Libby Klein's Gimme Shelter: A Review by E. B. Davis

  

For Vader, my emotional support puppy. And Tony, my emotional support human.

I’d thank the cat but she’s really just in it for herself.

                                                                        Libby Klein, Gimme Shelter, Dedication

 

As the song says, you can’t always get what you want. Maybe that’s why, instead of fulfilling her youthful dream of being a rock star, Layla Virtue is living in a trailer park while playing third-rate gigs, including a stint at a seventies ABBA brunch. Given everything else she’s been through lately, she’s not complaining (much) about satin ruffles and go-go boots. She has a squad of supportive new BFFs, and she’s reclaimed a relationship with her famous rocker dad. His recent diagnosis has brought them even closer—sharing the trailer park’s lake house, which he’s had remodeled in typically over-the-top style.

Layla’s dad loves his new community and the feeling seems mutual. So, why is one of them blackmailing him? It’s a mystery almost as baffling as the assignment Layla receives from her former commissioner. Look into the brutal murder of a mild-mannered school teacher. Archie Wilkins was bludgeoned with a candelabra, shot up with drugs, and stuffed into a church confessional. Not the kind of outcome expected for a guy reputed to be the world’s nicest.

Perhaps Archie had secrets. Perhaps everyone does, including Layla’s one-time cop colleagues. She’s been blaming herself for a deadly ambush that destroyed her career and her peace of mind, but as her new friends help Layla regain her memories, a different picture emerges, and it’s one that forces her to question so much that she’s taken as truth . . .

Amazon.com

 

There’s something about Libby Klein’s humor that just hits my funny bone. I laughed through most of Gimme Shelter starting with the above dedication. I was happy to see that Libby had started a new series, although I was also dismayed that I missed the first book, Vice and Virtue, which was released April, 2025.

 

In this book, the backstory and plot intersect for character-driven mystery resolution and provides the impetuous for the next book’s plot. Because Libby has two other subplots, those are solved, but while the character-driven main plot comes to a head, the truth isn’t fully revealed.

 

Libby’s main character, Layla Virtue, is the daughter of a rock star, a former police detective, and she is an alcoholic—like her father. In Gimme Shelter, we get the backstory of how Layla was thrown off the force when her sting operation ended in disaster, an explosion that ended the lives of her team. Layla wasn’t killed because she was dead drunk in a bar during what was supposed to be the takedown of a drug syndicate. She’s down on herself big time—and yet—what she thinks happened may not be the truth. Her posse of gals she met at Alcoholics Anonymous prod her to find out the truth. In addition, her old police commissioner asks her to get information about the murder of an elementary school teacher who seemed to be everyone’s friend.

 

In her personal life, rock-star Dad has dementia and has moved from Malibu to the Northern Virginia trailer park that he bought for Layla. He fixes up the one real house on the property by bringing in his CA designer. She turns the house into a fairy tale/Hobbit house. His dementia is coming on fast, which is worrisome to Layla. But the other man in her life, an ex-marine fresh from three tours in Afghanistan suffers from PTSD. They are attracted, but the time is not right for fresh starts. Not until each of them can slay their demons. Hopefully, they will help each other’s conquests.  

 

Layla is a strong character, and the secondary characters display a variety of human pitfalls that beleaguer mankind from dementia, alcoholism, PTSD, drug abuse, criminality, and the frailty of human relationships. I hope this series takes off. Libby’s writing is superb. 

 

 

An Interview with Author Libby Klein by E. B. Davis

 I HAVE REFORMATED THIS BLOG FOUR TIMES. BLOGGER IS NOT DOING ITS JOB. EXCEPT FOR THESE FEW LINES, NO OTHER LINES WERE CAPITALIZED IN MY BLOG. IF BLOGGER WANTS TO CHARGE IT SHOULD DO SO--NOT DESTROY BLOGS. E. B. DAVIS

It's vintage Poppy McAllister when the gluten-free baker and B&B owner tries to solve a murder at a Cape May winery . . .
 
When Poppy and Aunt Ginny agreed to host a Wine and Cheese Happy Hour for a tour group at their Butterfly House Bed and Breakfast on the Jersey Shore, they never anticipated such a sour bunch. Grumpy guest Vince Baker should be in a better mood—he’s filthy rich and on his honeymoon with his much younger wife Sunny, who seems to dote on him almost as much as her high-spirited teacup Pomeranian, Tammy Faye Baker.
 
But the honeymoon is over when Vince drops dead the next day touring the Laughing Gull Winery. Turns out he's been poisoned, and it seems like everybody on the tour is hiding something. Now Poppy has to put her gluten-free baking on the back burner and bottle up her feelings for the two men in her life while she charges after a bitter killer with a lethal case of sour grapes . . . 

Amazon.com

Whatever you do, don’t read this book when hungry. Libby Klein’s descriptions of blue cheese-stuffed bacon-wrapped dates; toasted baguette slices infused with orange olive oil, topped with half a fig and goat cheese; and chocolate mousse tartelettes will induce you to buy out the gourmet section at the grocery. Wine Tastings are Murder debuts on December 1. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Murder, mayhem, and chaos are typical at the Cape May B & B and in that milieu, Poppy must decide between beaus. Will she choose Tim, her high school sweetheart or Gia, the kind Italian? Meanwhile, Aunt Ginny and her cohorts are up to something that involves muscular aches and pains, stupefying Poppy, who observes them sitting on bags of frozen vegetables. And then, erroneous alerts and answers to unasked questions spout from Zalexa, the new electronic gadget gifted to Aunt Ginny.

The Poppy McAllister mystery series is a joy to read. In comparison to Poppy’s dilemmas, your stress level will deflate. 

Please welcome Libby Klein back to WWK.                              E. B. Davis

 

Do you own an Alexa-like devise? Have you developed a satisfactory relationship with her yet or does she make you want to swear? Does she embarrass you in front of guests?

I have several Alexas. We have a love hate relationship. At least once a week I check on a timer to hear her respond that there are no timers set - when I know I clearly set a timer. She drives me crazy with her selective hearing. She hasn’t embarrassed me yet, but she is often used against me as a fact checking resource. I need to find a way to program her to agree with me when she hears my husband’s voice.

 

Tim creates a sign for his restaurant Maxine’s in the form of a female crab named Maxine. Is Tim aware that the crab has attributes of a woman that isn’t Poppy? I don’t think he is. Tim is very focused on making his restaurant successful and he’ll do whatever it takes to draw people in. He is a good example of how we can get tunnel vision and miss the cues around us that something is off.

 

Why doesn’t Aunt Ginny want to marry her beau Royce? Aunt Ginny has been married five times. She’s not ready to give up her free-wheeling lifestyle and settle down again. Her days of sharing the remote and doing a man’s laundry are behind her - at least for the time being…

 

Poppy reacts when Tim says he wants her to work for him every day. Poppy reacted to “everyday.” I reacted to his use of the word “for.” Wasn’t theirs supposed to be a partnership, like their relationship? They were always going to be equal partners, in business and romance. A lot of time has passed and they’ve had a few bumps along the way to finding out if they have a future together. It’s possible that we see both of them reveal a side to their true feelings in the use of those words you’ve pointed out. It’s something they’ll have to overcome if they’re meant to be together.

 

Victory, Poppy’s new chambermaid, passed three requirements to get the job. What were they? She
was available. She had a valid work visa. And she wasn’t spooked away by Aunt Ginny and Figaro’s antics. That last one is harder to pass then you might think.

 

Are cliques now squads? Why the change in terminology? Cliques exclude others from being a part of the group because they aren’t good enough or cool enough to be friends with. A squad is your group of best friends, but you’re also open to having new friends join the group.

 

Figaro keeps Poppy on her toes. Does your cat play head-games with you? How do you know for sure? My cat is very naughty. She keeps finding new and creative ways to get what she wants. Her newest trick is pressing the buttons on an air purifier next to my bed until the beeping wakes me up. The first time was a happy accident. Every time after that has been carefully calculated to annoy me. 

 

Birthday boobs? And what might they be? That’s when a rich girl gets breast implants for her 18^th birthday. I think I got a diaper bag.

 

There are TSA dogs in Hawaii that sniff for fruit? Yes. Absolutely. Illegal fruit? What is illegal fruit? Customs is very strict about what you can take on and off the island. How do they train the dogs to sniff fruit without eating it? I have no idea, but I’d love to know the answer to that. How do they differentiate between fruit and illegal fruit? Maybe they go to fruit trafficking school and sniff contraband papaya all day. I don’t think you can take fresh fruit onto or off the island with the exception of Dole pineapple. Maybe they spray that with something to make it safe. We’ll have to ask the dogs to be sure.

Poppy doesn’t react well when Gia hires a young redhead to work the coffee bar. Does she really think Gia will trade her in for a newer model? Poppy’s self esteem is tenuous at best. She’s making great strides in self-acceptance, but a younger, skinnier red head would be a challenge for the strongest of egos.

 

I grew up going to Ocean City, NJ for vacation. Is Morrow’s Nut House still around? It was there last year. I didn’t get to visit this year because of the pandemic, so I don’t know if Covid has made any drastic changes to the area landmarks. I hope everyone has weathered the storm. I ordered ingredients from a few places in Cape May to put in my recipes for the next book so I’m doing my small part to keep them around.

 

Guests named Baker check into the B & B with a teacup Pomeranian named Tammy Faye. Which is bigger, Figaro or Tammy Faye? Figaro is bigger than a teacup pom. Which animal is innocent? Neither.

 

Sunny Baker looks like a gold digger. She’s much too young for her husband. She’s a stay-at-home wife. But when her daughter-in-law and social media lifestyle bogger, Zara, gang up on Sunny, she defends herself well by saying, “I thought women fought for the right to make their own choices in life and not have someone else tell them how they should live.” I felt like applauding Sunny. Is judging Sunny harshly too easy? You’ll have to decide that for yourself. No one is one-dimensional. The characters in my books are rarely what they seem. I hope they surprise you.

 

Is there a bridge to Cape May? There are two bridges. One from North Cape May that leads to West Cape May, and one at the end of the Garden State Parkway – Exit Zero. Cape May is a man-made island.

 

Victory has uniform problems, but that’s not her biggest problem. Why does Poppy find Victory asleep all the time? Victory has narcolepsy. That was not mentioned on her job application.

 

I think we all have had cheerleader problems. Did you? I definitely did. The cheerleaders were the mean girls in my school. That’s not to say that I have a bitter grudge against all cheerleaders. My daughter and granddaughters were cheerleaders, and they were wonderful. I think people are individuals. Bullying and shallowness are not caused by pompoms, but they sure ran rampant in my small neck of the woods.

 

Who really said, “With great power comes great responsibility”? Uncle Ben. A character in Spider Man. You can ask Alexa. She’ll tell you.

 

Why does Poppy’s best friend Sawyer think Poppy is cursed? Because it’s not normal to keep finding murder victims. Don’t Google this. Just take my word for it.

 

Is there a recipe for strawberries in chocolate balsamic glaze? Chocolate balsamic vinegar can be found in gourmet and specialty stores. Just drizzle the chocolate balsamic over the strawberries. It’s delicious over ice cream too.

 

How much do people need to have in common to make a relationship work? I don’t think there’s a simple answer for this. The only constant is that it takes a lot of hard work to make a relationship endure, and it isn’t always as fun or easy as Hollywood makes it look.

 

What is keto flu? The temporary detox effect of your body kicking sugar and going through withdrawals from a lack of simple carbohydrates. You feel like you have the flu for a few days. The more sugar you are used to eating before you cut it out, the worse you feel while you adjust. It’s like drinking four cups of coffee a day then cutting out caffeine cold turkey. I get terribly loopy after a vacation or holiday when I go back to no sugar. 

 

Even though Poppy’s high school nemesis (cheerleader) turned detective Amber wants to keep the suspects together by having them stay at Poppy’s B & B, surely Poppy should be able to charge them. Why does she take on the burden and do it for free? Amber can’t make them stay anywhere they don’t want to stay unless they’ve been officially charged with a crime. The detective saying, “Don’t leave town” is only a thing in television and movies. Poppy is trying to garner a little good will with the police by working with them to provide a way to keep the suspects in town during the investigation. Free lodging at a beach B&B would be hard to pass up. And no one wants to make themselves look suspicious by refusing the generosity.

 

I was so happy with the ending until you dropped the bomb. What is next for Poppy and Aunt Ginny? So many delightfully horrible things. Beauty Expos Are Murder comes out next summer and it picks up moments after Wine Tastings ends. You’ll get to see how Poppy handles the men in her life, and whether or not she chooses to move forward with romance. 

An Interview With Libby Klein by E. B. Davis

“Nope. No way. The price is too high. If I get involved in this,

the whole town will label me a death magnet.”

Mother Gibson’s eyes softened and she took my hand. “Oh,

honey. That ship sailed long ago.”

Libby Klein, Theater Nights Are Murder, Kindle Loc. 1500

Poppy thought her toughest challenge this winter would be sticking to her Paleo diet and filling all her orders for her gluten-free goodies, but now she has to choose between two suitors. She’s not the only one with boyfriend drama. Aunt Ginny’s long-ago high-school beau, Royce Hanson, a retired Broadway actor, has returned to Cape May, New Jersey, to star in a Senior Center staging of Mamma Mia. Leaving Aunt Ginny to wonder: What's his motivation?

Slated to open February 13th, the problem-plagued production seems to be cursed—with stolen props, sabotage, and even a death threat. But when a cast member plunges to his death from a catwalk, it soon becomes clear a murderer is waiting in the wings. Now Poppy, Aunt Ginny, and a supporting cast must take center stage to catch the killer—before it's curtains for someone else . . . 

Amazon.com

 Theater Nights Are Murder is the fourth book in Libby Klein’s Poppy McAllister mystery series. I’m a fan of Libby’s, and I wanted to interview Libby so I could read the book. (I’m bluntly honest—deal with it.) I admire writers who can craft humor. Libby is one of the best, and she combines it well with mystery. I won’t spoil the ending, but suffice it to say that Poppy and her cat, Figaro, are quite the team, along with Aunt Ginny and her crew of old biddies.

Set on the cusp of Valentine’s Day, the book is about love—all types, some of which aren’t as healthy as others. Poppy whips up Valentine’s Day bakery delights, but with murder, thievery, insurance fraud, and geriatric acting, love takes second stage to Poppy and the biddies going under cover to solve whodunit.

Please welcome Libby Klein back to WWK.            E. B. Davis

Poppy came back to Cape May, NJ from Virginia to help her eighty-something Aunt Ginny stay out of assisted living. To make Aunt Ginny’s grand Victorian house pay for itself, Poppy opened it as the Butterfly Wings B & B. If Cape May is a cape, how is it an island?  

Cape May is a man-made island. It became an island when a canal was created to connect the harbor to the Delaware Bay. It’s a real place with a lot of history for me. I grew up there. I went to high school, fell in love, got married and had my children there. Not in that order. It’s absolutely beautiful with the golden sand and silvery ocean, the stunning Victorian homes, the historic lighthouse. When I go home again, most of the places I frequent are little shacks off the tourist track that sell food from my childhood memories.

Poppy is involved with two men. Tim, her old flame from high school, and Gia, a new café owner with a wicked mother. Tim has a habit of stringing women along with romantic intent, but it could be subterfuge for keeping culinary talent for his restaurant. Is Poppy in denial or is she hoping his interest is more than business?

Poppy has loved Tim for most of her life. It’s hard to let go of that first love. And when they’re together, the memories and feelings come rushing back – for both of them. It doesn’t hurt that Tim is a very sexy chef, and he’s living the dream that he and Poppy once had together. Her decision is a hard one for lots of reasons. This could be her chance to reclaim her lost love and her lost career. Or she could end up breaking the heart of someone she cares very deeply about – for the second time.

Gia seems like the perfect guy, but he comes with family baggage. In a contest, who would win? Georgina, Poppy’s late husband’s problematic mother or Gia’s old Italian mother?  

There is no doubt, Momma Larusso would destroy Georgina. Georgina was only able to boss Poppy around because Poppy would lie down and take it. Poppy entered her marriage with Georgina’s son John under a cloud of guilt and shame. It’s only since she’s come home to Cape May and started her life over that she’s learning to stand up for herself. Now if the contest were between Momma and Aunt Ginny… My money’s on Aunt Ginny. Momma is tough and scary, but Aunt Ginny is clever and has a backup posse in the biddies.

How did Sir Figaro Newton get his name? Does he defy gravity or prove Newton’s theories correct?

I think it’s more that he’s sweet and sometimes sticky like a cookie. Sir Figaro Newton is my real black smoke Persian and my son named him. When my kids were little, I took them to see a professional puppet show in the park and they did a version of the Marriage of Figaro with cat and dog puppets and a bakery selling fig rolls. I can’t prove it, but I’m pretty sure that was his inspiration.

Where does Aunt Ginny get her tee-shirts?

On the internet. My guess is passive-aggressiveTs.com You can have anything custom made nowadays. And god knows she’ll bedazzle it when it gets home.

The B & B is getting bad reviews from a troll, who uses different online names so the reviews look like they are coming from multiple people. How do most people deal with trolls?

Some people get into Twitter rants or post vague aggressive messages on Facebook to the trolls. Some people ignore them and know that any reasonable person will see their critical judgment as just one person’s opinion. We can all see that a one-star review that a troll leaves for a book they haven’t read but are angry because the post office delivery was slow is absolute rubbish.

Like many doctors remind patients with Celiac Disease, gluten-free doesn’t mean calorie-free. Is this Poppy’s problem in losing weight or is she seriously plateauing?

Poppy has a lot of health issues that are keeping weight on her. She’s doing everything she can to lose the weight and it just isn’t working. Some people may have a hard time believing this is possible, but even medical science is now acknowledging that there is so much more to weight loss than calories and exercise. You can do everything “right” and still not lose weight because of stress, hormones, genetics, illness, medications, etc. Poppy is going to have to accept that she can’t beat her body into a size five if it refuses to go there.

Aunt Ginny’s high school boyfriend, Royce Hansen, comes back to Cape May after a career in Broadway theater, during which he won four Tonys. He has volunteered to star in a play at the Senior Center as a fundraiser. Ginny’s heart was broken by Royce. Why does she agree to try out for a part in the play, Momma Mia?

A mixture of morbid curiosity and the confidence that he was the one who lost out. Aunt Ginny knows she’s a catch. Let him see what he’s missing.

When one of the seniors is found dead in the theater, only Poppy and the old biddies believe it was murder. I was surprised the local cops didn’t investigate more seriously. Why didn’t they?

The cops didn’t feel there was enough evidence to support a murder investigation.  

There’s a wonderful scene you’ve created in which Gia and Poppy discuss Royce and Aunt Ginny, but it isn’t really about them, is it? Or are they discussing Momma Mia?

Hopefully readers will pick up the delicious subtext.

Georgiana drives a Maserati. Aunt Ginny has a Corvette. If they both have the money for those cars, why aren’t they helping Poppy pay the taxes and bills for the house?

Georgina has old money and her former daughter-in-law’s great aunt’s house isn’t her responsibility. Not to mention that Georgina doesn’t do anything unless it’s profitable for Georgina. Aunt Ginny has a gorgeous Corvette, the sale of which would not pay the property taxes for one year. Cape May is a very expensive place to live, and if you have the pleasure of owning one of the beautiful historic Victorians, you’d either have to be very wealthy or like cooking eggs for tourists.

What’s next for Poppy and the old biddies?

Their next adventure is Wine Tastings Are Murder, and it launches December of 2020. Poppy signs up to be an official tour stop and lodging for an organized Wine Tour. A tour guest dies - but no one knows how. Aunt Ginny gets an Alexa, Poppy makes a MAJOR decision, and someone brings a Pomeranian to stay at the “Pet Friendly” B&B.

Your madcap and intricate plots combined with biddie mayhem remind me of Jana DeLeon’s writing. Are you a fan of hers?

I’ve never read Jana DeLeon, but I will definitely check her out! I love hijinks. My favorite stories are full of humor, irony and sarcasm. I grew up on Carol Burnett, I Love Lucy, and Laverne and Shirley. They were a big influence on my writing. You’ll see a lot of their influence in the upcoming Wine Tastings Are Murder.

What is your secretary’s name, and does he resemble Figaro in character or demeanor?

This is my baby, Miles Davis. He crossed the rainbow bridge a couple of years ago and I miss him terribly. Miles is a seal point Himalayan. He looks nothing like Figaro who is a black smoke Persian, but just about everything Figaro has done came from Miles. The infamous flop belongs to this guy.

Libby's Secretary

 Libby Klein

An Interview with Libby Klein by E. B. Davis

“Your next strike for…buying drugs?”

“It’s called possession. Don’t you watch TV or anything?”

“Nobody gets arrested for possession on Cake Boss.”

“What’s Cake Boss?”

“It’s like Breaking Bad, but with frosting.”

Libby Klein, Midnight Snacks Are Murder, Kindle Loc. 2115

Cape May is being turned upside down as someone is breaking into neighbor’s houses, stealing their knickknacks and eating their goodies.

Between trying to get her gluten-free baking business off the ground and helping her aunt remodel her old Victorian into the Butterfly House Bed and Breakfast in Cape May, New Jersey, Poppy is ready to call, “Mayday!” And now Aunt Ginny—who’s a handful wide-awake—is sleepwalking on her new sleeping pill prescription and helping herself to neighbors’ snacks and knickknacks.

Even more alarming, a local humanitarian who worked with troubled teens is found murdered, and the police suspect the “Snack Bandit.” Other than a bad case of midnight munchies and some mild knickknack kleptomania, Aunt Ginny is harmless. Someone’s trying to frame her. Poppy will need to work tirelessly to uncover the killer and put the case to rest—before Aunt Ginny has to trade in her B & B for a bunk bed behind bars . . .

https://libbykleinbooks.com/books/midnight-snacks-are-murder/

There were so many quotes I highlighted in Libby Klein’s LOL Midnight Snacks Are Murder, the second in her Poppy McAllister mystery series, it was had to choose. Here’s the runner up: “I’d been stranded in Cape May with my eighty-ish great aunt ever since I was lured up here to attend my twenty-fifth high school reunion a few weeks ago and was voted most likely to kill a cheerleader.”

Libby’s books are fun reads. Her characters are delightful even when they are annoying. Even the cat, Figaro, is three-dimensional. But then when I went to Libby’s website and hit on the link to Figaro’s World, I found that Libby gets cats.

The first in her series, Class Reunions Are Murder, I haven’t read yet, but after reading the second, this is one series that I will go back and read the first—which for me is saying a lot!

Please welcome Libby Klein to WWK.                        E. B. Davis

Poppy is converting Aunt Ginny’s house into the Butterfly B & B in Cape May, NJ to support Aunt Ginny, her great aunt, who raised her. Did Poppy work when she lived in Waterford, VA? What did she do?

Poppy supported her late husband while he finished law school by working as a checker at the A&P. It was never her dream to one day wear a smock to work, but you do what you gotta do to pay the bills. Having only a high school diploma herself, Poppy bounced around between a few minimum wage jobs for years until she went to work as a receptionist in her husband’s law firm in Waterford. 

Why isn’t Aunt Ginny in better financial shape?

Aunt Ginny’s Grand Victorian has been owned by the McAllister family for generations, but the taxes on a property like this in Cape May are well above the ability for someone living on a small pension and social security to pay. And with old houses, things tend to need repair often. She used to share the cost with her sister, but Emmy died a few years earlier and thus far, Aunt Ginny’s plan to win the lottery has not paid off.

Why are they naming the B & B, Butterfly?

In Class Reunions, Poppy breaks out of the bondage of shame and self-pity that she’d been living in. She’d been hiding from the world instead of living her life because of depression over her past, her weight, and fear of not being acceptable by society norms. Aunt Ginny encourages her to love herself and embrace life right now. It’s not too late to change and be who she was meant to be - like a butterfly. It’s the second pivotal moment in the story where Poppy has to choose to rise up and fight for herself.

When Aunt Ginny goes on her sleepwalking raids, does she help herself to snacks because of the Paleo Diet she’s adopted to support Poppy, whose doctor recommended it for weight loss?

Well. We can only assume. Sleepwalking can be a manifestation of your subconscious desires. When Aunt Ginny signed on to support Poppy in bettering her health and fighting depression, she had no idea that the cost would be so high as to remove peanut butter. Of course, Aunt Ginny might subconsciously just want a hunk of pie.

Amber, a local cop, does her job, but she has history with Poppy. I’m surprised a former cheerleader became a cop, which may be my own prejudice. What was the history between Amber and Poppy?

Life is all about the choices we make and their ensuing consequences. Amber was one of the bullies who tormented Poppy through high school. She was second in command of the bully squad, if you will. The friction between Poppy and Amber goes deeper than juvenile name calling. The rest of the bad blood between them is a bit of a spoiler revealed in Class Reunions. Poppy does learn a lesson that we all have moments where we are not our best and hurt others, and not all situations are black and white. More is revealed about their relationship as the series progresses.

Aunt Ginny’s dubbed the “Snack Bandit,” but unfortunately someone, a murderer, copycats her M.O., putting Aunt Ginny in the frame for murder. Since the elderly are the least likely to kill, why are the police so sure Aunt Ginny is the culprit?

If you ask Aunt Ginny, the police can be lazy and try to convict the easiest target. Aunt Ginny will also tell you that bit about the elderly being the least likely to kill is hogwash. You haven’t been to Bingo when the jackpot has been tampered with. If you ask Poppy, certain blonde officers have it in for her and her family. But if you ask the police, the crime scene for the murder matches the M.O. for the crime scenes for the break-ins and there are no coincidences.

Was Poppy’s best friend, Sawyer, responsible for getting Poppy to Cape May?

In Class Reunions, Sawyer used the age-old contract of the pinky swear to convince Poppy that she had to return home as her bully backup for the reunion. Sawyer was also expecting a rather unpleasant run-in with her newly divorced ex-husband and his bad choice of the month. Poppy could never say no to a friend in need, so she returns home to Beach Hell – just for the weekend.

Poppy hasn’t been back to Cape May since she graduated from high school due to her embarrassment about jilting Tim, who was her fiancé and sweetheart from high school. I’m surprised. Even with being embarrassed, she loves Aunt Ginny and her BF, Sawyer. Was that all there was to it?

Poppy’s avoidance of Cape May goes much deeper than her breakup with Tim. Cape May holds all the bad memories and feelings from childhood and adolescence. Her one big goal in life was to get out and move far away. Away from abandonment, away from isolation, away from not fitting in. Now that she’s back, she has to face her fears and try to make peace with her past.

Like many of us, Poppy blames herself for the original jilting of Tim, who she is now seeing again, but she’s also interested in Italian barista, Giampaolo, aka=Gia. So, in addition to feeling like she’s two-timing Tim again, she’s also feeling unfaithful to her late husband. Is she missing the obvious or doesn’t want to admit to herself the truth?

At the beginning of Class Reunions, Poppy’s husband of nearly twenty-five years had died about six months earlier. Poppy’s been grieving her way through the snack food aisles of the local grocery store. Now that she finds herself in Cape May, she comes face to face with Tim, her first love, and has to relive one of the biggest regrets of her life. Her emotions are all over the map. Add the attraction to Giampaolo to the mix and it’s no wonder Poppy’s a hot mess. Aunt Ginny would tell Poppy, “There’s no ring on your finger; go out and have a good time.” But Poppy’s past impetuous choices have left her terrified of making another mistake.

I like “Itty-Bitty” Smitty or “I-can-fix-that” Smitty. He’s seems incompetent, even if persistent. Why does Poppy continue working with him?

Partly because he was all she could get at the last minute and within her budget, but mostly because Poppy is loyal to a fault. Once you’re her friend, she’ll stand by you no matter what. She can be patient with your mistakes because she knows she’s made so many of her own.

Why does Gia’s mother dislike Poppy so much? She and her daughter are passive-aggressive, which I hate!

Hmm. That’s a good question. Gia doesn’t seem too concerned about either of their opinions. He’s interested in Poppy and no one will deter him from pursuing her.

Why is Karla, Gia’s sister, so cryptic?   

Snob. What is that all about?!

  

  

Georgiana is a dislikable character who seems bent on gaining power and control over the household. Even though she comes clean in the end, it doesn’t end her horrible behavior. Is it something she can’t control?

She doesn’t know any better. Georgina has had a life of privilege, and financial power often comes with social power and the misconception that one should have power over everything else. And it usually does. Money solves a lot of problems. Georgina has wielded that power over Poppy for most of her life because she married her son and became part of her domain. In Midnight Snacks, it’s up to Poppy to stand up for herself and take that power back.

My daughter has Celiac Disease and my son is now trying out the Paleo Diet for three months to discover if it helps inflammation. He and his wife are visiting next weekend. I’ve done pretty well doing GF cooking and baking, but I’m at a loss with Paleo. I read the recipes at the back of your book, such as Paleo Espresso Brownies, and I have a few questions.

Aren’t eggs considered dairy?

No, but a lot of people ask this question. Dairy is milk and things made from milk. (cheese, cream, sour cream, yogurt, ice cream, kefir) It comes from cows. (And sheep and goats.) Eggs are sold in the “dairy aisle” of the grocery store, but they are in the meat food group. In a sense, eggs are baby chickens the way veal is baby cow. (If I think about that too hard I won’t be able to eat either one.) Dairy is hard to digest and very inflammatory. That’s why its not popular on anti-inflammatory diets like FODMAP and Paleo.

*Note – eggs are not allowed if you’re allergic to them. I’m not. I have enough trouble with grains, sugars and milk stuff.

 

If there isn’t any sugar, how can coconut sugar or honey be allowed?

There is a difference between sweet and sugar.

You can have natural sweeteners in moderation – fruit, honey, pure maple syrup, stevia, natural sugars from coconut, dates, monk fruit. They’re natural, less refined, have some vitamins. But even though a brownie is made from honey instead of white sugar, it should still be considered a treat and eaten in moderation – not three times a day – no matter how irritated you are. (Sorry. Talking to myself for a minute.)

You want to avoid the highly processed sweeteners of bleached white cane sugar, corn sugar, corn syrup, glucose syrup, invert sugar - because they’re super sugars, highly processed. Highly inflammatory (and light your brain up like cocaine.)

Paleo Diet = Nothing fake. Ingredients exist in nature.

Isn’t yogurt dairy? (Paleo Granola Parfaits)

The Paleo granola parfaits are made from coconut yogurt, nuts, coconut and fruit.

Yogurt made from dairy [milk] is not allowed on the Paleo diet. Food scientists have found a way to make “dairy” products out of non-dairy ingredients. That’s why you have almond milk, cashew milk, macadamia milk, coconut milk. These things have zero milk in them. No dairy at all. No cows (or sheep or goats) were involved. But no one wants to buy a bottle of “Nut Juice.” In the same way, they’ve found a way to make “yogurt” out of these alternative “milks”. And there are some really good soft “cheeses” on the market made from nuts.

*Note – you can also get all these things, ie – “milk”, “yogurt”, “cheese”, “ice cream” made from soy as well. Soy is NOT Paleo.

 

Your book covers are fabulous. Who creates them?

Thank you. Kensington has wonderfully talented designers who’ve made three beautiful covers for me.

What’s next for Poppy and the gang?

Restaurant Weeks Are Murder is released in March, 2019. Poppy will get to live out a lifelong dream of working in a professional kitchen next to Tim in the first annual Cape May Restaurant Week Chopped-style Competition. Unfortunately, Gigi - Tim’s perky blonde mentee/girlfriend wannabe is also on Tim’s team. Some dreams should never come true.

                  

                    Libby Klein’s secretary—will get back to you when he feels like it.