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Eggs on Ice: A Cackleberry Club Mystery
Unavailable
Eggs on Ice: A Cackleberry Club Mystery
Unavailable
Eggs on Ice: A Cackleberry Club Mystery
Audiobook8 hours

Eggs on Ice: A Cackleberry Club Mystery

Written by Laura Childs

Narrated by Susan Boyce

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

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, the co-owner of the Cackleberry Club Cafe (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 Suzanne's 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.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateDec 4, 2018
ISBN9781974918171
Unavailable
Eggs on Ice: A Cackleberry Club Mystery

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Reviews for Eggs on Ice

Rating: 3.7576270633898305 out of 5 stars
4/5

295 ratings28 reviews

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  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I liked reading the quilting part of the book and the stories of Mrs. Compson, but the current characters felt a little flimsy. Even the character of the house Elm Creek Manor had more presence to me.
    A lot in quilting has changed in a relatively short period of time. It was interesting to read about all the work that now has so many time saving methods.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Sweet story.When Mrs. Compson shows Sarah the library above the dining room it made me think of how I heard Larry Millett talking about his book "Once There Were Castles" and that the ballrooms were on the top floor. Since the ballroom had a large area with no support beams or walls dividing it up to hold the ceiling, they didn't want to put extra weight above it.There was a lot of information on quilting.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I believe this is Chiaverini’s first book; certainly it is the first in this series. I will read at least one more. No graphic sex, violence, or, garsh, bad language. Appropriate even for this Great Aunt. I can legitimately call myself a “quilter,” having finished a table runner for a bartop . I enjoyed reading this book as I cut out a “for real” quilt for my husband’s chair in the family room. It was interesting to note the different (yet same) techniques I learned from reading “how to” books. I appreciated that Chiaverini moved the setting to Pennsylvania from her home town in ?Michigan?.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Sarah and Matt are a young couple who moved to Waterford, Pa after Matt's job as a landscaper at a college was eliminated. After the move Sarah has trouble finding an accounting position so she takes a temporary job helping Sylvia Compson, the reclusive owner of a family estate, prepare it for sale. Sarah quickly learns Sylvia is a master quilter and is delighted when she agrees to give Sarah lessons. As they grow closer, Sylvia tells her family's story beginning with her grandfather's building of the mansion and through her own short marriage and career. Other characters include women in a local quilting club including one of Sylvia's estranged relatives.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A womderful book about friendship, sisterhood, estrangement and reunion.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Through the world of quilting, Chiaverini introduces us to some characters that have seemed to lost their way in life. This is the first segment in quite a large series and before opening the novel I was skeptical as to how one could go on with so many books about quilting. After reading the first book it was quite understandable.Early in the book we are given a glimpse into Sarah's unsatisfying life. She has been a very good accountant but is not getting enough fulfillment from her job. Her husband has been unemployed for quite some time, so when he finds a job in another city, they decide that Sarah should give up the only security they have known with her accounting position so her husband can become the breadwinner once again. After moving to the new town, Sarah joins her husband when he goes to evaluate a landscaping job he has to do at Elm Creek Manor, and when she meets the owner, Mrs. Compson, they seem to get off on the wrong foot. I really did not anticipate a friendship between these two women would blossom the way it did.Sarah has been lonely since the move to Waterford, but once she decides to take up the hobby of quilting, she is introduced to ladies from all different walks of life. Through her quilting circles she learns why Mrs. Compson is so lonely and bitter, but decides to reach out to her in a different way. As Sarah and Mrs. Compson spend time together they find that they really have a lot in common and not only learn about each other but also discover their own hopes and dreams. This allows them to make changes in their lives that help them to be happier and more productive in their daily walk. With themes of quilting, friendship, forgiveness, and starting over, this story really has a lot to offer. Not being a quilter myself, I thought the book included a bit too much quilting information for my taste and was also a bit predictable. Although this book wasn't one of my favorites, I know the ladies in my book group really enjoyed it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Sarah and Matt move to Waterford when Matt finally finds a job with a landscaping company. Although Sarah disliked her previous job she almost wished she was still there. At least she would be employed.Sarah takes a job working for Sylvia Compton helping her inventory the house contents for an estate sale. Part of Sarah payments is being taught to quilt.During the months Sarah works for Sylvia she learns the history of the home and what drove Sylvia to leave all those years ago.Enjoyable novel. Actually it makes you want to run out and take quilting lessons.Rating 4/5
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is book one of the Elm Creek Quilts series and I found it to be a wonderful book. When Sarah and her husband move into a small town, she has difficulty not only finding a job, but adjusting to small town life. While her husband works on restoring the grounds of Elm Creek Manor, Sarah begins taking quilting lessons from the manor's abrasive and less than friendly owner. However, as time passes, Sarah begins to learn that life, like quilts, are made of many layers and that you never know what lies beneath until you begin to peel back those many layers.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An easy read but not memorable.This was a reasonable read but lacked depth, both in the characterisations and the descriptions of the house. Some of the quilting techniques were also hard to visualise and although I'm not a quilter, I do sew.As expected, it was very American and at times I wished I had an American dictionary to hand.Sarah McLure moves with her husband, Matt, to Waterford, Pennsylvania. He finally has a job, but she has had to give up her job for the move. She is desperately searching the ads and going to interviews for accounting jobs, though what she really wants is more of a PA role.Matt is a landscape gardener and takes Sarah with him when he visits a new client at her estate known as Elm Creek Manor. The elderly owner, Sylvia Compton, is short tempered and rude, and Sarah takes an instant dislike to her. She is therefore surprised when Sylvia asks her to return to the Manor and offers her a job helping prepare the old house for sale. In addition, Sarah will receive quilting tuition from Sylvia, a master quilter.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Makes me want to learn to quilt.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Makes me want to take up quilting again :>)
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is an excellent book and I don't know how I missed hearing about this series earlier. Well, better late than never.Sarah and husband Matt have just moved to a small Pennsylvania town for Matt's job. Sarah is frustrated and unhappy because she cannot find a job and feels like she is worthless. To try and cheer her up, Matt invites her to visit the "manor" where he is working to restore the gardens, orchards and grounds. While there Sarah meets the owner of Elm Creek Manor, Sylvia Compson. After overcoming an initial bad impression, Sarah goes to work for Sylvia to clean up and restore the manor house. In exchange Sylvia is willing to teach Sarah to quilt.There is a lot of quilting in the story and the history of some of the blocks and what they can mean weaves the story together.I'll be reading more in this series, soon!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A fun easy read book. At times it got a little too specific about the actual quilting.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    First in a long series mostly best read in order. A wonderful variety of characters, occasionally predictable, but mostly creativeand inspiring. These ladies, with all their disparate personalities, are ones that you would love to have as best friends.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Fun and enjoyable read - nice focus on friendships and families. Enjoyed the quilting part of the story too.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Sarah Mclure and her husband move to a different town when he finally finds a job after several years of unemployment. During her job search, she ends up working for the same woman as the company who has hired her husband, an elderly woman, Mrs. Compson. The two women develop a bond during quilting lessons which Mrs. Compson gives Sarah as a part of her compensation for the job of helping her prepare her house for sale. In the meantime, Sarah joins a local quilting club, works to help save Mrs. Compson's family estate from what she will sure be a sad fate, and to help Mrs. Compson reconnect with people in the home town she left many years before.

    This book was neither stellar nor terrible. While there was nothing earth shattering about the revelations, it was nicely told and, all in all, a cozy type read that didn't keep me up all hours. I'm not sure if I'll read any more of these as they are not my usual reading fare, but I may. The main problem with reading this was that it made me want to learn to quilt, which I have no time or patience for, and to remind me that I do need to get back to my wool crewel work over the next couple of years as my kids leave home, because for some strange reason I have always had patience for that even when I was a teen & in a hurry for everything.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What a terrific book! And it's part of a series which makes it even better - can't wait to read more. You don't even need to have an interest in quilting to enjoy the story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I found this book interesting and quite delightful. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A feel-good read, in an American cutesy kinda way. Lots of quilting and friendships between women, but certainly not a challenging read, not particularly insightful.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    First in the series. Very well written. Great light read. Wonderfull for all those quilters out there. But even if you're not a quilter you'll enjoy it. Any quilting jargon that comes up is easily explained.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Makes me want to get into quilting...
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Though I am not a quilter I found the history and significance of the blocks to interesting I also found the bonding of the two main characters Sarah and Sylvia which allows them to come to understand their past and appreciate their future both as friends and as individuals. A lighter read but a warm read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    3.5 rounded up to 4. It is Christmas season at Cackleberry Club Cafe. The town was getting ready for the Christmas Play, The Christmas Carol. During rehearsals, the scene with Scrooge and the ghost was playing out on stage in a very odd way. When the ghost exited, Scrooge was dead. Who killed Alan Sharp? He was playing Scrooge, but he was the most unliked man in town, so many people could have done it. The fact that the whole cast saw the murder, yet no one realized what was happening makes it even harder for Sheriff Doogie to figure out. When a second murder occurs and Junior's trailer gets torched, things just become more confusing. Suzanne is once again asked for help by Amber, the main suspect. Is she risking her own safety and that of her friends?

    Laura Childs is a gifted author when it comes to blending the setting and the characters into her mysteries. I would love to visit the fictional Midwestern town of Kindred in this book. This series' strength comes from the friendship between Suzanne, Toni, and Petra. Suzanne is the ringleader when it comes to detecting. Petra is the calming influence and Toni wants to party. They all work so well together in the business with each bring a specific talent to the enterprise. Another strength is the Cackleberry Club Café itself. This is where everyone goes to meet, gossip, and dine, which allows Suzanne to gather information and ask questions. The one thing that bothers me is the men. Sheriff Doogie can't seem to figure anything out without Suzanne's help/interference, Junior is a bit of a doofus and Sam, who is a doctor, can't make a meal? I know this is a book about the women, but the men make them look bad as well. The author did a great job at keeping me guessing. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, there was a twist and I discovered I was wrong. The murder’s motive was the usual, money, yet it was barely mentioned. Overall, this was an enjoyable read, however I liked the earlier ones in the series better. The publisher provided me with a copy of this book through the First Reads Program. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Eggs on Ice by Laura Childs is the eighth A Cackleberry Club Mystery. Suzanne Dietz along with her partners, Toni and Petra own The Cackleberry Club in Kindred. It is a combination café, bookstore and craft corner. Suzanne and Toni have volunteered to work backstage at the Oakhurst Theatre where the Kindred Players it is putting on a production of A Christmas Carol. Allan Sharpe, the town curmudgeon and a local lawyer, was cast perfectly as Scrooge. Suzanne and Toni are learning how to operate the curtains and lighting board while watching the scene between Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Past. Both actors play their parts beautifully, but Scrooge fails to get up when the act finishes. Suzanne approaches Allan and discovers he was stabbed. She gives chase to the ghost until he threatens her with his knife. The next day Amber Payson comes into the café to speak with Suzanne. Amber is the police’s prime suspect and she needs Suzanne’s help in clearing her name. As the days go by, the evidence mounts against Amber, but there are many people who disliked Allan including the play’s director. Then someone sets fire to Junior’s trailer and he needs a new place to live (oh, dear). Is the fire connected to the murder? Suzanne and Toni are searching for clues and find another victim. The Cackleberry Club ladies needs to find the murderer before he strikes again. Can they find the nefarious killer or will one of them end of a Ghost of Christmas Present?Eggs on Ice contains good writing along with gentle pacing. Eggs on Ice is a cozy mystery that is best not read as a standalone. Details that readers need are not included in the eighth A Cackleberry Club Mystery (some information is imparted as the book progresses). I recommend beginning with Eggs in Purgatory. The Cackleberry Club is a unique restaurant with a Book Nook and the Knitting Nest. It sounds like my type of café. We get wonderful descriptions of the unique yarns they carry. I have never heard of the some of the yard blends Petra works with and has ordered for the shop (though, I am eager to find and create objects with them). The main characters are likeable and relatable. The three women are best friends despite their diverse personalities. Suzanne is the main voice of the story. She is engaged to Dr. Sam Hazelet and they have a warm, loving relationship. Toni is unique with her beliefs and her husband. There are a variety of off-beat characters in the story with Junior Garrett, Toni’s wacky sort-of husband, being the quirkiest. He constantly finds himself in trouble thanks to his bad choices and lack of intelligence. The murder occurs in the first chapter of the book. We then follow Suzanne as she does her daily activities (working, spending time with friends and her fiancé) as she asks questions of interested parties she encounters. Suzanne along with Toni do break into one interested parties’ home to look for clues. There is little action in the book until the end. I like Suzanne’s style of questioning. She is not intrusive or demanding which I appreciate. I kept hoping Suzanne would put together the clues and identify the killer (whom I identified before the body left the theater). It was interesting how Suzanne subdued the killer, but it seemed unrealistic (the item has a safety feature that prevents it from being used in that manner). The ending was abrupt and felt incomplete. It needed another chapter to wrap up the whodunit satisfactorily (answer questions about the crime and the killer’s reasoning) and give readers a happy ending (see them celebrating Christmas would have been nice). I did not feel that Eggs on Ice is on the same level as the authors other works (A Tea Shop Mystery series and A Scrapbooking Mystery series). There are details missing from the story such as the main characters last names (Toni and Petra) and I am curious what state Kindred is in. There are recipes at the end for the items served in The Cackleberry Club. I wish there had been instruction for how to make the quilted tote mentioned in the book by Petra. Eggs on Ice is a cute and humorous cozy mystery set is a charming small town filled with off-beat individuals.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is my second favorite series by one of my favorite cozy authors. Whenever a new installment in this wonderfulcozy series is published, I usually run right out, snap up a copy, and read it. Fortunately, thanks to First to Read, I was able to acquire a complimentary copy of this terrific 8th installment, in exchange for a fair and honest review, This Christmas-themed cozy does not disappoint.Suzanne, occasionally assisted by her fellow Cackleberry Club owners, owners, manages to solve another one. A local theater group is putting on A Christmas Carol, Suzanne, Toni and Petra put on a Christmas Tea, and other holiday goings-on make for an enjoyable holiday cozy, one I'd highly recommend. Another winner from the master of the cozy mystery, Laura Childs.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a great little cozy. It's the eight in the series but the first I have read and I very easily slipped right into the characters and their town. The murder happened on page 6! Woo Hoo - that's how I like my cozies to start. Out of the gate, running full speed. The characters are really very likable and the restaurant they run is able to keep the dialogue and information flowing. This is my second book from this author and I am definitely interested in reading more.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Suzanne, co-owner of the Cackleberry Club Café, in Kindred, Minnesota, is part of a theater group putting on A Christmas Carol. But when their Scrooge - attorney Allen Sharpe - is murdered by the Ghost of Christmas Past (or someone pretending to be so), it's a race to find a murderer that no one has seen. When she's later approached by a young woman named Amber who's asking for help, she's surprised. It seems Suzanne's friend has sent Amber to her because she's the one that Sheriff Doogie has in mind for the murder, but Amber insists she's innocent.Suzanne doesn't know her at all, and wants to believe the best, but she isn't sure. Still, with her curious nature she can't help but wonder who not only killed Allen, but threatened her with the same knife. So she sets about looking into the investigation herself, even enlisting the help of her friend Toni. But then the stakes are raised at a seemingly harmless endeavor, and now Suzanne knows she's also on the killer's radar. But can Doogie - or Suzanne - find a killer before he manages to finish her off?...This is the eighth book in the Cackleberry Club Mysteries, so there isn't a lot of background on the characters for those who haven't read the previous in the series, but there is enough explanation as the book progresses that it shouldn't leave anyone in the dark, either.While I knew the identity of the killer early on I was interested to find out how Suzanne would come to the same conclusion. The clues weren't overt, but they weren't hidden, either. There wasn't tons of action involved, it was basically Suzanne going about her daily life and asking questions in the process. She's not invasive, and is never get-up-in-your-face about it, which I enjoyed.She does have her own ideas about the killer and several suspects, yet when she tries to veer away from Doogie's insistence that Amber might very well be the killer, something sort of pulls her back in that direction, which confuses her.Add to this the fact that Toni's almost-ex-husband Junior has had his trailer blown up and now he's temporarily living with her; while he's pretty much a neer-do-well with the brains of a squirrel (and I'm giving him too much credit here as squirrels can be intelligent), but his heart is always in the right place. It's an interesting subplot. There was also a few things that seemed odd at best - a fashion show at a Christmas tea? Who would do that? What about women who don't care for fashion (like myself) but would rather just have a nice tea - I would find it out of place and distracting from what is supposed to be a seasonal event.In the end, there was a bit of suspenseful action which was nice, and it gave the tale a little oomph that was needed. When all came together I felt that it was rather pat, since we weren't given any explanation of why things happened the way they did; and I would have liked to have an extra chapter to explain everything; it felt rushed to me (I have put the major spoiler on Goodreads where it is hidden; I did not feel the need to also put it here). All in all, a decent entry in the series. Recommended.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    An attorney portraying Scrooge in the Christmas play is stabbed. A ghost showed up at the appropriate moment, but an imposter wielding a dangerous knife wore the cheesecloth costume. Many suspects offer differing motives for knocking off the not-so-well-liked attorney. Suzanne attempted to pursue the villain, but backed off when the suspect aimed the knife at her. Junior's trailer catches fire after being evicted from one location, and he moves in with ex-wife Toni temporarily. Suzanne, of course, can't resist helping Sheriff Doogie with his investigation, putting herself in danger. Although it's set around Christmas, it lacks the atmosphere of Christmas, in spite of snow. Fans of the series will enjoy a visit with the characters.