief-making ensues. Toni is her likable, down-to-earth, and patient self, running a successful gluten-free bakery in the middle of wheat country. Getting divorced has made Toni leery about love, but she's got a couple of local men with eyes on her when she's ready to date again.

A highlight of this book was getting to experience the workings of Toni's bakery as she prepared for Thanksgiving sales. I could smell the fresh coffee and sweet treats. Yum! Also included in the book are several gluten-free recipes to try.

Source: Review copy from the publisher ( )