debut novel

Review: This Cursed House by Del Sandeen

~ megs14malloy

This Cursed HouseThis Cursed House by Del Sandeen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Buzzwords: Horror debut. Southern Gothic.

Quick Set-Up: A young black woman leaves 1960s Chicago for a position with a mysterious family in New Orleans. It’s not what she expected…

This Cursed House was high on my priority list and it didn’t disappoint. I loved the atmosphere that Sandeen created and found the plot well-developed, as well as intriguing.

The Duchon family, the people that hire our MC, Jemma, are let’s say, interesting, to learn about. As the Reader, you have a sort of fly on the wall perspective of so many dark family secrets being dug up; like a cornucopia of secrets. It’s quite a trip and I feel like it’s gonna stick with me.

This is a heavy story. Don’t expected a light-hearted haunting with this one. It weighs on you, but with that, I feel like the author was successful. It should weigh on you. The themes explored within these pages aren’t easy, but they are well worth the read and attention.

Also, it will keep you on our toes. I was full of questions throughout my time reading this. That’s one of the aspects I really loved. Each chapter left me wanting to know more. It kept me going and invested.

The author was smart with how she laid out this story. It really doesn’t take much time before you discover the true reason behind this family hiring Jemma. Yes, it’s no random hire, and I liked that. I’m glad she didn’t draw it out, because it left so much more time to explore this family.

Jemma is thrust into this new circumstance, which she definitely didn’t expect and I liked going along with her as she learned about this family and their dark history.

There’s so much going on in the house too. It says it all right in the title. Take that literally.

Overall, I loved the journey I went on with Jemma in this one and I also really appreciated the dark, unsettling atmosphere that Sandeen created. The historical aspects were also really well done and I loved the New Orleans backdrop.

I actually would love to see more stories with Jemma as our MC. I definitely think there is more room to grow with her character. She really came into her own here, and I feel like she can use what she learned to help others. I would def pick up all the books if this were to turn into a series!

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This is a great debut.

I’m looking forward to more from Del Sandeen!

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Review: Dearest by Jacquie Walters

~ megs14malloy

DearestDearest by Jacquie Walters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

💙❤️💙❤️💙❤️💙❤️💙❤️💙❤️💙

Dearest is a unique take on the New Mother story and an impressive debut. I really enjoyed the topics explored, as well as the Supernatural bits and Body Horror.

In this story we are following, Flora, who just had her first child, a girl, Iris, 6-weeks ago. Iris arrived a little early and unfortunately, Flora’s husband is still deployed, so she’s left to navigate these early stages of 1st-time parenthood alone. As adorable as Iris is, it’s not an easy thing.

As time passes, Flora feels herself slipping. Her sleep-deprived brain is playing tricks on her and she’s struggling navigating the endless lonely days.

When it reaches the point where Flora feels like she’s losing it, she receives an unexpected visitor; her estranged mother. Even though her mom hasn’t been a part of her life in years, Flora hesitantly accepts the help being offering.

Her mother agrees to stay with her and Iris, at least until her husband returns.

Even with her mother around, Flora is still experiencing odd occurrences that cause her to believe something is going on in the house, or like someone is after her and Iris. Is it in her head, or are there actually much darker forces at work?

I enjoyed this quite a bit. The audiobook was fabulously narrated by the author herself, which I felt was a nice touch. It felt like experiencing the story exactly how the author wanted it to be told, and I think she did a great job with it.

Stories of new motherhood are sometimes tough for me to relate to, or become invested in. NGL, I’ve had a few that have annoyed the heck out of me, but I never felt that way here and had no problem becoming invested in Flora’s story.

I did love the overall mysterious vibe and how in depth it explored feelings of isolation, as well as the oftentimes complicated mother-daughter relationship. Additionally, Walters’s Horror descriptions were great, including some stellar Body Horror, which I always love to see.

I would recommend this to Readers who enjoy women-centered Horror, or weird is it supernatural, is it not stories. I would also highly recommend the audiobook format, should you have that available to you.

Thank you to the publisher, Hachette Audio and Mulholland Books, for providing me copies to read and review. If this Walters debut, I cannot wait to see what’s up next!

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Review: Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe

~ megs14malloy

Love and Other ConspiraciesLove and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hallie Barrett made the classic mistake of dating a co-worker. The guy was also a mega-jerk and after their split, it actually had a huge impact on Hallie’s position at her job.

She’s been pulled from the online series she was producing and needs to come up with something new to present the execs, and quickly. Inspiration strikes after watching a late-night docuseries where she sees the most handsome man discussing Bigfoot theories.

Hayden Hargrove has made a name for himself with his podcast. He’s an expert on cryptids and was a guest on the show that caught Hallie’s attention.

She reaches out to him and pitches her ideas. He can’t help but be intrigued by the captivating blue-haired producer who has offered him a great opportunity. To her surprise, he accepts her offer to work with her on her new show.

Unfortunately, Hayden is used to podcasting and his solo on-screen performance isn’t great. Trying to make him more comfortable, Hallie jumps on camera too and it’s then when the magic happens.

Their chemistry is great and Hayden seems much more capable of making his points with someone there to banter off from. Thus, their on-screen relationship is born, but what’s gonna happen when the camera stops rolling?

This was really cute. I definitely got invested in Hallie, Hayden and their relationship. I loved the initial set-up for how they came into each other’s orbits, and appreciated that the author didn’t rely too heavily on miscommunication to keep the story progressing.

In fact, there really wasn’t any miscommunication between the love interests, which IMO was SOOOO refreshing to see.

A lot of the drama really stemmed from Hallie’s job and ex, trying to pick up the pieces and get her life back on track. Hayden also had some personal issues, mostly related to his parents. I thought the author did a great job introducing all these topics and seeing them through to their conclusions.

Overall, Love and Other Conspiracies was sort of nerdy, hella sweet and succeeded in keeping me fully engaged throughout. I loved the banter between Hallie and Hayden, but also the more serious moments, how supportive they were of one another.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was such a solid Romance debut. I can’t wait for more from this author!

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Review: William by Mason Coile

~ megs14malloy

WilliamWilliam by Mason Coile
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

William was quite the experience. I read this today. Yeah, the whole thing today. A perfect day, IMO.

It’s definitely one of those stories that once you start, it’s close to impossible to put down. Coile kept me on my toes the entire time. I had so many questions!

The synopsis actually calls this a delicious one-sitting read, and they aren’t lying. Meeting Henry and Lily, and discovering what is going on in their home, it’s like watching a train about to go off the tracks.

There’s such an eerie set-up. You feel like the characters are keeping something from you, but you don’t know what. Additionally, there’s AI involved and for me personally, the future of AI tech is absolutely horrifying.

Both Henry and Lily are in the tech space, so their home is a virtual cornucopia of cutting-edge technological devices. Some of these things have never even been revealed to anyone outside the home.

When Lily has some co-workers, Paige and Davis, stop by for a meal, it should be a harmless event. Unfortunately, it’s anything but that.

The newcomers want to meet one of Henry’s creations, an AI called William. It’s at that point that things go from strange and eerie, to much, much worse.

I Buddy Read this with a friend and we both flew through it. There was quite a bit of super creepy Horror imagery that I was eating up and we did find a lot to discuss.

In addition to being frightened by the possibilities of AI, I am also horrified by dolls, or any iteration thereof. Trust, there’s plenty of that to go around in here!!!

I was so surprised with how this turned out and it was a race to the conclusion.. There were twists and turns I did not see coming. Jaw successfully on floor.

Overall, I felt this was a little heart-breaking, a lot thought-provoking, super creepy and hella engaging. Well done by Mason Coile. I know nothing about this author, but I already cannot wait for more.

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I am so happy to have a new Horror author to follow!!!

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Review: The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim

~ megs14malloy

The Eyes Are the Best PartThe Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Eyes Are the Best Part is definitely one of the most memorable and engaging debut novels I’ve ever read!

Monika Kim’s haunting ideas moved me, and shall now live rent free in my brain. This story sucked me in from the start and refused to let go. I was thinking about it all the time, even when I wasn’t reading it.

In this story we follow Ji-Won, who has just entered her first year of college. She lives in small apartment with her Umma and her younger sister, Ji-Hyun. Her Appa has deserted them for another woman, leaving Ji-Won as the logical next head of household.

Umma is a mess, barely holding it together enough to make it to her job at the grocery store, and Ji-Hyun is just 15-years old. Ji-Won is feeling a responsibility to care for them both.

It’s not just her family situation causing her stress though. Ji-Won also didn’t get into the college she once dreamed of with her best high school friends. She ended up losing those friends because of that.

Ji-Won’s on her own now, at a new school, and she feels very alone. She doesn’t have anyone she can open up to about all the pressures bearing down on her. She loves her sister and her Umma so much, but she needs to keep strong around them.

When Umma brings about her new boyfriend, a startlingly-obnoxious man named, George, Ji-Won can hardly believe this is her life. George starts coming by the apartment, and then beginning to stay there more often than not.

It’s during this time of incredible stress and change that Ji-Won first starts thinking about the eyes. In particular, blue eyes, just like George’s. She desires them. She dreams of them. She wants to consume them; all the blue eyes.

It’s with no immediate plan in mind, more an act of opportunity, that Ji-Won first proceeds with these overwhelming desires. Once she starts though, it’s empowering, fulfilling, and impossible to stop. Ji-Won is now the ruler of her world. It feels good.

This was incredibly immersive. Ji-Won is such a well-developed character. I loved following her story, being in her mind was a slightly disturbing place to be, but I got it.

I felt what she was going through. I empathized with her as I would a friend and frankly, I was more than happy to go on this f*ed up journey with her.

I loved the relationships that Kim created here, particularly between the sisters. Their connection was palpable. I could feel how much Ji-Won cared for her sister, even when she was being bratty. She wanted to protect her and shelter her.

It wasn’t just that relationship though, every side character that Ji-Won interacted with, I felt like I knew the ins-and-outs of them. Kim took great care when creating this whole cast and it shows.

We get a couple of students, Alexis and Geoffrey, that Ji-Won meets at school and I liked watching those friendships evolve. That whole avenue of the story went in a direction I was sort of expecting, but I still loved it.

I also thought the pace was spot on. It was perfectly-crafted for maximum impact, that’s for sure. Once the spiral begins, she went quickly and with great flourish.

I’m obsessed with the quality of Kim’s Horror imagery most of all. The body horror was fantastic. I read a lot of body horror and this, it got me. I was cringing. I was exclaiming things out loud that I can’t type here. It was perfect. I never knew what vivid description was gonna come next.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the exceptional social commentary/social horror aspects. I felt this was so well done in that regard. In expressing Ji-Won’s experience as a Korean-American young woman in modern-day California, Kim got the points across she needed to make.

This is an exciting story. It’s exciting in its own right, in the fact that it’s a gripping, disturbing story of feminine rage, but it’s also exciting because this is Monika Kim’s first novel. I’m so excited for more from her.

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

I’m so happy that talent like Monika Kim’s exists in the world. This book will def be on my BESTS List for 2024!!!

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Review: The Night of the Storm by Nishita Parekh

~ megs14malloy

The Night of the StormThe Night of the Storm by Nishita Parekh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Night of the Storm is a debut novel from Nishita Parekh. Honestly, I’ve been a little scared to pick it up, because of the mixed reviews. However, I’m very happy to report that I’m part of Team Really Enjoyed It.

Sure, I see flaws, but at the same time, it worked for me. I found it entertaining. I loved the set-up that left me feeling claustrophobic and unnerved. I love complicated family relationships, and this checked that box extremely well.

In this story, we’re following Jia Shah, an Indian American woman who has recently separated from her husband and moved herself, as well as their 12-year old son, Ishaan, from the family home in Chicago to Houston, Texas.

This is a big deal in her traditional Indian family, and she’s definitely received blow-back stemming from her choices. In spite of other’s disapproval however, Jia did what she knew to be right for her son and herself. She wasn’t willing to live the rest of her life in an unhappy marriage.

It hasn’t been easy though, especially for Ishaan, who she worries about constantly. In fact, Ishaan has newly been suspended from school after being in a fight.

With all this going on, the last thing Jia needs to worry about is a mandatory evacuation order from their apartment building, but with Hurricane Harvey bearing down on the city, that’s exactly what they get.

Luckily, Jia’s sister, Seema, who lives in an fancy house not far away in Sugar Land, has invited them to stay with her and her family to ride out the impending storm.

Jia and Ishaan make it to the house just in time, where they join Seema, her husband, their daughter, Seema’s mother-in-law, as well as her husband’s brother and his wife. It’s a lot of people, but it’s also a big house. They’ll be okay.

Unfortunately, you put that many people together in a house, with severe weather blazing outside and no means of escape, you’re bound to see the tensions rise. Just as things start heating up inside the house, someone ends up dead…

Was it an accident, or is there a murderer amongst them?

For me, and this is completely my unprofessional opinion, I feel like this is more a case of people going into this expecting one thing and then getting another and feeling disappointed, than this being just a 3.21-star book.

I’ve been there many times myself. I get it. When you’re expecting an intense Thriller and you don’t get the thrills, or even necessarily the intensity, your disappointed, and potentially leave an average, or lower, rating because of it.

I really enjoyed this, but I went into it without any real expectations. I feel like this is an engaging Domestic/Family Drama, with an underlying Mystery subplot.

The gem in this for me was getting to know Jia and following along with her tumultuous journey. The storm and being trapped in the house were great bonuses, as I love those elements in any story, but yeah, the real hero of this is Jia.

She’s a woman who has made a very difficult choice and who has had fallout from that. She lost her home and her friends. She’s had to uproot her life.

She’s second-guessing her choices, while getting judged by everyone around her. She’s trying to do what is best for her son, and her own mental health, all while navigating the not always kind outside world. I think everyone can relate to this in one way or another.

When we meet Jia, with the storm moving in, she’s almost at wits end. Being trapped in the house, with these particular people, pushes her even further to the edge.

I like complicated families and this story definitely delivers in that area. I loved the set-up of the storm creating a forced proximity situation and I do feel like Parekh did a great job of revealing all the underlining things going on.

The murder mystery was interesting as well. There were quite a few people acting suspicious, so I did like being with Jia as she tried to figure it out. The more it progressed, the more unsettling it became, leading up to the wild conclusion.

For a debut, I think this was very well done. I think Parekh should be proud of their work and I will definitely be picking up whatever she writes next. Do I think this book deserves a higher-rating? Absolutely.

Thank you to the publisher, Dutton, for providing me with a copy to read and review. We love supporting new authors in this house, and I can’t wait for more from this one!

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Review: The One that Got Away with Murder by Trish Lundy

~ megs14malloy

The One that Got Away with MurderThe One that Got Away with Murder by Trish Lundy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had so much fun reading The One that Got Away with Murder. I read it in a 24-hour period and clearly, it hooked me.

It was drama-filled, fast-paced and compelling. Exactly how I like my YA Mystery/Thrillers. I can’t believe this is a debut!? How is that even true?!

In this story we follow Lauren. a high school soccer star, just about to enter her Senior year. Sadly, she’s going to be doing that at an all new school, as she has recently moved with her Mom from California to Happy Valley, Pennsylvania.

Her Mom’s long-distance boyfriend lives in Happy Valley, so following a scandal at Lauren’s old school, they decide it would be best for them to make a fresh start there.

Lauren understands the reasoning behind the move, but it’s still a difficult transition and her new teammates won’t be making it any easier on her.

Prior to the school year beginning, Lauren meets a boy, Robbie Crestmont, and the two begin spending time together. Hooking up, may be the most accurate term for their relationship.

Once she begins hanging out with her teammates though, when soccer season begins, she learns that Robbie isn’t the most liked guy in Pleasant Valley. In fact, some of the girls are downright hostile towards him.

In fact, they blame him for the death of their teammate, Victoria, Robbie’s one-time girlfriend. The story is that Victoria died during a late night swim at the Crestmont’s lake house. Her friends and teammates aren’t buying the story that it was an accident. They suspect foul play.

Not helping is the fact that Robbie’s brother’s girlfriend also died a mysterious death about a year after Victoria. Two brothers, two dead girlfriends. That can’t be a coincidence. Even Lauren can admit that doesn’t seem right.

After agreeing to go visit Robbie’s family lake house over Labor Day weekend, Lauren vows that will be the last weekend she will spend with him. While there, however, she discovers some evidence that may just confirm Robbie’s involvement in Victoria’s death.

Lauren is scared. Does anyone know she found what she found at the lake house? She hopes not.

With dangers around every corner, Lauren is unsure who she can trust. As she navigates between the the powerful Crestmont family and her soccer teammates, Lauren begins to piece together the truth of the two dead girls.

As mentioned above, I had a blast reading this. It’s so compelling. It drew me in from the start.

There was something about Lauren’s character that vibed well with my tastes. I loved reading from her perspective, and learning about her. She can be a little harsh, a little cold, a little angry, but I like that…

You could tell that something fairly significant had happened in her past, but it was slowly revealed to you over the course of the story, instead of laid on you all at once.

I enjoyed how that was done. I like that Lundy took her time revealing Lauren’s full-self. She’s a tough girl, but she definitely struggles with a lot over the course of the story.

I also liked Robbie and his brothers. They were extremely wealthy and powerful in this town, but instead of being the revered golden boys, as would typically be the case in these type of circumstances, they were more like social pariahs.

Lauren looking into their family, and others in the town was very interesting and if kept me on my toes. There were plenty of suspicious actors floating about.

It’s funny, when I was about halfway through this book, I was having so much fun, I thought, I need to go read this author’s previous books! With this in mind, I went to Trish Lundy’s author page here on Goodreads and discovered, THIS IS HER FIRST BOOK!?

I was seriously shocked. This is such a well-constructed and thought-out Teen Mystery, IMO. If this is her debut, I cannot wait to watch her career over the next few years.

If you enjoy YA Mystery/Thriller authors such as Jessica Goodman, Karen M. McManus, or Kara Thomas, you have to check this out. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Thank you to the publisher, Henry Holt & Company (BYR) and Macmillan Audio, for not only providing me with copies to read and review, but also for introducing me to a talented new author to obsess over!!!

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Review: You Know What You Did by K.T. Nguyen

~ megs14malloy

You Know What You DidYou Know What You Did by K.T. Nguyen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

You Know What You Did is an intensely-suspenseful Mystery/Thriller debut from a hot up-and-coming author, K.T. Nguyen. And what a crackling debut it is!!

This story follows a fascinating-MC, Anh Le, who goes by Annie. She’s married, and the mother of a teenaged daughter. Annie is also an artist, although she’s feeling unsatisfied with her career lately.

In fact, a few aspects of Annie’s life are beginning to derail after the passing of her Mom, a Vietnam War refugee, who Annie had a contentious relationship with.

Annie’s mother had been residing in an out-building on their family property, so she had been a fairly constant presence in Annie’s life.

The loss impacted Annie in a lot of unexpected ways. Her severe-OCD comes roaring back and the dark fixations of her mind seem to be morphing into her reality.

When Annie’s most wealthy patron goes missing, shortly after Annie visited her home, the police come knocking.

The disappearance is shocking and it has Annie questioning everything, even herself. She can’t seem to keep current events straight in her mind.

She’s confused about many things and it’s scary. She begins to distance herself from her family and friends.

With Annie’s husband traveling for work, and her daughter off to summer camp, Annie is left to her own devices. As you can imagine, that doesn’t go well.

Waking up in a hotel, with a lifeless body beside her, Annie has officially hit rock bottom. The police are back and she doesn’t have answers that make sense, not even to herself.

Y’all, I loved this. I found it completely engaging, creepy and thought-provoking. K.T. Nguyen delivered all the tense, claustrophobic, desperate, unreliable narrator vibes that I could ever hope for.

I found it so easy to connect with Annie. I felt everything she was feeling. It made me incredibly anxious, but in a good, entertaining way, if that’s possible. There were times that I was crawling out of my skin of anticipation.

I was sympathetic to Annie’s character from the start, particularly since I couldn’t stand her husband, or her daughter. It often felt like they were ganging up on Annie and were just not giving her any slack.

I was happy when they both left, so Annie could be alone. Although it definitely didn’t help her mental state.

It’s funny, I was Buddy Reading this with a friend and she mentioned, like how much is what Annie is relaying to us about her husband and daughter true? Could it be her paranoia? Part of her mental spiral? Or were they really being that rotten to her?

It’s so funny, I didn’t even consider that before she said it, but yeah, Annie’s mental state definitely added so much to the suspense of this story. It was an exceptionally well-executed unreliable narrator situation.

I absolutely loved Nguyen’s writing. The character work in particular, I was so impressed. I enjoyed not only the suspense and mystery of this story, but Nguyen also chose to tackle some difficult topics, such as the immigrant experience and mental health.

I enjoyed the levels of depth that these topics added to the story. This is more than just your standard Popcorn Thriller. This story has meat and I enjoyed every bite.

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a taut, engaging and emotional Mystery/Thriller. Particularly, if you enjoy an unreliable narrator.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Dutton, for providing me with a copy to read and review. If this is her debut, I cannot wait to see what Nguyen delivers next!!!

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Review: Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate

~ megs14malloy

Twenty-Seven MinutesTwenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Twenty-Seven Minutes, what I would classify as a slow-burn Literary Suspense novel, is a debut for author, Ashley Tate.

In this story, we settle into the small town of West Wilmer, where 10-years ago, their local It-Girl, Phoebe Dean was killed in a car accident on the way home from a party.

Her brother, Grant, was the driver that night and for unknown reasons, he waited 27-minutes after the crash before he called 9-1-1.

Yeah, it’s suspicious and rumors have swirled for years that the reason he waited so long was that he needed to sober up.

For a multitude of reasons, this tragedy hit the town especially hard. As the 10th-anniversary approaches, a memorial is planned for Phoebe and the town is abuzz again with theories and speculation about that night.

As you can imagine, this causes stress for those closest to the incident. It’s like they have to keep repeating the worst night of their life over and over again. Why won’t people just let them forget?

This story is told via multiple POVs and a dual timeline, as we follow those most effected by the events of that night.

Basically, if Phoebe’s death were a pebble dropped in a pond, we’d be following the ripples closest to impact. And honestly, that’s how I thought of this set-up. It worked.

As past and present begin to merge, the truth about that night is finally made clear for the Reader. It’s an emotional and angst-filled journey that doesn’t rush anything along.

I enjoyed this one. I found it to be well-written and the mystery behind that night, the pace at which all is revealed, I thought was really well done.

I think it is important to keep in mind though, this is a slow burn. If you are looking for a fast-paced Thriller, there may be better options. You have to be comfortable just sitting with characters and getting to know them through their thoughts and reflections.

For me, this was truly a story about surviving grief and trauma. Each journey through that space is going to look different. People deal with such events using the resources available to them, and some fare better than others.

I loved the small town atmosphere; she ran deep. I feel like anyone who grew up in a small town could relate with a lot of the vibes Tate created here.

I also enjoyed all the messy, damaged relationships and characters. I found them interesting and frankly, I don’t trust characters who are too perfect. I thought Tate did a great job of blending all of their stories together and pulling off a solid conclusion.

Overall, I think for Readers who really love to sink their teeth into fabulous character work, and they don’t need to like those characters, this will be a great read.

As far as this being a debut, I’m impressed. I think Tate brought everything she needed and more to this story. I am really looking forward to getting more from her!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

While this wasn’t exactly what I expected it to be, I am very pleased with what I got!

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Review: The Expectant Detectives (The Expectant Detectives #1) by Kat Ailes

~ megs14malloy

The Expectant Detectives (Expectant Detectives, #1)The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Expectant Detectives is a new style of Cozy Mystery that I have certainly never read before. I found it to be charming and a heck of a lot of fun; pure enjoyment.

I love Cozy Mysteries that feature an MC and their friend group trying to solve a local mystery. A few favorites, to be noted for example, from recent years would be The Thursday Murder Club, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers and The Marlow Murder Club.

All three of these books have one important thing in common, the MCs are older than we would typically find in the Mystery genre. These older, dare we call them elderly, characters are quirky, fun and provide a bit of a different perspective than the norm.

In The Expectant Detectives, Kat Ailes uses a very similar set-up to other Cozies, but her intrepid group of amateur sleuths are pregnant women, not elderly individuals.

In this story, we meet and follow, Alice. She and her boyfriend, Joe, are expecting their first child. Although not planned, they’re both excited about the pregnancy and looking forward to the next steps in their relationship.

Thinking their city-located flat will be too small for their growing family, they decide to move to the sleepy village of Penton. They just feel like it would be a more desirable place to raise a child. Safer and all that…

That is until a dead body is discovered at a prenatal class they have joined. They can’t believe it. This is not what they thought village life would be like.

Now everyone in attendance at the class is a suspect, including Alice and Joe.

Together with a few of the other pregnant women, Alice begins looking into the murder herself. She needs to clear their names before this baby arrives.

Side note, Alice has a glorious dog, Helen, who could easily turn out to be my favorite character of the year. I just adored her and the joy she brought to the narrative.

I was really entertained by this story. The audiobook was well done, the narration so on-point with the humor that it had me laughing out loud numerous times.

I thought Ailes set-up for this story was creative and truly unlike anything I’ve read before. Alice has a dry, witty sense of humor that worked well for me. She tells it like it is. She’s pretty blunt about her pregnancy and the way it is changing/affecting her body.

I also liked that it wasn’t just Alice that was pregnant, she had her new friends to share the experience with, as well as to help her do some first-rate investigating.

For me, I wouldn’t say the initial murder was totally compelling. It didn’t even make sense to me at first how they were so confident it was a murder, like it almost felt like it could have been an accident or something.

Nevertheless, I was willing to go on that journey with the characters because I was enjoying them so much. After a while, the more the ladies dug in, the more secrets and intrigue they revealed, then I was hooked.

Overall, this is a fantastic debut Mystery. It had just the right amount of humor and fun, mixed in with the actual mystery. I think the longer this series goes on, the more attached that I’m going to get to these characters and this village as well.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m definitely looking forward to more from Kat Ailes!

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