tyoramoody

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.