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4 reviews for:
The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Second Helping
John Weagly, Barb Goffman, Andrew MacRae, S. Furlong-Bolliger, Herschel Cozine, Lesley A. Diehl, Betsy Bitner, Stephen D. Rogers, Steve Shrott, Arlen Blumhagen, J. Alan Hartman, Laura M. Hartman, Linda S. Reilly, Zoe Burke, Amanda Lundberg, Earl Staggs, Arthur C. Carey, Gail Farrelly
4.33 AVERAGE
4 reviews for:
The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Second Helping
John Weagly, Barb Goffman, Andrew MacRae, S. Furlong-Bolliger, Herschel Cozine, Lesley A. Diehl, Betsy Bitner, Stephen D. Rogers, Steve Shrott, Arlen Blumhagen, J. Alan Hartman, Laura M. Hartman, Linda S. Reilly, Zoe Burke, Amanda Lundberg, Earl Staggs, Arthur C. Carey, Gail Farrelly
4.33 AVERAGE
Thanks to the success of the first anthology, J. Alan Hartman of Untreed Reads decided to do it again. As a result the anthology “The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Second Helping” was born. The book features 17 short stories by 17 authors set around Thanksgiving in some way. After a short introduction by Jay Hartman about the books, this one in particular, it is on to the stories.
The book opens with “Reign Check” by Arthur C. Carey where George Simmons is out in his barren Iowa cornfield on a mission with his dog, Lucy. The field has been picked clean, but his wife, Emiline, wants some ears of corn for a Thanksgiving decoration. Emiline, his grown daughter, Alma, and the grandkids are back at the house working on getting the Thanksgiving dinner ready. George can’t wait to get back, but things are going to conspire against him in this twisted and very funny tale.
“Thursday Night at Pins and Pub” by John Weagly follows next with Waylon Preston complaining to Billy Weston that there never is enough gravy. About the only thing Waylon does not put gravy on is pumpkin pie as he really likes gravy. In the small town of Currie Valley there just is not a lot to do. The local bowling alley having some beers is the only place the brothers have to be on Thanksgiving. Everybody knows everybody which makes the suddenly missing tip at the bar even more important.
Sheriff Mollie Goodall is back in “Justice for Elijah” written by two time Derringer winner Earl Staggs. It’s Thanksgiving Day and Sheriff Mollie is covering the office while everyone is off. Her husband, Lilburn, is at home cooking which is very good thing as he loves to cook and is good at it. Elijah Curry is not only one very dirty boy in appearance; he also has a complicated tale of murder that crosses the Watango, Texas county lines.
For some strange reason Mary had to go and marry a vegan. That makes Thanksgiving complicated, but folks have to try and be civil to each other. Maybe he wouldn’t be so thin and cranky in “All in the Family” by Amanda Lundberg if he actually ate some meat. Messing with the Thanksgiving turkey was not cool in this often funny tale that touches on several Thanksgivings and some serious holiday stress.
For the Miller Clan Thanksgiving is the time to celebrate politics and PACs and the entire election process. Politics and collecting power is the life blood of the family. They start them young in “Campaign Seasoning” by Betsy Bitner and skills for their corner of upstate New York. The traditional meal and accompanying jokes were always the same until Alexa came along after marrying into the family. Helen doesn’t trust her one bit.
S. Furlong-Bolliger is up next the often funny story “The Over the Hill Gang.” Back in the day the Hill Gang was a force to be feared. These days there are just a few of them left and that made Deputy Dalton decide there was no need to round up posse. After having Thanksgiving dinner earlier in the day, Deputy Dalton set out in pursuit in this western treat. Even at their worst, the gang never murdered anyone. That has changed as the sheriff dead and Deputy Dalton is going to bring his killer to justice. The question is – which aged criminal did it?
Stan is going to Thanksgiving dinner in “Good Times” by Steve Shrott. He does not think it is any big deal though his red headed receptionist Mindy clearly disagrees.
“’Look, I’m just going to a Thanksgiving dinner, that’s all.
“Yeah, with guys who kill people just cause they slurp their soup too loud.’”
She thinks it is bad idea, but Stan, the dentist, needs to keep all his patients happy as times are hard. Easier said than done at this dinner where paranoia can kill.
Andrew MacRae is up next with “Felony at Farquhar Farms.” It really puts a damper on the festivities when the cook runs from the kitchen screaming. It gets worse when the cook drops to the polished oak floor in the foyer. Apparently, someone is dead and Constable Pratt will have a number of suspects once he arrives by bicycle. Constable Pratt is going to be busy in this often funny tale of romance and mystery.
Thanksgiving dinner at Mickey’s Grandmother’s house in Camden, Maine is always potluck because she can only make on dish. She can only make Waldorf salad in this tale titled “Secret Ingredients” by Zoe Burke. Unfortunately, neighbor Margaret Langenfeld is dead and the mayonnaise in the salad may have done it. Annabelle isn’t so sure.
Ella and Emma Mullen are twin sisters in “Green Beans & Murder” by Arlen Blumhagen. Opposite as possible the twins don’t get along at all. Now, Mullen’s twin daughters are missing. A small town in Montana means somebody local had to do it and Sheriff Cody Gillen is stumped in this twisted story.
It is 1964 and a week before Thanksgiving as “Mashed in the Potatoes” by Lesley A. Diehl opens. There was an incident at Thanksgiving last year and Aunt Nozzie has a plan to prevent a repeat this Thanksgiving. Darcie, her boyfriend, Ken, and Barb will go and luck Ken will experience the Thanksgiving dinner at Aunt Nozzle’s house. No matter how much he is told, he has no idea what he is in for. Good thing Aunt Nozzle has a full bar.
“They eDone Him Wrong” by Gail Farrelly is next. If Uncle Ryan had just kept his mouth shut, except for eating, he would still be 74 and alive. Instead, he ticked everyone off and is now a 74 year old dead man. You could learn something here if you talk a lot in this tale told from the perspective of an e-reader.
Apparently Thanksgiving has been pretty rough for the Fillmore family the last couple of years in “I Yam What I Yam” by Herschel Cozine. First Grandpa Bert died and was laid to rest in the basement. Last year Uncle Lazarus died from arsenic poisoning and was shelved in the basement. Thanksgiving time again and the question is--can they all survive it?
“Talking Turkey” by Linda S. Reilly follows next with sisters Flo and Effie who are arguing over whether or not this is the year Tommy the turkey gets it. Flo wants the turkey dead and can almost taste it as she tells her sister over and over again. Effie is adamant that the turkey is family and has been since, as a baby, it survived the great storm in ‘08. But, as anyone in any family knows, the fight over the turkey is over bigger issues then the turkey or even sibling rivalry.
Frank wants to rob a liquor store on Thanksgiving as a family holiday tradition and wants his wife’s help in “Drumsticks Can be Deadly” by Stephen D. Rogers. After all, he never said word one when Laurie would visit her parents on Thanksgiving last year. It is a great plan too. Neither one can testify against each other because they are married. Junior in his diapers can’t do anything beyond baby talk. Old Man Gruber is the perfect target. It’s a great plan even despite a possible curse.
Thanksgiving is going to be very different this year with Grandpa dead. Grandmother has come a long way in the funny “Murder a la Mode” by Barb Goffman. But, her new lifestyle is way too revealing according to Felicity and as long as they stay in the car she and Thomas won’t have to deal with it. If they leave right away and never go to the door they can be back in Atlanta where they belong in 90 minutes.
“Perfect Pumpkin Pie” by Laura Hartman brings the collection to a close. Sharon isn’t at all happy that Mason went and invited his mother and Aunt Lilly over for Thanksgiving. Their dinners have always been perfect over the years and Sharon feels she can’t complete. The fact that her mother-in-law hates her won’t help things.
While Thanksgiving dinner is often the scene of crime, the reasons and the suspects vary tremendously in this often funny book of short stories. The 17 tales here are good ones featuring complexity and variety in styles and situations. Some tales are fairly serious while others start the reader laughing from the first sentence. The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Second Helping is a solidly good read
The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Second Helping
Editor J. Alan Hartman
Untreed Reads
http://www.untreedreads.com
October 2012
Kindle E-Book
(estimated print length 162 Pages)
$4.99
Material supplied by Brendan Seibel of Untreed Reads for my objective review.
Reviewer Note:
I have explained before that Earl Staggs and I are in the same local writing group. I was privileged to see early drafts of his story and had very minimal input. Furthermore, in the interests of full disclosure, Earl Staggs is the only author in this collection I have any contact like that regarding his or her work. None of the other stories were read by me at any point before reading them in this book.
I also do not have any work under consideration at Untreed Reads and currently have no plans at all to submit something. That would require me to be working on my own fiction. I have not been doing that for quite some time beyond what took me months to do regarding MIND SLICES.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2012
Author of the e-book short story collection Mind Slices available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords in a variety of formats.
Contributor to the Carpathian Shadows, Volume II anthology available in print and e-book.
Book Reviews and More http://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/
The book opens with “Reign Check” by Arthur C. Carey where George Simmons is out in his barren Iowa cornfield on a mission with his dog, Lucy. The field has been picked clean, but his wife, Emiline, wants some ears of corn for a Thanksgiving decoration. Emiline, his grown daughter, Alma, and the grandkids are back at the house working on getting the Thanksgiving dinner ready. George can’t wait to get back, but things are going to conspire against him in this twisted and very funny tale.
“Thursday Night at Pins and Pub” by John Weagly follows next with Waylon Preston complaining to Billy Weston that there never is enough gravy. About the only thing Waylon does not put gravy on is pumpkin pie as he really likes gravy. In the small town of Currie Valley there just is not a lot to do. The local bowling alley having some beers is the only place the brothers have to be on Thanksgiving. Everybody knows everybody which makes the suddenly missing tip at the bar even more important.
Sheriff Mollie Goodall is back in “Justice for Elijah” written by two time Derringer winner Earl Staggs. It’s Thanksgiving Day and Sheriff Mollie is covering the office while everyone is off. Her husband, Lilburn, is at home cooking which is very good thing as he loves to cook and is good at it. Elijah Curry is not only one very dirty boy in appearance; he also has a complicated tale of murder that crosses the Watango, Texas county lines.
For some strange reason Mary had to go and marry a vegan. That makes Thanksgiving complicated, but folks have to try and be civil to each other. Maybe he wouldn’t be so thin and cranky in “All in the Family” by Amanda Lundberg if he actually ate some meat. Messing with the Thanksgiving turkey was not cool in this often funny tale that touches on several Thanksgivings and some serious holiday stress.
For the Miller Clan Thanksgiving is the time to celebrate politics and PACs and the entire election process. Politics and collecting power is the life blood of the family. They start them young in “Campaign Seasoning” by Betsy Bitner and skills for their corner of upstate New York. The traditional meal and accompanying jokes were always the same until Alexa came along after marrying into the family. Helen doesn’t trust her one bit.
S. Furlong-Bolliger is up next the often funny story “The Over the Hill Gang.” Back in the day the Hill Gang was a force to be feared. These days there are just a few of them left and that made Deputy Dalton decide there was no need to round up posse. After having Thanksgiving dinner earlier in the day, Deputy Dalton set out in pursuit in this western treat. Even at their worst, the gang never murdered anyone. That has changed as the sheriff dead and Deputy Dalton is going to bring his killer to justice. The question is – which aged criminal did it?
Stan is going to Thanksgiving dinner in “Good Times” by Steve Shrott. He does not think it is any big deal though his red headed receptionist Mindy clearly disagrees.
“’Look, I’m just going to a Thanksgiving dinner, that’s all.
“Yeah, with guys who kill people just cause they slurp their soup too loud.’”
She thinks it is bad idea, but Stan, the dentist, needs to keep all his patients happy as times are hard. Easier said than done at this dinner where paranoia can kill.
Andrew MacRae is up next with “Felony at Farquhar Farms.” It really puts a damper on the festivities when the cook runs from the kitchen screaming. It gets worse when the cook drops to the polished oak floor in the foyer. Apparently, someone is dead and Constable Pratt will have a number of suspects once he arrives by bicycle. Constable Pratt is going to be busy in this often funny tale of romance and mystery.
Thanksgiving dinner at Mickey’s Grandmother’s house in Camden, Maine is always potluck because she can only make on dish. She can only make Waldorf salad in this tale titled “Secret Ingredients” by Zoe Burke. Unfortunately, neighbor Margaret Langenfeld is dead and the mayonnaise in the salad may have done it. Annabelle isn’t so sure.
Ella and Emma Mullen are twin sisters in “Green Beans & Murder” by Arlen Blumhagen. Opposite as possible the twins don’t get along at all. Now, Mullen’s twin daughters are missing. A small town in Montana means somebody local had to do it and Sheriff Cody Gillen is stumped in this twisted story.
It is 1964 and a week before Thanksgiving as “Mashed in the Potatoes” by Lesley A. Diehl opens. There was an incident at Thanksgiving last year and Aunt Nozzie has a plan to prevent a repeat this Thanksgiving. Darcie, her boyfriend, Ken, and Barb will go and luck Ken will experience the Thanksgiving dinner at Aunt Nozzle’s house. No matter how much he is told, he has no idea what he is in for. Good thing Aunt Nozzle has a full bar.
“They eDone Him Wrong” by Gail Farrelly is next. If Uncle Ryan had just kept his mouth shut, except for eating, he would still be 74 and alive. Instead, he ticked everyone off and is now a 74 year old dead man. You could learn something here if you talk a lot in this tale told from the perspective of an e-reader.
Apparently Thanksgiving has been pretty rough for the Fillmore family the last couple of years in “I Yam What I Yam” by Herschel Cozine. First Grandpa Bert died and was laid to rest in the basement. Last year Uncle Lazarus died from arsenic poisoning and was shelved in the basement. Thanksgiving time again and the question is--can they all survive it?
“Talking Turkey” by Linda S. Reilly follows next with sisters Flo and Effie who are arguing over whether or not this is the year Tommy the turkey gets it. Flo wants the turkey dead and can almost taste it as she tells her sister over and over again. Effie is adamant that the turkey is family and has been since, as a baby, it survived the great storm in ‘08. But, as anyone in any family knows, the fight over the turkey is over bigger issues then the turkey or even sibling rivalry.
Frank wants to rob a liquor store on Thanksgiving as a family holiday tradition and wants his wife’s help in “Drumsticks Can be Deadly” by Stephen D. Rogers. After all, he never said word one when Laurie would visit her parents on Thanksgiving last year. It is a great plan too. Neither one can testify against each other because they are married. Junior in his diapers can’t do anything beyond baby talk. Old Man Gruber is the perfect target. It’s a great plan even despite a possible curse.
Thanksgiving is going to be very different this year with Grandpa dead. Grandmother has come a long way in the funny “Murder a la Mode” by Barb Goffman. But, her new lifestyle is way too revealing according to Felicity and as long as they stay in the car she and Thomas won’t have to deal with it. If they leave right away and never go to the door they can be back in Atlanta where they belong in 90 minutes.
“Perfect Pumpkin Pie” by Laura Hartman brings the collection to a close. Sharon isn’t at all happy that Mason went and invited his mother and Aunt Lilly over for Thanksgiving. Their dinners have always been perfect over the years and Sharon feels she can’t complete. The fact that her mother-in-law hates her won’t help things.
While Thanksgiving dinner is often the scene of crime, the reasons and the suspects vary tremendously in this often funny book of short stories. The 17 tales here are good ones featuring complexity and variety in styles and situations. Some tales are fairly serious while others start the reader laughing from the first sentence. The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Second Helping is a solidly good read
The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Second Helping
Editor J. Alan Hartman
Untreed Reads
http://www.untreedreads.com
October 2012
Kindle E-Book
(estimated print length 162 Pages)
$4.99
Material supplied by Brendan Seibel of Untreed Reads for my objective review.
Reviewer Note:
I have explained before that Earl Staggs and I are in the same local writing group. I was privileged to see early drafts of his story and had very minimal input. Furthermore, in the interests of full disclosure, Earl Staggs is the only author in this collection I have any contact like that regarding his or her work. None of the other stories were read by me at any point before reading them in this book.
I also do not have any work under consideration at Untreed Reads and currently have no plans at all to submit something. That would require me to be working on my own fiction. I have not been doing that for quite some time beyond what took me months to do regarding MIND SLICES.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2012
Author of the e-book short story collection Mind Slices available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords in a variety of formats.
Contributor to the Carpathian Shadows, Volume II anthology available in print and e-book.
Book Reviews and More http://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/
Have you ever looked at that classic Norman Rockwell picture of Thanksgiving where the bird is about to meet its end at the utensils of all the happy family at the table and seen something sinister going on? What might possibly lurk behind those smiles? Is a smile on one or more at the table just a little too forced? Maybe you think the picture is fine. Maybe your own family is a cause to contemplate a little holiday murder. You get the family you are born into, but who says some of them don't need taking out?
That is the premise behind The Killer Wore Cranberry series from Untreed Reads. The offering this year titled The Killer Wore Cranberry: Room For Thirds is another good one featuring twisted--and often murderous--behavior on and around Thanksgiving. While none of the stories actually deals with the real rage behind Thanksgiving (premature Christmas music and advertising) the stories are still good ones. The book this year also features three recipes of her own from author Lisa Wagner for Pumpkin Cranberry Pancakes, Cranberry Chutney, and Apple Cranberry Pie.
After an introduction by editor J. Alan Hartman, the stories begin with “Stuffed” by Toni Goodyear. George knew his wife Sharon was cheating on him before listening to it happening on his surveillance gear. She is misbehaving at the house of Brian Welling. Brian is a neighbor and supposed to be his friend. It started weeks ago and George did notice it happening despite his wife’s often repeated claims that George never notices anything. George is going to make sure this Thanksgiving is one for all to remember.
It is just days before Thanksgiving in 1969 and Aunt Nozzie, short for Aunt Rosalind, has decided to go into business out of her kitchen making jams, sauces, and the like. If that wasn't bad enough she has summoned Darcie to come home to Illinois for Thanksgiving as well as to help with the cooking. The last thing Darcie wants to do is do that as when she comes home for Thanksgiving somebody gets murdered. But, you do what you have to do for your favorite Aunt in “A Saucy Kind Of Holiday” by Lesley A. Diehl.
The next story titled “The Corner Suite” by Elizabeth Hosang is punctuated for narration though it reads as if it is all dialogue from an elderly woman. Through the piece we learn of her plans for plants, food, and a certain room she has wants at the retirement home.
The fictional cooking show on a cable channel that serves as background for “Operation Knock Her Down a Peg” by Barb Goffman could certainly be a real one. Darkly funny, it tells the tale of the plan of one cousin to teach another cousin her place by way of an inedible Thanksgiving dinner. Easier said than done in so many ways.
It was all the fault of the moonshine. Saturday night moonshine drinking has led the idea of stealing a pig in “A Pig in a Poke” by Herschel Cozine. Lem is tired of having turkey every Thanksgiving and wants something different this year. His not so brilliant idea is to go swipe a pig from the pen at Barlow's place. The idea was bad enough, but the execution is way worse.
“Mama Made Kugel” by Barbara Metzger is next. Kugel was the only thing Mama ever made right. She has been missing seven years now, has been declared dead, and her daughter, Mira, wants this Thanksgiving done the right way with Mama's Kugel. She still can't find her mama's recipe loose leaf binder so she can't do things like Mama would have if she was there. Instead, she has to put up with caters and various relatives she could easily do without. It's going to be a very special Thanksgiving---just not the way Mira intended.
The Reverend Blister B. Bullet is face down in his mashed potatoes in the dining room of the retirement home. The potatoes are not why he died. The big kitchen knife that is embedded in his neck did the deed in the often amusing “The Mashed Potato/Cranberry Thanksgiving Murder Case” by Big Jim Williams. According to Police Detective Sedgwick Segway, known as “Scooter” to his fellow officers, it is also clear that:
“’Judging by the angle of the Knife” continued Segway,” I'd say he was murdered by either a right-or left handed killer.’”
Coming late to the Thanksgiving dinner was a good idea in “The Bells of Saint Marie” by Randall Dewitt. More can't be said without ruining the twisted and often very funny read.
Humor is also present in “You Say Potato” by Sarafina Gravagno. Uncle Jim is dead and Miss Hartigan blames the yams. Those yams are what started everything off in this complicated tale.
Morris knew his day was very strange when the vegetables started talking to him. First, it was the potato he was about to pull out of the ground as “Vegetables Aren't Good For You!” by Laird Long begins. Then the pumpkins did it, the peas did it, and then the turkeys headed for him while chanting “Eat me-at, Morris.” Then, things really went bad.
Maybe it was food poisoning or maybe it was something else in “Blame it on the Chef” by Rhett Shepard. Dad tries different things every Thanksgiving because he thinks he is an amateur gourmet chief. Sometimes there are bathroom casualties, but nobody ever actually died before though they may have felt like it. Uncle Jeb is most definitely dead and the why and the how will take the Police and Kathleen to figure out.
We have all had really cheap pens stop working at inopportune times. The pens that Tom swiped from work are really bad ones. So he didn't take the phone message down correctly in “It's All in the Timing” by Warren Bull. Much like the first proverbial domino in a row that, when touched starts off the cascading chain, Tom’s failure to get the message correct triggered a cascade of events that culminated in one heck of a Thanksgiving dinner.
Trish is trying to finish setting up Thanksgiving dinner, but Crease keeps swiping tastes in “Diminishing Returns” by Lee Hammerschmidt. He has plans and isn't sticking around for dinner. Trish is going to need more wine and help with to deal with this.
Cletus Harper believes broccoli is the devil’s food. Maybe if Flo hadn't gone and ruined his cheese by sticking broccoli in it, nothing would have happened. She did it, he has his shotgun, and she is outside screaming about him to the neighbors in “Cheese it, The Cops” by Sharon Daynard.
The whole point of leaving Oakland and moving to Nowhere, Alaska, was to get away from the homicides. The place only has 32 residents. Now its population has been reduced by two thirds and a former cop is supposed to figure it all out in “Fowl Play” by Mary Mackey.
Doing the Thanksgiving Dinner and dealing with all the assorted guests was bad enough in “Next Year, the Lotus Garden” by Mary Patterson Thornburg. Kate had tried to get Mack to go to the Lotus Garden and break the Thanksgiving disaster cycle and he wouldn't. Now she has to put everybody up for the night and maybe longer as a brutal winter storm has descended on the area in the final story of the book.
Brief bios of the 17 authors involved bring the book to a close.
The Killer Wore Cranberry: Room For Thirds is another solidly good installment of the series. No matter how tough your own relatives are, they should not come close to these fictional ones depicted in the often darkly funny stories. If they do, you have inspirational material for the next installment, but be sure to be very careful on the research angle. As some of these characters found out, planning is very important and discovery of your intentions beforehand can be disastrous.
The Killer Wore Cranberry: Room For Thirds
Editor: J. Alan Hartman
Untreed Reads
http://www.untreedreads.com
October 2013
ASIN: B00G5WH78K
E-book
167 Pages (estimated)
$4.99
Material supplied by Editor J. Alan Hartman for my use in an objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2013
That is the premise behind The Killer Wore Cranberry series from Untreed Reads. The offering this year titled The Killer Wore Cranberry: Room For Thirds is another good one featuring twisted--and often murderous--behavior on and around Thanksgiving. While none of the stories actually deals with the real rage behind Thanksgiving (premature Christmas music and advertising) the stories are still good ones. The book this year also features three recipes of her own from author Lisa Wagner for Pumpkin Cranberry Pancakes, Cranberry Chutney, and Apple Cranberry Pie.
After an introduction by editor J. Alan Hartman, the stories begin with “Stuffed” by Toni Goodyear. George knew his wife Sharon was cheating on him before listening to it happening on his surveillance gear. She is misbehaving at the house of Brian Welling. Brian is a neighbor and supposed to be his friend. It started weeks ago and George did notice it happening despite his wife’s often repeated claims that George never notices anything. George is going to make sure this Thanksgiving is one for all to remember.
It is just days before Thanksgiving in 1969 and Aunt Nozzie, short for Aunt Rosalind, has decided to go into business out of her kitchen making jams, sauces, and the like. If that wasn't bad enough she has summoned Darcie to come home to Illinois for Thanksgiving as well as to help with the cooking. The last thing Darcie wants to do is do that as when she comes home for Thanksgiving somebody gets murdered. But, you do what you have to do for your favorite Aunt in “A Saucy Kind Of Holiday” by Lesley A. Diehl.
The next story titled “The Corner Suite” by Elizabeth Hosang is punctuated for narration though it reads as if it is all dialogue from an elderly woman. Through the piece we learn of her plans for plants, food, and a certain room she has wants at the retirement home.
The fictional cooking show on a cable channel that serves as background for “Operation Knock Her Down a Peg” by Barb Goffman could certainly be a real one. Darkly funny, it tells the tale of the plan of one cousin to teach another cousin her place by way of an inedible Thanksgiving dinner. Easier said than done in so many ways.
It was all the fault of the moonshine. Saturday night moonshine drinking has led the idea of stealing a pig in “A Pig in a Poke” by Herschel Cozine. Lem is tired of having turkey every Thanksgiving and wants something different this year. His not so brilliant idea is to go swipe a pig from the pen at Barlow's place. The idea was bad enough, but the execution is way worse.
“Mama Made Kugel” by Barbara Metzger is next. Kugel was the only thing Mama ever made right. She has been missing seven years now, has been declared dead, and her daughter, Mira, wants this Thanksgiving done the right way with Mama's Kugel. She still can't find her mama's recipe loose leaf binder so she can't do things like Mama would have if she was there. Instead, she has to put up with caters and various relatives she could easily do without. It's going to be a very special Thanksgiving---just not the way Mira intended.
The Reverend Blister B. Bullet is face down in his mashed potatoes in the dining room of the retirement home. The potatoes are not why he died. The big kitchen knife that is embedded in his neck did the deed in the often amusing “The Mashed Potato/Cranberry Thanksgiving Murder Case” by Big Jim Williams. According to Police Detective Sedgwick Segway, known as “Scooter” to his fellow officers, it is also clear that:
“’Judging by the angle of the Knife” continued Segway,” I'd say he was murdered by either a right-or left handed killer.’”
Coming late to the Thanksgiving dinner was a good idea in “The Bells of Saint Marie” by Randall Dewitt. More can't be said without ruining the twisted and often very funny read.
Humor is also present in “You Say Potato” by Sarafina Gravagno. Uncle Jim is dead and Miss Hartigan blames the yams. Those yams are what started everything off in this complicated tale.
Morris knew his day was very strange when the vegetables started talking to him. First, it was the potato he was about to pull out of the ground as “Vegetables Aren't Good For You!” by Laird Long begins. Then the pumpkins did it, the peas did it, and then the turkeys headed for him while chanting “Eat me-at, Morris.” Then, things really went bad.
Maybe it was food poisoning or maybe it was something else in “Blame it on the Chef” by Rhett Shepard. Dad tries different things every Thanksgiving because he thinks he is an amateur gourmet chief. Sometimes there are bathroom casualties, but nobody ever actually died before though they may have felt like it. Uncle Jeb is most definitely dead and the why and the how will take the Police and Kathleen to figure out.
We have all had really cheap pens stop working at inopportune times. The pens that Tom swiped from work are really bad ones. So he didn't take the phone message down correctly in “It's All in the Timing” by Warren Bull. Much like the first proverbial domino in a row that, when touched starts off the cascading chain, Tom’s failure to get the message correct triggered a cascade of events that culminated in one heck of a Thanksgiving dinner.
Trish is trying to finish setting up Thanksgiving dinner, but Crease keeps swiping tastes in “Diminishing Returns” by Lee Hammerschmidt. He has plans and isn't sticking around for dinner. Trish is going to need more wine and help with to deal with this.
Cletus Harper believes broccoli is the devil’s food. Maybe if Flo hadn't gone and ruined his cheese by sticking broccoli in it, nothing would have happened. She did it, he has his shotgun, and she is outside screaming about him to the neighbors in “Cheese it, The Cops” by Sharon Daynard.
The whole point of leaving Oakland and moving to Nowhere, Alaska, was to get away from the homicides. The place only has 32 residents. Now its population has been reduced by two thirds and a former cop is supposed to figure it all out in “Fowl Play” by Mary Mackey.
Doing the Thanksgiving Dinner and dealing with all the assorted guests was bad enough in “Next Year, the Lotus Garden” by Mary Patterson Thornburg. Kate had tried to get Mack to go to the Lotus Garden and break the Thanksgiving disaster cycle and he wouldn't. Now she has to put everybody up for the night and maybe longer as a brutal winter storm has descended on the area in the final story of the book.
Brief bios of the 17 authors involved bring the book to a close.
The Killer Wore Cranberry: Room For Thirds is another solidly good installment of the series. No matter how tough your own relatives are, they should not come close to these fictional ones depicted in the often darkly funny stories. If they do, you have inspirational material for the next installment, but be sure to be very careful on the research angle. As some of these characters found out, planning is very important and discovery of your intentions beforehand can be disastrous.
The Killer Wore Cranberry: Room For Thirds
Editor: J. Alan Hartman
Untreed Reads
http://www.untreedreads.com
October 2013
ASIN: B00G5WH78K
E-book
167 Pages (estimated)
$4.99
Material supplied by Editor J. Alan Hartman for my use in an objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2013
*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
A third helping of TKWC could make one appear gluttonous, but this huge heaping helping won’t make you put on an ounce. I swear! In fact, laughing at some of the humorous stories in this anthology will actually help you lose weight. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Stuffed by Toni Goodyear ~ I’d rather have a divorce, please.
A Saucy Kind of Holiday by Lesley A. Diehl ~ Yay! Aunt Nozzie stories are a kick!
The Corner Suite by Elizabeth Hosang ~ You just can’t trust anyone these days.
Operation Knock Her Down a Peg by Barb Goffman ~ Revenge can get you in trouble.
A Pig in a Poke by Herschel Cozine ~ Amusing.
Mama Made Kugel by Barbara Metzger ~ I love Ms. Metzger’s historical romances and wasn’t sure about a contemporary by her, but I love this story.
The Mashed Potato/Cranberry Thanksgiving Murder Case by Big Jim Williams ~ Ok, this is way out there on the far side of farcical.
The Bells of Saint Marie by Randall DeWitt ~ Woah…
You Say Potato by Sarafina Gravagno ~ Ha! A favorite.
Vegetables Aren’t Good for You! by Laird Long ~ Way out there. I’m beginning to sense a theme with Mr. Long.
Blame It on the Chef by Rhett Shepard ~ I thought my family was weird.
It’s All in the Timing by Warren Bull ~ My least favorite.
Diminishing Returns by Lee Hammerschmidt ~ Well, ok…revenge can be sweet.
Cheese It, The Cops by Sharon Daynard ~ It’s okay, not a favorite.
Fowl Play by Mary Mackey ~ Ok, I was stumped on this one, but the end is just weird.
Next Year, the Lotus Garden by Mary Patterson ~ Plenty of suspects. I like that.
Recipes by Lisa Wagner ~ These sound so yummy! I’m going to have to give them a whirl.
A third helping of TKWC could make one appear gluttonous, but this huge heaping helping won’t make you put on an ounce. I swear! In fact, laughing at some of the humorous stories in this anthology will actually help you lose weight. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Stuffed by Toni Goodyear ~ I’d rather have a divorce, please.
A Saucy Kind of Holiday by Lesley A. Diehl ~ Yay! Aunt Nozzie stories are a kick!
The Corner Suite by Elizabeth Hosang ~ You just can’t trust anyone these days.
Operation Knock Her Down a Peg by Barb Goffman ~ Revenge can get you in trouble.
A Pig in a Poke by Herschel Cozine ~ Amusing.
Mama Made Kugel by Barbara Metzger ~ I love Ms. Metzger’s historical romances and wasn’t sure about a contemporary by her, but I love this story.
The Mashed Potato/Cranberry Thanksgiving Murder Case by Big Jim Williams ~ Ok, this is way out there on the far side of farcical.
The Bells of Saint Marie by Randall DeWitt ~ Woah…
You Say Potato by Sarafina Gravagno ~ Ha! A favorite.
Vegetables Aren’t Good for You! by Laird Long ~ Way out there. I’m beginning to sense a theme with Mr. Long.
Blame It on the Chef by Rhett Shepard ~ I thought my family was weird.
It’s All in the Timing by Warren Bull ~ My least favorite.
Diminishing Returns by Lee Hammerschmidt ~ Well, ok…revenge can be sweet.
Cheese It, The Cops by Sharon Daynard ~ It’s okay, not a favorite.
Fowl Play by Mary Mackey ~ Ok, I was stumped on this one, but the end is just weird.
Next Year, the Lotus Garden by Mary Patterson ~ Plenty of suspects. I like that.
Recipes by Lisa Wagner ~ These sound so yummy! I’m going to have to give them a whirl.
*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
TKWC anthology is back with a second edition containing even more wacky and wonderful stories of Thanksgiving mystery and mayhem. Dig in! Don’t worry, they’re calorie free and not poisoned.
Reign Check by Arthur C. Carey ~ Ha! Gotta love George!
Thursday Night at Pins and Pub by John Weagley ~ My least favorite of the bunch.
Justice for Elijah by Earl Staggs ~ Ah! Sheriff Mollie is back. A favorite!
All in the Family by Amanda Lundberg ~ Funny!
Campaign Seasoning by Betsy Bitner ~ Like this one.
The Over the Hill Gang by S. Furlong-Bolliger ~ Oops.
Good Times by Steve Shrott ~ Stan, the dentist to mobsters. Yeah, this dinner is gonna go well. lol
Felony at Farquhar Farms by Andrew MacRae ~ This is like Clue!
Secret Ingredients by Zoe Burke ~ Good one.
Green Beans & Murder by Arlen Blumhagen ~ Another good one.
Mashed in the Potatoes by Lesley A. Diehl ~ Yay! Aunt Nozzie & gang are back!
They eDone Him Wrong by Gail Farrelly ~ Weird.
I Yam What I Yam by Herschel Cozine ~ Oh, no. Not again!
Talkin’ Turkey by Linda S. Reilly ~ Gotta be smarter than that.
Drumsticks Can Be Deadly by Stephanie D. Rogers ~ Even the best laid plans…
Murder a la Mode by Barb Goffman ~ I would definitely plot revenge.
Perfect Pumpkin Pie by Laura Hartman ~ Never be a bitchy mother-in-law. It won’t end well.
TKWC anthology is back with a second edition containing even more wacky and wonderful stories of Thanksgiving mystery and mayhem. Dig in! Don’t worry, they’re calorie free and not poisoned.
Reign Check by Arthur C. Carey ~ Ha! Gotta love George!
Thursday Night at Pins and Pub by John Weagley ~ My least favorite of the bunch.
Justice for Elijah by Earl Staggs ~ Ah! Sheriff Mollie is back. A favorite!
All in the Family by Amanda Lundberg ~ Funny!
Campaign Seasoning by Betsy Bitner ~ Like this one.
The Over the Hill Gang by S. Furlong-Bolliger ~ Oops.
Good Times by Steve Shrott ~ Stan, the dentist to mobsters. Yeah, this dinner is gonna go well. lol
Felony at Farquhar Farms by Andrew MacRae ~ This is like Clue!
Secret Ingredients by Zoe Burke ~ Good one.
Green Beans & Murder by Arlen Blumhagen ~ Another good one.
Mashed in the Potatoes by Lesley A. Diehl ~ Yay! Aunt Nozzie & gang are back!
They eDone Him Wrong by Gail Farrelly ~ Weird.
I Yam What I Yam by Herschel Cozine ~ Oh, no. Not again!
Talkin’ Turkey by Linda S. Reilly ~ Gotta be smarter than that.
Drumsticks Can Be Deadly by Stephanie D. Rogers ~ Even the best laid plans…
Murder a la Mode by Barb Goffman ~ I would definitely plot revenge.
Perfect Pumpkin Pie by Laura Hartman ~ Never be a bitchy mother-in-law. It won’t end well.