Customer Reviews

Crime and Clutter

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

"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.

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, [...]

Cyndy does a great job revealing history from the 60's thru Mary Alice's father's past. The 60's were such turbulent times and the people were free thinkers. I love how she captures the mind set of the Hippies. She is great about showing the who, what, where and how they lived. It was very fascinating and disturbing at the same time. Some of the choices the people made in the story broke my heart when you see the cost they had to pay for those choices. I also rejoiced for the characters for the redemptive power of forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

Another thing I LOVE about this book are the many recipes spread out throughout the chapters. They look so yummy. There are 26 in all. They are indexed in the back of the book for easy access. I definitely want to try the Fried Twinkie recipe. (Oh, did I say that out loud!!! J ) This book was so much fun reading and then the fun continues as you make the food afterwards. What are you waiting for? Dig in!

Nora St.Laurent
Book Club Servant Leader
www.psalm516.blogspot.com

I so enjoyed reading Cyndy's cozy mystery, CRIME & CLUTTER, the second in the series. The first one was really a great read, and this one was even better. She did a great job of bringing the sixties to life. Denny and Ali's story was compelling--though at first, I didn't want to leave the present day setting with the Friday Afternoon Club friends. But once I was introduced to Denny and Ali, I HAD to see what was happening in the commune!

The writing was creative, sprinkled with Salzmann's sense of humor, and lovely phrases like "fragile tendrils of dust" that made me wish I'd written them myself. Add in an abundance of tantalizing recipes and you have a treasure that is delicious in every way.

Cyndy does a great job revealing history from the 60's thru Mary Alice's father's past. The 60's were such turbulent times and the people were free thinkers. I love how she captures the mind set of the Hippies. She is great about showing the who, what, where and how they lived. It was very fascinating and disturbing at the same time. Some of the choices the people made in the story broke my heart when you see the cost they had to pay for those choices. I also rejoiced for the characters for the redemptive power of forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

Another thing I LOVE about this book are the many recipes spread out throughout the chapters. They look so yummy. There are 26 in all. They are indexed in the back of the book for easy access. I definitely want to try the Fried Twinkie recipe. (Oh, did I say that out loud!!! J ) This book was so much fun reading and then the fun continues as you make the food afterwards. What are you waiting for? Dig in!

Nora St.Laurent
Life Way Book Club Leader

Liz Harris and her Friday Afternoon Club take us back to the 60's in hilarious fashion as they wend their way through the mysterious past (and identity) of one of their own. Good eats (with recipes) are as much a part of who each of the FAC members is as is the diversity of personalities.

Cyndy Salzmann has another winner here. Without violence, gore, gratuitous sex or preaching, she leads us back to a time of war, peace marches, civil disobedience--not to mention free love, free sex, and drugs--that many of us lived through but didn't quite understand.

Crime and Clutter is part history lesson and part psychology 101, but mostly a tale of friendship and honor, forgiveness and redemption.

Linda J. Hutchinson

Is there anything more amusing than a friend with a secret and five other friends who can't wait to figure it out? How about six vastly different personalities that all bring a different flavor to the plot? Told through the character Liz's point of view, Crime and Clutter brings the reader along on crazy side trips of Liz's imagination and gives us glimpses of her unvoiced sarcasm and whit that prompt out-loud laughter. Surely each reader can find some character with whom she can identify in Liz's assortment of Friday Afternoon Club friends and gain some ideas for her own Friday Afternoon Club (FAC)--an opportunity to build relationships with friends, indulge in chocolate, and have the girl-time that we all crave.

Despite the fun and mystery in the book, it did take a while to get into the story. Even though friends find out about Mary Alice's mystery storage unit early in the book, it felt like the story didn't really get rolling until the middle of the book. The plot coasted to a start and then coasted to an end as well but that didn't stop me from enjoying a lighthearted break from traditional literature. For some readers, the style may seem a bit edgy, but I doubt the author intended Crime and Clutter to be a deep theological adventure. Readers looking for an entertaining chick-lit break from everyday life will enjoy this mystery.

To top off the enjoyment, Cyndy Salzmann uses some unexpected creative extras in the book. Each chapter begins with a recipe for something mentioned in the following pages--a fun bonus for the reader.

The Friday Afternoon Club can't believe it. Perfect Mary Alice has been keeping a secret for years. The always together mom has been hiding the fact that her parents were hippies and her real name is Maya. The FAC gets together again to unlock the secrets of the VW bus given to Mary Alice by her father. The women take a blast to the past trip back to a time where peace, love, and rock and roll was the national creed. But in between the love beads and bell bottoms is the story of a woman who discovers the father she never knew and the power of forgiveness.

The 60s are my absolute favorite decade. I love the culture of that time period especially the music. I would have killed to be alive when the Beatles were popular. So when I heard about the premise for this story, I was excited to read it. And I was not disappointed. This story will give Baby Boomers and fans of the decade a time capsule of the events that happened. From the Beatnik years to the Summer of Love, the story reminds you of Forrest Gump as you happen to be in all the important events of the time. I really liked the articles that would appear at the beginning of the flashback chapters. They helped to make he story seem more real and place you during that time period. I thought it was interesting that the 60s was picked because, even though I think of it as history, in the literary world it is still modern time period. I really liked the chapters set during the Democratic National Convention. It's an even that gets skimmed over during high school history class so I was pleased to read about it from the protester point of view. The story of Mary Alice and her father was sad to read, having to learn to forgive. Very touching and moving. And then there are the recipes. My gosh, I could have gained a pound just from reading them. They all sound soooo good. I can't wait to try out some of them. They all look really easy to make with nothing too fancy so that anyone can cook them. So don't read this book on an empty stomach because after a few pages I guarantee you'll be raiding your fridge! The only complaint I have about the book is that with only one POV telling the story and so many women in the group, I feel like I haven't gotten to know some of the characters that well yet. Hopefully that will change in the upcoming books. Can't wait for them!

My issue with the book, is that it wasn't what I was expecting. This is part of the Friday Afternoon Club Mystery Series by Cyndy Salzmann. If you have read any of the previous books, you will probably know what to expect. I had not. There is a crime in the book that is an integral part of the story, but not the main storyline, in my opinion. Also, the clutter. It is part of the story, but not a main part. I think the title just made me expect something different, but it's not that I didn't like what was written. The story has a mystery in it, but not your "typical" mystery. So, I would give this book 3 of 5 bookmarks. The story was good, and there are great recipes before each chapter. I wish I could rate this one higher, as I was SO excited to read it. My issue is that I was disappointed that it wasn't what I expected from the title and previous reviews. That really isn't the authors fault though, as it was a good read.