Eggs Benedict Arnold
Laura Childs
Berkley, Dec 2009, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425231555
Three women on the far side of forty form a bond that proves deeper than friendship. Suzanne’s husband died six months ago; Petra’s spouse has early Alzheimer’s and lives in a nursing home; and Toni’s younger mate deserted her for a younger woman. The trio formed the Cackleberry Club which is a combination a café. Bookstore and knitting and crochet club that sells merchandise to crafters (see Eggs in Purgatory).
Petra observes that funeral director Ozzie Driesden never came back for his cherry pie. Suzanne volunteers to deliver the pie to him at the Draper Funeral Home. She finds Ozzie dead on a metal embalming table wrapped in plastic tubing and with a large needle sticking out of him. Suspicion immediately falls on Ozzie’s assistant but Suzanne sees him hanging from a tree before someone chloroforms her. Authorities decide two homicides occurred. She decides to investigate, but quickly finds a horde of viable suspects from differing walks of life with diverse bur equally strong motives and opportunities. Not understanding the danger she foolishly places herself in, Suzanne keeps digging until the annoyed killer targets her.
This extremely entertaining amateur sleuth mystery is wrapped inside a sisterhood tale of three women who forge a strong bond at a time when each needs the strength of others after long term relationships ended. With the caring and nurturing the trio provides to each other, they become independent and feisty as each affirms Helen Reddy’s female anthem I Am Woman. Although Suzanne’s reason to investigate seems weak even with her being drugged, fans will relish this strong tale of BFFs having each other’s back.
Harriet Klausner
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