FLIPPED FOR MURDER - Maddie Day

Up until the last ten pages, Flipped for Murder - first in a new mystery series - was one of the best cozies I've read in some time.  The genre is formulaic by nature (smaller town, PG-rated themes and language at most, lead amateur sleuth recently relocated to town, quirky townspeople/supporting characters), so it was refreshing to come across a character like Roberta Jordan, a divorcee recently moved back to her deceased mom's hometown of South Lick, Indiana from California, to open up a combination country restaurant/store.  Robbie Jordan is extremely likable, and we first meet her on the grand opening day of Pans 'n Pancakes, along with other vivid, well-drawn characters like her Aunt Adele and even the town's new mayor, Corinne.  It's Corinne's unlikable assistant, Stella, who soon is found shot dead in her home later on, and even though the murder happens "off-stage" the story still develops not only into a decent murder investigation where Robbie herself is framed as a suspect ... there is also a very cool, very real subplot in which Robbie, in wanting to learn more about her mom's past, accidentally discovers something about her biological father.  The characters and story both draw you in here, in a well-written novel where the characters come alive on the page (though I was raised in northern Indiana, and in no way recognized the way some of the characters talked; must be a southern Indiana thing?), and the more I read the more I loved Robbie and the book ... until those last ten or so pages.  Hard to explain and remain spoiler-free, but suffice to say even with the "confession" of the murderer in the end, what the killer says was his/her motive completely contradicts what the police go over, as the motive, later on.  There is also another incident, with Robbie, that happens in the novel that has, possibly, the weakest, most lame explanation behind it, in the end, that I've ever read in a novel.  I even went back to re-read, from where the killer is revealed on, and to this minute feel so confused and contradictory about the killer, I am wondering if the second novel will reveal this person from the first book wasn't really the killer at all.  A 4-1/2-star book until I got to those last ten pages, sadly - though I like the characters enough to, for sure, look forward to the sequel (I only hope the reveal is better handled in book two).  ***-1/2

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.