Title:	Egg Drop Dead
	Author:	Laura Childs
	Published:	December 6, 2016, Berkley
	No. of Pages:	336
	Cover Price:	$26.00 Hardcover, $12.99 Kindle

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Culinary Mystery readers are most likely familiar with Laura Childs’ bestselling Cackleberry Club series featuring Suzanne, Petra, and Toni, owner’s of Cackleberry Club café. Egg Drop Dead is the seventh installment of the series. The girls are very particular about using high quality ingredients, and local ones when they can get them. There is a shady vendor who is trying to get them to order his substandard products instead of continuing with their trusted, albeit more expensive, suppliers, and he is very pushy, so pushy, in fact, there is a bit of conflict. Suzanne can’t seem to get in touch with Mike Mullen, who is a trusted vendor, so she goes to his farm to talk to him. He isn’t in his regular spot and as she checks other places on the farm, she discovers his murdered body. Of course she and her friends are outraged and vow to find the murderer. The problem is, as they get closer to finding the one who would do such a horrible thing, the Cackleberry Club finds that they are actually in danger and may be victims of murder themselves. Things are not as they appear, and there doesn’t seem to be anyone they can really trust.

Egg Drop Dead is a fun cozy; it is well-written, the characters are likeable, and there is no graphic violence, language, or sex. There are, however, a few good recipes, that will certainly appeal to readers who enjoy the culinary mystery genre. The book is light-hearted, even though there is a murder and mystery surrounding it. There is also plenty of suspense, which builds right up to the dénouement. The unmasking of the murderer comes at the end, and it is, of course a surprise.

Recommended for culinary mystery aficionados, Egg Drop Dead is a fast and fun read. The recipes are mostly quick and easy, and are dishes everybody will actually want to make – a four ingredient pumpkin soup, apple scones, molasses bread, pumpkin fudge, a chicken stir-fry, etc. All great recipes to savor while reading the book.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.