Bowled Over Americano by Carolyn Arnold is the first book in the Sara and Sean Cozy Mystery series. This is a revamped and extended version of The Day Job is Murder, which was originally published in 2014. 

 Bowled Over Americano introduces Sara Cain and Sean Mckinley, who are both homicide detectives with the Albany police department. Sara is fairly new to the department, after only working there for two years. She writes a mystery novel in her spare time. One night while experiencing writer’s block, she goes for a run to clear her head. While on her run, she came across her neighbour’s dog, Magnum on the loose. She goes to return the dog to its owner but in doing so she stumbled onto a murder scene. 

Another detective is assigned to the case. Sara’s mother, however, pleaded with her to investigate the murder, as the detective in charge considered her friend to be the main suspect. Knowing she couldn’t legitimately investigate, Sara conducts her own investigation secretly with the help of her partner Sean McKinley. This was in addition to their own case involving the murder of an investment banker.

As the story progresses, readers learn that Sean and Sara love each other, but a relationship between them was off the table - mostly because it went against departmental rules. It was evident from the outset that they cared about each other and that they worked well together. Sara and Sean share similar traits, in that they are both smart and perceptive. However, while Sara is spontaneous, Sean prefers to follow a plan. These traits manifest throughout the story. 

The story hidden between the pages of Bowled Over Americano was exciting, entertaining, and fun. In true Arnold style, the story came with twists and surprising revelations, Not for one moment did I guess the outcome of both investigations. Also amidst both investigations, Sean received news that brings about changes in both his and Sara’s working and personal relationship.

Bowled Over Americano delivered a delightful small town murder mystery infused with humour and a fun romance. I look forward to what’s next Arnold has for her readers.

I’ve enjoyed Carolyn Arnold’s various books and series for years, and this is a great start to a new series! Sara and Sean are Detectives and have been partners for two years. One evening Sara takes a walk and discovers a neighbors beagle loose in the park. She goes to return Magnum to his owner only to find the door open and Cunningham dead. Another detective shows up to take the case, a lazy and incompetent man, and Sara winds up investigating on the side, sure that the woman the detective has accused is innocent. Along with her and Sean’s own twisted and complicated case, things get pretty busy! I received a free copy of this book from the author through Net Galley and write this review voluntarily.

Bowled Over Americano is the first of a cozy mystery of partners, Sara and Sean. This book gave good insights into what made the main characters detectives along with explaining their family and history. Investigating two murders, one officially and one unofficially while dealing with personal matters made the book pack a lot into just over 200 pages. Very fun read and I’m excited to see what Sara and Sean investigate next!

Thank you to NetGalley, Hibbert & Stiles Publishing, and the author for providing this ARC.

I received an ARC through "NetGalley" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The story begins when Sara is out for a run when she sees a beagle running loose. She knows who the beagle belongs to so she runs after it to catch and return to his owner. Upon arriving at the owner's home, she discovers the front door open. She opens it and discovers that Cliff, the dog's owner, has been murdered. She notified the police and when the detective arrived, she was interrogated like it was the ninth degree. Even though she was a detective, she wasn't the one who would do the investigation.

The next day, she and her partner Sean were working on another murder case which happened earlier. They went to the deceased's employer to interview the boss who had been on vacation. They did not get a lot of information and started looking at other clues. They got lucky and were able to find a picture of an individual who was meeting with Aubrey, the victim. Using that as a lead, they began by following up on a credit receipt from the restaurant the two were meeting at. Later, Sara received a call from her mother asking for her help. It seems like Gladys, a member of Srar's mother's book club, had become a suspect in Cliff's murder. She wanted Sara to help Gladys and find who killed Cliff. That same day, Earlier, Sara had been looking at obituaries and discovered that a person that Sean knew had died and told Sean about a service that was to be held for Sean's friend.

As the story went on, Sara and Sean during their day job was searching for Aubrey's killer and at night they were looking into Cliff's murder.

To discover how the beagle played in the story, who killed Aubrey, what Sean and Sara did in the search for Cliff's killer and what unexpected happening Sean received as well as how the story ended, then you need to read this book.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started, but this will definite be a great series as time progresses.

Albany Homicide Detective Sara Cain’s partner “on the job” is Sean McKinley. The first day they met, there was a strong attraction between them, but they know that they must keep things strictly platonic in order to remain as partners. Sean is saddened to learn that Douglas Quinn, the man he once helped and visited has died. As Sara is walking in her neighborhood, she comes across Magnum, a beagle belonging to a neighbor. Returning him, she finds Magnum’s owner dead and calls it in. When the man’s girlfriend, who is her mother’s friend, is accused of the murder, Sara is asked to check on the case. Knowing that the case will probably not receive the attention it deserves, she and Sean decide to discreetly investigate even as they work to solve their own case of a man who was murdered at work. When Sean is called to a lawyer’s office, he has no idea why an attorney would want to talk to him. An intriguing mystery with witty dialog and two engaging main characters. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

4.25 Stars
When her first novel gives her trouble, Sara Cain goes for a walk to clear her writer’s block and ends up stumbling right into a real-life murder mystery. Magnum, an adventurous beagle, comes running off leash toward her in the local park, and she returns him home only to find his master dead on the entry floor. Cliff Cunningham was a championship bowler with a mean streak and a temper, and police are pegging his Golden Pin bowling trophy as the murder weapon. The prime suspect is a friend of Sara’s mother—and she expects Sara to prove the woman’s innocence. Sara soon finds herself sleuthing undercover. It’s not all bad, though, as she’s taking her friend and partner Sean McKinley along for the ride.
The start of a new series & a very entertaining read, it had all the ingredients needed for a cosy mystery, red herrings, twists & turns, an eclectic mix of characters, an adorable dog & a pair of sleuths who have lovely chemistry between them plus a good smattering of humour. It’s also set in a small town so everyone knows everyone. I thoroughly enjoyed it & look forward to more
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Bowled Over Americano by Carolyn Arnold is the first book in her new Sara and Sean Cozy Mystery series. I am a big fan of Carolyn Arnold, having read all her different series; and I looked forward to this new cozy mystery.

We meet Sara Cain, our heroine, who is a homicide detective with the Albany police department. She is a detective by day, and writes a mystery novel at night; one night she decides to take a walk and finds a loose dog she recognizes. When Sara brings the dog, Magnum back to his home, she finds the owner of the dog dead. Another detective is assigned to the murder of Cliff Cunningham, a famous bowler; but when Sara’s mother asks her to investigate the murder, because her friend was arrested, Sara decides to be a sleuth at night. Her partner Sean McKinley is currently working with Sara, on another case, searching for the killer of Aubrey Southgate; but he agrees to help her with looking into this other case, without letting their boss know.
We learn quickly that Sean has a strong crush on Sara, though she likes him, but she won’t let any possible romance happen between them, since it against the rules. I really liked Sara and Sean together. Sara is smart, savvy, independent, fun and is a coffeeholic; Sean is the opposite, more skeptical, but very charming. It was great to watch how both Sara and Sean work on the two different investigations. The third partner is Magnum, the cute beagle, who Sara brought home, and occasionally helps.

What follows is an exciting, suspenseful, entertaining, and fun story. Both Sara and Sean manage to find clues with some twists, that will help find the real killer in their case, including discovering the person behind the wrongful arrest of Sara’s mothers friend. To say too much more would be spoilers, as once you get to the second half of the book, you really need it all. Detective Davenport was not a good cop, and totally bad news with his minimal quick investigations, thankfully Sean and Sara will discover the truths. Bowled Over Americano was a wonderful murder mystery, in a small town, dangerous killers, as well as a fun romance and some humor. Bowled Over Americano was very well written by Carolyn Arnold.

There are so many things I loved about this book. The series features two detectives from Albany PD doing a spot of sleuthing by the side. It's not their case but when Sara becomes involved in it somehow, Sean decides to help her.

They have another case in hand - a man was fatally shot. He left behind a wife and two children. Sean and Sara have to find out who killed him and why. This side story takes an interesting turn halfway through.

Sara and Sean also investigate Cliff's murder - they know Davenport is not doing his job well and is adamant that the victim's girlfriend did it. Sean and Sara are ready to go undercover, if necessary, to hunt for clues.

There's another side story - something to do with the demise of a businessman. This side story took a very interesting and unexpected turn in the second half. Things changed a lot for someone who was associated with the deceased. Apart from the murder mystery that kept me guessing till the end, the second favorite part of the story is this one, i.e., the one relating to the businessman.

Though a cozy mystery, this had a police procedural feel to it. Two reasons for this: 1) the main characters are detectives 2) they go through formal channels - paperwork and obtaining warrants from judges before blazing in with guns.

This is a Carolyn Arnold novel, so it goes without saying that storytelling, plot-to-story development, and character portrayal is simply excellent.

Bowled Over Americano by Carolyn Arnold is a fabulous cozy series debut.

I’m a huge cozy fan and this is a great start to a new series! I loved the characters and the author’s writing style. It was a quick read and I will happily read the next ones in the series!

Bowled Over Americano is a great new.series by Carolyn Arnold. It is fast-paced and kept my interest. Sara and Sean are partners on the Albany, NY Police Dept. They are attracted to.each other but like working together so they try to ignore their feelings. Sara is also writing a mystery book in her free time. Sara is out for a run and finds the dog Magnum roaming around so she takes him back to his owner but finds Cliff Cunningham dead. The prime suspect is a friend of Sara's mother so Sara and Sean do some sleuthing on their own. They are assigned to a case for the.murder of a local businessman. Their job, the sleuthing and their relationship keep this book interesting!. The topic of bowling was a nice change from the usual themes. The characters are likable and interesting. The mystery was good and.kept me guessing. An enjoyable cozy mystery! #BowledOverAmericano#NetGalley #Hibbert&StilesPublishing

Bowled Over Americano has everything you could want in a cozy mystery and is fabulous start to the new Sara and Sean series.

Sara and Sean both offer different aspects to the characters: Sara is smart with a great memory and Sean well he is skeptical but the women love him.

We cant forget the dog Magnum.

I laughed out loud, I followed the clues and twists and turns and I was still surprised at the ending.

Carolyn Arnold has a new fan and I cant wait to read Book 2 in the Series of Sara and Sean.

I thoroughly enjoyed Bowled Over Americano and highly recommend you add it to your TBR pile.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hibbert & Styles Publishing Inc for the privilege of reading and reviewing this charming book.

Sara is a police officer by day and a frustrated writer trying to write her first novel by night. One night she goes for a walk to clear her writers block and finds a dog wandering the neighborhood. When she takes the dog home Sara finds the owner dead. Not her case, but as a favor to her mother who knows the prime suspect she gets her partner Sean to help her investigate anyway. Sean would do anything for Sara. Lots of twists and a surprise Sean receives changes both their lives

This is the first book that I have ever read by Carolyn Arnold and I am sure it will not be the last. I found this book to be an absolute delight. I am relatively new to cozy mystery books but from what I have gathered from Booktube this hits all the marks of a good cozy mystery. There is the female sleuth/cop, small-town feel, and super cute animal companion. I found this book to be a comfort and a joy to read. Bowled Over Americano had me flying through the pages, I just could not seem to put it down. I am happy to say that I am eager for the next one in the series to come out. I just need to know how these characters get on including the four-legged one.

Bowled Over Americano opens with Sara taking a break from writing her novel and going out for a walk in her neighborhood. As she is walking along and lost in thought she spots her neighbor's dog, Magnum running loose in the park with no owner in sight. Sara eventually catches Magnum and returns him to his home only to discover that the owner Cliff has been murdered in his own home. Sara soon calls the police and low and behold Detective Davenport enters the scene. Davenport is not one of Sara's favorite people, he is a detective who has been at it for a long time and is often times lazy and sloppy in his work. Davenport gives Sara two options for the dog and that is to take him to a shelter or bring him home with her. She is completely disgusted by Davenport's lack of caring and ends up taking Magnum home with her.

Sara receives a call soon after Cliff's death from her mother who informs Sara that Gladys who happens to be Cliff's long-time girlfriend has been accused of murder. Gladys happens to be Sara's mother's friend who swears up and down that her friend is innocent. Sare eventually meets with her mom and after speaking with both her mother and Gladys she decides that she is going to do some snooping around in the case during her free time. She knows Davenport's reputation and truly feels that Gladys is innocent. It is not long before Sara gets her partner/boss of two years Sean involved in trying to discover who murdered Cliff.

This is the start of two cops becoming evening Sleuths. I really enjoyed the relationship that these two characters have with each other both in their real jobs and now their side job. They work really well together and are just different enough that they complement each other well. The side sleuthing that they do I found to be entertaining, they will go to any length to discover who killed Cliff, from crazy costumes to creeping around bowling alleys it doesn't matter to them and often times Magnum is involved.

If you are looking for a fun, light-hearted cozy mystery with an adorable four-legged character then please pick this one up. Bowled Over Americano comes out on April 11th, 2023. I received an advanced reader copy from Netgalley and the author Carolyn Arnold in return for an honest review. I want to thank Netgalley and Carolyn Arnold for the opportunity to read this book before it hits store shelves. I very much enjoyed the story and recommend it to anyone who loves a cozy mystery with a touch of romance. All the thoughts and opinions written above are entirely my own.

I just had to finish this one in one go... Couldn't put it down before I finished it! Amazing read. Highly recommended. Looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

Sara is trying to write a book in her down time,but has writer's block. She thinks that as a homicide detective she should be able to write a murder mystery. As she is out running she happens upon a dead body, and ends up with the victims beagle. Someone else in her unit is assigned the case.
Sean, her partner, would date Sara if they were not partners but he doesn't want to cross that line. They get assigned another murder case. Sara's mom calls frantic because she is afraid the her neighbor is getting railroad into charged with murder.
Sara and Sean investigate a case on the side that isn't theirs. Sean finds out something surprising about an elderly gentlemen that he used to visit.

Book: Bowles over Americano by Carolyn Arnold
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trope: Mystery suspense
Publication: 11th April 2023

I truly love discovering new authors and I cannot thank NetGalley enough as I discovered Carolyn.

This book is probably my favourite quick read so far this year, the amount of times I laughed out loud and was also at the edge of my seat is endless. Sara is a homicide detective who stumbles upon magnum ,a beagle from her neighbourhood wandering around and upon delivering him back to his home she finds his owner dead and her mother’s friend to be the suspect in the investigation. Having paired with Sean, they together unfold the mystery behind the murder in an adventurous journey and along side the budding romance.

All in all this book got me out of a reading slump and I truly enjoyed it.


Thank you NetGalley and Hibbert & Stiles Publishing Inc. for the ARC copy.

This was a great start to a new cozy series!

I loved the characters - especially the banter! It had everything necessary for a perfect cozy mystery - murder, small town, and a little romance!

Full disclosure - I was provided an advanced reader’s copy of this book by the author or their representative but have voluntarily provided a review. All opinions are my own.

Bowled Over Americano is scheduled for an April 11, 2023 release

Murder in the lanes

Sara Cain is a member of the Albany Police department, but she is also an aspiring writer and when she is not off solving crime with her friend and partner Sean, she is working on her first novel. Even with employing the “art imitates life” approach Dead in the Water appears to be living up to its name, that is until a walk in a local park has her discovering a runaway dog. The adorable beagle, leash trailing behind, is familiar to Sara so she attempts to return Magnum home, only to find his owner laying in a pool of blood. But when the suspect number one turns out to be a close friend of Sara’s mother she is unofficially dragged into the case. Her and Sean go off the record undercover at a local bowling alley in an attempt to determine who really murdered bowling champ Cliff Cunningham. As they get deeper and deeper into their clandestine investigations and the suspect list grows rather than shrinks the duo and their canine sidekick are going to have to employ all their wits if they are going to sniff out the real culprit and prevent an innocent woman from taking the fall.
Bowled Over Americano is the first in the new Sara and Sean Cozy Mystery Series by international bestselling author Carolyn Arnold. While known mainly for her numerous excellent police procedural novels, including the Brandon Fisher FBI series, Detective Amanda Steele series and Detective Madison Knight series, Arnold is also no stranger to the cozy mystery genre. This newest book is part cozy, part police procedural and a whole lot of fun. I love the dynamic between Sara and Sean and I was rooting for them throughout the entire story, not only professionally but also personally. The characters were a bit on the eccentric side, including the duo’s crazy undercover story but for me that made it all the more enjoyable. At times I found myself laughing out loud at their alter egos “Gwen” and “Stephen” and their over the top disguises and characters, but they strangely fit in with the equally eclectic cast of regulars at Capital Lanes. Including a displaced furry friend into the mix also added an additional element of cute and watching Sara attempt to navigate solving a murder with a basset hound in tow definitely worked for some additional comedic elements.
For long time fans of Arnold may already be acquainted with Sara and Sean via her blog and the series of shorts starring the two that used to be published there. Arnold appears to be taking her older stories, expanding and revamping them into a larger series that she promises will be new even to readers of the originals. Bowled Over Americano is my first introduction to the duo of Sara and Sean and I am definitely looking forward to the subsequent books in this series. With Arnold already teasing her next release Wedding Bells Brew Murder and likening it to an almost escape room sort of mystery I am definitely all in for whatever Arnold dreams up with this dynamic duo going forward.

Thank you Carolyn Arnold and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. Below is my honest opinion.

I can honestly say I really liked this book. It was easy to read, funny at times and it kept my attention. I seriously had no idea who the killer was, even at the end I was shocked at who the killer was.

To me, this wasn’t like the cozy mysteries that I’ve read before. I felt like this was a long prequel to the beginning of Sean and Sara’s cozy mystery adventures. It has some really good police procedures and was a bit slow at times for cozy mystery. But it was still cute and kept me wanting to read.

Also, I felt like them coming together was extremely fast. Yes we could see that Sean was in love with Sara but we didn’t see that Sara reciprocated the feelings as much as Sean did. It just didn’t add up to me. For the majority of the book Sara wanted to be friends and nothing more but the minute Sean proposes she’s all in. Maybe there was more there for Sara than I saw.

This is my first book by this author and I’m excited to see where Sean and Sara go in their next book. I think there is a great premise here especially with Magnum by their side, sniffing out the bad guys.

Thank you again and congratulations on your new cozy mystery series!!

Bowled Over Americano is a great start to a new series from Carolyn Arnold.
I loved the main characters, Sara and Sean. And the dog, Magnum, was a cute part of the story too.
The story is full of small town charm, murder, romance and plenty of humor.
I’m hoping to see more growth between the characters in the next book.
Bowled Over Americano is a easy, quick read with plenty of twists and humor to keep you engaged in the story.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.