photographer, photographs, threats, murder, family-drama, family-dynamics, famous-persons, family, romantic, amateur-sleuth, FBI, cozy-mystery, NYC, art-crimes, situational-humor, witty, suspense*****

Welcome to the high stress world of celebrity NYC. Liv Spyer is a photographer for her friend's agency and her boyfriend Harry is an Art Crimes Investigator for a government agency. Things are not optimal for either of them at the moment. Harry's quarry is a real chameleon, and Liv's assignment is becoming more unpleasant by the day. Especially when she observes the murder of the megastar's sister, can't prove it, no one wants the cops involved, and she is threatened. But Harry believes her and things change. The publisher's blurb is exceptional, so no need to repeat or do spoilers. Great read with engaging characters, unusual twists, and awesome red herrings.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Kensington Books/Kensington Cozies via NetGalley. Thank you!

#MugshotsofManhattan #NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-Arc copy of this novel.

Mugshots of Manhattan by Christin Brecher was a fun read. Glitz and glammer of the life of a pop star with the intrigue of a James Bond film. Bisa, her sister Anna, LIv, Henry and the Cardinal all come together for star studded events that end with murder, theft and drugs.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Mugshots of Manhattan by Christin Brecher is the second in the Snapshot of NYC Mystery series. Get ready for a wild ride in this James-Bond-meets-Nancy-Drew-set-in-Manhattan series. Liv Spyers is thrilled when her boss, who is out of commission, taps her to take on an exclusive assignment photographing the inside world of Bisa, the hottest new pop star. She gets a rare look at the behind-the-scenes of A-list parties and sold out concerts. When Bisa’s sister Anna shows up uninvited then just as quickly disappears, Liv knows that there is more to the story than the party line. Add in the Cardinal, a larger-than-life art thief, on the run from Liv’s boyfriend Harry and you have a madcap caper of a mystery.

This is one of those books that you can’t put down but at the same time want to last as long as possible. The characters are well-developed and interesting, and the relationships between the main characters heartwarming. I love Granny and Poppy, Liv’s grandparents. The narrative is engaging and the mystery fast-paced and action packed. (I reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own) This was one fun read and I am already anticipating the next in the series.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Although this is the 2nd book in the series, I feel this would have been a good standalone. People don't necessarily have to read the first book to really understand the second. This isn't something I typically enjoy when it comes to thrillers. There weren't any twists that left me surprised, and I really wasn't very captivated by this particular story. I would still recommend it for people looking for a quick, fun, whodunnit.

What a fun, fast-paced cozy! I haven’t read the first book, but this worked great as a standalone and I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything (or hearing way too much backstory about the first book). I really enjoyed the glitzy backstage pass to a diva’s rock concert/move premiere, the slightly ridiculous art heist angle (seriously - it’s a little over the top but who doesn’t love art heists??), and the New York setting. I also enjoyed that it was a little more on the edgy side for a cozy, because sometimes the overly sweet ones are a little too twee for me (no bad language, but mentions of sex and drugs, and plenty of drinking). It was one that wrapped up super fast - one minute we had no clue who the murderer might be, the next we were totally confident - and had a bit too much of the “I, the bad guy, am going to tell you exactly what I did” - but that works fine for a book like this. I’m definitely going to pick up the first in this series and start things off properly.

3.5 stars

This is book 2 in the series and is completely standalone. I was intrigued with Liv and boyfriend Harry and want to check out the first book to see how they meet etc.

The book is set in NYC but is very Hollywood. I want to read more about Liv and co and didn't really care for the other characters.

One interesting thing is that the name of the murder victim in the blurb (Courtney) is not the name of the character in the book I read (Anna). Not sure which is out-of-date.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kensington Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Kensington Books.

Liv is killing it in the City and with a gig shooting a Grammy Award winning musician at her first movie premier. Liv’s excited about the gig, but life in the fast lane isn’t quite what she was expecting. First, Bisa’s entourage is all over Harry and then Bisa’s sister threatens to wreak havoc on the event.

When Courtney is found dead, the spotlight is on Liv. With Bisa expecting Liv to fin her sister’s killer, she’s got her work cut out for her. Now the question is whether Liv and Harry can make it through this one…dead or alive.

The second book in this series brings a strong female protagonist along with a well devised mystery that delivers!. If you like strong female characters in the big city, this one based in NYC is ripe for picking.

I always enjoy reading something from Christin Brecher, I've enjoyed previous books and this book had what I was looking for. It had a great concept in a mystery genre, the characters were what I was hoping for and it did everything that I was looking for. I'm glad I got to read this and look forward to more from Christin Brecher.

"I don’t know why she told you, but since she did, the deal is off,” he said. “I’m not paying her another dime, and I won’t pay you either, if that’s what you’re after. I’ll tell Bisa myself. And if she decides to fire me, good luck to her. People who pretend to be her friends will use her for every cent they can get before she even knows what hit her. But for the love of God, let’s get through the next two days first, OK?”