It was cute. The main character was self-centered to the point of being unlikeable, but I enjoyed the other characters. I’d probably read the next one. Hopefully, Miranda will reveal some redeeming qualities.

Miranda, aging actress who had the lead role on a TV show years ago, is both our protagonist and someone the authors want to make fun of, which is a difficult balancing act that isn't always successful.

As is typical of cozies, the other characters are roles more than people == I wanted to know more about some of them, but this isn't the genre for that. I enjoyed the small-town quirks, particularly the way they handle the 10th anniversary of performing the same play, but I couldn't warm up to Miranda's selfishness and self-centeredness.

Started out really disliking the narcissistic main character, Miranda. Decided to keep reading for the murder, another even more despicable character. Enjoyed the plot and the community. Not sure if I want another dose of Miranda, who knows if she can change her ways?
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Seemingly oblivious to the fact she is broke and no longer a celebrity, has-been actress Miranda Abbott who had played a sleuthing pastor on tv, returns to a coastal Oregon village after receiving a postcard. She had honeymooned there with the screenwriter husband she abandoned fifteen years ago who now owns a mystery bookshop. Residents, who stage a play, the same murder mystery play, every year coerce her into auditioning but the night of the dress rehearsal a real murder takes the stage. Townsfolk and members of the theater company frequently confuse Miranda with Pastor Fran, her tv character. A thoroughly enjoyable cozy mystery that brings to mind Only Murders in the Building and Hallett's The Appeal.

Actress Miranda Abbott is in a bit of a slump in her acting career - a fifteen year slump. After achieving fame as Pastor Fran - crime solver and karate chopper, her career has hit hard times. She's relying on her downtrodden assistant Andrews for paying her rent and taking care of her. She finally hits the bottom when her agent offers her the role of the grandmother in a Metamucil commercial.

Then she gets a postcard that takes her on a journey to her past - a sixteen hour bus journey. She winds up in Happy Rock, a very small town in the Pacific Northwest. She and her husband Edgar had honeymooned there after Pastor Fran tanked. Edgar fell in love with the place and stayed by buying the local bookstore, but Miranda headed back to Hollywood. But now she has nowhere left to go.

Her happy dreams are dashed when she arrives only to have Edgar ask for a divorce. She winds up staying in a B&B owned by one of her biggest fans. Bea even has Pastor Fran nights where the old videotapes are dragged out and played again and again. Determined to ger back with her husband, Miranda auditions for the tenth annual presentation of Death Is the Dickens but only manages to get the one-line part of a maid who dies in the first act. The lead goes to Annette Baillie - former morning show star turned real estate agent and very much a local celebrity.

When Annette dies in the first act by drinking poison, it is up to Miranda and her new friends to solve the crime and free her now-ex-husband who has been arrested for the crime. There are lots of suspects from the local drama teacher who went to Yale and is constantly butting heads with Annette to the car mechanic who just can't remember his lines and whose business Annette threatened to the local teen Miranda beat out for the part of the dying maid.

This was an amusing story filled with caricatures more than characters. From the ditzy Miranda to the fanatic Bea and all the rest, the story is filled with intriguing people that I came to care about. I liked the way Miranda kept accusing suspects who were quickly proven innocent. She was persistent and did finally find the correct villain.

Cozy mysteries don’t always work for me. I find them too predictable and the characters silly and annoying. But I decided to give this one a chance and although I initially hated this book and almost didn’t finish it, I was. in the end. glad that I decided to give it a second chance. 

My main issue at the start of this book was how annoying Miranda was. She was just too self centered, completely ignorant of the feelings of those around her, and just didn’t seem to understand that her life wasn’t what she thought it should be. I am usually okay with not liking a main character, but Miranda just really had no redeeming qualities. Plus, there were no other characters in the story that I could latch onto and say, ok, I will keep reading because I like this one character. There really were no likable characters in this book, to start.

Miranda’s character does show some growth in this story, she becomes a little less self involved and at times is kind of charming. The other characters grew on me a bit as well, although they were a bit on the flat side and were mostly caricatures of small town quirky characters.

The overall plot and pacing was very slow. The actual murder doesn’t take place until well past the halfway mark. It was also pretty obvious who was going to be murdered and to be honest who did it as soon as we meet them. The motive for the murder was not as obvious but it was a bit ridiculous. 

The other big issue that I really struggled with, mostly had to do with formatting. This too doesn’t usually bother me, especially when it is an ARC, but this was so poorly formatted that there were times when I couldn’t figure out who was talking until I read the passage two or three times. This was consistent throughout the whole book, so although some things got better this did not. I really hope it gets fixed before publication.

The second half of the book was so much better than the first. So much so, that at times it felt like a totally different book. There were even a couple of times towards the end that I chuckled a bit at something that someone said. I did like the way that Miranda went about trying to solve the murder, and some of the people she got to help her. The clues were all nicely laid out and even though totally predictable, was still well done.

So you might be asking yourself why did I end up finishing this book? Well, after taking a break from it, I decided to give it another chance and things did get better. Was it perfect? No. But it improved enough that I could see where other people who enjoy cozy mysteries might actually like this one. The second half also gave some glimmers on how good this series could be, if only a few things were tweaked here and there.

This was one I had high hopes for... but it wasn't all that. Or a cup of tea. Maybe the mood wasn't right when I tried to read it, and I should just try again another time. Not a bad book, just not my fav

“An actor dies. The audience reacts.” Here are reasons to read the mystery book:

Failed Actress - Miranda is an actress who is known for being Pastor Fran on tv - a youth pastor who solves crime (HIII-YA!). But she is broke and no longer working
Postcard - when she receives a postcard from her husband, who she hasn’t seen in 15 years, and goes to see him in the rural town he lives in
Community theater - but of course she has to get involved in a community theater whoodunnit and consequently solve a murder

I love a good cozy mystery. And while I did finish this one relatively fast, I did have some issues with it. The twist was great and I loved the community feel. However, it was really hard to connect with the character of Miranda. She is self involved - though there is a character arc there. And the way she was written was as if she was in her 60s, when in reality it was probably more like her 40s. Also I felt like this book jumped around quite a bit trying to trap you in misleading directions. I am extremely on the fence about whether I will pick up the next in the series. But if you like cozy mysteries a LOT, give it a shot.

This is a cozy, unlike any I've read before. This first-in-series featuring has-been Hollywood star Miranda Abbott, takes the sweet, widowed, small-business owner amateur detective trope and turns it on its head. Miranda is conceited, married but estranged, unemployed actress who is, dare I say, unlikeable. She grows on you though, as you see her become more self-aware. That could be because an even less likeable woman is killed and Miranda has to sort out the killer.

In the mix, Miranda is performing in an amateur theater presentation, written by her ex(?). The play is taken very seriously by the townsfolk - enough to kill over!

This book is very funny. I can't wait to see what Miranda does in book #2. She's a real trainwreck, but you end up falling in love with her!

A former tv detective finds herself investigating a real murder after an actor in a local play is murdered.

I liked the premise here - actor to investigator is always a fun trope! However, I couldn’t get into the writing style.

Unlikable protagonist although she does have redeeming features. Not expected in a cozy mystery at all. And the mystery was simple. Still it was decent and I hope in the sequel she’ll be a bit less egotistical. Thanks for the arc

I wanted to have this book be a hit, the premise was promising, but the execution fell short for me.

Miranda used to be on top of the world, but recently things haven't been going well for her. So she moves, and when she gets to this small PWN town, things are not what she expected them to be. She signs up to be part of a small theater group, but when they are in the middle of a show someone drops dead. Everyone is now a suspect.

This had the makings of being fun, but I just found myself bored and skimming most of the book.

I really hated this book at the start. Let me correct that, I hated Miranda. Gradually she changed and I grew to feel sympathy for her, and then like her. This book really personalizes a small town and the dynamics I am surprised by who the killer is, I like that Miranda still considers her a friend. . I’m glad of the end. #IOnlyReadMurder #NetGalley

An actress once famous for playing a TV crime-solving youth pastor, Miranda Abbott returns to the small town where her estranged husband lives. The main character was highly unlikable, making this a diffucult read for me. Also the murder didn't happen until half way through the novel. I kept waiting to find out what Miranda was going to be investigating. Maybe the second effort will be more enjoyable.

#IOnlyreadmurder #NetGalley
Awesome 5 ⭐
Miranda Abbott, once known for the crime-solving, karate-chopping church pastor she played on network television, has hit hard times. She’s facing ruin when a mysterious postcard arrives, summoning her to Happy Rock, a small town in the Pacific Northwest. But when she gets there, nothing is what she expected. In dire straits, she signs up for an amateur production at the Happy Rock Little Theater. On opening night, one of the actors is murdered, live, in front of the audience. But no one actually saw what happened. Now everyone is under a cloud of suspicion, including the town doctor, the high school drama teacher, an oil-stained car mechanic, an elderly gentleman who may have been in the CIA—and Miranda herself.
Loved this book. It was a quick read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Mira for giving me an advance copy.

I Only Read Murder by Will Ferguson; Ian Ferguson was a really enjoyable mystery.
Great book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! This book had everything! It had high suspense, intrigue, action packed, murder, mystery, fantastic characters, great plot twist and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle!
I loved being in the small town of Happy Rock.
And the characters here were well developed with a lot of suspects to pick from.
I very much enjoyed this funny cozy murder mystery.

I would like to thank NetGalley and MIRA for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

Fun, but very over-the-top. Lots of cliches. Still worthwhile. Apparently this is the start of a series.

Miranda Abbott is a self absorbed, once famous actress who finds herself leaving California for small town Happy Rock. When she arrives, the town’s theater is getting ready to preform a play written by a local store owner. Miranda views this as an opportunity for her comeback. But, the death of a local celebrity while on stage throws a wrench in her plan. Now, she and her unwilling sidekick, Susan work to find the truth.
I had a very difficult time finishing this because Miranda was so self centered. It was the other characters such as Susan that had me reading it to the end. Does that mean I won’t read the next book in the series, if there is one? No, I probably will read it. There are many series where the first one is not my cup of tea, but the second show improvement.
I was given an ARC of this book by NetGalley and the publisher for a fair and honest review.

"I Only Read Murder" sounded like a fantastic cozy mystery, but it lacks the charm of cozies. The book is also described as funny so much in reviews, but I didn't find anything about it funny. The main character's only personality trait is narcissism. The "joke" of calling her assistant gay on purpose to make sure her estranged husband doesn't think she has a sidepiece got old the first time she said it; the subsequent three or four times was beyond annoying. At 21%, nothing has happened except for the main character going from one town thinking she's the center of the universe to another town where she believes she is the center of the universe. Were the authors being paid by TMZ because they mention them so. many. times. The idea for this mystery was so fun, but the lack of characterization and plot make it fall flat.

I just couldn't get into this one -- challenging main character (but not in a fun way), plot that didn't grab me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the ARC.