Bedeviled Eggs

Cackleberry Club #3

by Laura Childs

The ladies at the Cackleberry Club café are busy preparing for Halloween. But someone's jumped the gun on the tricks. As mayoral candidate Chuck Peebler leaves the café, he gets struck with a crossbow arrow and is killed instantly. And when another murder occurs on the historical society's Quilt Trail, the Cackleberry Club needs to sniff out the bad egg-before he strikes again.

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

336 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 2, 2010

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

[Micky Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Halloween is bringing wild times to the club and Suzanne needs to get her sleuth on in a hurry before someone blows out her flame for good! A well woven story line with layers of subplots to thicken the plot and make this cozy mystery a must read! The characters are wonderfully real and a lot of fun so you'll be chomping at the bit to read the next book in the series, I know I am! If you haven't started this series yet, you really should. While you could pick this book up and enjoy it fine, you will get 10 times the enjoyment if you start with the first book as well as a lot of backstory that helps flesh out the characters' unique personalities!

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure why I did't love this book. Perhaps it is because it has been a long time since I read one of them and I had to get back into the swing and vernacular of the characters? Perhaps it was taxing to my poor brain to try and remember just WHO ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE? I don't know. All I know is that it took me forever to finish and that I would try and come up with things to do other than finish this book.

There were parts of it that were really good. And I had no idea who the murderer was [not even a clue]. And the murders were shocking and pretty horrific [for a cozy series]. But other than that, it was a pretty tepid and meh book. I am hoping that #4 is better; if not, I just may have to give up on this series. :-(

[Courtney Sheets · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not my favorite book by Laura Child and I may not read any more of this series. The killer literally is discovered in the last 15 pages completely out of the blue with almost not build up or clues to point to him. The reader is left scratching their head with a great big WTF running through their minds. I will stick with Child's tea shop series instead.

[Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a cute cozy mystery. a lot more emphasis was placed on daily operations at the Cackleberry Club and Deputy Doogie's beer belly than Suzanne's sleuthing (not snooping), so there are lots of details about knitting and cooking and decorating. I can see some people really enjoying that. I was reading it more for the "Halloween" aspect, and there wasn't a lot of time spent building that kind of atmosphere (like leaves changing, crisp autumn air, spooky evenings, etc). the mystery has a lot of moving parts, and in the end it didn't feel like everything really got resolved. one more chapter might have wound things down a bit in a more satisfactory manner. I did like the supportive relationship between the three women, Suzanne and Toni and Petra, although the latter two were fairly shallow sidekicks.

[Ivy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay but at the same time was boring in parts. It seemed like Suzanne spent more time having parties for her business then she did trying to solve the mystery. And then about the time I thought she was finally going to get down to business and try to figure out who the killer was the killer confessed. It was not a good way to end this book...all of a sudden he was there. Struck me as anti climatic ending.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and quirky. I liked the three girls who work at the cafe. I even like Junior, an on-again/off-again husband. The townsfolk are great. I’m nota fan yet of Sam, the boyfriend. Maybe his doc self will grow on me if I read more. And I never would have guessed whodunnit in a million years.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the characters and the general feel of this series, but it bounces around A LOT. It's got some tea, it's got some crafts, it's got some food, it's got some small-town ridiculous phrases--a little of everything but it all seems kind of forced. It's like she's trying to please everyone who's ever enjoyed cozies and instead she's just confusing me.

[ML Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another so so book. A little ludicrous and little bit too much about food

[Fiona · Rating 2 out of 5]

Potentially a spoiler alert!?

An okay read though it didn't keep me enthralled the entire way through and didn't seem to all fit together. I continued reading till the end. I felt the ending was a little too hasty, so much so that it couldn't even remember how the 'killer fit in'.

[Jasmine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am so frustrated with this series. Now I know the format is to give us one tiny clue at the beginning that is virtually forgotten about with no updates that eventually solve the mystery. So if you're incredibly savvy you can figure out who is connected to it and perhaps solve it.

But more importantly is how much I detest them referring to the woman who helps them out as the stripper or the exotic dancer. I swear they use her real name maybe five times throughout the book but are constantly passing judgment on her. They really hope she quits that low job and finds something more acceptable. Okay then give her a full time job perhaps? Or help her find one? No, just here to judge and not get to know her? Okay then. Coupled with other judging comments really stuck with me in a not good way.

Then we never get a reason why the cop was lead to a deserted area of a forest, handcuffed, and shot execution style. I really don't understand why that happened or how that was meant to drive the plot. He wasn't even known for being a clever cop so I doubt he was going to be the one to solve the murder. Then the killer goes after Suzanne also perhaps just for kicks? Honestly the man would have gotten away with it if he killed just the one guy then slowly left town in a couple months and changed his name wherever he moved. They had basically zero clues towards him. Just idiotic.

[Chaitra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the main cast well enough, but this wasn't a good book. Especially since the ending was so rushed and came out of nowhere. This wasn't needed because Suzanne is actually investigating and she could have found clues along the way that pointed to the killer, instead of their popping up like a Jack in the box to announce that they were the killer. No one suspected them at all, considering there was nothing anyone pulled up that tied them to the deed.

[Patricia O. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this series. All these characters are a bit crazy, but it makes them that much more realistic and lovable. And I dont even care that once again the killer became clear at the end.

On a side note, Toni is a dense... Junior and her belong together. On a good day, if i see a pack of pitbulls, my 1st instinct would not be open the door to their pin.

[Miss S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another food wrapped mystery neatly solved by the Cackleberry Crew. This one was a bit harder for me to keep up with as there was a lot of political talk - I don't even understand UK politics. But still... another enjoyable time in Kindred, Logan County.

[Toni (T.C.) LoTempio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series and these quirky characters!

[Elizabeth Meadows · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite so far in the series.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Debated the rating on this one. I listened to the book while occupied doing other things so don't know if I missed a clue that would have lead me to the culprit, but don't really think so. So, while always enjoyable to listen to, this would get a 3 if there was no clue or indication who the killer was, or a 4 if there were clues and I just didn't pick up on them, stumping me. I can buy into the reasoning behind the character who-dun-it, I just didn't see it.

At any rate, I enjoy the series and will continue to read or listen.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

The year is in full swing and now the ladies of the Cackleberry Club are hoping things are getting back to normal after all their mysteries of murder and mayhem. Their fall starts out that way, calm and normal, but it soon turns to murder, mayhem, and suspicion. The small town of Kindred is up for mayoral elections and they small town can't wait to get the old mayor out and Chuck Peebler in. His prospects of being the new mayor are soaring! However, he is soon stopped dead in his tracks...literally, when he is shot dead with a crossbow arrow outside the Cackleberry Club after an event there and a small tiff with a local woman. How can this be happening? Why was Peebler killed? Was it an accident or was it cold blooded murder? Soon it is found to be just that...murder. What the ladies of the Cackleberry Club want to find out is why was he murdered and by who. Can Suzanne dust off her sleuthing hat once more to find out what's going on in their small town before someone else is killed? The answer initially to that was no, because another man was killed. Are their murders related? Will a third person be killed?

I simply am in love with Childs writing! This book was eggcellent! Hehe. I just can't get enough of these wonderful characters and their little Cackleberry Club. Every book I read further into the series, I feel more and more like I am a part of the small town of Kindred and I have come to know these three wonderful women who run the Cackleberry Club. This book hits the ground running with the mystery and mayhem and it doesn't slow until the last word on the last page. Childs writes in such a way that makes you want to read on in the series just to see what comes of the characters and their lives. Also, there is a re-cap of some things that are of importance to the present book from the other books, but not so much re-cap that you feel like you are re-reading the past books. She keeps her re-caps short and sweet, but they also do the job of making sure you remember the event she is re-capping or you understand it, if you have never read the books before this one. I think it takes true author talent to do that correctly. I can't say how much I loved this book, writing, or characters, but I'm sure you get the idea. This is a MUST read book!!!! Even if you haven't read the other books in the series, check it out because it would do well as a stand alone book too. I just don't want anyone to miss out on the charm of the small town of Kindred or the loving people that live there.

5/5 Stars!!!

[Brooke Blogs · Rating 3 out of 5]

**May contain spoilers if you haven't read the earlier books in this series.**

Bedeviled Eggs by Laura Childs is the third book in the Cackleberry Club series. Suzanne, Toni and Petra find themselves embroiled in not one, but two murders. I liked that we got to see the relationship development between Suzanne and Sam. The murders seemed out of the blue and it was very hard to connect clues along the way because nothing seemed related, but there was so much going on. I never would have guessed the killer. I thought that there was a good chance the killer was some random person blowing through town since there wasn't any sort of build up of clues.

I liked this book because I am enjoying the Cackleberry Club series, though I enjoyed the previous two books more than this one. I liked that this one was set at Halloween, it was fun to see the fun Halloween party. I'm looking forward to trying out some of the recipes in the back of the book. :) I will be reading the next book in the series.

I checked this book out of the library to read for fun and to count toward my 2017 cozy mystery reading challenges.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laura Childs' "Cackleberry Club" mysteries are starting to gain some traction, and I'm enjoying how the plot line continues to develop. After reading the last two "Tea Shop" mysteries, I'm starting to see that series falter, and perhaps that is because she is putting more effort into new series' like the Cackleberry Club Mysteries.

Suzanne, co-owner of the Cackleberry Club, along with Toni and Petra find themselves in trouble again when a patron is shot to death behind the restaurant with a bow and arrow. Suzanne soon discovers that there is quite a bit of motivation for his death, could it be his widely unpopular rival in the mayoral election that put an end to his campaign, permanently? Or is it something more sinister. Never one to sit on the sidelines, Suzanne jumps in feet first to try to solve the mystery, but quickly ends up way over her head, putting her life, as well as the lives of Petra and Toni in danger. Will Suzanne find the culprit before it is too late? Clues lead her to an elaborate plot involving stolen artifacts. Bound and determined to uncover the killer, Suzanne comes up with a plan to draw them out of the woodwork.

This is a fun, quick read and if you haven't already read the other books in the series, go back and read them as well! I can't wait to read about Suzanne's next adventure!

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book a rating of 3 maybe a little higher because I did not feel the author did a very good job of leading up to the murderer. I felt like she was more interested in the season - that of Halloween then she was in leaving clues to the real killer. All the red herrings were there and done very well but she missed the important part. I still love the main characters and she seemed true to them but the real function of the book was the mystery and I did not feel it was well done.

The plot was good and she takes time to build out some more of her townspeople and you really love to hate the mayor. I am glad I read the book for the future series but not one of her best.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series and this one didn't disappoint. Mayoral candidate, Chuck Peebler is shot with a crossbow while standing next to Suzanne on the back step of the Cackleberry Club. And if that's not bad enough another citizen of the town is killed, again in an awful way. What is happening in this quiet little town. It takes both Suzanne and the Sheriff to get to the bottom of the who and the why.

['jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just okay. I felt it did not hang together as well as some of her prior stories. I guess when authors start churning out books in the same vein, they seem less careful about sufficient character and plot development. It was still a fun read, a good way to begin winter break.

[Jennifer Robb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the first book in this series but not the second. It's not my favorite series from this author. It's a series that I'm willing to read if I come across the books but not one where I go seek out the books.
This one was in a library book sale where you could fill a bag for $2.00.

I do feel like I have a better sense of each of the 3 ladies involved with the Cackleberry Club as far as their likes, dislikes, hobbies etc. than I did after the first book. I still think the Cackleberry Club is a business that doesn't know what it wants to be: it's a restaurant (for breakfast and lunch) that also hosts teas, caters, plans and hosts parties, sells books, sells yarn and knitting supplies, hosts a book group and book signings, hosts a knitting group, and sells goods made by locals (pies, breads, jellies, etc.) and on top of all that Suzanne is an amateur sleuth. AND she dreams of opening a fine dining restaurant (not sure where she's going to fit that in given how busy they seem to be. As it is she's rushing around covering the restaurant and the book nook area at the same time most of the time.)

Suzanne also seems to have an annoying habit of driving a friend somewhere and then asking them to get a ride back (this happens twice within this book).

Some of the recipes at the end sound interesting but since the restaurant focuses on eggs many feature eggs as the main ingredient so if you don't like eggs, you may not find many you want to try.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this series well enough. The books are fast and easy to read. They are easy to put down and easy to pick up again. Sometimes that's just what you need.

However there are some things that started to get annoying in this book. Toni has always been a ridiculous character but in this book she is TSTL. Who lets an unknown dog out of a cage on property you shouldn't even be on in the first place? These ladies create their own problems half of the time, especially Toni.

Overuse of the word "pinch hitter" is starting to get really irritating. And these ladies wouldn't need a "pinch hitter" if they didn't overbook themselves. Seriously, i have a hard time believing that any group of 3 ladies could plan this many events all at once and not run themselves into an early grave (maybe that's where the series is headed lol).

I will keep reading for now because i need a light read and i would like to see if Toni can get any stupider or if Suzanne is going to "snuggle" with her boyfriend again.

[Chanel Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Halloween/fall atmosphere in this book definitely hits the feels for any one look for a fall read.
So good to see the girls again. The Cackleberry Club is just such a wonderful place to return to. (Mom and I would like to say though it exciting to have new characters when one reads romance it is sometimes saddening to not have so much to return to, oh yes we do some times get an occasional place or characters, but they are usually only fleeting which leaves one feeling a little bereft of familiarity. I do believe that is one of the driving reasons that mom and myself picked up cozy mystery.)
The book starts off fast with arrows killing our main victim in what feels like less time than with the other ones. It also leads to mom believe we find our second body more early on in the story too. Mom would also like to say that the coincidence of the girls finding the second dead body really out of this world, but cozy mysteries or formed of bizarre coincidences.
Over we can't wait to return.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good red herrings in this one… And that seems to be the usual thing for this author. I haven't decided what I think of Sam. Part of me likes him but another part thinks he might be just a little bit overprotective. I'd be doggone if I wanted some guy in my business like that all the time. Anyway as usual I got to give Susanne credit for her gutsiness. She really was very smart as usual and cleared all of her leads. It was really interesting to watch all of the different storylines. I have to give the author props for sneaking in to have her other titles as books being sold at the "book nook". Pretty clever. Anyway I'm also hoping Junior will come up to snuff in the end. I like him better than I thought I was going to he seem sort of like a troublesome kid who will eventually mature. He's a great fit for Toni who has a little bit of that in her but balances it with responsibility. She's kind of a free spirit and I like that

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of cozy mysteries by Laura Childs, but Bedeviled Eggs was my introduction to her Cackleberry Club series. I smiled when I saw the reference to The Teaberry Strangler (Suzanne rang up a copy of Blackwork and a copy of The Teaberry Strangler...") the eleventh book in Childs' Tea Shop Mysteries. I have already read and reviewed the book, giving it five stars! In the Cackleberry Club series, three friends, Suzanne, Toni, and Petra operate a midwestern cafe in Kindred where egg dishes highlight the breakfast menu, as well as a Book Nook and Knitting Nest. When mayoral candidate Chuck Peebler is shot dead with a crossbow arrow, Sheriff Roy Doogie has many possible suspects. When Jane Buckley finds out she's at the top of his list, she goes to Suzanne for help. This is an entertaining book. It has interesting characters participating in fun activities, lots of legitimate suspects, and scrapbooking tips.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was as good as the first two, with quite a bit of misdirection, but if I had a couple of nits to pick, the first would be all the talk about the coming election, but the book ends very abruptly on Halloween without any afterward about what happens. It could've used a few more pages.

The second quibble is the sheer number of people who knew that "tortuga" means "turtle" in Spanish (not the most common word) but don't make reference to the island. Maybe Pirates of the Caribbean never made a splash in Kindred. Moreover, the word "tortuga", and only that word, on a post-it note, tucked into a mirror approaches a Scooby Doo level of clue finding (and clue leaving). However, Tortuga _(fill-in-the-blank)_ would've given away the mystery 50 pages early.

Anyway, I enjoyed it for what it is. This is probably the last I'll read for a while. None of the library systems in NYC have book 4 in any format (paper, ebook, audio) at this time.

[The Honest Book Reviewer · Rating 2 out of 5]

It pains me to rate this two stars, but even the characters of this book couldn't save it from the bad plotting. For a mystery, even a cosy-mystery, the actual investigation is basically non-existent. The book seems devoted to detailing the man events at the Crackleberry Club, the food Suzanne eats at home, and the lead up to the Halloween party.

The resolution to the mystery is from out of nowhere, and it not through detective work. It's basically the killer turning up and announcing themself as the culprit. And I just have to say one thing about the clues in this novel - electronic keycards are numbered and assigned to people (at least when I've ever used them). How the author failed to use that in this novel was lost to me.

I'm hoping book 4 is better, as this started off being a great series, but I'm now worried it will fall into pieces.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've circled Laura Child's books for awhile but this is my first time reading them and it was a delight. I started out of order because this book popped up in a fall/Halloween cozy mystery list and I'm very glad I read it.

My only headscratcher is that the characters make fun of anyone who asks if the Cackleberry Club serves eggs. I had to look up what "cackleberry" means and then did a poll of my friends (online so I could get a wide range from all over the country, with a solid mix of folks who live in the suburbs, cities, small towns, rural areas, and out in the middle of nowhere). NO ONE had ever encountered the term so maybe in future books be a little more kind because accidentally mocking the readers is never fun.

Now to start the series from the beginning. :-)