Eggs Benedict Arnold

Cackleberry Club #2

by Laura Childs, Susan Boyce (Narrator)

When Cackleberry Clubber Suzanne delivers a pie to funeral director Ozzie Driesden, she discovers him not working at the embalming table but lying on the embalming table. She barely has time to recognize his corpse before she?s drugged with chloroform. With more suspects than breakfast specials, the Cackleberry Club scrambles to crack the case before one of their own ends up six feet under.




RUNNING TIME => 8hrs. and 46mins.

©2019 Dreamscape Media, LLC (P)2019 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Audiobook, Contemporary, Food

Audible Audio

First published December 1, 2009

About the author

Laura Childs is a pseudonym for Gerry Schmitt and she is the best-selling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, the Scrapbook Mysteries, and the Cackleberry Club Mysteries.

Laura Childs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. In her previous life she was CEO/Creative Director of her own marketing firm and authored several screenplays. She is married to a professor of Chinese art history, loves to travel, rides horses, enjoys fund raising for various non-profits, and has two Chinese Shar-Pei dogs.

Laura specializes in cozy mysteries that have the pace of a thriller (a thrillzy!) Her three series are:

The Tea Shop Mysteries - set in the historic district of Charleston and featuring Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop. Theodosia is a savvy entrepreneur, and pet mom to service dog Earl Grey. She's also an intelligent, focused amateur sleuth who doesn't rely on coincidences or inept police work to solve crimes. This charming series is highly atmospheric and rife with the history and mystery that is Charleston.

The Scrapbooking Mysteries - a slightly edgier series that take place in New Orleans. The main character, Carmela, owns Memory Mine scrapbooking shop in the French Quarter and is forever getting into trouble with her friend, Ava, who owns the Juju Voodoo shop. New Orleans' spooky above-ground cemeteries, jazz clubs, bayous, and Mardi Gras madness make their presence known here!

The Cackleberry Club Mysteries - set in Kindred, a fictional town in the Midwest. In a rehabbed Spur station, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra, three semi-desperate, forty-plus women have launched the Cackleberry Club. Eggs are the morning specialty here and this cozy cafe even offers a book nook and yarn shop. Business is good but murder could lead to the cafe's undoing! This series offers recipes, knitting, cake decorating, and a dash of spirituality.

Reviews

[Linda Langford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yummy culinary cozy mystery. I enjoy the ladies at the Cackleberry Club restaurant. They are strong, fun-loving women. The murder mystery is great, and I was totally shocked at the killer reveal!

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐
I've been eyeing this series for a long time as I love everything egg. The title came up as a bonus book that didn't count toward my Hoopla borrowing limit so I gave it a try even though it's a second in the series.
The mystery and crime although very much unbelievable and overall so-so, I did like the main ladies and Cackleberry Club - cafe, knitting, and bookstore. This is probably my first small town Tennessee cozy as well.

[beachbum bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Newest Assignment details:
Where: Kindred, Tennessee.
Who: Suzanne and the cackleberry gang


Arriving in Kindred @ the cackleberry...as with my last visit...there was a lot going on. The girls Suzanne, Petra, and Toni were hard at work. Suzanne was ready to leave and begin our girls' weekend. We just needed to drop off a pie @ the funeral home. Ugg...that just sounded like the beginning of a weird horror movie...lol. When we got to the funeral home...we knew something wasn’t right. We couldn’t find Ozzie the funeral director...and the pie recipient. I personally wanted to quit looking, and call someone else…. let them sort it out...but noooo...Suzanne insisted we keep looking. Well we finally found him…. dead as the people he works with all day. Next thing I know we are coming to...huh? What just happened? Umm...were Suzanne and I just chloroformed? For me things should of ended there, but Suzanne (which includes me by default...lol) was determined to find out what really happened to Ozzie….


My thoughts:
Audio adds a whole nother dimension to review. I think a narrator can make or break a book! In this case I thought the narrator did a great job! Now on to the book…. This series is a conundrum for me. I really love the idea of the cackleberry club...it sounds like heaven on earth, but don’t think it is very realistic. The author does a great job as always with the writing. The technical part of the writing. I thought there was too much going on though as far as the plot, and it really took away from the mystery!! An even bigger problem for me is Suzanne...I really don’t like her! I want to...because again I love the concept of this book, but I don’t!! She comes across as rude, judgmental, and yes even entitled. Despite my ramblings...I will give this series another shot for a couple of reasons.
As I have mentioned SEVERAL times...i really love the cackleberry club!! I mean come on ya’ll...it’s a tea shop/restaurant/book store/ yarn shop…. seriously I just can’t give up on it!!
The author. Some of my favorite series are by Laura Childs


To see the pictures of my projects that went along with this audio....please check out my blog @: http://beachbumbookworm.com/

[Tahera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.75⭐

[Micky Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's time for the Cake Walk at the club and the gals are in full swing prepping for that when Suzanne once again finds herself embroiled in a murder investigation...or two! Excellent characters that have been well developed to be realistic and believable that help enhance a well drawn plot and help add layers of depth. I really can't wait to see what happens in the next book!

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the characters of the cackleberry club but this story had a very scattered plot that in the end fell totally short and there was no real good rason as to why the culprit even knew to go after Suzanne for "knowing to much"

[Jammin Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the three main women in this cozy mystery set in Tennessee. Suzanne, Petra and Toni are. a great group of ladies, and they work together at the Cackleberry Club, each managing a different aspect of the business. Suzanne discovers a dead body at the funeral home. Its director, Ozzie, is dead on the embalming table. The girls work with their friends to figure out who did the crime before one of them is targeted.

This was a really funny story - I loved Toni's spirit of taking no nonsense, Petra's nurturing nature, and Suzanne's pragmatic approach. When they finally figure out who the murderer is, they take action. I think I'm going to go back and read book one in this series to see how the Cackleberry Club started out.

[Connie N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

#2 in the Cackleberry Club cozy mystery series

Suzanne, Toni, and Petra are still successful with their combination cafe/knit shop/bookstore. When the local funeral director is murdered (and Suzanne accidentally finds the body), she becomes involved in another investigation. She's mellowed from the first book in the series, although she's still pretty direct and it rubbed me the wrong way that she was so mouthy to Sheriff Doogie (and the mayor, for that matter). But since her friend has asked her to help search for the killer, she does a little snooping. I thought she and Toni were pretty reckless a couple of times, but I also had to admire their cleverness. Childs created a typical small-town scenario, and the activities and neighbors were all believable within that setting. I liked hearing about the daily menus offered by the cafe, as well as a bit of the behind-the-scenes of the business, especially the cake decorating. Suzanne had a little personal growth throughout the book, although she's still pretty opinionated. I laughed at the runway scene when Suzanne is asked to model. And I expect annoying and bossy Carmen (and perhaps Missy and Kit) will be featured in future books. This was another interesting mystery, and I'll admit that I didn't have any idea who the murderer was until the very last reveal.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story starts out well, but then Suzanne and her friends at the Cackleberry Club spend too much time being worried about a rival, Carmen. The ending felt rushed and there weren't a lot of clues that led me to suspect the killer.

[Chaitra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the first one. That isn't saying much because I didn't like the first one at all, but the ladies are growing on me. The mystery is better, although I didn't understand the motivation of the killer. I knew for sure who it was but only because they were the one person no one thought to look to. I'll read a few more before I decide on the series either way.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not guess the murderer. Lots of suspects.
My first book in this series and I think by this author.
Recipes at end.

[Another · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series so much. The author makes it sound fun to work in a small cafe! and I doubt that's true. Food sounds so yummy too.

[Loraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Cackleberry Clubber Suzanne delivers a pie to funeral director Ozzie Driesden, she discovers him not working at the embalming table but lying on the embalming table. She barely has time to recognize his corpse before she?s drugged with chloroform. With more suspects than breakfast specials, the Cackleberry Club scrambles to crack the case before one of their own ends up six feet under.

I have to say I was really torn by this book. I have read several of Laura Child's cozy mysteries and really enjoyed them. But this one had parts that bothered me. First, there were some curse words sprinkled throughout which normally aren't there. Second, there was one scene in which Suzanne and Toni are following Toni's ex-husband who may be involved in the murders, and they end up in a low-class bar which included a young girl doing a pole dance. But then Suzanne recognizes her and says she deserves better. So she offers her a job at the Cackleberry Club. Then in the opposite vein there are references to Christian faith mentioned here and there. This is considered a secular cozy but there are definitely hints of faith that are spoiled because of other aspects. This is book 2 of the series and was written in 2009, so perhaps Childs was still finding her direction at that time. I really debated on how to rate this book.

As usual, the Kindred is a delightful small town, perfect for a cozy, and filled with the usual gamut of all kinds of locals. The mystery has enough red herrings that it kept me guessing until the end when someone I never suspected was revealed as the murderer.

Finally, there was a scene regarding a brand new shirt that Suzanne's deceased husband put away to wait for a special time and now he is gone. The lesson it taught Suzanne about waiting was incredibly written and very moving.

FAVORITE QUOTES: "Life's problems wouldn't be called hurdles if there wasn't a way to get over them."

"The future belongs to those who live intensely in the present."

"I don't believe in miracles. These days I rely on them."

[ML Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so hoping my guess was right as to ‘whodunit’. But no. But that’s okay. There are more mysteries to solve!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series by Childs, only two books in, seems slightly less annoying than her other two, but (oddly enough) also seems to have much less sense of place. Widowed Suzanne, one of three owners of the Cackleberry Club diner/knitting shop/bookstore, finds the body of a local funeral director. When the gruff but not incompetent local sheriff lists Suzanne's friend Missy, the dead man's lady friend, near the top of the suspect list, Suzanne vows to help find the murderer and clear Missy. Actually, though, the murderer finds Suzanne, because of fears (totally unjustified, as far as I could see) that Suzanne is on the right trail. Can Suzanne free herself and her friends from danger?

[Genevieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this series. Three strong women standing on their own feet supporting each other. I also love Sam as a new love interest. I love Sheriff Doogie but hope we get rid of Junior. I would love to spend time at the store looking for a book while having tea. I like the story line and I hope they continue with the character of Dil the veteran.
Anxious to read the next book in the series.

[Miss S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another mystery solved and lots of drool worthy food eaten. Despite the rising body count I think I'd like to move to Kindred 😏❤️

[Allyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this mystery book. I did not guess the killer. She keeps me guessing which I like!

[Deborah Almada · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really want to like this series, sometimes I do, love the Cackleberry Club, the foodie talk, books, knitting, friends working together and some real humor. I really like Suzanne until she does things just too stupid for words. Following what she thinks are meth dealers on to their porch and being caught, driving down country roads at night with no lights on. Climbing 20 minutes, on foot in the dark, up into caves, alone to find a potential murderer. Nope just too much to take seriously.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suzanne is the owner of a nice little place called Cackleberry Club. It is a mix of somewhere to eat, knit, read, and relax. She may have had her mystery trouble in the past, but she is so over that...or so she thought. Soon, Suzanne is finding herself in the middle of, yet another mystery. Only this time she is not a suspect, but a victim. She simply went to deliver a pie to Ozzie, the funeral director, then the next thing she knows she is staring at, what appears to be a dead Ozzie sprawled over his embalming table and then is being drugged with chloroform herself. Who would have killed Ozzie, such a sweet man? Who would have wanted to drug, but not kill Suzanne? Is there a killer on the loose that is going to regret not having offed Suzanne too that will then go after her again, but for good? Suzanne soon dusts off her mystery solving skills and gets into a bit more trouble along the way to finding out what is really going on in her small town.

I simply loved this book! It was just as entertaining as the first one in the series and the characters were even better in this book. The mysteries keep on appearing with every turn of the page in this book and make you so excited to read, you just can't put it down. Once again, Childs had me wondering what was really the story as far as the murder went. I was eager to turn the pages and read on and I was excited to learn more about not only the mystery, but the characters as I read on. The characters were so fantastic from the first book, and I am so glad that they kept that greatness in this book. I also was excited to see new characters and more growth in the old characters. The writing of the book was great too. Childs had a way of making details seem just a wonderful part of the drama and mystery instead of an unnecessary part of the book. The details added to the book instead of taking away from it. I love Childs' writing style and I can't wait to read on even further in this Cackleberry Club mystery series. I feel like I am part of the little friendship circle when I read these books! The drama, mystery, friendships, and food are hard to beat!

5/5 Stars!!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. It's been a while since I read Childs and I have read the 1st one in this series but it's been long enough ago that I don't remember it. That didn't prevent me from liking this one--it works well as a standalone for new readers. However, the writing style was not really my cuppa. Some of the word choices and grammar kept distracted me and prevented me from loving this book as much as I wanted to. It's a great story and fun characters but I probably won't read more. I can understand why others would really enjoy and devour this series though.

[Brooke Blogs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eggs Benedict Arnold by Laura Childs is the second book in the Cackleberry Club mystery series, featuring Suzanne, Petra & Toni. In this installment, Suzanne discovers the body of a local funeral director. After being attacked with chloroform, Suzanne finds that Ozzie was murdered. With her friend Missy a suspect, Suzanne reluctantly agrees to have a look around.

This book was just about as busy as the first, with several intersecting plot points, but it was much easier to follow along. I was familiar with the characters and the settings. There were some new characters introduced and some familiar characters were better developed. I enjoyed this book a bit more than the first. I honestly had no idea who the killer was until very close to the end of the book...then a few little hints helped me figure out who the killer was.

I'm not a huge fan of the cursing in this book or this series. I just don't feel it enhances the story in any way so it doesn't seem necessary. It isn't excessive, though I'm still surprised when I come across an expletive in a cozy.

I checked this book out of the library to read for fun and I am looking forward to continuing the series. I've already requested the next book, Bedeviled Eggs.

[Guera25 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm dumber for having read this. One of Childs' biggest faults as a writer is creating a protagonist with potential in the first novel of a series, only to transform her into a shrill, patronizing, off-putting harpy who condescends to her "friends" and treats local law enforcement like her personal errand boys when it comes to investigating the case. And of course, everything to which she turns her hand is a rousing success and everyone fawns over her. So brave. So smart. So creative.

So stupid she never discovers the killer until they're hamming it up with a gun in her face.

And if Carmen Copeland isn't a lazy copy of Delaine Dish from her Tea Shop series, I'll eat my hard drive.

The first book had potential, but this one took a crashing nosedive into insipid absurdity. I've paid my last visit to the Cackleberry Club.

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read~April 2, 2010

This one was way better than the first one. WAY!! The plot was better (and more believable), the characters didn't seem as coarse and there was WAY less swearing (4 times if memory serves me and they only use one word), which was VERY refreshing!

I love the camaraderie of these women, their devotion to each other and the town they love in and the people they love. And the mystery was really good. Once again, I was completely stumped and when it was all revealed, I was stunned. WHICH WAS AWESOME!!!!

Much happier with this one!! Will read the next one.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laura Childs can readily "craft" a mystery to meet the need--and this is evidenced by her third series, which features the Cackleberry Club cafe in Kindred, Texas. (Her others are Scrapbooking and Tea Shop.)
Light and easy (motto "Don't put all your eggs in one casket.")the Cackleberry Club brings three loyal friends together--plenty of good food and recipes included--the helpful sheriff and more. Just plain fun.

[Lollyletsgo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm enjoying this series, and I can't wait until that Carmen comes crawling to Suzanne to help her out sometime- that woman is like a "plastique" from High School- you know the type, not afraid to look her nose down at anyone she's threatened by or her snarky comments thrown around just because she can.

The series is getting better as the characters are unfolding more and more. (I'm reading the 3rd one now.)

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I want to live in Kindred and hang out with Suzanne, Petra and Toni....and work in the Cackleberry Cafe! I love this series and the only bad thing about this book is that I read it so fast and now I have to WAIT for the next one! Write faster, Laura!!!

[Deb Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another series for Laura Childs And I have to say it is a very exciting series with lots of action.

[Jae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suzanne and her two friends, Petra and Toni, have opened their own diner, called the Cackleberry Club, and business is booming. When Suzanne delivers a pie to local funeral director, Ozzie Driesden, she finds him dead on the embalming table. Before she can react, she is knocked out with chloroform. Sheriff Doogie now has a murder on his hands, but when his prime suspect also winds up dead, he's at a dead end. In the meantime, another of Suzanne's friends, Missy, begs her to look into the case, because Doogie is eyeballing her and her significant other. Suzanne reluctantly agrees, but her snooping may be her undoing.

I enjoyed this story, but...*Spoilers* I'd like a chance to solve the mystery on my own. Suzanne's "investigation" was rather willy-nilly and consisted mostly of her ending up in some dicey situations that served only to earn Doogie's wrath. The killer caught both of us (Suzanne and me) off-guard in a rather implausible ending. You know what else was implausible? The fact that the killer *SPOILER* was a woman, yet she managed to both heave Ozzie up on an embalming table (and what was up with him being all hooked up to tubes and shit? That was never explained), and she was able to hoist the other victim up into a tree. Is she an Amazon? Le sigh. Two other things I took exception to:

1. Milk does NOT contain antibiotics. I grew up on a dairy farm, and I know for a fact that any milk from cows that were on meds was discarded. It has to be. Milk is rigorously, routinely tested, and if there were antibiotics in a truckload of milk, you can be sure that the source would be traced and dealt with.
2. There was no reason Suzanne could not conduct a search of the land records on her own. Instead, the author had her put in a request, only to be told it "might take a few days". No. Anything entered into the land records is public information, and Recorders' offices have public terminals where you can do your own research. I once did a short stint as a title searcher, so yes, I know what I'm talking about. And, come to think of it, we never did read any more about Suzanne's request. Huh.

At least we got to see Suzanne at work and even socializing; the entirety of the story wasn't taken up with her investigation. Characters were portrayed well, and the narrative was light and fun, for the most part.

Once again, I'd dearly love to award 3 1/2 stars. I did enjoy the story, and I would likely read more in the series. However, it annoys me when authors don't do their research and put incorrect information in their books. For that reason, this one is getting downgraded to a three instead of upgraded to a four.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deliciously Deadly.

The events of this book come only months after Eggs in Purgatory. The story begins with Suzanne (the "detective") of the story stumbling upon the body of the funeral parlor owner on his own slab. The mystery deepens as Suzanne and her friends find another body that is seemingly connected to the first murder. Now add in a busy restaurant, rumors about possible competition, drug dealing, and the Take the Cake contest that has drawn people far and wide to the Cackleberry Club. I must note that unlike the first book in the series, the dish called "Eggs Benedict Arnold" does not appear in the actual story, although the recipe is placed at the end of the book. I understand, or believe, that the title is more related to the act rather than a particular dish.

There are some reasons why I only gave this book a 4/5 stars; first, there are too many subplots that I am not sure really need to be "baked" into the story; second, the detective discovering who the murderer is seems a little too fast or accidental in that the murderer reveals themselves to the detective rather than the detective discovering beforehand; and third, there is too much talk of cake that I felt that it took away from the mystery and that it never explained how the murderer actually committed most of the murders. As far as mysteries go, it is a good read when you are stuck indoors. The main characters are well developed and likable and there are certain aspects that I can see will likely be points in the later books in the series. I look forward to read the other books in the series, but so far, I prefer Eggs in Purgatory over this one. That should not prevent anyone from giving this a look, but I recommend reading Eggs in Purgatory first because there is a lot of details in this book that do not make sense unless you have read the first book.