The Fog Ladies In The Soup Book Review

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Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for The Fog Ladies: In the Soup (A San Francisco Cozy Murder Mystery) by Susan McCormick. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!

The Fog Ladies are back, in the third installment of this endearing cozy murder mystery series.

The Fog Ladies: In the Soup (A San Francisco Cozy Murder Mystery)

by Susan McCormick

I received this book free; however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive compensation at no cost to you.

The Fog Ladies: In the Soup (A San Francisco Cozy Murder Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting — San Francisco
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wild Rose Press (October 4, 2021)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 328 pages

“There was a man in the soup.”

When the Fog Ladies volunteer at a San Francisco soup kitchen, these spunky elderly friends plus one overworked young doctor-in-training envision washing and chopping and serving. Not murder. Now the soup kitchen is doomed, and the mysteries have just begun. Was the death rooted in a long-ago grudge? Can they save the soup kitchen? Will they find the killer? Could the Fog Ladies, too, end up “in the soup”?

The Fog Ladies: In the Soup Book Review

One of the types of cozy mystery books I try to seek out are ones with senior sleuths. The Fog Ladies: In The Soup fits the bill and was one of the reasons I wanted to read this one. It’s the first I’ve read in The Fog Ladies series, but it’s book three for those of you who like to read series in order. I think I would have benefited from reading the other two for more character background. The Fog Ladies: In The Soup is definitely a character driven story.

Though there are six Fog Ladies, I didn’t feel that I got to know all of them well since they didn’t play major roles. The secondary characters who are essential to the mystery took center stage. I was quite entertained by the Fog Ladies that I became acquainted with in the book. One of those characters, Enid Carmichael, has a guest post below, so be sure to read it! I wouldn’t call her a likable character, but she’s definitely entertaining. She’s a little bit like Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree…maybe she just needs a little love. Oh, not that her friends aren’t caring, but Enid could benefit from some TLC…maybe from a younger character like Chantrelle. You’ll get to know her a bit in this book, but I believe most of Chantrelle’s story is in book two.

It was fun trying to figure out the whodunit element of The Fog Ladies: In The Soup. Since the victim had lots of people who had plenty of motives to kill him, the mystery solving will keep you on your toes. I had an idea who the killer might be, but the author definitely gave me plenty of alternative suspects to consider.

When I got to the end of this book, I found that although it meandered a bit, I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. The apartment complex setting definitely adds to the charm since it keeps the ladies close to each other. I think fans of cozy mystery books with senior sleuths will enjoy The Fog Ladies: In The Soup. I’m looking forward to “seeing” these ladies again.

Character Guest Post: Enid Carmichael

Well, you wanted to hear from me and now you’ll hear from me. I am Enid Carmichael, 81-year-old champion of safety and solver of murders, enjoying my old age in our elegant apartment building in San Francisco where we Fog Ladies all live. We are spunky senior sleuths and one, frankly, undersuspicious and overly tired young doctor-in-training, Sarah. Sarah dubbed us the Fog Ladies because you can count on us like you can count on early morning fog burning off by midday.

This time we got ourselves involved in a murder at the soup kitchen. The celebrity chef, who was none too liked, boiled up in the giant soup pot that was ready for the California Big Pot Competition. The soup kitchen is a volunteer job thrust upon us by one in our group who previously would never have set foot in a soup kitchen, but somehow is now besotted with good works. She has us trudging down there every day to be of help, but I only go so I can keep my hand in the pot, so to speak. I intend to be the one who solves this crime. It’s time I mingle with a killer. Frances Noonan shouldn’t have all the fun.

Oh, there are plenty of suspects. A woman scorned, and I know a little bit about that. If I were Geraldine, I could easily have been the one to tip this man into the broth. Then there’s the current lover. What did she see in him? And the businessman with a grudge from the past. Not to mention the disgruntled soup kitchen guest who felt disrespected by the big shot chef. And the soup kitchen director himself, who actually threatened the man. The police arrested him, so he’s probably the one. I don’t really care who it is as long as I’m the one to figure it out and as long as I’m there when he’s fingered. I never seem to get in on the action. Hmph.

A little bit about me. I’m tall, over six feet, and I wear high heels. I like to tower. Who wouldn’t, if they could? I have red hair. It’s the color I decided on after much experimentation over my lengthy life. My lipstick matches, but sometimes putting on lipstick seems a bit much for a soup kitchen. I don’t know why I bother. Harriet Flynn, the one who’s had the life transformation and forced us into this volunteer spot, is coloring her hair. Can you believe it? My red hair is different. Hers is just brown. She calls it salt and pepper. I call it vain.

I have keen hearing. I pick up on lots of things people don’t intend. I know there’s a blackmailer. I know there’s a secret connection to the victim’s past. I know a lot. That’s why I intend to send someone to the Big House. Doesn’t matter who. Let justice be served, but, more importantly, let me meet a murderer!

About Susan McCormick

Susan McCormick is a writer and doctor who lives in Seattle. She graduated from Smith College and George Washington University School of Medicine, with additional medical training in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, where she lived in an elegant apartment building much like the one in the book. Susan served as a doctor in the U.S. Army for nine years before moving to the Pacific Northwest and civilian practice as a gastroenterologist. In addition to the Fog Ladies series, she also wrote Granny Can’t Remember Me, a lighthearted picture book about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, and The Antidote, a timely middle grade medical fantasy released May 2021. She lives in Seattle with her husband and two sons. She loves giant dogs and has loved an English Mastiff, Earl, and two Newfoundlands, Edward and Albert.

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