Three strong women leading lives of passion and purpose all tied together by a cafe book and craft shop. Suzanne spends her time running her business, being a good friend and trying to solve the mystery of the recently fired local jail warden. This book has everything: a spooky graveyard tour, an arts and craft sale, a tornado, a hero on a horse, a murder, recipes, and true love (of course you have to say the last one in the style of The Princess Bride).
This is book #5 in the Cackleberry Club Mystery Series. This is Laura Child’s most action packet cozy mystery yet in this series. Suzanne just can’t help investigating a murder mystery just because she is the one who found the body.
Eggs in a Casket by Laura Childs
Cozy Mystery Novel with Recipes by Laura Childs
Book Review
Murder Mystery Books🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪
Book Review Outline and Tone:
This book has everything: a spooky graveyard tour, an arts and craft sale, a tornado, a hero on a horse, a murder, recipes, and true love (of course you have to say the last one in the style of The Princess Bride).
Suzanne, Toni, and Petra continue to have a thriving business with a breakfast, book nook, craft corner store. I love these ladies. I love how they are each unique and I love how supportive they are of each other and their interests. When the recently fired jail warden is found murdered, Suzanne goes into high gear with investigating. Sheriff Doogie seems to have accepted the inevitable and almost appreciates her help. While Suzanne investigates, she also supports Petra’s passion for supporting the local food bank by hosting the arts and crafts show. She also supports Toni as she follows Junior to a demolition derby. In my opinion, that is a remarkable sign of a good friend!
The story continues to follow their seemingly everyday lives with the loose thread of the murder mystery in the background. Even without the mystery, the novel is interesting due the diversity of the three leading ladies.
The author:
Laura Childs is a pseudonym for Gerry Schmitt. She is a New York Times bestselling author writing Cozy Mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime. Eggs in Purgatory is part of her Cackleberry Club Mystery series. She also writes Tea Shop Mysteries and Scrapbook Mysteries. Her website boasts that TeaTime Magazine declared her one of the most influential people in the tea industry.
What is not to like?:
I’m just going to say it, Junior. I don’t like the character Junior. As Sheriff Doogie said he is “An overgrown juvenile delinquent.” I like my characters to have some redeeming characteristics, but I don’t think he has any. He isn’t even likable enough to be the comic relief. I would like to see Toni kick him to the curb.
The verdict:
I thought the book moved quickly, but I just had no clue how the mystery was going to be solved. The book ties all loose ends quickly. I recommend the novel because the main characters are so interesting.
Books to Read 📕📗📘📙
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Cream Scones with Blueberries
from a cozy mystery novel Eggs in a Casket by
Laura Childs
Assemble the Ingredients
Easy dessert to make: 4/5 on the Easy as Pie scale 🥧🥧🥧🥧
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
This recipe is easily put together mixing by hand, no stand mixer is needed. I recommend using sturdy mixing bowl with a grip on the bottom. My favorite mixing bowls are
Good Grips, no slip when mixing. Each bowl has a spout for easy pouring. Dishwasher safe.
Cut butter into mixture until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.
Make Baking Easy Tip:
Anytime you need to incorporate butter into flour, like a pie crust or scones, make sure the butter is very cold and then grate the butter. The butter strings look like cheese but make the job of mixing into the flour easy!
Stir in heavy cream until dough begins to form-this should take about 45 seconds.
Note: You could also add ½ cup of dried cranberries, ½ cup of raisins, or ½ cup of chopped currants if you like. My favorite fruit are blueberries, so I grabbed a bag of dried blueberries from the store. Dried fruit work best in scones, fresh and frozen might add too much liquid to the dough.
Did you notice the beaker type measuring cup? I absolutely love the
Place dough on a floured work surface and knead for 10 seconds until it forms a ball. Flatten dough gently.
The best way to roll out dough is to use a silicone pastry mat.
Cut into 8 wedges.
Add a dollop of Devonshire cream and some blueberry preserves to the top of a warm scone and it is heavenly!
Come back to my blog next week for a fascinating recipe for making your own Devonshire Cream.
Place wedges on an ungreased baking sheet or a silicone baking mat. Both of these baking mats make baking easier and can be put in the top rack of the dish washer.
Find the recipe for Clotted Cream on my website HERE
Make Baking Easy Tip:
Slightly separate each scone to give them some room to expand. Remember to dust the tops with sugar.
Bake on the center rack for 12 to 15 minutes.
Taste: 5 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Delicious Food 😋😋😋😋😋
Easy Cream Scones with Blueberries from: Eggs in a Casket novel by Laura Childs
Ingredients
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425 degrees.
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
- Cut butter into mixture until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.
- Stir in heavy cream until dough begins to form-this should take about 45 seconds.
- At this point, you could also add ½ cup dried blueberries ½ cup of dried cranberries, ½ cup of raisins, or ½ cup of chopped currants if you like
- Place dough on a floured work surface and knead for 10 seconds until it forms a ball.
- Flatten dough gently and cut into 8 wedges.
- Space out the wedges to give them room to expand during baking.
- Place wedges on an ungreased baking sheet and bake on the center rack for 12 to 15 minutes.
What would I do differently next time?
Not a darn thing! These are absolutely perfect!
Will I make it again?: Absolutely Yes! 😋😋😋😋😋
I am a fan of scones! If you love them too, try these recipes.
Sour Cherry Scones from Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, Cinnamon Date Scones from Eggs Benedict Arnold by Laura Childs, and Cranberry Scones from Sconed to Death by Lynn Cahoon
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