Sea Cliff - Mary Deal, Author

ZUCCHINI-TOMATO PIE

 2 cups  Zucchini, chopped

1 cup Tomato, chopped

1/2 cup Onion, chopped

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 1/2 cups Milk

3/4 cup Bisquick

3 Eggs

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease or spray 10 inch quiche dish or 10 x 1 1/2 inch pie plate.  Sprinkle zucchini, tomato, onion and cheese to cover bottom of dish.  Beat remaining ingredients until smooth (15 seconds in blender on high; 1 minute with hand beater). Pour over ingredients in dish.  Bake about 30 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool five minutes. Serve.

Sea Cliff - Review by Martha A. Cheves

All her life, her father reminded that she didn't know how to do anything competently.  He'd painfully flick her ear, or slap or kick her when he was frustrated.  He'd use a board if he had one in his hand.  He destroyed what little self-confidence she had and denied her any opportunities to prove her abilities.  In one way or another he'd convince himself he was right...  and it wasn't just Rachael that was rewarded with his abuse... He griped about raising two kids alone.  He cursed her mother for having died, then mumbled something about it being better anyway because she was another burden to him.  He was vicious and self-serving.  Rachael's brother Brandon's grades were poor.  He had a broken arm and ended up making excuses about how it happened.  

Rachael is a writer and the book she is working on at the moment is about the life of a fictional woman who has gone through abuse as a child.  Her character finally meets a man who seems to be able to take her as she is, hang-ups and all.  But due to her abuse, the character has a hard time accepting affection of any kind... just like Rachael herself.

I don't normally read romance novels.  Most seem to be the same - girl meets guy, they have their problems, they have their heated intimate times, fight, finally get together and live happily ever after.  This book was so different.  The author talks about the abuse and the damage it can do to a child and how it carries on into adulthood.  And on top of that, she has written a beautiful story that I, who doesn't like romance novels, had trouble putting down.

Never Say Goodbye - Richard Parker, Author

Releases August 14, 2018

TOM FABIAN DEVILLED EGGS

Makes 8 (16 halves)

Ingredients

8 eggs

3 tbsp chipotle mayo

Healthy sprinkle of smoked paprika (better depth of flavor than ordinary paprika)

Healthy sprinkle of garlic powder

1 tbsp chopped fresh chives

Sprinkle of salt

Sprinkle of white pepper

(Tsp of English mustard if you want them even hotter)

Directions

Boil eggs for 10 minutes. Tip away hot water and add cold. When they're cool, peel off shells and cut each egg in half

Scoop out yolks and put into a bowl. Add all ingredients and mix thoroughly with a fork. Spoon or pipe back into each egg half. Sprinkle eggs with a little of the smoked paprika to decorate.

Never Say Goodbye - Review by Martha A. Cheves

"Whiting hadn't made any connections between the four victims.  Each one had been murdered in a different area of the city."  Metcalfe consulted his note.  "First was female - an affluent black law student, second was a white, mail, middle-aged taxi driver.  Third a white teenage girl who worked in a supermarket and the fourth a geriatric white female, Janet Wells.... "But no witnesses."... "no.  First victim was attacked in a car park at night, second under a railway bridge, third in the garden.  Janet Wells was the first victim of a break-in.  As far as we know, the attacker wasn't interrupted on any occasion."  

DCI Alec Metcalfe has just updated Detective Tom Fabian of the latest information on victims that seem to be randomly chosen.  Each is stabbed several times, hopefully killing them, before they are stabbed with a knife to the face mutilating their facial features.  None of the victims knew each other nor had anything in common.  So, why were they chosen?

This was another of those books that took me all the way to the last few chapters before I was informed as to who and why!  I had one suspect at about 70% into the book but found that I was totally wrong and totally shocked as to who and why.

If you want a great suspense, murder mystery, I have to recommend Never Say Goodbye .  It held my interest to the extent that I finished it in under 5 nights!  Yep, that good.

A Very Mersey Murder (Mersey Mystery Series Book 5) - Brian L. Porter, Author

Scouse
(The best scouse this side of the Mersey)

Serves: 3

400g beef (preferably a tough cut like chuck or even flank)

30ml oil

salt and pepper
1 large onion, diced

1 stock cube (preferably Knorr®)

500ml hot water

2 bay leaves

a few sprigs thyme
4 large carrots, cut into 15mm chunks

6 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2 cm chunks

pickled red cabbage, to serve

Method
Prep: 15 min.  Cook: 2 hrs. Ready in 2 hrs 15 min.

Dice the meat if not already done into whatever size you prefer, remembering the size will shrink slightly.

Heat the oil in the pan to a medium temperature and add the meat. Season very well at this early stage with salt and pepper. Stir and turn until just brown all over. Do not drain. Add the onions and continue to stir on a medium heat for around 10 minutes; the onions must not brown.

Add the stock with the water (or 500 ml of good homemade stock) and bring to the boil. Add the bay and the a few little twigs of thyme, stir, cover and when bubbling, reduce to medium heat. You want the stock to bubble but not violently for 1 hour.

Uncover and add the carrots and potatoes, turn up the heat until bubbling throughout and reduce slightly. Leave for another 45 minutes to 1 hour with the lid off the pan so it reduces. When the veg has been cooked through but retains some firmness, the best way to check is to see if it falls easily off the end of a fork without cracking or breaking, then it is normally done perfectly.

The stew should reduce once the veg is added and the lid, but you may need to add more water or perhaps turn the heat up to ensure the liquid is as thick as good gravy.

Taste and season again if necessary. Serve in a bowl with the red cabbage and plenty of juice on the top. Really delicious.

Serving suggestion - Yummy with a nice bottle of real ale!

Tip - Really important that dish is well seasoned!

A Very Mersey Murder - Review by Martha A. Cheves

A woman is brutally raped and murdered, her body left close to the old disused lighthouse in Hale.  Then came a second and finally a third murder.  All being committed by who the police feel is the same person.  One was a barmaid, one worked with animals and the third was a policewoman.  These murders happened thirty-nine years ago with no arrests being made and the case assigned to the cold case files.

This is the information Detective Inspector Andy Ross has just given to his people that make up the Merseyside Police Specialist Murder Investigation Team.  His biggest concern regarding this cold case is that there have been two more recent murders that are very similar to those from thirty-nine years ago.  The first being a barmaid and the second being a veterinary student.  If the person doing the killings now continues to follow the original murders the third will be taking place within just a few days and that person will be one of their own... a police woman.

I've read every book this award-winning author has written.  His Jack the Ripper series kept my nerves tied into knots from beginning to end.  I've read this series - Mersey Mystery - and I will admit that the 1st book was good, the second was better and as I read the third and forth they got even better but I must say that book five takes me back to the Ripper series!

As I read murder mysteries I judge their ability to fool me by how quickly I can come up with the guilty party.  If I have at least the person figured out by around 20% into the book it is a good book.  If it takes me 50% to decide who it might be, that is a very good book.  And 75% marks the book as an extremely good mystery.  But when it takes me all the way to the end and the author has to finally inform me as to who the murderer is I rate that book one of the best.  For me this book fits in with the Best.

Now I'm waiting on book 6!  But if I were you, start with the full Mersey Mystery Series which can be seen at http://getbook.at/MerseyMysteries .

The Doctor's Tale - Claire Applewhite, Author

Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken

1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 cup heavy cream

½ cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

½ cup parmesan cheese

1 cup spinach, chopped

½ cup sun dried tomatoes

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large skillet, add olive oil and cook the chicken on medium high heat for 3-5 minutes on each side or until brown on each side and cooked until no longer pink in center. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate.

Add the heavy cream, chicken broth, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese. Whisk over medium high heat until it starts to thicken. Add the spinach and sundried tomatoes and let it simmer until the spinach starts to wilt. Add the chicken back to the pan and serve over pasta if desired.

The Doctor's Tale - Review by Martha A. Cheves

Did anything I did make a difference?  I didn't know what I believed anymore.  I saved the life of a desperate woman with no future, and impulsively ended the lives of two others.  While I climbed the steps to my apartment, one thought ran through my mind:  I ended three lives.  At that moment, I could not ignore my over-whelming doubts.  Had medical school been the worst decision of my life.  Was I meant to become a physician?  Like a dead animal, the pungent odors of Division Sixteen festered in my mind.  Over and over, I heard Freeman's cruel wisecracks, the drone of Skelton's lectures, and Mrs. Raines' desperate pleas.  If I did not become a physician, what else would I do?  "Plan B" did not exist.  Could I face another day?

You've just met Thomas Anthony Spezia, Intern at City Hospital.  He made the decision to become a doctor after repairing the broke wing of a bird when he was just a child.  Now he finds himself facing some of the worse decisions he has ever faced.  How does a doctor make the decision of helping someone live as opposed to allowing them to die?  Which choice will allow you to live with yourself?  Which is best for the patient and which is best for you?

The Doctor's Tale is full of life and death.  It takes you on a journey that only a doctor can understand, and only then after many years of experience.  The events that take place had me wondering how I would have reacted if faced with the situations that many doctors are faced.  It has made me stop and think about my own doctors.  I've always seen them as my healers but never given much thought to me being just one of their patients.  Me being just one of their problems.  And me being just one of the decisions they must make every day.  This book was a real eye opener.

Snow Drive - Bobby Nash, Author

Easy Taco Soup

Ingredients:

ground beef

taco seasoning

water

whole kernel corn

black beans

pinto beans

crushed tomatoes

tomato sauce

onions

salt

pepper

cheese

sour cream

salsa

Cook beef and onions until no longer pink. Drain the grease. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, taco seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Add water to fill pot. Bring to a boil. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered until heated through or beans are soft to your taste. Stir occasionally until ready. Serve with cheese, sour cream, and/or salsa topping.

Snow Drive - Review by Martha A. Cheves

"Last year, Oliver Simcoe asked me and Tommy Yates to join one of his engine trials.  His company designed a new engine that was supposed to be more fuel efficient for less pit stops, more environmentally friendly, which makes for great P.R., and faster because every driver wants to win.  I was reluctant.  I hate these type of trials.  Would never do another if I had a choice, but Oliver was persuasive.  The money wasn't bad either.  We bought a new car and trailer with what they paid for my time. The engine did what it was supposed to do, but there were some bugs involved that bothered me so I voiced those concerns.  The engine tended to overheat faster than it should have.  On the track, in a race that lasts a couple of hours, that can lead to disaster.  A blown engine out there could get somebody killed, maybe even several somebodies.  I couldn't sign off on that, not until they fixed those problems.  That's what I told them."  

NASCAR owner and driver Grant Chambers has found himself and his son Chase being the target for too many 'accidents.'  Lucky for him, his security company was none other than Snow Security, and one of it's employees just happens to be Abraham Snow.  So when the latest accident almost cost Chase his life, Grant called in the team to solve the problem before whoever behind the accidents succeeded.

The first name on the list was that of Oliver Simcoe.  The man who threatened to put an end to Grant and his company after he reported problems with Oliver's new engine to the other drivers as well as NASCAR resulting in them being pulled until further investigations found the problems or cleared the engines.  But... Snow finds that after talking to other at the track, the problem might be a little closer to home.

I love this series of books.  They are actually two books in one.  The first is the investigative story while the other is Snow's ongoing story.  After being shot and almost dying, Snow retired as an undercover agent that was on the track of Miguel Ortega.  The agency had at first believed it to be just one man but now believe it is a group of men using the same name to keep them off track.  After his retirement, Snow moved back to Georgia and thought his cover was in tact.  Turns out he has been found and there is another hit out on him.

I'm looking forward to reading the next in this series where I understand Snow comes out of retirement and becomes actively involved, again, in the search for this group calling them selves Miguel Ortega.

Murder On Tyneside (Agnes Lockwood Mysteries Book One) - Eileen Thornton, Author

Slow cooker - Beef and Veg with a splash of red wine! (a large splash)

Serves 4

1lb Braising Steak - cut into cubes

1 Large Onion Chopped

2-3 Carrots Sliced

Frozen Peas

New Potatoes

Tablespoon Plain Flour

Dried Mixed Herbs

Beef Stock Cube (dissolved in half-pint hot water)

Salt and pepper for seasoning to taste

Add a small amount of cooking oil to a large pan and brown the meat

Add the chopped onion and cook for a few minutes before adding the carrots and peas.

Stir in the flour and the mixed herbs

Add the stock together with a the wine. (I said a splash, but let’s be honest,  about half a pint is better. 

Add salt and pepper to taste.

At this point you can add the potatoes - unless you would prefer to boil them separately - and bring to simmering point,

Pour the stew into the Slow Cooker. Cook for about 4 - 5 hours set on low or 3 - 4 hours on high.

Add more wine or water if necessary.

Murder On Tyneside - Review by Martha A. Cheves

Alan sighed, as he turned back to face into the room.  He had a case to solve.  But where did they start with this one?  Using his fingers, he counted off what the police knew.  One: there was a body.  Two: the victim had been shot and thrown from this window.  Three: there was no blood found in the room.  Four: the Scene of Crime Officers team had found no trace of blood in the entire building.  Five: According to the curator, the windows and doors were all locked before he went home that evening.  Yet the murder must have taken place here.  Why would anyone carry a dead body up here only to throw it from this window back down onto the street?  It just didn't make any sense.  And then there was the question of how they got in.

Agnes' mind was also working on the crime and how it took place.  She too decided to tick off the events on her fingers.  First there were robberies.  Then a woman, who happened to be staying at the hotel, was murdered, though her body was not found at the hotel.  Third, today they find that another guest could possibly be involved  in one- or even both of the crimes.  So what would be next?  She sighed.  This was as close as she had ever come to investigating a real crime and she wasn't going to be put off by the detective working the case, even if he was trying to keep her out of harm's way.  But where did she go from here?  What would be number four on the list?

Agnes Lockwood had been away from Tyneside for a number of years.  After the death of her husband she has decided to take some time and visit some of her childhood memories.  Agnes had chosen the Millennium Hotel for her stay.  It's views were beautiful and everything was up to date.  After checking in she decided to take a short walk around.  When she returned to the hotel she was surprised to find loud voices and a visit from the police.  Apparently someone had broken into one of the guest rooms and stolen an expensive necklace.  And this was just the beginning.

Chief Inspector Alan Johnson was assigned to the theft at the Millennium Hotel.  As soon as he saw Agnes, he recognized her from their childhood.  As children he had had a crush on her that ended when she and her family moved away.  Well, maybe some of the crush was still there.  In the back of his mind he seemed to hope so and even invited her out for a dinner of reminiscing.  That is when they found the body that appeared to have been thrown out of the window above.

I read for this woman several years ago and loved her work then.  And she didn't disappoint me with her writing of Murder on Tyneside.  Her technique of allowing you to follow the characters as they actually 'think' things through makes her writing different from most books I've read.  She includes the suspense, drama and mystery but also keeps the reading light with short chapters that makes it easier to keep turning every page to see what happens next.  I will admit that I had an idea of who the culprit would be but she made it difficult to be sure as she twisted the story to lead me in other directions.  Can't wait for Book #2

Sink or Swim - Stacy Juba, Author

Quick and Easy Chocolate Creamy Graham Cake

Ingredients:

2 packages of French Vanilla instant pudding

1 small Cool Whip or whipped cream container

Box of graham crackers

Canned chocolate frosting

3 ½ cups of milk

Instructions:

Blend milk with the pudding mix.  Add all the whipped cream and stir until well blended. Set aside. Layer graham crackers on bottom of a square pan. Spread the pudding blend over the crackers. Top with another layer of graham crackers. Cover with chocolate frosting. Add sprinkles. (optional) Store in fridge and let set for a couple of hours.

Sink or Swim - Review by Martha A. Cheves

Under the show's set-up, twelve contestants had competed in four teams.  The crew awarded marks based on skill and neatness, with team members pooling their numbers to win privileges like movie nights or dinners in the officers' mess.  Every Monday, a low-scoring contestant walked the plank and went home on a rendezvous ship.  Cassidy had lasted until the final cut. 

Cassidy Novak was one of the contestants on the reality show Sink or Swim.  She didn't like losing at anything, especially when there was a million dollars at stake.  But lose she did coming in at second place.  Her dream of opening a chain of gyms with her as the fitness instructor has come to an end.  The only thing she can do now is go to her dull life in Garrett and hopefully make enough money to pay her bills.  But... life was to never be the same again.

As with all the cast members, Cassidy had received her share of fan mail.  There were those from her admirers and even a gift here and there.  Then she spotted the Raggedy Ann doll, just like the one her father had given her before he ran away from Cassidy and her mother never to be heard from again.  And then came the 'love' letters expressing the love and devotion of someone who signed everything with the name Miles.  As time goes on, Miles becomes more than a want-to-be lover.  He becomes her stalker.

This book has several twists and turns.  As Cassidy received a hint as to who this person might be I started believing she might be right.  All of her suspects had the perfect opportunity and reasons but which one was it?  I was surprised to the end!

This is a very enjoyable book to read.  I found myself wanting to read 'just one more page' before going to bed.  Can't wait to read more by this author.

The Acorn Stories (Acorn, Texas Book 1) - Duane Simolke, Author

Chicken Cashew at Chuck’s China Town

Recipe by Duane Simolke

Ingredients:

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, marinated in Teriyaki sauce.

Vegetable oil, just enough to brown the chicken.

Finely diced carrots and onions.

Garlic or garlic powder.

For more spice and a Texas twist, add jalapeno slices or cayenne pepper.

At least 2 ounces of cashews.

Salt and pepper.

Marinate the chicken overnight. Dice it and brown in a frying pan with the carrots, onions, and seasonings. Add more Teriyaki sauce as it cooks. Chicken should be cooked through and tender. Just before it’s all ready, toss with the cashews.

Serve over rice or pasta.

If you don’t have cashews, peanuts work fine.

The Acorn Stories - Review by Martha A. Cheves

My name is Aragon Carsons, and I'm just going to state some facts.  People tell me a little more than they should.  Well, a lot more than they should.  Actually, people tell me way too much.  Or they say too many things where I can hear them, which is just the same as telling me, as far as I'm concerned.  Do they really think I won't share what I heard with anybody?  I mean, stories like these can't just sit on a shelf in somebody's brain.

The more I think about it, the more sure I am that my neighbors want someone to tell their Acorn stories, that they don't want to be just a small part of a small town in a big state in a big country.  People aspire to leave something behind other than babies, a mortgage, and a nasty rumor or two.  And they certainly want someone reliable tell it, like what my grandmother did when she chronicled the early folks of Acorn.  

So maybe I'll serve you up a few slices of Acorn pie.  There are enough words in my kitchens, enough stories in my cupboards - I'd like to work closets into this paragraph, but I certainly wouldn't want to strain a metaphor so early in my narrative - that I could find ingredients for several pies.  But I'll be choosy an pick out some of my favorites.  

And that is exactly what Aragon does in The Acorn Stories

When I was young we lived in a small town outside of Atlanta.  Everyone knew everyone and everyone knew everyone's business.  Way back then we even had what was called 'Party Lines'.  These were phone lines where several houses had the same phone line with each having a different number of rings so you would know when the call was for you or someone else.  But... if you quietly picked up the phone you could listen to all the gossip running around the neighborhood.  This book reminds me of that time.

The residents of Acorn didn't have the party line but they did spread the gossip.  As I read each 'story' I found myself remembering people from my past that would fit perfectly into Acorn.  Even if your town is small, it's large in its problems and these problems seem to become the talk of the town.

I loved this book and the memories it brought back.  So, if you remember the 'Party Lines' you can't help but enjoy this book.  If you are a bit younger than I am but live in a small town, you'll enjoy this book.  And if you're from a large town, read it and enjoy what you have missed out on.

Silently in the Night - Graham Clayton, Author

Double Chocolate Ghost Cookies

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cup white sugar

2 tsp Vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 Ghost pepper (fresh)

2 cups flour

2/3 cup of cocoa powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

2 cups of dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup of dry roasted unsalted almonds or 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat together butter, eggs, sugar, vanilla & Ghost pepper (remove seeds & finely dice & smash up the Ghost pepper) until fluffy.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda & into butter mixture until completely blended, fold in chocolate chips & nuts.

Drop rounded teaspoons of the dough onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake 8-10 minutes, cool cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to cooling rack. Eat & enjoy.

Silently in the Night - Review by Martha A. Cheves


#1
She had ridden without lights for an hour and a half, fearful of barking dogs as she approached the house.  He'd been lying comatose on the sofa, induced by the barbiturates in the casserole.  She'd donned latex gloves and inserted a flexible rubber tube down his throat and loaded him up with a full bottle.  Enough to kill him without him recovering consciousness.  Then she'd put the note on the floor; the note which she'd spent an age producing, copying from examples of his handwriting she'd taken with her.  She'd kept it simple:  'Life is hopeless without her.  No point in going on.'

#2
James bit his lip.  It would be true to say that this time he felt fear.  He was about to meet a ghost; the ghost, in fact, of his cousin who had died at birth and apparently grown up in the neverworld of the hereafter.  It was, he thought, quite bizarre.

#3
Simon pointed his floater to the east and set the controls to 'cojoin'.  The orbicular machine moved across the lunar landscape without further bidding and Simon tried to relax.  He really was too tall for the floater, his bent knees almost shielding the control panel, but a job was a job and he needed the money if he was going to escape the dark side of the moon and return to the relative comfort of Earth.

Above I've given you just 3 samples of the types of short stories you'll find in Silently in the Night.  All are short and a bit on the dark side.  You'll find everything from ghosts to aliens to murders and all are filled with suspense and mystery, many without happy endings.   These stories might just keep you awake at night if you read too many before going to sleep.

Over My Dead Body (Father Frank Mysteries Book 2) - James R. Callan, Author

Callan's Oatmeal Cookies

Start with

            ¾ cup of butter

            ½ cup granulated sugar

            1 cup brown sugar

            1 teaspoon of baking powder

            ¼ teaspoon baking soda

            1 teaspoon cinnamon

            ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and ground cloves and beat until mixed and smooth.

            2 eggs

            1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla

Now, mix in the eggs and vanilla until well mixed and smooth.

Next, if you have a good mixer, use it.  Otherwise mix by hand.

            1 ¾ cups of all purpose flour

            2 cups of rolled oats

After all of the above is well mixed in, then add and mix only enough to distribute the nuts and cranberries.

            1 cup pecans or walnuts

            1 cup of dried cranberries or Craisins

Use a teaspoon to put small mounds of dough on a cookie sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Some like the cookies softer and some like them crisper.  You decide, or make a pan of each.

This will make about 5 dozen cookies, depending on the size of the cookie you bake.  If you have a  large enough mixer, you can double this recipe, cook half of it and put the remaining batter in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.  Then, you can bake the rest tomorrow, yielding hot, fresh cookies on both days, with only one mixing.  Happy eating.

Over My Dead Body - Review by Martha A. Cheves

Mike shifted his focus to the priest.  "This big company, uh, Lockey Corporation, got a court order to condemn Mr. Cranzler's land to make way for a new shopping center.  He was very upset at losing his place.  His brother..."  He looked at his notebook.  "Ah, Randall Cranzler, found Sydney Cranzler dead this morning in his house.  The M.E. determined the deceased took an overdose of -."  He glanced at his notebook again.  "Digitoxin, a medication he used for his heart.  In fact, the pill bottle was completely empty, and tests showed his body was loaded with it, probably twice as much as needed to kill him.  Plus, the deceased left a suicide note in the printer output tray, saying he didn't want to live to see them bulldoze his house." 

Syd Cranzler was one of Father Frank's parishioner at the Prince of Peace Church.  When Detective Mike Oakley broke the news to the Father and Georgia Peitz, neither believed suicide was even possible.  Mike, on the other hand, believed what the M.E. had determined - Syd took his own life.  And after dealing with a representative from the Lockey Corporation, with his pushy tactics of trying to get the contracts signed for the shopping center, both Father Frank and Georgia were even more convinced they were right.  Now they had to prove to Mike that it was a murder, not a suicide.

I followed Georgia and Father Frank's leads in the hope of determining if it was murder and if so, who the murderer was, as well as who else was pushing the sale of the property.  As it seemed, Syd was the only property owner that didn't want the sale.  The others were all impatiently waiting on Syd's contract to be signed.  Then came the real problem.  After his death, the property was turned over to a new owner and the buyers now had to convince the new owner that this was best for everyone.

As close as I followed, I was still in for a surprise.  Bet you will be too.  And now that Father Frank has my attention, I'll be going back to read Book One, Cleansed by Fire.

Getting Even - Morgan St. James, Author

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN and MUSHROOM STROGANOFF

   Serves 4

Prep time: Approximately 5 minutes

Cook time: See below

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

8 ounce sliced mushrooms

1 8 ounce cream cheese, softened

1 (10½) ounce cream of chicken soup

1 envelope (1¼ ounce) dry onion soup mix

salt and pepper to taste

fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

1 pound large egg noodles for serving

Instructions

1.    Place the chicken in the bottom of a lightly greased slow cooker. Add the mushrooms. In a medium sized bowl add cream cheese, cream of chicken soup, and dry onion soup mix. Mix until incorporated and spread on top of chicken and mushrooms.

2.    Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 3-4. Serve over noodles and top with fresh parsley and salt and pepper.

Getting Even - Review by Martha A. Cheves

Kimmie, babe,  
I hope you're not upset that I took some of your stuff for my new pad.  I helped myself to a little spending money, too.  It was so cool that you left the password for the bank accounts by the computer, I own you.  It's sure been fun. 
Love ya always

When Kim returned home from five days at the Pacific Northwest Technology Conference where she was awarded the title "Woman of the Year", she had no idea that her whole world was about to fall apart.  That meant her job, her boyfriend and even her bank accounts.  Life as she has known it is no longer.  But, as always, life goes on, and so does revenge or in Kim's case 'getting even.'

Getting Even is an introductory book to Kim and what I hope will be some of her trusted friends in this series of books.  It is a quick, fun read and now I can't wait to see what kind of trouble she gets herself into in 'Ripoff'.

I think I've read everything Author Morgan St. James has written and I've never been disappointed and feel sure I never will.

Oney: My Escape From Slavery - Diana Rubino & Piper Huguley, Authors

Martha Washington's Famous Candy Recipe is a delicious no-bake treat. Martha didn't have a fridge or microwave, but Mt. Vernon winters were cold enough to put it out to chill.
Their open fire served as their microwave. A bit of elbow grease did the job of our electric mixers. 

Yields36

Chilling Time1 hr

Ingredients

3 cups pecans

2 cups coconut

4 cups powdered sugar

1 stick butter at room temperature

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 jar maraschino cherries, drained and pat dry

2 cups chocolate candy melts

Instructions

Place pecans and coconut into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

Using an electric mixer, cream sugar and butter together until light. Add milk and the chopped nuts and coconut and stir until well mixed.

Roll between your palms into small balls, forming each around a maraschino cherry. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. 

Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Place chocolate melts into a glass bowl and melt in the microwave. Heat on high for 30 seconds, stir, and repeat until all chocolate is melted and smooth.

Dip each ball of candy into the chocolate allowing excess to drip back into the bowl. 

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and allow to harden.

Oney: My Escape From Slavery - Review by Martha A. Cheves

It was up to me to figure when to leave the Washingtons for the last time.  Not in the morn.  I helped dress Lady Washington as usual.  Not in the afternoon.  I repaired hems as usual.  Not afore dinner.  I set the table as usual.  The hour finally came - while they ate dinner.  I will never forget the date - May 21, 1796.  Nothing heavied my heart - not remorse, not guilt, not sadness upon fleeing my master and mistress.  Raw thirst for freedom overcame all that.  I walked straight past the Washingtons and out the front door.  When I shut it, I left them - and my forced bondage - behind me.

Oney Judge is a slave that was owned by Martha Washington.  She served the lady well and was treated well.  But when she found what her future fate was to be, she knew it was time to run.  And she did.

Lady Washington had received several slaves from her late husband.  They were hers to 'use' as she needed but not to sell.  They would have to be passed on to others in the family.  This apparently was part of the endowment that came along with marriage during this time in history.  In the book she appeared to be fond of Oney and treated her a lot like she would her own granddaughters.  She allowed her to learn to read and write and bedded and fed her well.  Then came the time when her true granddaughter was to marry and Oney was to be passed on.

Reading this book I wasn't sure if it was history or simply a story, so I did some research and here is what I found:

Oney "ona" Judge, known as Oney Judge Staines after marriage, was a mixed-race slave on George Washington's plantation, Mount Vernon, in Virginia.  Beginning in 1789, she worked as a personal slave to First Lady Martha Washington in the presidential households in New York City and Philadelphia.  In 1796, there was an advertisement in the Philadelphia newspapers documenting Judge's escape to freedom from the President's House on May 21, 1796. His nephew, Burwell Bassett, Jr., traveled to New Hampshire on business in September 1798, and tried to convince her to return.

After reading this, plus much more, I found that this book is based on history and knowing that, it made reading even more interesting and enjoyable.  If you're a history buff, you can't help but love this book.

'Til Death: Second Impressions (Book 2 of the Rockell Return Files) - Jason Anspach, Author

Cioppino

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 large onions, chopped fine

Salt and pepper

¼ cup water

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried oregano

⅛ - ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained with juice reserved, chopped coarse

1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice

1 (1 1/2-pound) skinless halibut fillet, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, cut into 6 pieces

1 pound littleneck clams, scrubbed

1 ¼ cups dry white wine

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Extra-virgin olive oil

1. Heat vegetable oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring frequently, until onions begin to brown. Add water and stir until  onions are tender. Add in garlic, bay leaves, oregano, and pepper flakes, tomatoes with juice along with clam juice. Bring to simmer and then reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for five minutes. 

2. Submerge halibut in broth, cover, and gently simmer until fish is cooked through. When cooked, plate the halibut and set aside (covering with foil will help keep warm).

3. Bring clams, wine, and butter to boil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat (cover with lid). Steam until clams just open and then add them to the dutch oven.

4. Add mussels to the now empty skillet, cover, and cook over high heat until mussels have opened. Add mussels and cooking liquid from skillet to dutch oven, but leave any grit behind! 

5. Stir parsley into broth and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide halibut among serving bowls. Ladle broth and portions of clams and mussels over halibut. Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.

'Till Death:  Second Impressions - Review by Martha A. Cheves

Frank Rockwell, Sam's deceased father, had made his way down as a Return - ghost - from the Pearly Gates Administration Building in order to see his wife Alice one last time.  He was given clearance by claiming to hold plans for an atomic super weapon that jeopardized the world if discovered by the Soviet Union.  Though he told Sam the plans were legitimate, they weren't where he promised they could be found, and Sam took the ordeal as another of his father's "jokes." 

Sam, who runs S. Rockwell, Private Investigator - Returns and the Unexplainable Welcomed was about to say something to his mother when a deafening BOOM violated the air.  He was flung forward and could feel a brief but intense heat at his back as he fell.  His mother Alice was knocked backward and landed on her bottom inside the house as shattered glass and debris rained down on the driveway and lawn.  His father's Cadillac lay twisted and flaming, like a burned carcus of a blown out Panzer tank.

So, was the possibility of the plans for real or is there someone out that that simply believes they are?  Find out as you follow Sam, with the help of his fiance Amelia and a certain angel named Eamon track down a rouge Return and defend America against a Soviet Agent.

I've read Book 1 in this series 'till Death and found it to be amusing and humorous at times.  It was full of twists and turns.  I couldn't see how Book 2 could get any better.  I was wrong.  This book has grown into slight humor, more suspense and murder, more 'Returns', and more enjoyment.  Now I can't wait to red Book #3 'til Death: The Man Who Balked.

The Five Manners of Death - Darden North, Author

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Makes: 8 servings (2 quarts)

2 lbs ground beef

6 cups water

1 can (28 oz.) tomato sauce

1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cups chopped green peppers

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Pinch or two of garlic powder

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. beef bouillon granules

1 tsp. pepper

2 cups cooked long grain rice

(Optional): chopped fresh parsley 

(Optional): 8 oz. finely shredded chedder cheese (Apply after cooking)

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook and stir beef until no longer pink; drain. Stir in water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, chopped green peppers, brown sugar, garlic powder, salt, beef bouillon granules, and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered until peppers are tender– about 30 minutes. Add cooked rice; simmer uncovered 10 minutes longer. If desired, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley and shredded cheddar cheese.

Nutrition Facts per cup without cheese: 337 calories, 14 g fat ( 5 g saturated fat), 70 mg cholesterol, 1466 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrates (13 g sugars, 4 g fiber0, 24 g protein

The Five Manners of Death - Review by Martha A. Cheves

What are the five manners of death?  They are:

Homicide

Suicide

Natural

Accidental

Undetermined

It appears that someone in Jackson, Mississippi, is following suit with each of the manners of death.  As each person dies, Dr. Diana Bratton finds herself, as well as her aunt Phoebe, more and more involved.  The tangle of lies begins to unravel after a body buried 50 years earlier is discovered on the Ole Miss college campus during a construction project.  According to Aunt Phoebe, she never knew the deceased.  Diana learns of the deception after seeing a 1966 yearbook from Ole Miss in her aunt's belongings.  Aunt Phoebe not only knew dead Rusty Reynolds well but she also knew several of the newly deceased.  So, what could possibly be the connection between 50-year-old skeletal remains and more recent deaths among the same a circle of friends from that era in college? 

I've read everything written and published by Author Darden North and have to say that with each novel he gets better and better.  "The 5 Manners of Death" has to be his best yet and I hope will become a long time series.  Every time I thought I had come up with a connection between the Ole Miss students from 50 years earlier and the contemporary deaths, I found myself to be wrong.  I incorrectly pegged the whole motive and killer all the way to the very last pages.  The cover drew me to this book. I immediatley wanted to pick up, start reading, and NOT put it down until finished. 

Keep them coming Dr. North!