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Friday Afternoon Club mysteries #2
Crime and Clutter
A storage unit, a 1963 Volkswagen minibus, and tattered letters...reveal shattering secrets from the '60s.
It's been a year since Mary Alice lost her father -- the father she never really knew. Now she's stuck cleaning out his rubbish from a storage unit. Just when she'd rather it all go away from her well-ordered life, her long-held secret is discovered by the feisty Marina, one of the six members of the Friday Afternoon Club. When these friends make it their mission to help Mary Alice tackle her stash, they arrive at the storage unit, prepared to clean. But what they discover takes them on a riotous ride through the crime and clutter of the sixties, the angst and betrayal of those caught in The Revolution, and the forgiveness that can only come through acceptance of a different kind of Cause.
Includes fun, easy, and tantalizing recipes!
- GenresChristian FictionMystery
270 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
2 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 9, 2007
Chick Lit meets mystery. That's how I would describe Crime & Clutter by Cyndy Salzman.
The Friday Afternoon Club better know as FAC meet each week for encouragement, to fellowship, and share some spectacular recipes. This is the second novel in the Friday Afternoon Club series. The women are fun, comical and more than willing to support each other as well as solve problems. Liz, the protagonist and newspaper columnist, is a down to earth mother and wife who often ends up at the center of mayhem. This time around, Mary Alice, the one deemed to have-it-all-together has a secret. It doesn't take long for the good intentioned FAC members to pull the secret out of a very reluctant Mary Alice.
Mary Alice has never known her dad and out of the blue, she inherits her dad's old VW mini-bus. She is encouraged by the FAC to explore the old heap, but this becomes a bit more than Mary Alice can handle. The more Mary Alice finds out about her hippie dad's ventures, the more she resists forgiving him for abandonment. As the one they all depend on to be perfect goes through an emotional meltdown, Liz and the other FAC members are determined to support their friend and along the way learn a few things about forgiveness themselves.
If you're looking for a light read and have a fascination with the seventies, in particular the hippie era, this cozy mystery is for you. I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times. There are some serious topics mixed in with the humor making for a nice reading blend. The author schooled me with the historical detail of 1970's, where ordinary people fought to bring peace and end the Vietnam War in their own unconventional way.
Cyndy Salzman includes recipes which often show up in the chapter, with one of the FAC members making it or passing it around for others to enjoy. Most of the recipes seemed pretty unique to me. If I was more adventuresome in the kitchen, I might try them out.
The Friday Afternoon Club better know as FAC meet each week for encouragement, to fellowship, and share some spectacular recipes. This is the second novel in the Friday Afternoon Club series. The women are fun, comical and more than willing to support each other as well as solve problems. Liz, the protagonist and newspaper columnist, is a down to earth mother and wife who often ends up at the center of mayhem. This time around, Mary Alice, the one deemed to have-it-all-together has a secret. It doesn't take long for the good intentioned FAC members to pull the secret out of a very reluctant Mary Alice.
Mary Alice has never known her dad and out of the blue, she inherits her dad's old VW mini-bus. She is encouraged by the FAC to explore the old heap, but this becomes a bit more than Mary Alice can handle. The more Mary Alice finds out about her hippie dad's ventures, the more she resists forgiving him for abandonment. As the one they all depend on to be perfect goes through an emotional meltdown, Liz and the other FAC members are determined to support their friend and along the way learn a few things about forgiveness themselves.
If you're looking for a light read and have a fascination with the seventies, in particular the hippie era, this cozy mystery is for you. I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times. There are some serious topics mixed in with the humor making for a nice reading blend. The author schooled me with the historical detail of 1970's, where ordinary people fought to bring peace and end the Vietnam War in their own unconventional way.
Cyndy Salzman includes recipes which often show up in the chapter, with one of the FAC members making it or passing it around for others to enjoy. Most of the recipes seemed pretty unique to me. If I was more adventuresome in the kitchen, I might try them out.
August 8, 2007
Friday Afternoon Club of ladies that support each other, share recipes for comfort snacks and give each other support. One friend is trying to solve the mystery of her father's strange bequest. Her father who was not a part of her childhood was a 60's protestor who's life of protest led him in paths away from his family. Lots of period memories from the sixties, good food and friends. It was a fun read.
August 1, 2007
Inspirational mystery about the 1960's, with
lots of recipes.
lots of recipes.
March 22, 2008
This was the first cozy mystery I ever read and I liked it enough to want to read more cozy mysterys. :) Though suspense will always be my fav! :)
December 31, 2024
Enjoyable but ending wasn't quite as good as I felt it could be.
July 9, 2015
Mary Alice is a member of FAC - Friday Afternoon Club. Dear friends from this group take it upon themselves to help Mary Alice with the overwhelming task of sorting through and cleaning out a storage unit left to Mary by her late father.
Mary let it slip at a meeting one day that she was late paying for a storage unit that belonged to her late father. All the ladies stopped talking and gave Mary Alice their full attention. Father passed away? Why hadn’t she mentioned this before? What is in that unit that she keeps paying for it each month? Why hasn’t she looked at it sooner?
The FAC club takes on the mission to help Mary Alice face her father’s past as they dig thru the stuff in storage. As they enter the unit they first encounter a 1963 Volks Wagon mini bus, tattered letters and other personal items from her father’s mysterious past. What does all this mean?
This author does a great job revealing history from the 60âs thru Mary Alicia’s father. The 60’s were such turbulent times and the people were free thinkers. I love how the author captures the mindset of the Hippies. She is great about showing 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 enjoyed 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!!!) This book was so much fun reading and then the fun continues as you make the recipes. What are you waiting for? Dig in!
Disclosure of Material Connection: #AD sponsored by publisher.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
Nora St Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com
Book Fun Magazine www.bookfunmagazine.com
Mary let it slip at a meeting one day that she was late paying for a storage unit that belonged to her late father. All the ladies stopped talking and gave Mary Alice their full attention. Father passed away? Why hadn’t she mentioned this before? What is in that unit that she keeps paying for it each month? Why hasn’t she looked at it sooner?
The FAC club takes on the mission to help Mary Alice face her father’s past as they dig thru the stuff in storage. As they enter the unit they first encounter a 1963 Volks Wagon mini bus, tattered letters and other personal items from her father’s mysterious past. What does all this mean?
This author does a great job revealing history from the 60âs thru Mary Alicia’s father. The 60’s were such turbulent times and the people were free thinkers. I love how the author captures the mindset of the Hippies. She is great about showing 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 enjoyed 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!!!) This book was so much fun reading and then the fun continues as you make the recipes. What are you waiting for? Dig in!
Disclosure of Material Connection: #AD sponsored by publisher.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
Nora St Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com
Book Fun Magazine www.bookfunmagazine.com
October 1, 2014
It has become fashionable to label anything that contains some sort of discovery as "mystery". By those lights, every time I open my refrigerator, I become a detective. Guys, it's not true. For something to be a mystery, there needs to be a crime, there needs to be a discovery process, and there needs to be resolution.
This book is everything that makes me avoid "chick lit". Discussing a character's issues masquerades as giving it depth; trotting out God's name lets it pretend to be Christian; wacky characterizations substitutes for making people and their situations engaging.
In theory, this book is about a group of friends who support each other through life's hairpin turns. In actuality, the friends seem much too busy getting into teenager scrapes and cracking wise to offer much in the way of emotional support. The author tells us about the characters instead of showing us. If a character is tough, or perfectionistic, or soft-hearted, her behavior should show that; the author shouldn't need to spell it out. Instead, these characters never betray who they really are. The reader can skim the names, because they really don't matter to the plot line.
The flashback insets worked fairly smoothly, but I wished the recipes would have been grouped at the end of the book instead of interleaved. There was just too much to take in at the beginning of every new chapter.
The ending felt abrupt and too pat. After all the lead-up, the resolution was a let-down.
If you love fluff, or are a huge fan of the '60s and trying to understand hippie culture, you might enjoy this. If not, skip it.
This book is everything that makes me avoid "chick lit". Discussing a character's issues masquerades as giving it depth; trotting out God's name lets it pretend to be Christian; wacky characterizations substitutes for making people and their situations engaging.
In theory, this book is about a group of friends who support each other through life's hairpin turns. In actuality, the friends seem much too busy getting into teenager scrapes and cracking wise to offer much in the way of emotional support. The author tells us about the characters instead of showing us. If a character is tough, or perfectionistic, or soft-hearted, her behavior should show that; the author shouldn't need to spell it out. Instead, these characters never betray who they really are. The reader can skim the names, because they really don't matter to the plot line.
The flashback insets worked fairly smoothly, but I wished the recipes would have been grouped at the end of the book instead of interleaved. There was just too much to take in at the beginning of every new chapter.
The ending felt abrupt and too pat. After all the lead-up, the resolution was a let-down.
If you love fluff, or are a huge fan of the '60s and trying to understand hippie culture, you might enjoy this. If not, skip it.
February 28, 2009
While I often re-read books, I read this almost to the end without quite realizing that I'd read it before. This is not a good thing, since it shows how unmemorable the characters and plot are. Prim Mary Alice has been sent the remnants of her father's estate. Since he deserted her mother when Mary Alice was one year old, she has bitter feelings toward him, and wants to discard all his possessions. But her friends of the Friday Afternoon Club encourage her to find out more about him and reconcile her feelings. More would get into spoiler territory, but Salzmann provides a tear-jerker ending. There are a lot of recipes.
December 4, 2007
i am still trying to figure out where the mystery was in this book..It's about ladies who get together every friday. they find out that one of them has been covering up an unpleasant childhood. Evidently her father left her mom and her when she was 1. He went to save the world...a hippie in the 60's.it flashes back to him and happenings during the "movement".the ending is interesting but no way a mystery.
June 14, 2008
This book was just barely good enough for me to finish it. While it is supposed to be an adult book, it was written much in the style of books written for teens. Also, I didn't realize until I was about halfway done with it, that it's a "Christian mystery." Fine for Christians, but a bit too preachy for a pagan such as myself. Be assured, I won't be reading anymore of this authors work.
June 22, 2014
Very enjoyable spiritual read. Wish I had an FAC myself!!! Any mom can identify with the characters. It's nice to have a mystery that doesn't involve stumbling over dead bodies!!! (Although I like those, too.) The interaction between the women and how they support each other even though Marina can drive Liz crazy!!! I hope Cyndy writes more of these.
September 22, 2010
I didn't like the way the story was organized. It was confusing and, unless you really looked at the different styles of typeface used, you couldn't tell when in time you were. Also, having two (2) or more reciepts before the chapter started made you think you missed a page or two.
May 13, 2016
Even the recipes couldn't save this non mystery, saccharine sermon masquerading as a cozy.
April 30, 2008
this gets a 2 because there are good recipes in it, and no bad language...the book itself was not my favorite.
April 11, 2010
The recipes are good.
June 15, 2011
Enjoyable "chick-lit" about a group of friends. Has some great sounding recipes in it too.
December 8, 2014
I liked this book. It is a nice light read. I do disagree with it billing itself as a mystery as it was not a mystery story. Overall a nice little book
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews