Customer Reviews

Dying to Decorate (Friday Afternoon Club Mystery Series #1)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Dying to Decorate by author Cyndy Salzmann, is the first in the Friday Afternoon Club Series. The narrator of the story is a woman named Liz, a stay-at-home mom who writes a newspaper column (think Martha Stewart meets Flylady). The friends in the Friday Afternoon Club, or FAC, get together weekly to get a little R&R from their all-too busy lives. They support each other with fierce devotion, and when one of the members goes AWOL from the club for a few weeks, they go on a rescue mission. The group learns that their friend Lucy, recovering from the deaths in the past year of both her husband and her mother, has slid into a depression. She has also recently inherited an old Civil War style home from an elderly aunt, and the FAC thinks it will be the perfect diversion to nudge Lucy away from her slump. The group determines to have a decorating party/get-away weekend to help restore the lovely old house. Startling discoveries and a secret diary found hidden in the house from Civil War times raise serious questions about the history of Lucy's past relatives. With help from the diary and Lucy's Aunt Bette, the group learns about true strength of character and sacrificial heroism that begins at home.

While the novel isn't a `mystery' in the classic sense, it has great sense of suspense as the story unfolds. Add to that a wonderfully refreshing humor intertwined in a very satisfying story. If that isn't enough, the book includes many wonderful recipes that tie into each chapter. To a book-loving foodie, it's the ultimate in reading. With recipes like Melt-In-Your-Mouth Pot Roast, I'm So Sorry Snickerdoodles, and Liz's Triple Chocolate Pecan Brownies, it's a struggle to decide whether to finish reading or to hit the kitchen to whip up some of the goodies laced throughout the book.

It's a fantastic read all around, and I can't wait for the next installment in the series. Her next book, Crime and Clutter (A Friday Afternoon Club Mystery) is scheduled to be released in April 2007.

In Dying to Decorate, book one in Cyndy Salzmann's Friday Afternoon Club series, one of the group, Liz, unexpectedly inherits a house. The ladies of the club are worried about depressed Liz, mourning the death of her husband and mother. To help her get through the tough time, they volunteer to spend a weekend repainting and wallpapering the house to get it ready to sell. Then they hear rumors about a ghost.
Salzmann turns her humorous eye on cleaning and painting, celebrates the gifts of womanhood as Liz and her friends encourage Lucy, and tackles a mystery. Soon the Friday Afternoon Club ladies realize solving the mystery may reveal things in Lucy's family tree that may make her feel even worse.
The hilarity of the book comes mainly from Liz, the narrator. Liz writes a Martha Stewart-ish newspaper column about gracious living, while her own home is in chaos.
The friends are great characters, Liz, the out of whack advice columnist, Lucy, depressed and lonely, Marina, the take charge policewoman, the quietly perfect Mary Alice, and others. They all bring their strengths to the group, taking turns supporting each other through the trials and joys of motherhood.
Cyndy Salzmann's book is part of a new style of Christian literature called Mom Lit. Mom Lit had been described as Chick Lit with Children. It's a lighthearted style of writing about children and the struggle to handle the joys and problems that go with raising them. The series, The Yada Yada Prayer Group by Neta Jackson may be the best known Mom Lit series. Lori Copeland, long a successful writer of funny historical romances, is calling Stranded in Paradise, her next release, Mom Lit.
Dying to Decorate, is a great example of this sub-genre of Christian fiction. Salzmann is an author and a speaker. She travels all over the country sharing home management tips in her hilarious style.
Reprinted from the Sioux City Journal, Sioux City, Iowa

Though author Cyndy Salzmann claims to be domestically challenged, my mouth was watering from the very first chapter of her debut novel. When I read her recipes for "I'm-So-Sorry Snickerdoodles" and "Double Mocha Frappuccino," I knew I was in good company with the "Friday Afternoon Club!"

This group of six ladies gets together every week to share their ups and downs and bond over faith, motherhood, and chocolate.

One group member, Lucy, has been in a slump of depression, while grieving the recent losses of both her husband and mother. She discovers that she's inherited an old family homeplace, Locust Hill, which was built before the Civil War. Yet the empty mansion is rumored to be haunted and echoes with mystery.

To cheer Lucy's spirits, the FAC girls plan a field trip to spruce the place up. While there, they unlock secrets from Lucy's ancestry, taking readers on a fascinating journey through American history.

Packed with recipes, this book will remind you of the joys of friendship and laughter. I'm ready for the sequel!

-- Christian Women Online Book Buzz

This story is so unique. It starts out hilarious, sucking you in with the witty internal dialogue from Liz--the main point of view character--when she refers to 'the hag' in her that's dying to be unleashed. Then the story transitions to the women's Friday night club group and their concern for their dear friend Lucy who is in a total funk and depressed (and for good reason.) They rally to cheer her up and part of that is through helping her renovate a home she recently inherited. With that home came intrigue found in the pages of a young girl's diary during the era of slavery and the Civil War. This story held my interest and I must say I hated it when the story ended. I want the author to write a historical now about the content in that awesome diary. That was some great stuff! In addition, though the story ended sooner than I'd hoped, it ended on a positive and uplifting note, making me a guaranteed fan of the author for years to come. She really knows how to draw the reader into the lives of the characters. Oh, and if I were a culinary woman, the recipes are to die for. I think I'll lend them to my husband as he's the chef in the family, and more than one concoction within its pages has piqued his interest. I highly recommend this novel. I hope to see a sequel in the future. There is so much potential for more drama with this incredible cast.

I was in hysterics by page two, yet I found a deep and satisfying plot as I continued. Cyndy has a unique talent for combining irresistible humor with suspense and a moving tale.

Dying to Decorate follows Cyndy Salzmann's three Christian nonfiction books on home management and compliments her career as a national speaker and radio personality.

This light, enjoyable read has romance, intrigue, and the scrumptious recipes included with each chapter. But underneath the humor lies an inspiring tale that reveals Cyndy's own human values and religious beliefs.

Cyndy's first mom-lit novel, her first in the Motherhood Club, came out in summer 2005. The characters stir up yummy recipes in each chapter, reflecting the fact that Cyndy hates laundry and loves to cook. And we get the hint that Cyndy writes from the experiences she and her husband had with their three children.

I chuckled my way through this delightful story about five moms and their Friday Afternoon Club (FAC), which they organized for bonding and relaxation. Typically, they forget to reward themselves but rush to the aid of the other members. Lucy, for instance, falls into depression because her husband and mother have recently died. When she learns she's inherited Aunt Bette's house, Locust Hill, two club members travel with her to another town and inspect the house. They learn the elderly lady has moved into a nursing home and the FAC decides to help Lucy remodel the place.

We interact with individual personalities as they work on Aunt Bette's Civil War era house with a secret room, a fascinating history, and one bathroom! FAC members take timeouts from redecorating to read the house's story aloud from an old diary someone found. They learn that Lucy's ancestors were courageous, religious people who took huge risks to aid slaves, via the Underground Railroad.

You'll be delighted with the inspiring ending which exactly fits the old house and the FAC.

Now I'm off to try some of the recipes. How about Double Mocha Frappuccino, or Lucy's Baked Brie Appetizer? No, I'd rather try Emily's Potato Pudding. . .

Cyndy kept me giggling on nearly every page. I kept thinking to myself "that is so true and so funny." She's got a humorist's eye for female relationships. The mark of something that's truly funny, though, is that there is a serious side to the issue. The laugh just makes the truth go down easier, and the mystery adds an unusual dynamic to the story of Liz and her friends. The recipes are great, too!

Author Cyndy Salzmann writes with honesty and humor, and just plain down-to-earth reality. While I laughed my way through Dying to Decorate, I also found myself nodding my head in agreement on nearly every page--a sort of been-there-done-that reaction. Best of all, in the midst of her lighthearted humor, Cyndy reminds us that we have been called to a greater service, a higher and nobler purpose than seeking our own happiness and comfort. An honorable, real, hilarious book!

From dealing with a Drama Queen teenager, to trying to look thinner, to wanting "rippling" hair like those on commercials, I know this author knows what it's like to be a real mom in the 21st century! But wait, there's more! An intriguing historical plot from the Underground railroad days, tantilizing recipes and funny dialogue between a tightly knit bond of friends, help make this book a delightful winner!

I'm a history nut, cookbook lover, and I enjoy visiting with my friends. This book wrapped all three in one cover! And the recipes had me ready to call everyone and say, "Let's get together--I'll cook!" Plus that "Working Mom" scene made me gasp and laugh at the memory of being in a similar situation.