Book 114, 2024

[chez_jae]

Eggs in Purgatory by Laura Childs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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After running my monthly errands and putting groceries away (not to mention stowing 175 pounds of cat litter and cat food in the basement/garage), I finished reading Eggs in Purgatory by Laura Childs. It's the first book in her "Cackleberry Club" cozy mystery series, featuring recent widow Suzanne Dietz. I'd previously read the second book in the series, but nothing here seemed to have been spoiled.

Suzanne and her friends, Toni and Petra, have all lost their husbands in one way or another (death, divorce, dementia) and they've banded together for companionship and to launch a business enterprise--a diner called the Cackleberry Club. Things are going well, but when Suzanne discovers a local attorney shot to death in his vehicle behind the diner, their small town suddenly seems more sinister. Suzanne is as curious as everyone else, but it's not until her deceased husband is implicated in a scheme in which millions of dollars have gone unaccounted for in the building of a local prison that Suzanne starts to do some investigating of her own. She can't help but feel that the attorney's murder is somehow tied into the missing millions, and she's determined to clear her husband's name.

The plot premise was interesting, and the story included a couple subplots that were also intriguing. Characters were portrayed well, and Suzanne spent plenty of time at work rather than constantly haring off to investigate. There were some minor editing errors that were aggravating more than anything. The biggest drawback for me is that there was no way for the reader or Suzanne to piece together any clues until the very end at the "Aha!" moment. Give me a chance!

Favorite lines:
♦ Now that she was on the far side of forty, she didn't have much trouble spotting an asshole from a mile away.
♦ "Most people just pay for their eggs versus financing them."
♦ Suzanne crept down the stairs in the dark. Baxter padded softly behind her. No way did he want to be left behind. After all, the dog ghoulies might grab him.
♦ "I'll be happy when my work is done. When women no longer need a safe place to run to."

Good start to the series. Four stars.


1. Does the mc work at/as one of the following: baker/bakery/sweet shop/tea shop/coffee shop, library/librarian, antique/vintage shop, book store, fashion/boutique, bed & breakfast? Yes
2. Does the mc live at her (or his) place of occupation? No
3. Is the love interest involved in law enforcement? (Police officer, sheriff, detective, PI, FBI) No love interest, although she seems attracted to a doctor
4. Does the mc have a dog/cat as a pet? Yes, she has a dog
5. Is the mc's BFF either a gay guy or a ditzy/zany woman? No
6. Did the mc find the body? Yes
7. Did the mc wind up in mortal danger at the end of the book? Yes
8. Is the mc's mother either: dead, absent, far removed, ditzy and dithering, or overbearing/disapproving/meddling? Yes
9. If mother is dead/absent, does the mc have another mother-figure (grandmother, aunt, mom's friend, or an older friend)? No
10. Is the mc child-free? (Either no children or else grown children--i.e. no small children to look after) Yes