October 29, 2018
At the start of bestseller Childs’s enjoyable eighth Cackleberry Club mystery (after 2016’s Egg Drop Dead), Scrooge-like lawyer Allan Sharp is playing Ebenezer Scrooge in a dress rehearsal of A Christmas Carol, held at a theater in the Midwestern town of Kindred, when someone in the costume of the ghost of Christmas Past embraces him as he sits at a desk on stage. When Allan remains slumped over the desk, those watching the performance, including Suzanne Dietz, owner of egg-themed diner the Cackleberry Club Café, realize something’s wrong. In fact, Allan has been stabbed to death. Suzanne chases the ghost backstage, but the culprit escapes. Suzanne later learns that many people had cause to wish Sharp dead, from the play’s director to the town’s mayor. Amateur sleuth Suzanne can’t resist assisting Sheriff Doogie in the hunt for the killer. The plot unfolds along predictable lines, but cozy fans will find plenty to savor, such as recipes from the Cackleberry Club, in this seasonal outing. Agent: Sam Pinkus, Veritas Media.