Carrie is a stress-reduction therapist and the single mom of two teenagers. Her long suffering boyfriend, police detective Ted Brodsky has just moved in for what Carrie refers to as a "trial get-together". Something like the opposite of a trial separation. Their experiment is put to the test when Carrie's troublesome stepmother Eve arrives for a visit.

Eve is quite vocal in her disapproval of every aspect of Carrie's life, especially her penchant for solving murder mysteries. But Carrie puts up with her since Eve has taken such excellent care of Carrie's father after his heart attack. On that one subject, both Carrie and Eve see eye-to-eye.

So nobody is more shocked than Carrie when she discovers Eve is being blackmailed and wants Carrie, who naturally has expertise in these types of matters, to drive her into the city to aid in the delivery of the blackmail payment. Although Carrie declines, she soon finds herself thrust into the thick of things when the blackmailer is found murdered. After a visit from Eve.

Things escalate when Eve is arrested, Carrie's dad has another heart attack and Eve's long-lost son Jamie suddenly makes an appearance. When another murder takes place right in Carrie's living room, she's compelled to find out if her holier-than-thou stepmother is really a cold-blooded murderer.

Carrie's a terrific character, trying desperately to make sense of the traumatic events swirling around her. She reminds me of one of those posters of the kitten gripping a rope with its front paws, holding on for dear life.

Her boyfriend Ted is her perfect match. Calm, in control, with a great sense of humor. I look forward to watching their relationship progress in future books. Golden Eggs and Other Deadly Things is fast-paced, with touches of humor that had me laughing out loud. Although I predicted the murderer fairly early on, there were enough red herrings to keep me second guessing my theory.

And while this book is a stand alone part of a series, more importantly, it made this reader eager to track down the previous books in the series. If you've enjoyed the previous installments of the Carrie Carlin mysteries, you won't want to miss Golden Eggs and Other Deadly Things.

--Karen Lynch