Scorched Eggs

Early in Childs’s entertaining sixth Cackleberry Club mystery set in the Midwestern town of Kindred (after Eggs in a Casket), Hannah Venable perishes in a fire that destroys the county services building where she worked. In what becomes an arson case, suspicion falls on Hannah’s estranged husband, Jack. Perky Suzanne Dietz finds time to investigate the crime in between planning, cooking, and serving two meals a day, plus afternoon tea and assorted special events, at the Cackleberry Club. She runs the cafe with two partners, Toni and Petra, with whom she mulls over the case. Fortunately, Sheriff Roy Doogie is happy to share what he knows with Suzanne, and even the arson investigators brought in from out-of-town have no compunction about including her. Some dollops of romance add spice. Culinary cozy fans will welcome the egg-centric recipes that round out the volume. Agent: Sam Pinkus, Veritas Media. (Dec.)