From Publishers Weekly
The second installment of Salzman’s inspirational cozies (Dying to Decorate) finds the Friday Afternoon Club, a group of funny middle-aged women who love to cook, eat, and chat, helping Mary Alice clean out an old Volkswagen minibus that belonged to her mysterious father. The story veers back and forth between the women’s present, and Mary Alice’s parents’ hippie past. The Friday gang’s Christian faith sustains them as they gradually discover the difficult truth about Mary Alice’s dad, who abandoned her when she was a baby; Mary Alice must discover whether she can find it in her heart to forgive him. The plot is thin, and Mary Alice’s extreme shame about her father, which prompts her to do things like drop glass pitchers when his minibus is mentioned, seems over the top. The portrait of the commune in which Mary Alice’s parents lived is also a bit of a caricature (characters with names like Willow use the slang-term "bread" for money, quote the Beatles, and, in the name of love and harmony, want to deny medical care to pregnant women). But the likeable narrator, Elizabeth, will hold readers’ attention. Discussion questions and the recipes scattered throughout make this lighthearted mystery a probable pick of Christian book groups.
Review
"Good friends, good eats, and a juicy mystery!" -- Susan May Warren, Author
"Laugh-out-loud humor -- and recipes to die for! Cyndy Salzmann serves up delightful contemporary characters and a page-turning mystery that will make you want to pull out your bell-bottoms and tuck a flower behind your ear. Highly recommended." -- Allison Bottke, Founder, God Allows U-Turns; Author,
A Stitch in Time"It's time to rejoin the ladies of the Friday Afternoon Club for more fun, friendship, and food. Once again, Cyndy Salzmann has penned a tale that will make you long for a Friday Afternoon Club of your very own. Forget the laundry, find your stash of chocolates, and escape with the lovable members of the FAC. You'll be glad you did!" -- Judith Miller, Author,
In the Company of Secrets and the Freedom's Path series
"Clever, thoughtful, humorous, and more,
Crime & Clutter is one book you don't want to miss! My heart broke for the cost of poorly made choices and rejoiced for the redemptive power of forgiveness." -- Gayle Roper, Author,
Caught in the Middle,
Caught in the Act,
Caught in a Bind,
Caught Redhanded"Cyndy's books are not only fun, they're delicious! I devour the humor, and the recipes are nothing less than a waistline felony!" Lori Copeland -- Author,
Yellow Rose Bride
