Nutty as a Fruitcake

It's time to decorate for Christmas, and Judith asks her neighbors to please make their outsides festive (the Jewish couple decide to put up blue and white lights for Hanukkah). The Goodriches are the only ones who neither come to Judith's meeting and nor decorate. Well, George probably would if his beastly wife, Enid, would let him. Why is George still putting up with the shrew? Their children are grown. Frankly, the neighbors wonder why he hasn't snapped and murdered her years ago.

When Edith is murdered, did George do it? Judith doesn't think so. She sets out to find the real killer. She also has to deal with a beautiful young cop who might be looking to snag Judith's man. Then again, that might be all in Judith's mind.

There's a show more wealth of information about how the Grovers, Judith and her cousin Renie's family, celebrated Christmas when they were children. (See chapter 15 for thrifty Aunt Ellen's homemade gifts & what she used to wrap them in this year.) Joe Flynn, homicide cop and Judith's second husband, is not a fan of Christmas. Yes, he's had three fun Christmases since he married Judith, but all the ones he had with his family and his drunken first wife were BAD (see chapter one).

There's the usual humor in the dialog and situations. (Sweetums proves yet again that Judith's mother didn't pick a good name for her cat.)

Appropriately for a book with Nutty as a Fruitcake for its title, there's a recipe for Aunt Deb's Dark Fruitcake. It has no nuts because Renie is allergic to them. The last two lines of the recipe made me chuckle. show less

I like the Christmas theme of this one, and the harriedness of getting ready for Christmas (gifts, cooking etc.) and solving a murder... the only drawback was the "pirate" cop. The Yo, Ho Ho got to be a little much. But the mystery itself was quite fun to try and figure out.

A little wearing on the nerves, with all the fighting and insults between the main character Judith, and her bitchy old mother. Wont rush to read other s int he series.

okay I had to read this all the way through but as far as keeping me in gut wrenching suspension well it did not quite live up its super adorable cover! this took many months for me to finish reading when usually it would take 3 days so yeah kinda hit a road block or finishing a book reading dates are not exact but close just cause i know I started this in the spring and did not finish till summer about a month ago

Ok. Lots more about narrators personal life. Mentioned drinking quite often