He spread his arms out. “About building a second home here.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
“Is that a yes?” he said, laughing.
“You’ve managed to stun me into silence,” I admitted.
“A moment for the history books.” Still laughing, he wrapped his arms around me. “We need a more permanent home here, darling. We visit often enough and it’s fine to be able to stay in the houses of our friends and family. But there’s a baby on the way and I know you’re going to want to be here for Robin. And with my parents visiting more regularly, I’d like to see them as well. What do you say?”
“This land is for sale?” I asked, my voice sounding tremulous.
“Yes. Robson owns it and is willing to sell it to us for a good price.”
“Okay, you’ve shocked me again.” I blinked away tears of happiness and looked around again, loving what I saw from every angle. I knew that Derek had probably checked out every square inch of dirt on this large, lovely plot of land so I wasn’t worried there would be too many flaws to consider. And not only did it have views for miles, but it was also ten minutes away from our parents’ homes and five minutes away from Robin and my brothers. A few minutes more would take us to Gabriel’s house on the other side of Montana Ridge Road.
“I’m amazed and thrilled that you thought of it,” I said. “I love you so much.”
“And I love you back,” he whispered, and stroked my hair. We turned toward the view. “So what do you say?”
I laughed and squeezed my arms around him. “I say yes.”
Recipes
BREAKFAST GRAIN BOWL
2 cups cooked quinoa or rice
4 slices of bacon, diced
¼ cup onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
4 cups baby spinach, kale, arugula, or any combination thereof
Mild vinegar
1 avocado, sliced
4 eggs
Toasted sesame oil or olive oil for drizzling
Salt and pepper
Divide grain into four bowls. Keep warm.
Heat a pan over medium heat. Add bacon and onions, and cook until bacon is browned. Toss in tomato and greens. When the greens are wilted, divide into the four bowls. Drizzle with a little vinegar and oil, then stir. Place one-quarter of the avocado in each bowl.
Return pan to heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray or add a little oil to the pan. Crack the four eggs into the pan, one at a time, keeping apart. Cover pan and turn off the heat, but leave the pan on the burner. Leave the eggs there, without flipping, until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. Top each bowl with one egg, and salt and pepper to taste.
Tip: Use good quality fresh eggs. Cage-free, vegetarian-fed makes a difference in terms of not having the yolk break on you in the pan.
STREUSEL-TOPPED MAPLE-PUMPKIN SCONES
MAPLE SUGAR:
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
Stir together maple and sugar with a fork until well combined. Set aside.
STREUSEL TOPPING:
¼ cup flour
2 tbsp maple sugar, packed
1 tbsp butter
Whisk the flour and sugar until well combined. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender (or two butter knives). Set aside.
SCONES:
½ cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
2¼ cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ cup maple sugar, packed
½ cup cold butter, cut into ¼-inch chunks
1 egg
¼ cup + 1 tbsp cream, divided
1 tsp vanilla
Place pumpkin in a sieve over a bowl so the pumpkin will drain. If possible, do this the night before and put the sieve and bowl in the fridge because cold ingredients make for flaky scones.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put in the fridge.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk in the sugar. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and cut in with a pastry blender until the mixture has a crumb-like texture.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, pumpkin, ¼ cup of cream, and vanilla. Fold into the dry ingredients just until the mixture pulls together into a ball. If necessary, add additional cream one teaspoon at a time. Don’t overwork.
Place the ball on the parchment-lined baking sheet and pat down into a 10-inch circle. Slice into 8 wedges and pull apart so each scone is separate. Brush with cream. Top with streusel. Bake until scones are brown on bottom and streusel is golden on top, about 20–25 minutes.
AVOCADO TOAST WITH CHEESE, BACON, FRIED EGG, AND ONIONS
2 slices of bacon
2 small or 1 large ripe avocado
2 tbsp olive oil
2 slices of a large onion
2 thick pieces of bread—whatever bread you find most delicious
2 eggs
2 very thin slices of the cheese of your choice
Salt and pepper
Cook the bacon in a skillet. Meanwhile, mash the avocado flesh with a pinch of salt. When the bacon is done, drain on paper towels and set aside, but keep warm. Drain the bacon grease and wipe out the pan. Add the olive oil. Once it’s shimmery, caramelize the onions over low heat. While the onions are cooking, toast the bread.
Set onions aside and keep warm. Crack the eggs into the pan, breaking the yolks immediately and spreading the yolk across as much of the egg’s surface as possible (to get that flavor in every bite). While eggs are cooking, top each slice of toast with half the avocado and half the bacon.
Flip the eggs over, top with cheese and the caramelized onions, then turn off the pan and cover. Let sit until the cheese is melted, about a minute. Put one egg atop the toast-avocado-bacon base. Season with salt and pepper.
PANCAKES WITH BANANA WHIPPED CREAM
BANANA WHIPPED CREAM:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp granulated sugar
½ tsp vanilla
Yellow food coloring (optional)
1 banana, ripe but not discolored
If possible, refrigerate the empty bowl for an hour or more before making the whipped cream. The cream sets up better in a cold bowl. Put cream, sugar, vanilla, and if using, a few dashes of food coloring into the cold bowl. With the whisk attachment on a mixer, whisk on low speed. Gradually increase speed until you reach the maximum. Be careful not to let the cream spill over. Continue to whisk until whipped cream reaches the desired consistency. Mash the banana in a separate bowl, then add to the whipped cream. Whisk until thoroughly incorporated.
PANCAKES:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
¾ cup milk
1 egg
2 tbsp melted butter, plus butter for the pan
Sift together the dry ingredients. Whisk together the milk, egg, and melted butter. Add to the dry ingredients and stir gently just until combined. The batter should be lumpy.
Heat a griddle over medium heat. Add a thin slice of butter to the pan. When melted, spread it out with the spatula. Pour ¼ cup of batter at a time to make four-inch pancakes. When you start to see bubbles form around the edges, check carefully to see if the pancake is ready to flip. Keep warm until ready to serve.
MEG’S SPANISH-STYLE TORTILLA
The Spanish-style tortilla has more in common with a quiche or an omelet than it does with a Mexican tortilla. This is not som
ething you use to wrap other ingredients. Rather, it can be a meal on its own.
¼ cup of good quality extra virgin olive oil
3 medium-sized red potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, cut into ½-inch chunks
1 medium onion, diced
Salt and pepper
6 eggs
In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium. When the oil is shimmering, add the chopped potatoes and onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are cooked. Whisk the eggs and pour them over the potatoes and onions in the pan. Let them cook without stirring until the eggs are nearly set. To help the process, you can gently lift the edges of the cooked egg so that uncooked egg slips under that section.
When nearly set, slide the whole pie-shaped mixture onto a plate or the lid of the pan. Then invert the pan on top of the eggs and flip the pan, the eggs, and the plate so that the uncooked side of the tortilla is now on the heat. Cook all the way through.
To serve, cut into wedges.
MOCK DEVONSHIRE CREAM
There really is no substitute for Devonshire cream. But since it’s not easy to find in the United States, this may be the best you can do.
8 oz mascarpone cheese*
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp lemon juice
½ tsp vanilla
Using a mixer with a whisk attachment on high speed, whip together the cheese and cream in a cold bowl until soft peaks start to form. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla, and whip until thoroughly combined. Serve alongside fruit jam with traditional scones.
*If you can’t find mascarpone cheese, you can use cream cheese.
TRADITIONAL BRITISH SCONES
2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
3 tbsp cold butter, cut into ¼-inch chunks
¾ cup milk
1 egg, separated
Sift together the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two butter knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl, whisk the milk and egg white. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir very gently, just until moistened.
Turn dough, which will be quite sticky, onto a lightly floured surface. Dust with more flour and add some flour to your hands, and knead gently 5-10 times. Pat into a 10-inch circle or, for smaller scones, into two five-inch circles. Cut into wedges.
Bake on a pan lined with parchment paper at 350 degrees F until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Serve with jam and Devonshire cream.
BREAKFAST TACOS WITH HOMEMADE SALSA
HOMEMADE SALSA:
1 14-oz can of diced tomatoes with juices
2 tsp ground cumin
½ of a jalapeno (with seeds for spice, without seeds for mild), cut into ½-inch chunks
1 clove of garlic
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
½ tsp salt
Put all ingredients into a food processor. Pulse 4-5 times.
BREAKFAST TACOS:
Mexican tortillas—flour or corn
Scrambled eggs
Sausage or bacon
Shredded cheese
Diced onions
Diced tomatoes
Diced potatoes or hash browns, cooked
Warm the tortillas. Top with any or all of the suggested ingredients, plus salsa. No amounts are provided because it depends on how many people are being served—and how hungry they may be.
Book Group
Discussion Questions
MENU SUGGESTION FOR BOOK GROUP:
Breakfast smorgasbord, using recipes found in this book
Note: These questions may contain spoilers. It’s recommended that you finish reading the book before you read any of the questions.
1. Who were the suspects in the murder? What were the clues that made you suspect each one? Did you figure out the killer before the end of the book? How?
2. What were the red herrings in this book? (A red herring is a false clue that leads you to suspect the wrong person.)
3. Were you surprised when one of the main suspects was killed partway through the book? Why or why not?
4. In each Bibliophile Mystery, the modern-day mystery centers on a rare book in Brooklyn Wainwright’s care. In this case, Little Women. What interesting facts did you learn about Little Women by reading The Grim Reader?
5. Little Women is very much a story about a close family, and so is The Grim Reader. Describe how the closeness of Brooklyn’s and Derek’s families were revealed throughout the book.
6. Have you read any or all of the previous Bibliophile Mysteries? (You’ll find a full list on the Books page at KateCarlisle.com.) How do you think that impacted your reading experience?
7. At the book festival, bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright hosted several activities.
• Accordion bookmaking for children. Share an early childhood book-related memory with the group.
• Book and wine pairings. Name one of your favorite books and suggest a wine that would pair well with it.
• Book appraisals. Do you personally own any rare or antique books? Tell the group an interesting anecdote about a book in your collection. For example, how did you acquire it? Have you had it appraised?
8. What did you learn about bookbinding after reading The Grim Reader? Have you ever taken a book arts class?
9. Brooklyn and Derek spend most of their time in San Francisco, but this book took place entirely in Dharma. How did the setting of Dharma impact the storyline? For next year’s Bibliophile Mystery, do you hope it will take place in Dharma or in the city—or neither or both? Based on the ending of The Grim Reader, where do you think the next book will take place?
10. Suggest other rare books you’d like to see featured in a future Bibliophile Mystery. If you’d like to come up with a list as a group, Kate Carlisle would love to hear from you. You can contact her at KateCarlisle.com. While you’re there, visit the Secret Room to find fun bonus content such as puzzles, word games, maps of Dharma and Brooklyn’s San Francisco, contests, and more.
About the Author
Kate Carlisle is the New York Times bestselling author of the Bibliophile Mysteries, including The Book Supremacy and Buried in Books, as well as the Fixer-Upper Mysteries, including A Wrench in the Works and Eaves of Destruction.
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