Crime and Clutter [Kindle Edition]

Cyndy Salzmann (Author)

Editorial Reviews

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

"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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 364 KB
• Print Length: 290 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1582296448
• Publisher: Howard Books; Original edition (April 3, 2007)
• Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000Q9J0UQ
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #573,955 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Don't let the "laugh lines" around my eyes fool you -- I'm still deep in the trenches of motherhood. Here's a little bit about me and my family...

I've been married to my patient husband for 23 years (and he still believes I don't know how to start the lawn mower). We are busy raising three children - Freddy (20), Liz (18) and Anna (14). A note to mothers of young children. Catch up on your sleep now. You'll need it for the teen years.

I started writing books in 1997 -- as an excuse to avoid laundry. The subsequent publication of these musings led to a speaking career - surprising me even more than my children. (You mean people actually ASK you to talk, Mom?) Now my kids all know how to sort colors - and what to do when the washing machine starts jumping around.

I do most of my writing on the back of fast-food wrappers'usually while waiting for carpool. It still
amazes me I finished four books. That's a lot of chicken quesadillas!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tasty Reading!, August 17, 2007

By 

Heather Ivester (Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crime and Clutter (Friday Afternoon Club Mystery Series #2) (Paperback)

Fans of Cyndy Salzmann's recipe-laden fiction will enjoy this second installment in her Friday Afternoon Club mystery series.

Mary Alice seems to lead a charmed life on the outside, yet her past contains secrets that threaten to destroy her self-worth. It's been a year since she lost her father - the man she never knew. Now she's stuck cleaning out his life's accumulations from a storage unit.

The Friday Afternoon Club comes to the rescue, as they help Mary Alice confront her past, which involves digging through her dad's cluttered 1963 Volkswagen van.

Using flashbacks, Salzmann takes readers on a well-researched journey back to the turbulent counter-cultural hippie revolution. She offers readers the chance to explore the angst-filled Vietnam era in the light of the Gospel.

With over 50 easy-to-prepare recipes included, Salzmann's book is a tasty treat, one you'll want to keep beside you in the kitchen!

--Christian Women Online Book Buzz

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A "Hip" Trip to the '60s and Yummy Recipes, January 24, 2008

By 

Stacey (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Crime and Clutter (Friday Afternoon Club Mystery Series #2) (Paperback)

"Crime and Clutter" by Cyndy Salzmann is loaded with great recipes for everything from air freshener to sparkling juice to Mexican delights. I can't wait to make the Fruit Cocktail Cake! The recipes relate directly to what the characters in the story are doing/eating at the time. The story of Mary Alice's inheritance of a 1963 Volkswagon Minibus develops a bit slowly, but the characters are diverse and likable. Cyndy beautifully takes the reader from present to past and back again, weaving a story that keeps you interested by not revealing too much too soon. This was a very "hip" trip back to the `60s. I will definitely read this talented author's other work.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ingrigue with decorating will please wives and mothers everywhere, May 31, 2007

By 

Christian Book Previews "Christian Book Previews" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Crime and Clutter (Friday Afternoon Club Mystery Series #2) (Paperback)

Chronicling the events of life in the Friday Afternoon Club, especially those in the life of Mary Alice who happens to be keeping a secret from her friends, Crime & Clutter is the second installment in Cyndy Salzmann's series of mysteries, and follows suit according to its predecessor. When Mary Alice's friends find that her missing father has left a 1963 VW minibus behind, they search it for clues, and try to deal with the ensuing confrontation with counterculture.

With slow, careful development of plot, and characters reminiscent of the authors of the Sweet Potato Queens series, Salzmann wins the hearts and laughs of women who read Crime & Clutter. By far, what stands out about Salzmann's book is the interspersing of recipes that tantalize the palette of her readers, while drawing them into the story at every turn.

Salzmann's readers will surely empathize with Mary Alice, who is forced to face some difficult clues regarding the life of her father, and also with her friends in the Friday Afternoon Club, who want to get to the bottom of things, but also help their friend. Previously willing to put her questions on hold, Mary Alice is brought on the ride of her life by the other members of the Friday Afternoon Club, who take her on a trip for the truth.

Crime & Clutter is full of vivid, realistic characters who have flaws and freely acknowledge them. Mary Alice, the dynamic domestic diva, is no exception. Readers of Cyndy Salzmann's first Friday Afternoon Club mystery, Dying to Decorate, will appreciate and enjoy this second installment in her mystery series. Salzmann's amusing return to the world of women attempting to balance intrigue with interior management will surely please wives and mothers everywhere who can appreciate a good mystery and enjoy laughing along the way. - Meg Tepfer, [...]