Liz Stauffer

Liz Stauffer’s The Thursday Morning Breakfast (And Murder) Club introduces us to Mount Penn, a small village in the Maryland mountains and its residents, many who are gossips and busybodies. The action of this cozy mystery centers on the local group of men and women who meet every Thursday morning for breakfast and friendship. But when one of their own is accused of murder and others in the group are targeted for violence, the ladies of the group mobilize to find out whodunit.

While I love cozy mysteries, I had trouble connecting with this book. There seemed to be a lot of detail that was not included — physical descriptions of characters and their relationship to each other. I also figured out early who the culprit was, but not the why of the murder. The main snoop, Lillie Mae, has the information needed to solve the case, but it is not shared with the reader. For those who care about such things, there is some profanity as well. Other readers have liked this one, so be sure to check other reviews.

(Thanks to Book Publicity Services for a review copy. The opinions expressed are mine alone.)… (mer)

FROM AMAZON: When Clare Ballard sports a new bruise on her right cheek the day after a contentious town meeting, the ladies of the Thursday Morning Breakfast Club suspect her husband Roger of abusing her. That same day Hester Franklin, another breakfast club lady, is called to rescue her grandson Patrick after he is arrested for transporting drugs. Proclaiming his innocence, Patrick threatens that those who set him up will pay. Roger Ballard is high on his list.

But it’s when Lillie Mae Harris, the club's leader, discovers the body of the local drug dealer on the nearby hiking trail, that the community is upended. Roger Ballard, the primary suspect, goes missing, and when his body turns up in his own back yard, Clare Ballard confesses to his murder. No one believes she did it, but Clare insists she’s guilty and mysteriously refuses to talk to her lawyer, the police, or her family and friends.

The Thursday Morning Breakfast Club ladies believe she’s protecting someone, and they vow to find out who it is. Charlie Warren, the town’s homegrown policeman, using unconventional means, collaborates with the breakfast club ladies to draw out the real criminal. But danger lurks.

Alice Portman, the matriarch of the breakfast club, is struck down in her own yard and is sent to the hospital. Then others in the small community start to disappear—one after the other. As the ladies get closer to the truth, they get closer to the danger. With no time to cry over spilled coffee, they form a plan to capture the true culprits before someone else is murdered.

MY OPINION: It would have been a much better book if the same facts weren't given to us from 4 or 5 different people.… (mer)

THURSDAY MORNING BREAKFAST (AND MURDER) CLUB was an entertaining read for me. I am a fan of mysteries, thrillers and horror and this did not disappoint. Lillie Mae was the main character and your typical “town know it all”. She was also the one everyone turned to for help. It was unclear to me the age bracket she was which confused me sometimes. At one point I thought she was old, but then she would be running the next. That being said, it was just a minor point that confused me.

The mystery was well thought out, well written and did keep me guessing. There were enough plot twists that when I thought for sure it was one character, Ms. Stauffer throws in a twist which made me second guess. There were enough secondary characters to add to the small town ambiance. It was definitely a page turner for me with plenty of suspense for a cozy type mystery. I would definitely recommend this novel.

Rating: 4.5

Reviewed by: KellyR

Courtesy of My Book Addiction and More… (mer)