amateur sleuth

Review: It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell

~ megs14malloy

It Could Have Been HerIt Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jane Trevally is walking her dogs in the heathlands of her country estate when a West Highland Terrier suddenly appears. It’s clear the dog has been lost for a bit, and she’s sure someone must be missing him terribly.

She’s able to leash him up and walk him back to her house along with the rest of her pack. She quickly takes him to her local vet, and the dog is recognized. His name is Hugo. It seems he may have been staying with a teenage girl, who had recently rented a nearby cottage.

When the young lady is reported as missing by her landlord, Jane offers to return Hugo to his registered owner, found via microchip, hours away in London.

Arriving at the address, Jane can hardly believe it. She knows this house. She has a dark connection with it. One terrifying night from years ago that she’s never, ever forgotten.

But the man who opens the door isn’t the man she remembers. Nevertheless, the home’s current occupant seems sketch AF. He claims to know nothing about the missing girl, but Jane’s instincts are on high alert.

There’s definitely more to this story, and like the proverbial dog with a bone, Jane is not letting it go.

Jane knows that this unsettling house has secrets to spill, and she’s gonna get to the bottom of all of them. Perhaps it will help her get some closure for herself as well. Thus, an amateur sleuth is born.

Y’all, I had such a great time reading this. It Could Have Been Her is a bit slower to start than some of Jewell’s previous works, but with her signature style, she’s able to amp up the intensity with time and pull out all the stops bringing this dark Domestic Drama to its necessary conclusion.

This is the type of story where you need to be comfortable not fully understanding everything in the beginning. There’s multiple perspectives and timelines and it’s not necessarily clear straight away how they all fit together.

However, this is purposeful and for the Readers with the patience, Jewell expertly drops the reveals that will eventually piece it all together for you. I just went with the flow, and though I was uncomfortable in my uncertainty at times, once it clicked, I was hooked.

With all this being said, IMO, this will play better for the 40+ crowd, like myself, but nevertheless it’s a dark and intriguing tale.

I loved the MC, Jane, and am really hoping we might get another book with her. She was such an interesting character, and I’d love to follow her more on this new chapter of her life.

I would recommend this to any Domestic Suspense Reader, or Readers who like layered mysteries. There’s a lot going on here, but as mentioned above, as it all comes together, the payoff is worth it.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Lisa Jewell is one of the best in the business and I look forward to all of her new releases. This did not disappoint!

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Review: The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts (The Marlow Murder Club #5) by Robert Thorogood

~ megs14malloy

The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts (The Marlow Murder Club, #5)The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts is the 5th-book in Robert Thorogood’s The Marlow Murder Club series. I’ve enjoyed the previous books tremendously, so had been anxiously awaiting this 5th-release.

If you aren’t aware, these books follow Judith Potts, a widow in her 70s, and her two BFFs, Suzie and Becks, as they tackle mysteries in their local Marlow community.

This installment involves the deaths of two local celebrities, who although they don’t initially seem connected, the women decide to investigate nonetheless, because it certainly can’t be coincidence. But why would a killer be targeting such high profile locals?

Judith, Becks and Suzie, never ones to turn away from a truly puzzling mystery, are sure that the two cases must have a link, but finding it will be a challenge.

With all of this going on, it’s not a great time for Judith’s past to come back and haunt her, but that’s exactly what happens. Judith’s distracted, are her dark secrets finally going to come to light, or will she be able to put out that fire and solve the murders all at the same time?

I’m so happy to report that this ended up being my favorite book of the series thus far. I loved the growth displayed by all four of our main ladies, I’m including Tanika, their friend and police contact, with this statement, and I feel like they are all truly coming into their own.

There was something so ‘final’ feeling about this ending though. I’m actually nervous about it. I really hope this isn’t the last mystery we get with this fabulous cast of characters.

When I first started with this series, I liked it, but I wasn’t in love, but as the series has progressed, each installment seems to get stronger, or perhaps it’s that I’ve become so attached to the ladies. Either way, I feel like Thorogood has done an excellent job leaning into their personalities and allowing the series to grow.

I love the dynamic between Judith, Suzie and Becks. They support each other so well, and where one of them may have a weakness, the others can provide their own strengths, making them a fantastic team.

I really enjoyed learning more about Judith’s past in this one as well. Thorogood has been alluding to something potentially shady in Judith’s past that she’s been hiding from, but we never got the full scope of that. I feel like I have a much deeper understanding of her now.

As usual though, there’s also a great amount of humor in the story, particularly when the ladies are in full investigation mode. They’re so funny, the hi-jinks they get themselves into, even dangerous ones, all to solve the crimes. Now that’s dedication to a goal.

I would highly recommend this series to all Cozy Mystery fans, in particular if you enjoy friendship groups solving mysteries together, or elderly amateur sleuths. The small town vibes are on point as well, as is the humor and heart.

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. As mentioned above, I truly hope we get more installments in this wonderful Cozy series!

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Review: Bidding for Murder (Stamford Mysteries #3) by E.C. Bateman

~ megs14malloy

Bidding for Murder (The Stamford Mysteries 3)Bidding for Murder by E.C. Bateman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bidding for Murder is the 3rd-installment in E.C. Bateman’s Cozy Mystery series, The Stamford Mysteries.

If you’re unaware, this series follows Felicia Grant, a single-mom, who has returned to her home village of Stamford to help her Dad run their family-owned Auction House after her Dad’s health took a turn.

At this point, Felicia has been back in the village a while, and a lot has happened, including a few murders, which she’s become embroiled in solving.

Felicia’s ex, Dexter, the father to their son, Algernon, now 13-years old, has also returned to the village, so the family dynamics are chaotic and fun to follow. Add in her curmudgeon father, and you’re sure to be chuckling.

The mystery in this book kicks off when an old classmate of Felicia’s, Lucia, comes to town and asks Felicia to appraise some of her jewelry. The two meet up at the exclusive and mysterious Aquitaine Club, a private lodging and club in Stamford that regular residents really know nothing about.

Lucia, wife to a powerful politician, is staying there at the invitation of a friend, and Felicia is a bit overwhelmed and intrigued to even be invited in.

The meeting with Lucia is memorable indeed, and Felicia is drawn into the dramatic and secretive world of the Aquitaine. In fact, she’s invited back, along with her family, for their annual Halloween celebration the following day.

The evenings activities include a truly haunting Mummers performance, but everyone seems to be in good spirits. That is until the first body falls, followed quickly by another.

Before she knows it, Felicia is caught up in another investigation. Will she be able to weed out the killer lurking in the shadows before they successfully take another life?

There’s no doubt this is my favorite of the series thus far. A Murder Mystery set on Halloween night at a prestigious private club? Yes, please.

As a Spooky Season girlie through and through, I was loving the atmosphere Bateman was bringing to this story. It definitely had full-fledged Halloween vibes.

Additionally, I’m so attached to these characters now. As with many Cozy series, I feel like the further you go along, the more you feel like returning to the main characters is almost like going home. You get attached to their lives and whatever they have going on in it.

I found the mystery in this story so fun. I loved the locked room feel. Since it is set at the Aquitaine, and its being a private club, it is quite insular. The only people involved were those members staying there, as well as the employees, and Felicia and her family.

Over the course of the story, you learn a lot about the members and employees, and boy are they messy. There was so much going on amongst them, a lot of unlikable folks and certainly plenty of motives for any potential killers.

Pettifer and Jess are the police called to the scene, who we’ve come to know in previous books, and I loved having them back. I love how Pettifer and Felicia’s relationship has grown an developed across the books.

I really enjoyed trying to solve this one. There were so many clues, and I did have a lot of theories. It kept me hooked and therefore, up late into the night until I was able to finish. There’s no way I was sleeping on it.

I’m guessing from the final chapter and Epilogue that we’ll be getting another installment too, which I’m very happy about. I have no idea how long this series is slated to be, but I’m here for the long run.

I would definitely recommend this to Cozy Mystery fans, particularly if you enjoy charming village vibes and an amateur sleuth with a lot of pluck and a fun family dynamic.

Thank you to the publisher, One More Chapter, for providing me for a copy to read and review. I’m so excited for more Stamford Mysteries!

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Review: Murder on the Marlow Belle (The Marlow Murder Club #4) by Robert Thorogood

~ megs14malloy

Murder on the Marlow Belle (Marlow Murder Club, #4)Murder on the Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Murder on the Marlow Belle is the 4th-installment in the Marlow Murder Club series. I’ve had a lot of fun with the previous 3-books in this humorous Cozy Mystery series, so had been anxiously awaiting this latest.

This series follows Judith Potts, a widow in her 70s, and her two best friends, Suzie and Becks, as they tackle mysteries in their local Marlow community.

This mystery begins when Verity Beresford contacts Judith asking for help locating her missing husband, Oliver. Verity, like most residents of Marlow, is well aware of Judith’s superior sleuthing skills, and she believes Judith maybe able to help her find Oliver faster than anyone else.

Oliver’s only been missing overnight, but the circumstances are concerning. Oliver, the founder of the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society, had hired The Marlow Belle, a private pleasure cruiser, for a party cruise for his committee members, but no one remembers seeing him disembark.

Of course anytime someone goes missing upon the water, there’s cause for concern. In this case, it’s more than warranted, when shortly thereafter Oliver’s body is discovered, having washed ashore with two bullet wounds.

As it turns out, Oliver was a complicated man, with no shortage of enemies. Nevertheless, Judith and her friends are confident they can weed out the killer.

Unfortunately, the task proves more difficult than they’d hoped when they discover what a twisted web the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society actually is.

Will the ladies be able to find Oliver’s murderer before they’ve flowed out of their grasp like the River Thames?

Overall, I thought this was a really fun installment to this Cozy series. I love books set at a theater, or involving a theater troupe, so this was perfect for me in that regard.

I’m fully attached to this charming cast of characters at this point, so find it hard to believe that I would dislike any of these books. Judith is plucky and resourceful.

I love that she’s found these two friends at this stage of her life, and though they’re all very different, they’re so supportive of one another. Squad goals!

I’m in for the long haul with this series. I have no clue how long it is slated to be, but I’ll be reading each and every one.

I would highly recommend this series to all Cozy Mystery fans, in particular if you enjoy friendship groups solving mysteries together, or elderly amateur sleuths. The small town vibes are on point as well.

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m excited to solve more cases with Judith, Suzie and Becks.

The 5th-book in the series, The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts, is set to release on January 15, 2026. I’ll be marking my calendar, and so should you!

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Review: 13 Months Haunted by Jimmy Juliano

~ megs14malloy

13 Months Haunted13 Months Haunted by Jimmy Juliano
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

13 Months Haunted follows Piper Lowery, a public librarian, who meets a strange young girl while volunteering at the local middle school.

The events of Piper’s tale take place in the 1990s, but the set-up of the story itself, is Piper actually relaying these events to an interested relative. I did think that was a fun and slightly-different way to present this story.

The young girl’s name is Avery and she is new to the school. She does have some odd behaviors, but the oddest thing about her is the fact that her mother attends school with her, sits in all Avery’s classes, and literally tails her daughter like a shadow, even to the restroom.

Piper begins hearing rumors about Avery and her Mom. They’re sort of the talk of the town. People say the Mom is a witch, that they fled their old town after Avery’s sister and father were killed by a supernatural force.

While Piper finds this a bit extreme, there is something off about the mother-daughter duo. Through multiple interactions, Piper ends up befriending them and the rest proceeds from there.

This book started off great. It captured my attention early and I loved the small town setting, and the fact that the main action takes place in the 1990s; definitely a nostalgic period for me.

I was about the same age as Piper was during this same time period, so I could relate to a lot of what she was experiencing starting out her life as a young adult. There’s also a lot of focus on the new, popular use of the internet.

For people who grew up using the internet from the time they were small children, let it be known, it was very different for those of us who never really had access, or even email, until around college-age. It was like a wild-west landscape. Unless you were in IT, you didn’t really know what was going on, or how it worked.

Piper has a blog and she shares a lot on it. It was really more of a diary for her and she does relate the odd goings-on after she meets Avery for the first time.

So, there are some fun details involving that whole aspect of her life as well, particularly after she starts getting comments on what she’s posting. It added a bit of a mixed media element, which I do tend to enjoy.

I loved the mystery surrounding Avery and her Mom as well. I really wanted to know the truth about them, and their past. Was something supernatural actually at play?

Even though the rumors circulating about them were fairly vicious, Piper comes to learn that there may have been some truth to them, but how much? She starts digging in with force, really out of an effort to try to help Avery, and I enjoyed those amateur sleuthing components.

Unfortunately for me, eventually the intrigue started to wear off. I’m not sure exactly why, but the plot just seemed to drag for me after about the halfway point.

I had theories, none of which I was particularly confident in, but it did start to seem repetitive and took me over 2-weeks to finish. I can’t explain why I felt this way about it.

I just think once the initial mystery of what was going on with Avery was out of the way, it sort of lost it’s main excitement factor. I did like the way it wrapped-up though. I felt the conclusion interesting to contemplate. There were some real repercussions there at the end.

Overall, I did find this to be an interesting and unique story. Although some of it did seem a little drawn out to me, I did love the ending and overriding premise. Additionally, the mysterious elements were solid, as were the details of Piper’s amateur investigation.

Thank you to the publisher, Dutton, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Juliano is very talented. I love his concepts and will continue picking up his work for a long time to come!

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Review: The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi

~ megs14malloy

The Autumn Springs Retirement Home MassacreThe Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Brimming with dark humor, violence, and mystery, The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre is a blood-soaked slasher sure to keep readers guessing until the very last page.

The above, from the Publisher’s synopsis, is what first caught my attention in regards to this book. After reading it, I’d agree, that description is spot-on. I couldn’t be happier about my experience with it.

🧡🧡🧡 I’M OBSESSED 🧡🧡🧡

The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre follows Rose, a single-woman, in her late-70s living on her own. Well, she does live in Autumn Springs though, so is surrounded by friends and companions her own age, as well as the staff always willing to lend a hand.

When one of her friends dies, while alone in her apartment, Rose is okay chalking it up to an accident. These things happen at their age.

After another resident drops dead though, and then another, Rose starts to believe these are no accidents. Finding it difficult to convince the people in charge of this fact however, Rose and her good friend, Miller, start looking into the deaths themselves.

The more they dig, the more convinced Rose becomes that there’s a real-life killer on the loose at Autumn Springs, and if she doesn’t watch her back, she may end up next on the killer’s to-do list.

Y’all, I loved this. Absolutely loved it. As a Horror Girlie through-and-through, I always appreciate when someone puts a new spin on the genre so close to my heart.

Fracassi’s choice to have a Slasher MC, a potential Final Girl, in her late-70s, is such a smart and creative choice, IMO. As the wild success of books such as The Thursday Murder Club have made clear, people are itching for some time with more aged protagonists.

I adore following older protagonists as I’m an older protagonist myself. And no offense to anyone in their 20s, but once you reach a certain age, there’s only so many books you can stomach following protagonists in that age bracket.

Rose was a very likable MC. She was smart and resourceful, not willing to back down in the face of danger. I also liked how her looking into these deaths, it didn’t feel forced. The information, in the beginning, just sort of fell into her lap and she ran with it.

I had so many questions around these deaths, so could understand why Rose would be curious enough to pursue it. Particularly, when the authorities were trying to sell her a story of ‘accidents’ that just weren’t lining up.

Fracassi also got super creative with his kills, which made this very fun. I never knew what to expect next. I appreciated he didn’t hold back just because he was dealing with elderly characters either.

And the characters, all the fabulous characters, there were so many quirky, interesting side characters, which made this story extra-compelling. It wasn’t just Rose, they were all great, just trying to live their best lives.

This also kept me guessing to the very end, as predicted by the publisher. I loved how fast-paced it got as the conclusion closes in on you. I was speeding through so quickly. I couldn’t stop. I needed to know who, or what, was behind the Autumn Springs Massacre.

I can’t recommend this enough, including the audio format, for anyone looking for a delicious twist on the Slasher genre. Rose is a protagonist I won’t soon forget, and I’d happily read this again some day. It definitely entertains.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This is the 2nd-novel I’ve read from this author, and the 2nd-5-star rating. I definitely need to be picking up more from him!

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Review: A Tour to Die For (The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco #2) by Michelle Chouinard

~ megs14malloy

A Tour to Die For (The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco Mysteries, 2)A Tour to Die For by Michelle Chouinard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Tour to Die For is the 2nd-book in The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco mystery series. This is a fun and modern Cozy Mystery series perfect for fans of Finlay Donovan, or other series with that same level of humor.

These books follow Capri Sanzio, who owns her own tour company in San Francisco. Carpi is also a True Crime podcast host, and budding investigative journalist in her own right.

During one of her True Crime walking tours, one of Capri’s customers claims to have seen a woman being attacked in her apartment. Feeling she must take the woman’s report seriously, Capri contacts the police, who end up searching the apartment of the alleged attack.

Unfortunately, they find no evidence of anything amiss, so chalk it up to a false report. While Capri feels the police may be right, they also may be wrong.

Her senses urge her to look further into the alleged attack. She’d never forgive herself if someone was injured and she did nothing to help. When she stumbles across a body, she’s thrust into yet another murder investigation.

Using her full range of investigative skills and spot on instincts, Capri digs in to the mysterious death, putting herself in danger in the process.

I had so much for with the 1st-book in this series, The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco, and had been anxiously awaiting this sequel. Happily, it didn’t disappoint. As with the 1st-book, this was a fast-paced, funny and mysterious romp through the streets of San Francisco.

I listened to the audiobook again and can’t recommend that format enough. The stellar narration by Stephanie Nemeth-Parker perfectly fits our MC, Capri. Nemeth-Parker’s delivery enhances Capri’s personality and I can’t imagine these stories without it. Her voice is Capri to me.

Capri sets everything aside when she starts digging into a new case, and this was no exception. I often wondered, who is running her company, but also, who cares, because I’m having so much fun.

These books are silly, mysterious, packed with intriguing leads, they’re just great entertainment; an escapist read.

It seems from the tone of the conclusion of this story, we may be getting more books in this series, and I certainly hope so. I would read them for as long as they’re released.

Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I hope Michelle Chouinard keeps them coming.

If you love funny Cozy Mysteries, you need to check this series out!

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Review: The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols

~ megs14malloy

The Marigold Cottages Murder CollectiveThe Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

With a story as fun and cozy as this cover, The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective gave me everything I was hoping for and then some. I did not expect to love this as much as I did, but I was pulled in and held so tightly.

The audiobook is a fabulous way to go with this one, as the dual narration of Meg Price and Jim Meskimen helped fuse humor and heart even more so into the story.

The comp to The Thursday Murder Club in the publisher’s synopsis is definitely apt, but whereas with those books, the main characters are all mostly elderly, this story features more of a range of ages and backgrounds.

I feel like their differences, firstly, make them easier to remember, but also made the dynamics among them so heart-warming, interesting and funny.

I adore the Thursday Murder Club series, don’t get me wrong, but I actually think it took me less time to learn this cast of characters and to fall in love with them. Sophie, Mrs. B, Ocean, and all the others, are just so darn lovable.

The mystery was also super compelling and I loved watching them all bumbling around trying to figure it out. They all wanted to protect one another, often with calamitous results.

It’s got a real wacky found family vibe, and the Southern California setting was also an enjoyable backdrop. Overall, I think this is such a fun and carefree Cozy Mystery that I’m definitely hoping will turn into a much longer series.

Thank you so much to the publishers, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I had a fabulous time with this!!

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Review: The Widows’ Guide to Skulduggery (The Widows’ Detective Club #3) by Amanda Ashby

~ megs14malloy

The Widows’ Guide to Skulduggery (The Widows’ Detective Club #3)The Widows’ Guide to Skulduggery by Amanda Ashby
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Widows’ Guide to Skulduggery is the 3rd-book in Amanda Ashby’s Cozy Mystery series, The Widows’ Detective Club.

As the name suggests, the stories center around a group of older women, all widowed, who work together and end up solving mysteries in their local area. Our MC is Ginny Cole, who after recently losing her husband, moves to the village of Little Shaw looking for a fresh start.

We get all of the stories from Ginny’s perspective and I think Ashby has done an incredible job building out her character. I adore her so much.

When Ginny moves to the area, she gets a new job at the local library, and also gets befriended by a group of women, who really take her under their wings, as she begins the process of trying to move on with her life after the loss of her beloved husband.

At this point, she’s solved a couple of cases with her friends and they’re all becoming quite comfortable with their new labels as amateur sleuths.

The mystery kicks off at wedding, when the canine ringbearer uncovers a skull that happens to have belonged to a local woman who was killed 20-years prior.

The wedding was already tense, as the two families hail from rival villages, so the skull is the nail in the coffin so to speak. The police get called in, and the ceremony gets called off.

Ginny and the rest of the widow detectives feel terribly for their young friend who has called off her wedding. They suspect that someone may have placed the skull there purposefully in order to break the couple up, but who would do such a terrible thing?

With a few suspects in mind, they kick off another stellar investigation, which ends up spanning 2-towns, 2-decades and involves a colorfully-catty set of characters.

While I wouldn’t say the mystery of this 3rd-installment, was the most intriguing for me, probably my least favorite of the series thus far, TBH, I’m nevertheless so comfortable with this group of characters at this point, I hardly minded.

I like being with them. I’d be down for any mystery they want to get involved in. Additionally, I feel like every series has books you connect with more than others, and even though this wasn’t my favorite, it was still a lot of fun.

It could just be that it is a different sort of mystery. It doesn’t read as a straight up murder mystery from the start, though it does eventually turn in that direction.

I’m genuinely pleased with it overall. It got wild, and I loved how the Widows really put themselves out there in this one. They were each following leads, thinking on their feet and working together in a super compelling way.

Thank you, Storm Publishing, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I am quite fond of this series at this point, and as mentioned, love the women in this group.

I hope they’re back in many more mysteries to come!!

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Review: Murder, She Wrote: A Body in Boston by Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran

~ megs14malloy

Murder, She Wrote: A Body in BostonMurder, She Wrote: A Body in Boston by Jessica Fletcher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was such a fun mystery, set in a city near-and-dear to my heart: BOSTON 🧡💚

Murder, She Wrote: A Body in Boston is the 61st-installment of my all-time favorite Cozy Mystery series. It’s hard to believe that I have read 50-books in this series I started as a kid. The longest commitment of my life — LOL.

Some of you have probably seen me rave about it. I never shut up about this series. To me, it’s the epitome of what a Cozy Mystery should be.

After the passing of the original series author, Donald Bain, the series has been taken on by a few other talented authors. Of all of these, Terrie Farley Moran, the author of this book, has been my favorite.

I feel like Farley Moran has successfully captured the original tone and characterizations, sticking with the classic format that works so well for long-time fans of the series. You know what you’re getting when you pick up a MSW book and I appreciate that TFM hasn’t tried to change that.

In this installment, Jessica gets invited to give a lecture at the Boston Public Library. Seeing she has time in her schedule, and already knowing she loves the city, Jessica accepts and begins to make travel arrangements.

As luck would have it, her dear friend, Seth Hazlitt, the local doctor of Cabot Cove, is also planning a trip to Boston at the same time to see a friend, a fellow doctor. The two decide to travel together and make a full friends vaca out of it.

Once there, Jessica is quick to meet up with her other long-time friend, and roguish heartthrob, Harry McGraw. Harry is a PI, who has frequently used Jessica’s astute brain to his advantage on his cases.

Harry’s latest client is the CEO of a pharmaceutical company, but his good friend, Cookie, the bartender at his favorite watering hole, is also pressing him to look into his daughter’s boyfriend, Victor, who he can’t stand.

What’s a talented PI to do?

Before Harry and Jessica can get too involved in the Victor situation though, Cookie’s daughter, Aileen, arrives at her father’s bar, while Jessica is there waiting to speak to her, covered in blood. She claims to have just discovered Victor’s dead body at his apartment. She fled, not knowing what to do, but now she’s the BPDs number one suspect!

As friends of Cookie’s, Jessica, Harry and Seth are all seriously invested in seeing Aileen’s name cleared. They know the timid schoolteacher could never have killed someone in cold blood.

Digging in and getting adventurous, the dynamic trio will not rest until they figure out who actually killed Victor. It’s really too bad Jessica never gets a break, but with bodies dropping whenever she’s around, her high-powered deductive skills are always in demand.

A Body in Boston was a really enjoyable mystery. Of course I adored the setting being in Boston, but I also just loved the level of intrigue and very stellar amateur sleuthing that went on within these pages.

It was also so fun seeing Harry and Seth actually getting along for once instead of butting heads. They found a few things in common, and before you knew it, it was off to the races with an all new friendship.

Cookie and Aileen were equally well-developed characters, and I liked seeing a father-daughter relationship displayed in such a strong and positive way. I found the mystery itself, their relationship, and the lengths Cookie would go to for his daughter all quite believable.

There were a couple details, or areas, that slowed down the pace a little, but overall, I feel like this is a fabulous installment to this long-running series.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I hope with my whole heart that Terrie Farley Moran continues to contribute to this series, because no one does it like she does!

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