I’m delighted to be participating in the Great Escapes Virtual Blog tour introducing CAT GOT YOUR TONGS, the twelfth book in the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries by Victoria Hamilton. While I haven’t had the opportunity to keep up with the series, it was a pleasure to dive in and catch up with what protagonist Jaymie Müller has been doing. This newest book can easily be read as a standalone, but the characters are definitely worth getting to know over the course of the series. One of the best ways to describe Jaymie is she’s kindhearted and despite the crime, the book leaves you with warm and cozy feelings. Jaymie is a caregiver at heart and she’s passed that trait on to her darling stepdaughter, Jocie. They are helping take care of a colony of feral and stray cats during the brutal winter cold, while the normal volunteer goes on vacation. Ms. Hamilton brings the plight of the cats to life on the pages, and each scene is detailed, allowing the reader to feel invested. I also chuckled at the puns included and all the clever and pun-y business names. It brings a lightheartedness to the story.

On one of the visits to the cat colony, Jaymie comes across a murder victim. One of her friends had been seeing strange lights on the river from her home, and together they surmise that smuggling must be going on from Canada to the U.S. and the death is connected. Is the cargo human? Drugs? Or other illicit items? And why did an aging British rock star move into the neighborhood? The author weaves a multi-faceted tale filled with suspects, secrets, and lies. The twists kept me guessing, but it wasn’t until the bone-chilling, edge-of-your-seat reveal that I figured it out alongside Jaymie. With the adrenaline pumping, it was a pleasure reading the heartwarming last chapter, which left me with a feeling of contentment and a desire to catch up on the series.

I greatly enjoy the vintage recipe Ms. Hamilton provides at the back of each book, but I equally enjoy when authors surprise me with one of their own recipes too. In this case it’s the recipe for Super Simple Salad Jars. I’ve seen all sorts of similar recipes on Pinterest and loved the idea of pre-making the salad “goodies” to have on hand for a quick lunch. And thanks to Ms. Hamilton, I finally gave it a try and am SO glad I did. The ingredients stayed crisp and fresh over the four days in the refrigerator, and instead of scrounging around for a less-than-healthy lunch, especially when I’m in the midst of writing, these salad jars kept me nourished and satiated.

 

 

A word from Victoria Hamilton!

Cooking with Jaymie and Victoria
By Victoria Hamilton

I’ll admit, I’m a little flustered giving a recipe on a blog like this, with an expert cook as host. Thank you for having me.

Jaymie Müller, the main character in my Vintage Kitchen Mysteries, is an amateur cook, as am I. Taught how to cook by her Grandma Leighton, she likes to take vintage recipes and change them up to suit modern tastes and cooking methods. What’s true about me is, I’ve been cooking since I was nine, a very long time indeed. But mostly simple foods. For dinner I have a few killer recipes that I rotate through: Arroz con Pollo (chef’s kiss!): Spaghetti with homemade sauce; chili; and a few more. The rest of the time it may be burgers, hot dogs, salad, or readymade meals. I will say, I do make awesome homemade soup. I made a batch of Beef Barley soup recently from marrow bones and it was simply perfection. But in my house, lunches are more fly by the seat of my pants. So… a recipe? I’m going to give you a real simple one. I’ve been working on eating better. At lunchtime, I only have to please myself, and usually eat at my desk, and don’t want to fuss a lot. The same thing four days in a row is just fine. Especially with this salad that can be personalized many different ways.

 

 

Amazon Synopsis

Despite the brutally cold winter, vintage cookware collector Jaymie Müller is happy to help out a friend by looking after a colony of cats while its caretakers are away. The location on a high bluff overlooking the St. Clair River makes for bone-chilling work, and her task takes on an air of menace when an elderly neighbor reports suspicious goings-on at the river. Jaymie’s inclined to dismiss the woman’s fears as the product of an overactive imagination, but it’s not long before she discovers a dead body there.

When it becomes clear the dead man was the victim of foul play, Jaymie turns to the older woman looking for more information. What she learns is that the river has long been used for illicit smuggling, and Jaymie suspects there was a falling out among thieves. But then mysterious clues begin turning up at the cat colony and another victim is found, and Jaymie realizes there’s something much more sinister behind the killings. And while cats may have nine lives, Jaymie has just one, and she discovers too late that she’s perilously close to losing it . . .

 

 

 

 

 

A special thanks to Victoria Hamilton for providing one winner with a $50 Amazon gift card! Contest is open WORLDWIDE and ends March 24, 2025 at 11:59 pm EST. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below to enter. Contest is administered by Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour and the winner will be announced on this page and notified by email (so check your spam folder!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

March 17 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 17 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 17 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 18 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST

March 18 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 19 – FUONLYKNEW – RECIPE

March 19 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW

March 20 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

March 20 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

March 21 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

March 21 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

March 22 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

March 22 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR GUEST POST

March 22 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 23 – Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder – REVIEW, RECIPE

March 23 – Frugal Freelancer – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

 

 

 

I was provided with an advance copy. All thought and opinions are my own.