Egg Drop Dead

Egg Drop Dead by Laura Childs is the seventh book in Cackleberry Club Mystery series. Suzanne is stopping by Cloverdale Farm to get some wheels of cheese from Mike Mullens. She calls out and no one responds. The cows are bellowing and have obviously not been milked. Suzanne has a bad feeling, but she keeps looking. Suzanne finds Mike Mullens in the cheese house brutally murdered. Suzanne quickly calls 911 for assistance and requests that Sheriff Roy Doogie be contacted. Who would want to kill mild-mannered Mike? Suzanne knows she should be working on her wedding plans, but she cannot help but investigate Mike’s murder (she’s nosy). But Suzanne’s investigating has someone upset. Suzanne and Toni are chased through the Haunted Forest. Suzanne is just starting to relax at home when she hears someone in her backyard. Suzanne has the dogs attack, but the culprit gets away. The guilty party has an injured leg thanks to her dogs. Suzanne invites all her suspects to the Cackleberry Club’s Halloween Party (she wants to flush out the killer). Suzanne will need to keep her wits about her to catch this slippery suspect. I have not had the opportunity to read A Cackleberry Club Mystery prior to Egg Drop Dead. I am a fan of Laura Childs’ Tea Shop Mysteries and A Scrapbooking Mystery series. I found, though, Egg Drop Dead to be very different from her other works. Egg Drop Dead is well-written (as are all of Laura Childs books) and easy to read. The book has a good flow or pace (for the most part). Suzanne is the primary character while her partners, Petra and Toni are in the background (especially poor Petra). Toni is known as a “hoochie mamma” and married to Junior (though they live apart and are said to be getting a divorce). Junior is what many people would refer to as a red neck imbecile (or country bumpkin whose I.Q. is less than his income). I, personally, would prefer if Toni and Junior were not a part of the book (it would elevate the story immensely). Suzanne is extremely pushy and determined (it was off-putting). She scared a teenager with Asperger’s Syndrome (she eventually apologizes). I give Egg Drop Dead 3 out of 5 stars. The reader receives few clues regarding the murder. You must pay close attention if you want to figure out the identity of the guilty party (mystery buffs should be able to solve it before you are halfway through the book). One thing I did not understand is why Suzanne (and Toni) ran from the man in the Haunted Forest. It was supposed to be scary, so why run screaming for your car! I think many people will enjoy the humor in the novel, but it was not for me. There is an excerpt for Pekoe Most Poison at the end of the book (which I cannot wait to read).