English Trifle

English Trifle

By Josi S. Kilpack

There are many ways to make an English Trifle, Sadie informs her host.  In fact she once gave her English Trifle recipe to several women who all intended to make it for a community gathering.  Instead of layering the fruits, Danish dessert and pudding, one lady mixed them all together, and another used only one type of fruit.  They all tasted lovely. 

Just like there are many ways to make an English Trifle, there are many ways to solve a mystery.  The English police have their way, and Sadie has hers.  Sadie’s includes Crumpets, Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons, and Wake’Em Up Breakfast Casserole, among other delicious foods. 

Summary

Thus Sadie finds herself in another murder mystery, this time in England where she and her grown daughter, Breanna, are visiting her daughter’s boyfriend, Liam.  Things for Breanna and Liam aren’t going too smoothly when, upon leaving Liam’s estate, Sadie and Breanna find the body of Liam’s father’s nurse, John Henry.

After successfully solving one murder mystery Sadie has no doubt she can successfully solve another one, especially when no one seems to be taking this mystery seriously.  With her daughter at her side, and some new recipes to try, Sadie is determined to capture the culprit.

Sadie soon comes to suspect that Breanna not only doesn’t want to get involved in solving this mystery, but is also hiding something from Sadie.  Sadie soon suspects most everyone in Liam’s estate has a secret they aren’t willing to tell, especially when it comes to the murder of John Henry. 

Personal Review

English Trifle doesn’t necessarily build off of Lemon Tart.  You can get away with reading English Trifle without having read Lemon Tart.  I was slightly disappointed that some of the characters from Lemon Tart weren’t mentioned in this book.  I was hoping to find out what happened to Jack and Trevor, and if Jack ever made his marriage work out.  I could see why Sadie’s new boyfriend, Pete, wasn’t mentioned in every other chapter.  Pete wasn’t supposed to be a part of this book.  If he were than Kilpack wouldn’t have separated Pete and Sadie by the Atlantic Ocean.

This book lacks some of the depth that Lemon Tart had.  I found Lemon Tart much more enticing than English Trifle, especially when it came to Sadie solving the mystery.  Sadie meets very little resistance in solving the mystery, and she doesn’t discover anything about herself in English Trifle.