Book 32, 2026

[chez_jae]

Ladle to the Grave by Connie Archer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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In addition to finishing my ‘work’ book on Thursday evening, I also finished my ‘spare’ book that night. It was Ladle to the Grave by Connie Archer. It’s the fourth book in the “Soup Lovers’ cozy mystery series. The main character is Lucky Jamieson, who owns and runs the local soup shop.

As May Day draws near, some of the local women have decided to honor pagan traditions by holding a ritual in the woods. It seems like harmless fun until one participant drops dead after drinking the May wine. While it initially appears that Agnes died of a heart attack, the police aren’t ruling out poison. This alarms Lucky because it was her grandfather, Jack, who provided the herbs for the wine. Now Jack is blaming himself, and the woman’s husband is pointing the finger at him, too. Lucky is determined to clear her grandfather’s name to restore his peace of mind. In the meantime, she’s also helping her BFF, Sophie, prepare for her upcoming wedding. As if Sophie doesn’t have enough on her plate, her estranged brother arrives in town and throws shade on her hopes of selling some of the property their parents owned. It’s all Lucky can do to help those she loves.

There were two plots going on, but they wove neatly together. Lucky is an engaging protagonist, and I always love reading about the food being served in the shop. There is one aspect of these books that nags at me: Jack is a WWII vet, but (as of the publishing date of 2015) he would be about 90 years old. I think the author would have done better to make him a Viet Nam vet.

Favorite line: “Yes, ply me with food.”

“Holding my breath” lines:
♦ She hadn’t realized she had been holding her breath as she stared at the photos.
♦ She shuddered and breathed deeply, aware now that she had been holding her breath.

An interesting story that held my attention. Four stars.