It’s a Festival—What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

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It’s that season again—the time to plan summer vacations. How about touring small towns and visiting some occasionally wacky, but always fun, festivals? In Wisconsin, for instance, where the Deputy Donut Mystery series is set, provides a wealth of summer fairs, festivals, and family-fun weekends. At one gem and mineral show, kids can dig for treasures in an agate pit! Three different festivals provide sawdust piles where kids can grub around looking for things. At least one of these sawdust piles is stocked with money. And speaking of not exactly staying pristine, you could participate in, or merely watch (maybe from a distance), a cow chip hurling competition. There are also festivals featuring cheese, butter, fish, beef, bacon, or beer. There are arts and craft shows, concerts, and gatherings of airplanes and classic cars.

In real life, you can expect these small-town festivities to go well.

In cozy mysteries, however, festivals can be another story. Amateur sleuths suddenly find their hands full of things like magnifying glasses, binoculars, and cameras. These intrepid sleuths have to struggle to stay ahead of killers and their deadly secrets.

In Double Grudge Donuts, Fallingbrook, Wisconsin is celebrating the first (annual, they hope) Fallingbrook Arts Festival. During the afternoons, performers tour the town, showcasing their talent on sidewalks in front if businesses, including Emily Westhill’s Deputy Donut coffee and donut shop. In the evenings, the day’s performers compete for prizes. With its Musical Monday, Troubadour Tuesday, Wee Wonders Wednesday, Theatrical Thursday, Funny Friday, and Skit Saturday, The Fallingbrook Arts Festival should be among the tamer Wisconsin festivals. It doesn’t work out that way.

Partly because of his bagpipe’s squawking during another performance, Kirk MacLean wins the Musical Monday competition. That night, sleepers are annoyed at being awakened by the skirl of the pipes. On Troubadour Tuesday, Kirk struts around town blasting his bagpipe while hapless singers try to ignore him. Kirk is making enemies fast. And then, early on Wee Wonders Wednesday, Emily’s cat Dep leads Emily to Kirk’s body near his bagpipe—and also near a piece broken from a Deputy Donut mug. Emily needs to do some investigating, or she or her parents, who are judges for some of the competitions, might be arrested, and Emily and the town detective’s wedding might be postponed, perhaps permanently.

If your summer vacation plans involve more reading in chairs than riding in cars, visit some quirky events by reading cozy mysteries, nibbling delicious snacks, and trying to solve crimes along with amateur sleuths. As an added bonus, you should be safe from clinging sawdust or flying cow chips.

Murder at a Scottish Castle by Traci Hall

This festival season is a bad one for bagpipers! Paislee Shaw sells cashmere sweaters in her shop in Nairn, Scotland. The local dowager countess wants to feature Paislee’s sweaters in the castle’s gift shop—an honor and an opportunity for Paislee. To top it off, the dowager countess invites Paislee to the annual bagpiping competition on the castle grounds. Paislee brings Grandpa, her son, and her Scottish terrier Wallace.

Jory, the previous year’s bagpiping champion brags that he will, for the second year in a row, trounce the previous champion, the dowager countess’s son, who has won for many years. However, when Jory begins playing his bagpipe, he keels over. Rescuers rush to his aid. In the panic, his bagpipe disappears. The investigation into Jory’s collapse becomes a murder investigation.

Because of Paislee’s previous successes in fingering criminals, the dowager countess insists that Paislee should clear the laird’s name. For the sake of her sweaters, Paislee doesn’t dare refuse.

Snack suggestion: Scottish oatcakes drizzled with honey

Claret and Present Danger by Sarah Fox

And pipers aren’t the only performers whose careers end suddenly and tragically during these cozy mystery festivals. Sadie Coleman, the owner of the literary pub, The Inkwell, is happy when the Trueheart Renaissance Faire and Circus comes to Shady Creek, Vermont. A flirtatious illusionist’s show is sold out, but he gives Sadie tickets when he visits The Inkwell. During this “wizard’s” performance, Sadie’s excitement turns to horror. The man collapses on stage, and it’s not an illusion.

As if that isn’t bad enough, the police suspect one of Sadie’s employees of the wizard’s murder. And then another performer dies. . . .  Can Sadie, with the help of her boyfriend, a former PI turned craft brewer, clear her employee’s name and bring justice to a killer?

Snack suggestion: Brie baked in phyllo pastry and topped with claret jelly

Murder at the Blueberry Festival by Darci Hannah

Lindsey Bakewell’s Beacon Bakery, in a lighthouse on the shores of Lake Michigan, is to be the site of a pie-eating contest during the Blueberry Festival in Beacon Harbor, Michigan. At first, people laugh at what appear to be mere pranks. But things go from amusing to bad to worse . . . to deadly.

Why is a boat floating near the lighthouse, and why are its only occupants a live goat and a dead man dressed as a Viking? Luckily, Lindsey has help in her search for answers—including her ex-SEAL boyfriend and her Newfoundland dog Wellington. And then there are the goats, each with its own agenda, which, to Lindsey’s dismay, might include attempting to win the pie-eating contest.

Snack suggestion: Blueberry muffins!

A Twinkle of Trouble by Daryl Wood Gerber

Courtney Kelly owns a fairy garden shop, Open Your Imagination, in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Courtney can also see fairies, who help her (or not) in various ways. As Courtney is preparing to look after her booth at the Summer Blooms Festival, Genevieve, an influencer who was not invited to participate, writes nasty things about the festival and some of Courtney’s friends. But then, right outside the festival, one of Courtney’s maligned friends is found standing over Genevieve’s body.

Courtney is certain that the friend cannot have murdered Genevieve. While growing her own plants for her fairy gardens, teaching people how to create the miniature displays, interacting with her fairy sidekicks, and trying not to annoy law enforcement, Courtney will need to investigate.

Snack suggestion: Gingersnap brownies—the recipe is in the back of the book

Deep Fried Death by Maddie Day

After just one look at the cover of DEEP FRIED DEATH by Maddie Day, you know you’re in for a wild ride. Robbie Jordan, owner of Pans ‘N Pancakes, reluctantly plans for her restaurant to sponsor an entry in the Abe Martin Festival’s annual outhouse race on Memorial Day.

Before Pans ‘N Pancakes can attempt to push their replica outhouse toward the finish line, a body tumbles out, along with the murder weapon—a cast iron skillet from Pans ‘N Pancakes. Robbie, her restaurant, and even her brother-in-law are implicated. Robbie will need to set the police on the right course, or by next year’s festival, she might be visiting the courthouse, not racing an outhouse.

Snack suggestion: pancakes slathered in butter and maple syrup

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