Cooking with Cyndy Salzmann

OK. God is really good, because lately, baby...books have been showing up at my door that is more than what I was praying for.

Case in point: Cyndy Salzmann's new novel, Crime and Clutter (A Friday Afternoon Club Mystery).

It' almost spring and Dee's duplex has way too many things in it. I need to declutter. You know?

So I'm skimming through this novel(something I always do to decide on which books to review,) and low in behold there are household cleaning tips in here. Yes, Ma'am! You want to know how to make your house smell spring clean you gotta read the book.

But what's interesting is that I'm not asking myself why are there recipes and cleaning tips in a novel? No. Not this book prude. I am excited. I love the break in monotony and I love how it all ties in the novel. Believe. Cyndy is making a point here. Actually she's solving a mystery.

Book summary:
The Friday Afternoon Club(FAC)--a cross between my girlfriends Ladies Night out and Bunko Friday Club-- are six women(Elizabeth, Lucy, Marina, Jessie,Kelly, and Mary Alice who get together Friday afternoon to unwind, gripe and get into more trouble. :) Disclaimer: The Marina in this novel is not our Christian Fiction Blog's Marina. Hee Hee.

The book is written in Elizabeth's point of view. She's a lifestyle columnist, who is having an identity crisis, because she can't seem to keep her household in order like she writes. Sounds familiar? Marina begans to notice that galpal Mary Alice, the domestic diva-- which attributes to the Martha Stewart like recipes and tips throughout the novel-- is hiding an old van chopped full of junk. The VW is all Mary Alice has left of her father. As the ladies try to clean the thing out, they uncover a mystery that sends them back to the 1960's to discover forgiveness, redemption and what matters more than a clean house.

One of my favorite lines in the novel is:

"My mom used to tell me that a woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until she's in hot water."

I love that line.

So if you want to help the FAC solve their mystery, get the recipe for five-minute fudge or getting that house smelling lemony flesh or better yet, discover God under all your clutter. Read this book.It comes out in April 2007. It's a nice, nice read.

Dee