Welcome!  First, a huge apology to Laura Childs and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours. I had my weeks mixed up and thought my post was next week, not this week and apparently this was supposed to be up yesterday!  So I apologize for the tardiness of this post.

I’m actually rather excited by this post so I’m doubly sad that it wasn’t on time. I really enjoyed this book. This is the eighth in the Cackleberry Club mysteries which is my favorite of Laura Childs’ various series.

About the Book

Eggs on Ice (A Cackleberry Club Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Berkley (December 4, 2018)
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 0425281728
ISBN-13: 978-0425281727
Kindle ASIN: B07BD23MV9

Purchase Links: Amazon – B&N – Kobo

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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 harassed? 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.

Review – 4.5 out of 5 stars.

This book was a lot of fun to read.  I still think #7 is still my favorite of the series, but this one started off with action and never stopped.

I love the characters in this series. Petra, Toni and Suzanne always crack me up and leave me with all the feels. I’d love to see more of Petra in future stories. And Junior, Junior is the epitome of the term ” “, but he’s still somewhat loveable and feels like that black sheep of the family that everyone ends up taking care of.

The plot line was great and it wasn’t until late in the book that I was suspicious of the actual villain. I did figure it out before the end of the book, but there were plenty of red herrings to throw you off.

I liked that with this ending, while Suzanne had been searching/chasing after the killer, she didn’t deliberately go out and attempt to literally chase the killer down. I won’t say more than that as I don’t want to spoil the ending.  All in all definitely a book I highly recommend.

About the Author

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fundraising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:

The Tea Shop Mysteries – set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She’s also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn’t rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.

The Scrapbooking Mysteries – a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans’ spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries – set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe’s undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.

Laura’s Links:

Webpage – http://www.laurachilds.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/laura.childs.31

Thank you for joining me today. My sincere apologies again for the lateness of this post.  If you wish to visit other stops on the tour, click on the banner below and go to the main tour page.