Karen’s Killer Fixin’s
**AUTHOR SPECIAL**
with VALERIE J. CLARIZIO!

Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, VALERIE J. CLARIZIO, and her favorite recipe for GRASSHOPPER PIE!

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CRAZED RECKONING
A Nick Spinelli Mystery Book 3
BY VALERIE J. CLARIZIO

Blurb

CRAZED RECKONING
A Nick Spinelli Mystery Book 3
BY VALERIE J. CLARIZIO

If you’ve been following Detective Nick Spinelli on Karen’s blog, you will know that the holidays play havoc on his life. In the first book in the Spinelli series, COVERT EXPOSURE, poor Nick was forced to go undercover as Santa to catch a killer.  In the second book, CRAVING VENGEANCE, Nick was forced to dress as a singing cupid to protect his love interest while searching for a killer. This brings us to book three, CRAZED RECONING. I’m sure you figured out by now this book is set on St. Patrick’s Day.

The first two Spinelli books were set in Milwaukee. By request from a few readers who know I live in Beautiful Door County Wisconsin, I brought Nick and Shannon to my hometown during the St. Patrick’s Day celebration. We take St. Patrick’s Day very seriously here. Not necessarily because there are an abundance of Irish in our area, but more so because winters can be long in Wisconsin and by the time St. Patrick’s Day rolls around everybody is itching to get out of the house.

Here’s a peek at how our day plays out. Generally, we start the day with a hearty breakfast, then go downtown to watch the parade, then, well, there’s some green beer involved for most of the afternoon. Then, we finish the day off with some corned beef and cabbage at an Irish bar/restaurant.  Needless to say, poor Spinelli gets caught up in this massive celebration while searching for Shannon whose been kidnapped and is in the hands of a murder.

Interestingly, the Wisconsin weather in March can vary greatly.  I remember watching the parade one year in my parka because it was 17 degrees outside, and one year I watched short sleeved shirt because it was 65 degrees outside. But, no matter the temperature, we always go to the celebration, and we always have fun. Probably too much funJ

Since we’re talking about St. Patrick’s Day, I thought it would be appropriate to share a recipe for Grasshopper Pie. Not only because it is easy to make and delicious, but because it is green. Before we get to the recipe, here’s an excerpt from CRAZED RECKONING, A NICK SPINELLI MYSTERY.

Crazed Reckoning Excerpt

Editorial Note: Editing for language

Spinelli hadn’t wanted to worry any of Shannon’s family until he knew more details, but perhaps it was time to call her Uncle Bernie in Milwaukee. Shannon and Bernie were close. Maybe he could help.

Bernie answered his cellphone so quickly Spinelli swore he had been waiting for him to call.

“Spinelli.”

“Yeah, hi Bernie. Sorry, I know it’s early but do you by chance know where Shannon is?”

Spinelli tried to wait out the agonizing, uncomfortable silence. He could hear Bernie breathing, so he knew he hadn’t been cut off. “Bernie?”

“No. I don’t. I’ve been trying to reach her myself but she’s not answering her cell.”

“She’s not answering my calls either.”

“Last I knew, she was going to Door County with Anna for some geocaching thing.”

“Yeah, we’re in Door County now looking for her.”

“We’re? What? In Door County?” Bernie sputtered.

“Me, Walker and Marsh are in Sturgeon Bay looking for Shannon. I received a strange call from her yesterday about 3:30. We got cut off and I haven’t been able to reach her since.”

Something clunked. Did Bernie drop his cellphone?

The sound of wood scraping against wood resonated into Spinelli’s ear canal; shattering glass followed. “What have you done to her, you sawed off little runt?” Bernie growled.

“Nothing. I didn’t do anything,” exclaimed a high-pitched adult male voice.

“Bernie … Bernie,” Spinelli yelled into his phone. It was no use. The man had obviously dropped his phone.

“What’s going on?” Walker asked.

Spinelli shrugged and shook his head, his phone still pressed to his ear. The sound of shuffling feet echoed through the line, followed by a thud.

“Where is she, you little pr**k?” Bernie’s voice sounded even angrier than a moment ago.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen her … really. Just put me down and we’ll talk about this,” the unfamiliar voice pleaded.

What in the hell? “Put me down,” Spinelli repeated. Did Bernie just pick up some guy? Chr**t, he’s sixty-some years old. Who is this guy? And why would he have done something to Shannon.

It sounded like a sack of potatoes had dropped to the floor.

“Ouch, seriously? Was that necessary?”

“Shut up,” Bernie snapped.

Bernie’s labored breathing penetrated Spinelli’s ear.

“Bernie, what’s going on? Who’s with you?”

“Nobody. Just an old family friend.” Before Spinelli could question Bernie further, Bernie began his own line of questioning. “Tell me about this strange call from Shannon. What did she say?”

Spinelli debated his response. Should he let Bernie in on the details? At this point, they needed all the help they could get.

Spinelli expelled a breath. “She called me from one of the cache locations. She was pretty worked up. She told me she and Anna found a finger in the cache box.”

“A real finger?” Bernie asked. His tone didn’t seem all that surprised.

“Sounds that way.”

“I see. By chance, Nick, was there a gold Claddagh ring on that finger?”

Did he really just ask me if a severed finger had a ring on it? How would he know? “Yes.”

Something clunked, feet shuffled. “You little son of a b**ch! I’ll wring your scrawny neck. Where is she?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen her yet!”

“Ouch. You just bit me. Men don’t bite. What are you, some sort of animal?”

“Let me go!”

Spinelli pulled his cell from his ear and stared at the screen. “Dammit!”

“What’s happening?” Walker asked.

“I’m not sure, but I don’t like it.” Spinelli put the phone on speaker so they could all hear the fight on Bernie’s end. “He knew about the ring on the severed finger.”

“How on earth did he know that?” Marsh asked.

“That’s what I’d like to find out. And evidently the person with Bernie knows Shannon and may know something about the finger.”

Moments later, Bernie huffed into the phone.

“What’s happening? Who are you with? And how did you know about the ring?”

After sucking in a couple more quick breaths, Bernie cleared his throat. “I’m guessing the finger belongs to my dad, Shannon’s grandfather.”

“I thought your dad was deceased?”

“He is. He died in 1969.”

“Let me get this right. You’re telling me your dead father’s finger showed up in a cache box in Door County, over forty years after your father died.”

“It appears so.”

I hope you enjoy the recipe Valerie is sharing today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy Eating!

Karen

P.S. We’re at 469 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right-hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.

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GRASSHOPPER PIE

Crust:

24 thin chocolate wafers – crushed
1/3 cup butter – melted

Mix wafers and butter and press into a 9″ pie tin and chill for 1 hour.

Pie mix:

Melt 24 marshmallows with 1/2 cup milk in a double boiler and cool.

Add 1 ounce of Cream de Cocoa (white), 1 ounce of Crème de Menthe (green), 1/2 pint of  whipped cream  to marshmallow mixture. Pour over crust and refrigerate until set.

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**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Valerie will give away an e-book copy of LOVE THAWS A FROZEN HEART to one lucky reader who comments on her Karen’s Killer Fixin’s blog. Happy Reading!!

Blurb: Casey is hell bent on getting Noah to sign divorce papers. Hiding out at his camp, Noah is hell bent on not signing. Procuring a snowmobile, Casey sets out in a blinding snow storm to find him. After crashing, she is near death when Noah finds her. Will a few cabin-bound days cause either of them to change their mind?

Thanks, Valerie, for sharing your book with us!

Don’t miss the chance to read this book!