Murder in The Dressing Room by Holly Stars

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5

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Murder in the Dressing Room is the first novel in the Misty Devine Mystery series, and I absolutely loved it. From start to finish, I literally couldn’t put this book down. I even bought the audiobook (narrated by the author!) so I could keep listening at work because it was such a phenomenal read. We all know how much I love an author narrated book. Almost as much as I love a cozy mystery. And here my friends is a cozy mystery that centers around an amazing group of Drag Queens and Kings.  Our main character is Joe (a clever pun on ‘average Joe?!), who spends their day toiling away at a job they know isn’t their calling. But by night on the stage at Lady’s Bar, Average Joe is transformed into Misty Devine, a force to be reckoned with. 

When her best friend, mentor, boss, and Drag Mother, Lady Lady is found murdered, Misty finds herself one of the prime suspects. With her parter Miles at her side and input from her hunky Solicitor Colin, Misty sets out to clear her name once and for all.

The red herrings are expertly crafted, and almost every character seems like a viable suspect at some point. It’s got the bones classic whodunit a la Agatha Christie’s mysteries, but with a fabulous drag twist. The book is packed with witty one-liners that will make you laugh and a mystery that keeps you guessing until the very last page.

Since I both read and listened to the audiobook, I’d also call this an audio review. I was thrilled to discover that the author, Holly Stars, narrated the book. The narration is fantastic, with subtle yet distinct adjustments when switching between Joe and Misty. It added so much personality to the story

Considering this is listed as the first book in the Misty Devine Mystery series and ends with a semi cliffhanger (a dire warning from a twice mentioned character) I think it’s safe to expect more adventures from Misty/Joe, Miles, and the rest of the crew. Personally, I’m hoping that hunky Colin gets more page time in the next book! I think he could be a great side kick for Misty. 

On sale now, you can get your copy here.

A huge thank you to the author, Holly Stars, the publisher, Berkley, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. I’m already looking forward to what’s next in the series!

As always, I encourage you to read this one for yourself and formulate your own opinion.

DM Me For Murder by Sarah E. Burr

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5

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Loved seeing Coco and the gang back for another adventure! In book three of the Trending Topics Mysteries, Coco is once again at the center of a murder. This time, it’s not the police who think she’s up to no good, but the internet itself. The net is split between people sending her hate messages and people calling for her to help solve the murder of infulencer LaTage. Our girl Coco does her hardest to stay out of trouble, but as in the previous 2 books, trouble usually finds her.

I love that this book shows Coco growing a little more, turning off notifications and not letting social media rule her life, even though it is her career. More than once she wonders if she should deactivate her account, a thought that would have made book 1 Coco shudder.

The twists were good in this one, and although I had an inkling of who the killer was, I fell for the red herring a bit. 

Can’t wait to see what happens in book four, since the residents of Central Shores are getting a little fed up with all of the violence and murder happening in their sleepy town.

On sale now, you can grab your copy here.

Thank you to the author Sarah E. Burr, the publisher Level Best Books, and NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book.

You’ll Never Find Me by Allison Brennan

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5

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So, the month of June has been one big romance rabbit hole for me. I needed a nice police procedural to mix things up. Lucky for me, Allison Brennan just released the first book in what looks to be an exciting new series.

Margo Angelhardt is a private investigator in the middle of a family spat with her mom and siblings, who own Angelhardt Investigations. Margo has split from them and is running her own operation. She’s hired by Brittany to prove that her husband, Logan, is having an affair. Margo tracks Logan to his meetup with Jennifer, where she encounters her siblings Jack and Tess, who are running surveillance on Jennifer for stealing company secrets. Things get sticky when Margo and Angelhardt Investigations are forced to work together for the sake of their clients. Throw in the fact that Margo has a psycho cop looking for her (she has a side hustle helping abused spouses get out of bad situations) and that nothing is what it seems, and you have a classic Allison Brennan mystery.

The book is told in multiple POVs, primarily from Margo, Tess, and Jack. We also get the POVs of Peter Carillo (the cop), The Thief, and Theo Washington (a side character who works for Margo), to name a few.

I love this book for so many reasons. First off, Allison Brennan is a story-crafting goddess. I know that when I’m looking for a good police procedural whodunit cop PI book, I won’t be disappointed if I pick one of hers. I am also a huge fan of series. I don’t like getting attached to characters and then never hearing from them again. This book perfectly sets up the series. Margo’s dad is in jail for murder, and his refusal to fight the charges is what causes the Angelhardt family split in the first place. Our book ends with Margo coming back into the family fold and setting up the rest of the series.

On sale now, you can grab your copy here

As always, I encourage you to read this book and form your own opinions, just as I have. Thank you to the author Allison Brennan, the publisher Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC copy of this book.