Christmas has come to Kindred and the Cackleberry Club. Suzanne and Toni have volunteered to work backstage at a local production of A Christmas Carol until Scrooge is killed during a rehearsal. Suzanne finds investigating too tempting and tracks down suspects during winter storms.
This is book #8 in the Cackleberry Club series. Friends Suzanne, Toni, and Petra run a café, book shop, and knitting corner store. While the three ladies have very different personalities they are best friends and always have each other’s backs.
Chocolate Chip Scones
from a Cozy Mystery Novel with Recipes
by Laura Childs
Murder Mystery Books
Outline and Tone:
In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Scrooge lives to see another day and begins to make amends for his ways. In Eggs On Ice, the man who was playing Scrooge in town play is not as lucky. The town of Kindred is in the Christmas spirit. Snow, holiday lights, and even the local theatre putting on A Christmas Carol. Suzanne is stepping out of her comfort zone and helping out with the play. It is a good thing she is there and knows all the people, because her connections help her to unravel the murder mystery.
This chapter in the Cackleberry Club series does an excellent job of introducing several suspects. I must have changed my guess three times. Suzanne, Toni, and Petra are interesting characters, but in this book, Junior is the highlight. Junior is Toni’s kind of husband, kind of ex-husband. I root for her to leave him for good. After all she deserves so much better. But on the other hand he does make for good comic relief. I look forward to more of his shenanigans.
Point of View: First person told from the main character, Suzanne.
The Best Quotes:
“Bacon popped and sizzled, oatmeal bubbled, and French toast turned golden brown on the griddle this Saturday morning at the Cackleberry Club.”
“I’m going to make it my mission in life to find out who killed Allan Sharp. And set Junior’s trailer on fire.”
The author: Laura Childs
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 had a little bit of a hard time following all of the connections between characters in this book. I will say that I listened to it in an audio book rather than read a hard copy and I am certain that is why I got confused. I would always welcome a cast of characters listed for any novel.
The verdict:
This is a fun mystery set in the Christmas season. Whether you want a Christmas in July novel or you are looking for a novel to enjoy during the holiday season, give quick read a try.
Books to Read 📕📗📘📙
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Chocolate Chip Scones Recipe
Assemble the Ingredients
Easy dessert to make: 4/5 on the Easy as Pie scale 
Delicious Food 😋😋😋😋
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
The recipe calls to grease a baking sheet, but I find using a silicone baking mat to be better and easier.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
Cut in butter until mixture is coarse and crumbly.
Kitchen Baking Tip:
Using a very cold stick of butter and a fine grater, grate the butter and then add that to the flour mixture. Using this method makes it easy to cut in the butter with a pastry tool.
In a small bowl, combine milk (or half-and-half), egg, and vanilla.
These beaker measuring cups are a must when baking!
Add milk mixture to flour mixture, then add chocolate chips. Mix with a fork until the mixture pulls together and forms a soft dough.
Place dough on a floured surface and knead gently 5 or 6 times. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 7″ circle.
Use a Pastry mat such as this one. It will make it easier to clean your countertop and more importantly, the circles are measured and labeled. I rolled the dough into 8″ circles.
Silicone Pastry Mat for Rolling Dough 16" x 24", Red LINK
Cut into 6 or 8 wedges and place on a greased baking sheet. The best way to move the scones from the pastry mat to the baking sheet is to dip a spatula into flour and then scoop them. The dough will not stick to the spatula.
Top scones with some turbinado sugar then bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm.
Yields 6 to 8 scones.
Taste: 5 stars! 
Chocolate Chip Scones from Eggs on Ice Cozy Mystery Novel
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup milk or half-and-half
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease baking sheet or use a silicone baking mat on a cookie sheet.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.
- Cut in butter until mixture is coarse and crumbly.
- In a small bowl, combine milk (or half-and-half), egg, and vanilla.
- Add milk mixture to flour mixture, then add chocolate chips.
- Mix with a fork until the mixture pulls together and forms a soft dough.
- Place dough on a floured surface and knead gently 5 or 6 times.
- With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 7" circle.
- Cut into 6 or 8 wedges and place on a greased baking sheet.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm.
- (Note: Dough can also be baked in a scone pan.)
What would I do differently next time?
I found to brown the tops I needed increase the temp to 400 degrees for the last 3 minutes.
Will I make it again?: Absolutely Yes! 😋😋😋😋😋 I have already been asked to make more!
If you are in the holiday spirit, try these delicious Christmas themed treats!
Christmas Ginger Snap Cookies from A Catered Christmas by Isis Crawford
Magical Christmas Date Cake from Sugar Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Onion Brie Palmier from Death of a Christmas Caterer by Lee Hollis
