By Laura Childs
A Cackleberry Club Mystery #7
Berkley, 2016
Summary
In Laura Childs’s New York Times bestselling mystery series, Suzanne, Petra, and Toni—co-owners of the Cackleberry Club café—are back to track down another bad egg…
Maintaining good personal relationships with their suppliers is one of the secrets of the Cackleberry Club café’s success, so Suzanne doesn’t mind going out to Mike Mullen’s dairy farm to pick up some wheels of cheese. She’s looking forward to a nice visit with the mild-mannered farmer before heading back to their hectic kitchen.
But when she arrives, Mike’s nowhere to be found. The moaning of his cows leads her to look in the barn, where she discovers a bloodcurdling sight—the farmer’s dead body. Apparently not everyone was as fond of Mike Mullen as the Cackleberry Club.
Churning with grief and outrage, Suzanne, Petra, and Toni vow to find the farmer’s murderer—but as they get closer to the truth, the desperate killer gets whipped into a frenzy and plans to put the squeeze on them…
RECIPES INCLUDED!
My thoughts
Egg Drop Dead is a thoroughly enjoyable cozy mystery from the Cackleberry Club Mysteries, a series that I like much better than the Scrapbooking Mysteries. Laura Childs is a talented writer who knows how to entertain readers with a well-crafted mystery, vivid setting, and engaging characters. Although seventh in the series, it can stand alone.
From the countryside, to events like the yarn truck and the Knitters’ Tea Party, to the Cackleberry Club Café itself, I was drawn in by all the sights, sounds, and scents so vividly conveyed. Co-owners of the café – Suzanne, Toni and Petra – are each charming in their own way. I didn’t get to know Toni and Petra as well as I would have liked, but I’m sure that reading the entire series would provide a better sense of who they are. Suzanne is an appealing lead character. I enjoyed her romantic relationship with Dr. Sam Hazelet and especially her emotional side, revealed through her rescue of horses and befriending of an autistic teen.
The killer wasn’t obvious to me, as several people had motives, and I just enjoyed being caught up in the narrative. The writing is tight and flows smoothly toward a quite exciting conclusion. I look forward to much more entertaining reading from Laura Childs.
Recommended.
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Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:
The Tea Shop Mysteries
The Scrapbooking Mysteries
The Cackleberry Club Mysteries
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I was provided a free copy of this book through Great Escapes Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
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Like the title of your page. Reminds me of something my folks said often. They always told us to be careful about what we say. Because words can heal, or they can destroy. You say something mean and hateful, the pain rarely goes away and does more to destroy relationships than anything else. Like lies. There is no such thing as a white lie. A truth might give a minute or two of pain. But the end result is they know your really a friend and builds trust When you lie, when found out, leave a lasting feeling of pain and betrayal. And you have lost the trust and respect of those you lie to. So never lie. Because sooner or later your words can come back to haunt you. But you tell the truth. You are positive and up-building in your speech, those around you will be happier. And so will you. deepotter@peoplepc.com
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds delightful, and I look forward to reading it!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for taking the time to read EGG DROP DEAD. I am delighted that you enjoyed it. Laura Childs
ReplyDeleteLove this series and all of Laura Childs' books. Looking forward to reading "Egg Drop Dead".
ReplyDeleteI've read other Laura Child's books and have enjoyed them a great deal. Looking forward to reading this newest one.
ReplyDeleteI can hardly wait to read this book! Thank you for the chance, I dearly love cozy series!
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