Review | Play the Fool

Play the Fool by Lina Chern

Katie True is jumping from one dead-end job to the next, trying to keep a low profile with her overbearing family that’s always hoping she’ll live up to her potential.
She’s currently selling tchotchkes in the mall and reading tarot while her friend Marley works in a clothing store across the way…

until a man stumbles into Katie’s shop with a photo of Marley with a gunshot wound.

Katie has to use her street smarts and cunning to solve Marley’s murder while asking herself if she ever truly knew her friend at all.

This was a fun murder mystery with faint rom-com vibes that would translate well to the screen! While there’s plenty of things that happen that require a strong suspension of disbelief, I went along for the ride because I understood it’s a lighthearted story here to entertain and that’s what it did!

Thanks to Bantam and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Play the Fool was released on March 28, 2023.

Review | Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Everything Sutanto writes is charming, cozy, and hilarious. Her characters are lovable and keep me completely invested in all the hijinks! Of course her latest is no exception.

60-year-old Vera Wong is a self-proclaimed tea expert who keeps up with the times with detective work on the internet – after she wakes at 4am and has a brisk walk, of course! She’s a loving mother who incessantly checks in on her only son with texts to remind him that if he’s still in bed at 7am, he’s basically wasted the entire day.

What Vera never expects is to wake up and find a dead man in her tea shop.
No matter, she’s processed the scene and made the chalk outline before the police arrive.
And when they fail to see that this is a case of murder, she’s certain she can catch the killer.

Another charming cozy from Jesse Q. Sutanto. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of Vera in the future!

Thanks to Berkley Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers was released March 14, 2023.

Review | Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun (Finlay Donovan #3) by Elle Cosimano

I adore the Finlay Donovan series and was thrilled to jump back in with book three!

Author and single mom Finlay Donovan and her nanny/friend/partner-in-crime Vero attend a citizen’s police academy run by Finlay’s hot cop love interest Nick in the midst of Finlay’s looming book deadline and mounting pressure for Vero to pay back a debt — while Russian mob boss Feliks is putting the heat on them to identify a contract killer before the cops.
Another fun and entertaining cozy mystery in a favorite series!

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun is scheduled for release on January 31, 2023.

Review | The Bullet That Missed

The Bullet That Missed (Thursday Murder Club #3) by Richard Osman

I adore spending time with the Thursday Murder Club!
In the third installment, the gang is working to solve a ten year old cold case involving Bethany Waite, a journalist who may have met an untimely end due to foul play. Our favorite detectives are once again roped in to helping the club, Elizabeth receives a visit from a new foe with an alarming mission, and a new mystery pops up…
This is my favorite cozy series, I love the characters and the stories are wonderfully plotted. I’m already looking forward to the next case!

Review | The Marlow Murder Club

The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood

Seventy-seven year old Judith Potts lives in a fading mansion just outside Marlow with plenty of whiskey, a job setting crosswords for the paper, and without a man to hinder her.
While out for a swim, she hears a gunshot at her neighbor’s home and immediately phones the police, who are quick to respond …and quick to leave when nothing looks suspicious.
When the neighbor’s body is later found, police hesitate to conclude it’s a homicide. Judith is certain her neighbor has been murdered and her own investigation leads her to meet (and recruit!) Suzie, a local dog walker, and Becks, the wife of the local Vicar. This unlikely group soon realizes their sleepy town has a serial killer when another body turns up!
Judith loves to solve puzzles so this clever woman is quick to piece together clues before the police, but the closer she gets to solving this crime, the closer the killer gets to Judith!

The Marlow Murder Club is a fun little cozy with a nod to a classic mystery. The characters were the definite strength of this story and would entice me to read a sequel!

Review | Four Aunties and a Wedding

Four Aunties and a Wedding (Aunties #2) by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Meddelin Chan reconnected with her college sweetheart, Nathan, while photographing a wedding …and trying to dispose of a dead body(!) with the help of her traditional but unconventional Chinese/Indonesian family in Dial A for Aunties. That book was an unexpected breath of fresh air with riduculous over the top rom-com moments that rang true in a oddly heartfelt way.  (Read my review of that book here).

Now Meddy and Nathan are planning their wedding day and want the four aunts to enjoy the event as guests instead of vendors. As a compromise, the couple selects a Chinese-Indonesian family-run company to handle the big day and Meddy is grateful to find she gets along so well with her photographer, Staphanie (yes, that spelling is correct). The night before the nuptials, Meddy overhears Staphanie discussing “taking out a target” … and is stunned to realize this family is … family — as in mafia family(!) — and they’re using her wedding to get rid of someone! Her special day turns into a race to discover who the target is and keep her aunties safe. But really, it’s the mafia who should be worried about the aunties!

While this sequel is another fun cozy, it lacks the unexpected charm of Dial A for Aunties for me. The over the top scenes in this book felt like it was trying to recapture the magic of book one …but trying a little too hard to be genuine laugh out loud moments.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Four Aunties and a Wedding is scheduled for release on March 29, 2022.

Review | Homicide and Halo-Halo

Homicide and Halo-Halo by Mia P. Manansala

Homicide and Halo-Halo is the second book in the cozy mystery series Tita Rosie’s Kitchen.  (Read my review of book one, Arsenic and Adobo, here.)

Lila Macapagal is keeping her love life non-existent after the stressful events of book one (despite two incredibly eligible bachelors in her life) to focus on finalizing the menu of the cafe she’s opening with her BFF and judging the recently updated Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant.
Unfortunately, someone is trying to sabotage the pageant and the head pageant judge is murdered. Lila’s cousin/rival Bernadette is the main murder suspect and the two must once again set aside their differences to solve another mystery!
Another fantastic installment full of secrets, food, and flirting.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Homicide and Halo-Halo is scheduled for release on February 8, 2022.

Review | Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead

Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead (Finlay Donovan #2) by Elle Cosimano

Once again Finlay Donovan is on a deadline for her next book and her agent is breathing down her neck for the pitch, her daughter’s goldfish has met an untimely demise, she’s struggling to keep things running smoothly with the help of her live-in nanny and friend Vero, and her douchebag ex-husband Steven is being extra douchey and apparently someone wants him dead now… and the Russian mob may or may not be involved in the shady online forum where complaining soccer moms can put out a hit.
There’s also the hot cop Nick and the bartender/law student Julian keeping Finlay’s romantic prospects complicated and not enough time to contemplate the secrets Vero seems to be hiding.

To meet her book deadline and keep Steven alive, Finlay has to write from experience and stay one step ahead of the police to find out who’s trying to kill her ex before they finish the job.

Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead is a juicy sequel with even higher stakes to the laugh out loud funny Finlay Donovan Is Killing It (read my review here) and I’m once again impatiently waiting for the next installment.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead is scheduled for release on February 1, 2022.

Review | Wings and Broken Things

Wings and Broken Things (Mitzy Moon #3) by Trixie Silvertale

Another cozy paranormal in the Mitzy Moon series that I devoured on audio! Life has been hectic the last few months between preserving the summer garden harvest, school starting (for my kiddo and my hubby!), a new job, and prepping for the new flock set to arrive at the beginning of October. It’s so nice to still have time to read thanks to audiobooks – and I picked a great lighthearted series to ease in to audio!

Mitzy Moon has made a name for herself as a sleuth with psychic abilities in the small town of Pin Cherry Harbor. I love seeing the character development with each book and settling in to Mitzy’s humor, Gram’s snark, and the flirtation with sheriff Eric.

In Wings and Broken Things, Mitzy is determined to solve the hit-and-run of the local veterinarian though there isn’t a single eyewitness coming forward. Desperate for tips, Mitzy goes undercover at the local high school and is quickly on the wrong side of the law (…again) by interfering with Eric’s investigation.
This is a charming cozy with a fun mystery (and a hex for good measure) to solve and I’m enjoying the series on audio as the narrator has really given an authentic voice and personality to each character.

Review | Miss Kopp Investigates

Miss Kopp Investigates (Kopp Sisters #7) by Amy Stewart

Life looks much different for all three Kopp sisters after the war.  Fleurette’s plans to return to the stage are placed on hold, Constance returns from Washington, and Norma returns from Europe when their brother Francis unexpectedly dies in Paterson.  The shock soon turns to dismay when they learn he left his wife and two children in a troubling amount of debt… and a third baby is on the way.

The youngest Miss Kopp, Fleurette, has always been a bit spoiled but she steps up for her family; unfortunately, her career choice wouldn’t be met with approval from her older sisters.  With a huge influx of divorce post-WWI, Fleurette is posing as “the other woman” in staged photographs for a lawyer to take to the judge for divorces to be granted.
When a client seeking a divorce from her husband is scammed by a phony lawyer, Fleurette follows in Constance’s footsteps and conducts an investigation of her own.

Meanwhile, the sisters learn the reason Francis was in debt and step up to help his widow and children.  With employment hard to find for women, the Kopp sisters take their futures into their own hands and decide to open their own detective agency.

I love this series. (See my review for all the books, included the previous, Dear Miss Kopp, here)   The atmosphere of the era, the characters, and the investigations within each story following their lives – it’s all just entertaining and cozy!  I’m thrilled the Kopp series will finally have their own agency and cannot wait to see where their adventures lead next!

Thanks to Mariner Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.  Miss Kopp Investigates is scheduled for release on September 7, 2021.