Review and Giveaway: Scorched Eggs

Scorched Eggs (Cackleberry Club - Book 6) by Laura Childs

Publication Date: 12/02/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group 
Imprint: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 320
ISBN-10: 042525559X
ISBN-13: 978-0425255599

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Prime Crime)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, itunes

Laura Childs on the WEB: website, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series: 

Cackleberry Club

1. Eggs in Purgatory
2. Eggs Benedict Arnold
3. Bedeviled Eggs
4. Stake & Eggs
5. Eggs in a Casket
6. Scorched Eggs

Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from, Scorched Eggs, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature.

Synopsis:

In Laura Childs’s New York Times bestselling mystery series, Suzanne, Petra, and Toni—co-owners of the Cackleberry Club Café—are equally good at serving up breakfast and serving up justice. This time they turn up the heat on a deadly firebug…

As Suzanne is getting her hair colored at Root 66, she’s stunned to witness the County Services office next door suddenly go up in flames. Concerned neighbors throng the streets, and the fire department does their best. Unfortunately, their best isn’t enough to save longtime civil service worker—and friend to the Cackleberry Club—Hannah Venable.

Soon enough, it’s discovered that an accelerant was used to fan the flames. Someone set the fire on purpose—was Hannah the intended victim? Suzanne, Petra, and Toni vow to smoke out the culprit.

Unfortunately, the list of suspects is as varied as the Cackleberry Club’s menu. When Suzanne finds a possible connection between the fire and the nearby Prairie Star Casino, she comes to realize that the arsonist wanted something very big and bad kept secret. And if the ladies aren’t careful, they may be the ones gambling with their lives…

Thoughts:

Scorched Eggs is the sixth installment in the Cackleberry Club mystery series by Laura Childs. There is a lot going on this novel including a deadly fire, a retro wedding, a county fair and even a dinner theatre. As usual, Childs blends all of her elements effortlessly and leaves the reader with an well written and engaging whodunit. Readers looking for a series that focuses on food will love the cafe setting while murder enthusiasts will be thrilled with all the explosive possibilities for murder and mayhem. Childs once again scores a big hit with her latest cozy!

What I liked:

As most of you already know I am completely biased where Laura Childs and her writing are concerned. Childs is my favorite cozy writer and I have yet to find one of her books disappointing in any way. Childs has a way with writing characters and dialogue, as well as, giving readers plenty of motives and suspects in each mystery, but I think her real strength is in the details. Childs always gives the reader great background and essential details that make the story come alive. 

With the Cackleberry Club mystery series, Childs chose to give readers three main characters who are not spring chickens. Suzanne, Petra and Toni are a little older and little wiser. They have an entrepreneurial spirit that is contagious. She makes me wish I had the inspiration and ability to create my own business and make it a success. These ladies also have a knack for finding themselves in the middle of every murder in the small town of Kindred. Would I make a good amateur sleuth? After reading this series... I think anything is possible.

Scorched Eggs is the sixth book in the series and there is plenty of mayhem to be had by all. When the County Services building bursts into flames Suzanne and the gang lose a good friend, and when they find out that the fire might have been set intentionally, there is no doubt that they will be investigating. Justice for Hannah was so important to these women. It seemed like it was the least they could do for her. I liked the fact that Childs was able to make this mystery very personal to the main characters. It gave it more of an edge and urgency then some of the previous books in the series.

There was a lot going on this addition to the series, everything from a lost owl to a dinner threate at the restaurant. Suzanne was wondering if she and Sam were too far apart in age. She was contemplating entering the barrel races at the county fair, there was a wedding and of course a murder to solve. I was concerned that all of the other things going on in Kindred might take away from the sleuthing, but Childs did an excellent job of placing the murder at the center of the book and letting everything else kind of branch off from that. I enjoyed all of the personal issues going on and felt like they allowed the reader a glimpse into everyday life, as well as, into the mind of an amateur sleuth. Very well done. 

Bottom Line: 

I love Laura Childs. Her books are always clean, wholesome and very enjoyable. She gives readers characters that are easy to relate to, a mystery that is always fun to solve and enough of the characters everyday lives to keep readers coming back for more. Scorched Eggs had tons of great suspects, it wasn't predictable and even though there was a lot of stuff going on the murder was still the main focus. 

Scorched Eggs is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, the Scrapbooking Mysteries, and the Cackleberry Club Mysteries. The most recent of these, Gilt Trip, won the RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Amateur Sleuth. She is a consummate tea drinker, scrapbooker, and dog lover, and travels frequently to China and Japan with Dr. Bob, her professor husband. In her past life she was a Clio Award–winning advertising writer and CEO of her own marketing firm.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Scorched Eggs by Laura Childs.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, December 16th.

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