Book Review: “Final Notice”

Posted: December 12, 2025 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Action/Adventure, Book Review, Books, cozy mystery, Crime, Fiction, Humor, Mystery, Review, Thriller | Tags: Book Reveiw, Crime Fiction, Final Notice, Humor, Jennifer Hart, mystery, Writing to be Read | Leave a comment

About Final Notice

Fester Gomez is three months behind on his rent for his pricey South Beach condo and Damaged Goods is on the job. Either they convince the tenant to pay up or he’ll face eviction. The simple task turns deadly when the team discovers Gomez missing and a Jane Doe slowly decomposing in his bathtub. Serving a killer up to justice, wrestling family secrets—it’s just another day on the job for Damaged Goods.

My Review of Final Notice

I purchased Final Notice, by Jennifer L. Hart from a KindofBook deal and I am providing an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.

Final Notice, by Jennifer L. Hart is Book 1 in the Damaged Goods Mystery series. Damaged Goods is the name Jackie Parker chooses for their property management business when her husband, Luke, and brother-in-law, Logan, invite her to join their team as a certified process server. As one might guess from the business name, this tale contains quite a bit of humor, as Jackie is determined to find out who the dead girl in the bathtub at their first gig is, and find their missing tenant, and our trio finds themselves in some very unexpected situations. Jackie goes through outfits like someone with halitosis goes through breath mints, as she pokes her nose where someone doesn’t think it belongs.

Throw into the mix, a close encounter with Logan before she met Luke, which Luke doesn’t know about, that keeps things plenty uncomfortable among our new business partners, a mother-in-law who renews her vows every year with Jackie in the wedding party, a very needy mother of her own, and an unquenchable need to solve a mystery, and you’ve got the makings for a thoroughly entertaining cozy that won’t let you down.

I recommend Ms. Hart expend more on editing, as there were enough typos to be distracting from the story, but I had so much fun following along as Jackie tries to evict some very unusual tenants, and interact with the story’s other quirky characters, that I was willing to struggle past them and continue reading.

Comical and witty, as well as adventurous. If you can ignore the many typos, you’ll be well entertained by this cozy mystery. I give Final Notice four quills.

About Kaye Lynne Booth

For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource.

Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.

Book Review: “The Murder of Sleepy Hollow”

Posted: October 24, 2025 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Audio Books, Audiobook Review, Book Review, Books, cozy mystery, Fiction, Mystery, Review | Tags: Audiobook Review, Kaye Lynne Booth, Kristin James, Michele Pariza Wacek, The Muder of Sleepy Hollow, Writing to be Read | 3 Comments

About The Murder of Sleepy Hollow

This ghost-filled cozy mystery is perfect for spooky season! In small-town Redemption, Wisconsin, paranormal investigator Ike Krane finds himself tied up in a plot that rivals the mystery of his Sleepy Hollow namesake! With Ike accused of murder — and now, missing — can amateur sleuth Charlie Kingsley clear his name by finding who is really haunting the town?

Purchase Links:

Chirp: https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/the-murder-of-sleepy-hollow-by-michele-pw-pariza-wacek

Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Sleepy-Hollow-Kingsley-Mysteries/dp/B0BSB5XMNK

My Review of The Murder of Sleepy Hollow

I purchased an audiobook copy of The Murder of Sleepy Hollow, by Michele Pariza Wacek, through a Chirp Deal, because it was the perfect story for an October review. From the title to the cover image, this book screams Halloween. All opinions stated here are my own.

The narrator, Kristin James, does an outstanding job of bringing this story to life for the listener. Each character is distinguishable, as she switches to a different voice for each one. James did a smashing job.

Cozy mystery readers will love this spooky Halloween tale. Redemption is known to be a haunted town, with several haunted houses. A paranormal investigator from the town of Sleepy Hollow named – you guessed it – Ike Krane, mysterious appearances of messy jack-o-lanterns, and folks are awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of galloping hooves in Redemption. It seems the legend of Sleepy Hollow has come to town, and living in what is claimed to be the most haunted house in Redemption makes local tea maker, Charlie Kingsley a target. Add to that Ike’s old girlfriend, who shows up looking for him, and journalist from Sleepy Hollow, who throws suspicion of murder onto our good friend Ike, but…, where is Ike anyway?

Charlie plays amateur sleuth, trying to sort it all out. Could Ike really be a murderer? Or is he just a guy whose parents had a twisted sense of humor? And why does it seem that the headless horseman has followed him to town?When one of our guests from Sleepy Hollow is found murdered, and Ike is missing, it throws suspicion on Charlie as the main suspect, and puts a strain on her relationship with her friend, the local sheriff, who she is ‘not dating’.

This story plays on Halloween humor and is sure to raise a few chuckles for a really fun read. Maybe it’s not so scary, but it does raise questions to keep you guessing until the end. I give The Murder of Sleepy Hollow five quills.

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About Kaye Lynne Booth

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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.

Book Review: “Deja Dead”

Posted: April 11, 2025 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Book Review, Books, cozy mystery, Fiction, Mystery, Review | Tags: Book Review, Cozy Myatery, Deja Dead, mystery, Susan Kiernan-Lewis, Writing to be Read | 9 Comments

About Deja Dead

Things can get pretty dark in the City of Light.

Claire Baskerville is a 60-something American who finds herself alone in Paris when her husband is brutally murdered. Reeling from the onslaught of devastating secrets he left behind Claire is stunned to realize she no longer knows who to trust.

She only knows she can’t move forward until she finds out the truth behind who killed her husband.

In spite of a genetic brain anomaly that makes it impossible for her to remember faces – even ones she’d seen just moments before, and all alone in a foreign city, Claire doggedly collects the clues that will lead her to her husband’s killer.

Unfortunately, the closer she gets to the truth, the more determined that killer is to make sure she never leaves Paris alive.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/D%C3%A9j%C3%A0-Dead-riveting-thriller-American-ebook/dp/B07X4TRQ3F

My Review of Deja Dead

I received a copy of Deja Dead, by Susan Kiernan-Lewis through FreeBooksie. All opinions stated here are my own

Deja Dead is the first book in Susan Kiernan-Lewis’ Claire Baskerville mystery series. I chose Deja Dead because of the cover, which features a Paris cobblestone street, with the Eiffel Tower in the background cast in an eerie purplish light, indicating to me that this might be my type of mystery story. I was not disappointed. The mood and tone of the story keep things mysterious, with a feeling of danger lurking around every corner.

Another plus, from my point of view, is that the female protagonist is in her sixties, making her a relatable character for me. Claire has no superpowers, no magical protections, and she feels all the aches and pains that result from searching the streets of Paris for her husband’s killer, and getting too close. She may be older, but she’s also wiser, and driven to find out why the Paris police are trying to sweep it all under the rug. All while dealing with the discovery that her husband wasn’t the man she thought she knew. When she learns that her father died right after her husband was murdered, and her own paternity comes into question, she’s not even sure of her own identity.

Everyone seems to have secrets, and each that is revealed sets Claire reeling. Yet, she is determined not to stop until the truth is revealed, and her husband’s murderer is caught, even when her plans seem crazy, and maybe even fool hardy. She can’t do it alone, and can only hope that she’s putting her trust in the right people.

A superb cozy mystery. Claire Baskerville is right up there with Miss Marple. I give Deja Dead five quills.

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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.

Book Review: An Ear for Murder

Posted: May 17, 2024 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Book Review, Books, cozy mystery, Fiction, Mystery, Review | Tags: An Ear for Murder, Book Review, cozy mystery, Diane Weiner, Writing to be Read | Leave a comment

About the Book

Oboist Sara Baron agrees to cat sit for a childhood friend but instead of being greeted by a meowing fluff ball, she walks into a ransacked house and stumbles over her friend’s dead body. Frantic, she runs next door and enlists the help of a mysterious stranger who knows more than he admits. His charm, not to mention his deep chestnut eyes, is balanced by his guardedness, unexplained absences, and seemingly nonexistent past. Is he helping her expose the murderer, or covering his tracks? Meanwhile, Sara battles a career threatening affliction, and helps keep the family music business afloat all while looking for instrumental evidence to put the murderer behind bars.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Sara-Baron-Tuned-Mystery-ebook/dp/B08716ZSSX/

My Review

An Ear for Murder, by Diane Weiner, is A Sara Baron Tuned in Mystery, which is to say the protagonist and ametuer slueth is a musician. This is a cute cozy in which the protagonist falls into the middle of a murder mystery and is driven to solve it. This one is slow paced as the clues are uncovered, but it contains plenty of climactic moments.

Sara Baron makes a visit to her hometown when an affliction threatens to end her career as an oboist. But the friend she is staying with is murdered, and Sara sets out to find out who did it, and why, throwing her into the killer’s sites. Who the killer is remains a mystery, and the list of suspects grows, as the tension rises as each strange occurance becomes more dangerous. Then there’s the mysterious next door neighbor guy whose strange behavior makes him suspect, even though she wants to believe he’s one of the good guys. If she’s wrong, it could mean her life.

An Ear for Music contains all the right notes to create a cozy mystery in the tune of murder. I give it four quills.

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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.

Book Review: Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Novellas 1-3

Posted: February 23, 2024 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Book Review, Books, cozy mystery, Fiction, Mystery, Review | Tags: All Hallows Eve Heist, Anna Celeste Burke, Book Review, Love Notes in the Key of Sea, Murder at Catmmando Mountain, The Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Series, Writing to be Read | Leave a comment

About the Books

When Georgie and Jack met it was love, and murder, at first sight. Middle-aged and in upper management at a Disneyesque entertainment empire, Georgie knows Marvelous Marley World isn’t always so marvelous. As a police detective, Jack Wheeler knows how to solve crimes. Together Georgie and Jack make a formidable team of crime fighters.

Join Georgie, Jack, and two delightful Siamese cats, Miles and Ella, as they solve the first three mysteries in this award-winning, bestselling series.

Included in the Box Set:
Murder at Catmmando Mountain
Love Notes in the Key of Sea
All Hallows’ Eve Heist

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Georgie-Shaw-Cozy-Mystery-Novellas-ebook/dp/B071GDK9SG/

My Review

I read The Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Series: Novellas 1-3, by Anna Celeste Burke: Mystery at Catmmando Mountain, Love Notes in the Key of Sea, and All Hallows’ Eve Heist. These three novelas come packeged together on Amazon, and I recieved a free copy of the set through a newsletter of some sort. It pays to have those newsletters in my email when I’ve wrapped up my reviews for the year and am looking for new stuff to read and review for the coming new year.

The cover above, however, isn’t the cover that caught my eye, and frankly, I don’t know if I would have downloaded the one with the cats. After reading the set, I have to say that all though the cats are a cute edition to this already kind of cutsie series, they do not play an integral part in solving mysteries, so I see the above cover as a ploy to draw in cat lovers, but it is a bit misleading. The digital book I chose to download featured a cover with a dark haired woman with a bob haircut and sunglasses appearing from behind a corner or a wall, (I’m doing this from memory. I don’t currently have the book in front of me), offering a mysterious, yet playful, tone representative of the cozy mysteries inside, and showcasing our amatuer slueth, as should be.

Georgie Shaw is a dynamic character who doesn’t like confrontation, loves cooking and food, owns two cats, and can’t turn away when things don’t add up and there’s a puzzle to solve, and her character is what carries these three cozy tales. For me, Jack and the cats were just sidebars which made the stories move more smoothly. But cover notwithstanding, these cozies are just plain fun to read. They are quirky, to be sure, and maybe even a little bit silly, but there was a smile on my face as I read each one.

It’s difficult to review the plots for mysteries without giving away spoilers, but I’ll give it a shot.

Murder at Catmmando Mountain

When the boss’ daughter is found murdered at the base of Catmmando Mountain, there is a mystery to solve, and Georgie Shaw is just the one to solve it. But 2 + 2 doesn’t add up to 4 in the the wacky world of Marvelous Marley World amusement park, where pets are welcome to enjoy the fun along with their owners. With Detective Jack Wheeler, Georgie works to uncover the clues until they add up to a mystery solved.

Love Notes in the Key of Sea

When she goes back with Jack to the beach where she was attacked and her fiance murdered, a song written especially for Georgie by her first love who died is the first clue that something is amiss in this cozy mystery. I tending to lend moral support to a friend in a similar situation, Georgie hadn’t planned on investigating a crime of the past which stirs up old ghosts.

All Hallow’s Eve Heist

All heck breaks loose at Marvelous Marley World once again, with active shooters in the park, during the big Halloween bash, when everyone is in costume. Georgie Shaw quickly sets to work figuring out who they are, where they are, and what they’ll do next. Once those pieces of the mystery are solved, she and Jack can solve the why and nab the bad guys.

All three of these cozies are a fun ride on the mystery rollercoaster. Light and witty, I give The Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Series: Novellas 1-3 five quills.

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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.

Book Review: Undercover on the Calypso

Posted: June 9, 2023 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Book Review, Books, cozy mystery, Fiction, Mystery, Review | Tags: Book Review, cozy mystery, Lizzie Josephson, Undercover on the Callypso, Writing to be Read | 1 Comment

About the Book

Book Cover: Undercover on the Calypso, Book One: The Cozy Cruise Mysteries, Lizzie Josephson

Adrianne Chrisander inherited a small cruise line from a great uncle she hadn’t seen since she was two. Exciting, huh? But there were problems..

Somebody was occupying the Owner’s Cabin on The Cosmos Calypso, and the crew seemed to think he was their new boss. Who was he? What was his game?

And was the famous Contessa Cosmetica owner Sylvie Marconi telling the truth about the theft of her fabulous rejuvenating skin cream, or did she stage the incident for publicity?

Adrianne and her friend Carol needed to get to the bottom of it all before the reputation of The Cosmos Cruise Line was severely damaged!

Purchase Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Undercover-Calypso-Book-Cruise-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0892QDZS2

My Review

Undercover on the Calypso, by Lizzie Josephson is a cozy mystery aboard a luxury cruise ship. There is plenty of light-hearted antics, which move the story along, but there isn’t enough conflict to make me buy into this story. For one thing, the cruise line is inherited in a surprise revelation, and the heroine, Adrianne, seems to take all in stride, when an inheritance such as that would knock most people off their feet, or at least cause them to stop and catch their breath. She immediately decides, for no apparent reason, to check out her new cruise line undercover, before it becomes public knowledge that she is the new owner. In fact, everyone in this story seems to just accept that things are what they are, without expressing any doubt or resistance, and nothing really stands in the way of the mystery being solved.

That being said, it would be a great read for someone looking for a light read with a plot that runs smoothly, for a warm summer day, although it is not the book for me. I give Undercover on the Callypso three quills.

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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.