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LADLE TO THE GRAVE

Book 4 in the Soup Lover's Mystery series

by

Connie Archer

LADLE TO THE GRAVE

By the Spoonful is Snowflake, Vermont’s most popular soup shop, but owner Lucky Jamieson doesn’t have any time to enjoy her success—she’s too busy trying to keep a lid on false accusations against her loved ones… 

It’s almost May, and some of the local ladies have organized a pagan celebration in the woods to welcome spring. But the evening goes terribly wrong when one of the attendees winds up dead, apparently poisoned by an herbal concoction prepared by Lucky’s grandfather, Jack.

Lucky’s sure her grandfather could not have made such a tragic mistake. But before she can clear him of suspicion, her best friend, Sophie, is diverted from planning her wedding to By the Spoonful chef Sage DuBois when she finds a dead man floating in the creek on her property. Now it’s up to Lucky to get both Sophie and Jack out of hot water before a killer stirs up more trouble…

Recipes included!

Ladle to the Grave

A local woman is poisoned at a pagan ritual in the woods and Lucky Jamieson’s grandfather Jack, who provided the herbs for the gathering, is suspected of making a terrible mistake.  But when a dead man is found floating in a creek just outside of town, his face unrecognizable, Lucky is certain both deaths are murder.  Can she find the connection and clear her grandfather’s name before more victims fall prey to a killer? 

Now, a word from author 

Connie Archer

Fred Tuttle

The Soup Lover’s Mystery series is set in the imaginary village of Snowflake, Vermont and because of that, I like to stay on top of news and stories of interest in that state. 

A few months ago, PBS aired the Vermont gubernatorial debate in its entirety.  It was so entertaining that Chris Hayes of All In [http://bit.ly/1vOQT1b] devoted quite a bit of air time to covering that debate.  Seven, count ‘em, seven candidates (including the incumbent Governor) took part.  One candidate declared himself dedicated to overturning capitalism (Good luck with that!), another with saving the earth and yet another who would ban the fighter jet base from Vermont and stop a natural gas pipeline from being built under Lake Champlain.  As far as I know, that battle is still raging in Vermont, a state which has wisely banned fracking.

(Click on photos for larger images)

But as interesting as these seven candidates were, in my opinion they are all eclipsed by Fred Tuttle.  Have you ever heard of him?  Well, don’t feel bad if you haven’t because I only recently discovered his story.  He was a true Vermont character.  So, in honor of the state that shelters the By the Spoonful Soup Shop, I think a tribute to Mr. Fred Tuttle is appropriate. 

Fred was born in 1919 in Tunbridge, Vermont.  He left school at the age of fifteen to work on his family’s farm and then later served in WWII.  After the war, he returned home to Vermont and the farm, and married his sweetheart, Dorothy.  Fred retired from farming at the age of 65 but his career was just getting started.  He worked as an actor in several films directed by John O’Brian, a Vermont filmmaker, including Man with a Plan.  In that film, he played a retired farmer who runs for the office of U.S. Representative from Vermont. 

Well, that story gave some local residents a good idea because in 1998, at the age of 79, Fred was persuaded to run for office – for real – in a Republican primary for a U.S. Senate seat.  Fred’s opponent was a man named Jack McMullen, a wealthy Massachusetts man who had moved to Vermont only to establish residency for his campaign.  McMullen managed to invalidate 100 of the signatures that had put Fred on the ballot.  Fred needed 23 more to run.  When this deficit was made public, Fred received more than 2,000 signatures. 

Fred waged a rather odd campaign, but one which revealed McMullen for the interloper he was.  In a radio debate, Fred asked McMullen “How many teats a Holstein got?” McMullen answered six.  McMullen was wrong, a Holstein has four.  (I wouldn’t have known that either.)  Tuttle won the primary with 55% of the vote.  But, here’s the best part -- as soon as Fred won, he endorsed the incumbent Democrat.  He said he had no desire to move to Washington.  He was determined to spend the rest of his life in Vermont. 

Five years later, after a day spent digging potatoes at his home in Tunbridge, Fred died of a heart attack.  Legend has it he was buried in his overalls with a pen in his pocket for signing autographs and a can of Moxie, his favorite drink, by his side. 

I suspect if Fred were alive today, he’d be stopping in for a visit at the By the Spoonful Soup Shop in Snowflake, Vermont to chew the fat with all the characters there.  Don’t you agree? 

Thank you, Connie. I agree with you completely.  Fred would fit right in!

MY REVIEW

Connie Archer’s Soup Lovers Mystery series is one of my favorites. I always look forward to a new book in this series and couldn’t wait to get my hands on LADLE TO THE GRAVE. I was not disappointed.

The story wasted no time getting started, with the victim dying within the first few pages. Naturally, I figured the rest of the book would be devoted to finding out what happened, and it was. But that death in the beginning was just the start to an amazing, head spinning ride.

Lucky, her grandfather Jack, and the Spoonful had so much going on in this book! Jack is a possible suspect in the death, though not by something he did intentionally, Sophia and Sage have their wedding coming up, Lucky is trying to help Jack, and Sophia and Sage and finds herself in yet another mysterious situation! I don’t know how author Connie Archer kept everything straight!

I was so proud of myself for guessing “whodunit”. But in the middle of patting myself on the back as I read, I found I was dead wrong.

Have tissues ready around page 146 with issues dealing with Lucky’s grandfather Jack. Jack is my favorite character in this series, and I have to tell you, my heart was breaking! I am not ashamed to admit that I cried like a baby!

LADLE TO THE GRAVE was just as wonderful as the first three books in this series. No, wait. Scratch that.  LADLE TO THE GRAVE was even MORE wonderful than the first three titles.  And I look forward to many more installments to come.

As if the wonderful story telling isn’t enough, Mr. Archer also includes yummy recipes!

If you already love this series, you’re not going to be disappointed. If you haven’t read this series, please do! You will fall in love with the characters, the location, and with author Connie Archer herself! 

LADLE TO THE GRAVE 
is available for pre-order for it's 
March 3 release! 

More about author

Connie Archer

Connie Archer is the national bestselling author of the Soup Lover's Mystery series set in Snowflake, Vermont: A Spoonful of Murder, A Broth of Betrayal and A Roux of Revenge. Ladle to the Grave, the fourth in the series, will be released on March 3, 2015. You can also find Connie in The Cozy Cookbook from Penguin/Random House to be released in March 2015. Connie was born and raised in New England and now lives on the other coast. 

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