Review: Eggs On Ice by Laura Childs

Genre: 
Cozy Mystery, #8 in the Cackleberry Club Mystery Series

Publisher: 
Berkley

Format: 
E-ARC

Release Date: 
December 4, 2018







Synopsis from Goodreads:

The Christmas season at the Cackleberry Club café is marred by murder in the latest book in the New York Times bestselling series.

Some say that casting crusty attorney Allen Sharpe as Scrooge in the Kindred Players production of "A Christmas Carol" is just playing to type. He's not the most beloved man in town. In fact, you'd have a dickens of a time finding someone who liked him. Still it's a shock when the Ghost of Christmas Past stabs him during the first rehearsal. Suzanne, co-owner of the Cackleberry Club café, Kindred's favorite combination diner, craft store and bookshop, chases the murderer out of the building but loses him in the alley.

As the days pass the list of suspects grows longer. Is it the disgruntled partner? The former secretary whom Sharpe sexually harrassed? Or is it fellow owner of the Cackleberry Club, Toni's almost ex-husband, Junior? The women of the Cackleberry Club are determined to find the killer before he can add another victim to his Christmas list.

My Review

The Christmas season is in full swing in Kindred, Minnesota. The town is getting ready for their local show, “A Christmas Carol”. The lead role of Scrooge is being played by Allen Sharpe. Sharpe isn’t very well loved, so many feel that he has been perfectly cast. Then, during rehearsals he is killed by the Ghost of Christmas Past leaving the town shocked. Regardless of how many people disliked Sharpe, he didn’t deserve that.

To make things even more terrifying, one of the co-owners of the Cackleberry Club Cafe, Suzanne Dietz, is threatened by the killer. Suzanne isn’t going to be scared away, she is determined to discover who the killer is. With a little help from one of her fellow co-owners, Toni, they risk their lives to learn the truth.

This is the eighth book in the Cackleberry Club series and actually the first one I read. I can’t believe I haven’t tried to read this series sooner, especially since I’m a huge fan of Laura Childs’ writing and her other cozy mystery series. I was a little concerned that I was jumping in too late but I had nothing to fear. I felt drawn into this series from page one.

Although these characters had a history I obviously knew nothing about, I was able to catch on quickly with the information intertwined throughout the book. I truly felt like I already knew these characters and they were old friends. There was no “getting to know you” period needed for me.

The storyline itself was intriguing with quite a number of suspects. I did have my suspicions about who did it but had no clue as to how or why. I was surprised by the exciting ending.

As often happens to me when I read a Laura Childs’ book, I devour it quickly and then can’t wait for the next one. In this case, I have a nice backlist to read. This is the perfect book to read the week before Christmas. I loved every minute of it.




For reading challenges:
Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge 2018

FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.