First line: It might have been Kindred Spirit Days in Elmwood Park, but Suzanne Dietz wasn’t exactly feeling the spirit.
From the back cover: Suzanne, Toni, and Petra lost their husbands but found independence – and, in each other, a life raft of support, inspiration, fresh baked goods, and their own business. But when the Cackleberry Club cafe opened its doors in the town of Kindred, who’d have guessed that the three women would be working a double shift as amateur sleuths?
When Suzanne stops by the local funeral home to deliver a pie to funeral director Ozzie Driesden, she discovers him not working at the embalming table but lying on the embalming table. She barely has time to recognize his corpse before she’s drugged with chloroform. With more suspects than breakfast specials, the Cackleberry Club scrambles to crack the case before one of their own ends up six feet under.
My thoughts: This is the second in Laura Child’s Cackleberry Club mystery series. It was a fun, quick read and I loved catching up with Suzanne, Toni and Petra. I actually found this book better than the first and am glad I gave this series another chance. In Eggs Benedict Arnold, Suzanne stumbles across the dead body of the funeral home director and then finds herself being knocked out. When a friend, who happened to be the victim’s girlfriend, is suspected of the crime, Suzanne begins to investigate on her behalf. Throughout the book, Suzanne and her pals Toni and Petra try to figure out who is targeting employees from the local funeral home because shortly after the death of the director, another employee was found murdered as well. As they dig deeper into this mystery, risking life and limb at times, they find themselves chasing after various suspects, including a local drug ring and a homeless transient. The real surprise, however, is at the end, when it turns up the murderer is someone a little closer to home. Filled with suspense, intrigue and great recipes, the book leaves the readers wanting more!
(I borrowed this book from the library.)
This looks like a fun series. Thanks for calling my attention to it!
@Hott Books – Gina Thanks Gina…it is fun – and she has 2 other cozy mystery series out, too – The Teashop Mysteries and The Scrapbook Mysteries. Thanks for stopping by!
Clever title! This book sounds like a fun one, and I enjoyed your upbeat review.
I read this book a few months ago, and also found it a fun read. Glad you enjoyed it.
@Suko Thanks Suko – it really is a fun series to read.
@Gigi Ann Thanks Gigi Ann. Have you read the 3rd in the series yet? I have it on my bookshelf and hope to get to it soon!
I will have to put this on my reading list. It sounds like a fun read!