I really liked the first book in the series, The Madness of Mercury, so when the opportunity arose to tour and review the second book, I jumped on it. Julie is a likable and believable protagonist: intelligent and observant (but not in the Holmesian mold), empathetic, and and loyal to her friends. She approaches astrology as a science as well as an art, and it seems to work well for her, giving her insights into people and their actions and motivations, but not specific answers. The combination of traits makes her an engaging heroine, an amateur sleuth whose involvement in mysteries has yet to stretch my credibility.

The mystery this time around is quite baffling; clues point toward a variety of suspects, and the plot twists and turns in unexpected directions. That said, I did spot the villain early on — or to be precise, I had a gut feeling about them early on, which proved to be correct. Which isn’t to say that Ms. di Marco didn’t have me questioning my instincts a time or three!

If I have any quibbles about the book, it’s that I had a hard time keeping track of who was who, and the relationships between the characters, in the early chapters, largely because there were so many people introduced in the first chapter. Eventually, I got all the important characters sorted out in my head, but a “cast of characters” page wouldn’t come amiss.

In addition to the mysteries, I’ve also been enjoying the gradual exploration of Julia’s past and personal life, and I’m curious to see where that leads. It’s been rather refreshing to read about a young protagonist (late twenties or early thirties?) who isn’t in a relationship. Not that I have any objection to a bit of romance with my mysteries, but kudos to Ms. di Marco for realizing that it isn’t necessary to pair up every young heroine, at least not for a while. I’m looking forward to the next book!

All Signs Point to Murder: A Zodiac Mystery
Author: Connie di Marco
Publisher: Midnight Ink

Astrological signs are gathering over Geneva Leary's wedding day, and Julia Bonatti is worried. Her job was to be a bridesmaid not the bearer of bad news.When catastrophe strikes in the form of a missing sister, the sudden unconscious wedding planner and the murder, everyone is surprised, except for Julia.

Grief and accusations threaten to tear her friend and her family apart permanently. Julia doesn’t want to get involved, but it looks like she doesn’t have a choice. She owes it to Geneva to solve the murder before the wrong person goes to prison for the crime.

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This is the second book in The Zodiac Mystery series, Ms. di Marco has crafted an entertaining and highly imaginative story with plenty of twists and turns. The main character, Julia is smart, funny and intelligent. She knows what she is good at and what she isn’t. She wants to help ease the grief of her friend and everyone else but knows one of them may well be a killer. She isn’t always tactful but tries not to be too insensitive; however, she isn’t always successful and at times blurts out the first thought that comes into her head. This can lead to awkward situations and hurt feelings. Julia is a typical woman with a talent for astrology. She lacks self-confidence at times, and this can cause her trouble. Having lost her own fiance several years earlier, she knows that astrology works but may not always help.

The story is well written and flows nicely. The plot thickens as the reader turns the page but never gets bogged down in too much detail. The characters are rich and well rounded with just enough flaws to make them relatable. The scene where Julia becomes locked in a restaurant storeroom and worry that she will be found and not found at the same time gives her a feel of frailty and determination at the same time.

The ending of the book resolves all of the questions in the story but leaves room for interpretation. A character who is thrown in at the last minute, however, is unnecessary and does not enhance the story but doesn’t detract from the overall plot.

This book, as well as the series, is recommended to anyone who has an interest in astrology and enjoys books with twists and turns that aren’t always red herrings. “All Signs Point to Murder” is fast-paced and a delightful read.

I received an ARC from Netgalley

I was delighted with this story. Julia is a unique sleuth with her other abilities and kept me very engaged. I was guessing to the end, and loved the suspense moments. I really enjoyed Julia’s personal obsession with some unique movies and her quirks were fun. The stars are aligned for this series!

Even if you have not read the first book in this series, you can enjoy this well written cozy by itself.
The characters are developed enough for you to learn the connections between them, but the murderer is still well hidden until the very end.
This is a complicated situation where putting together means, motive and opportunity takes a lot of searching. Especially intriguing are the things that are not said or are missing, more so than the information gathered.

Like some readers, there are persons in the book that can't imagine astrological data and planetary placement could possibly affect life circumstances OR lead to the identity of a murderer.
Learning how Julia interprets the charts was interesting. Still, it still seems you can't skip good old fashioned legwork.

Besides solving this crime, people are trying to convince Julia she should begin dating again.
After meeting the characters in this book, I can appreciate single life all the more.

This is book two in the Zodiac mystery series. I think the series is getting better as the characters develop and grow. I enjoy all the tidbits of astrology thrown in that fit into the story so well. It makes me want to get my chart done. Julie is going to be a brides maid for her friend but the charts don't bode well for a happy event. The murder mystery had me guessing with clues that had me with several suspects as prime candidates. An enjoyable read. Will look for book 3.

Synopsis

Julia Bonatti is alarmed by the astrological signs looming over Geneva Leary’s wedding day, but nobody asked Julia’s opinion and being a bridesmaid means supporting the bride no matter what. especially, when after the end of the wedding one of the wedding partner is killed. Who was the murder? With anger and grief threatening to tear the Leary family part, Julia is determined to understand how such a terrible tragedy could occur.

In addition, her good friend is about to face her ex husband in divorce court. This man is awful and wants his ex-wife on the street.

Between her new friend's situation with her ex and her old friend's family issues at the wedding, life if hard. The two situation provide a way for the reader to see how hard love can be and what it can do to us when we are caught in the middle.

Book Review and 4.3 stars

This was a very interesting book. I encourage individuals to spend time reading the story and really see how our life are affected by what other people do to us. It is very interesting how the Julia reads the star to see how life can work out for us

SO GOOD! I have read a few books from Netgalley in the past 2 weeks and this one a perfect example of the cozy mystery genre. Connie DiMarco did a great job so I will await publication date and then recommend it to my librarian and my aunt who will undoubtedly become fans as well. Thank you for the opportunity to read All Signs Point to Murder ahead of time, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

This is an OK read. The astrological aspect was interesting but the characters weren't well defined. The plot was OK but the end wasn't

I found this book to be a little boring. There was a lot of information, but a lot of it seemed unnecessary. It seemed to drag on and not really go anywhere.

This is another book in the series about crime,mystery snd astrology.The novel covers modt of the sbove issues and sn entertaing read within a well thought out story line the author kniws her stuff.
Good characterd thst are involved in a fadt moving pace never a full momment a good who done it.
Lets rrmember the final touch the cat make your own assumptions.

This book captured me from the very first sentence. As an Astrologer myself, I applaud Connie di Marco for coming up with the ingenious idea of an astrologer who uses the stars as clues for solving mysteries. The story was fast paced and kept me guessing who the murderer was throughout the book and left enough red herrings to make me invested in solving the crime. I would have loved this book even more, if more Astrology was incorporated into the story, because as at times it felt as if the stars and planets were an afterthought because there was not enough focus on the main character being an Astrologer. The murder plot was predictable and I just wish there was a bad planetary alignment or challenging natal chart that was to blame instead. Due to the rapidity of the story-line and all the twists and turns, I am excited to read more books in this series, and I hope Connie di Marco infuses her story-lines with even more Astrology, as I felt she was holding back in incorporating more cosmic clues.

I enjoyed this book, but not nearly as much as the first. There was a true mystery to this one though so that was good. The thing that really brought down my rating was the heavy astrology details, as though we were learning about astrology. If you are heavy into planets being aligned and all that then you will probably very much enjoy it.

I was given an eARC by the publisher through NetGalley.

All Signs Point to Murder is the first book by Connie Di Marco that I have read; it definitely won't be the last! I really enjoyed everything about this book: the characters, the pacing, the mystery, and the astrology.
Julia Bonatti is an excellent cozy mystery heroine. She is fearless, has interesting friends, has a tragic past, and has a flexible and interesting career. Julia goes full speed to help her friend Geneva solve the mystery surrounding the death of Geneva's sister, Moira. Julia's career as an astrologer allows her the freedom to investigate and still meet with her clients and write her newspaper column.
The mystery was twisty and well written. I was kept guessing til the very end.
I will definitely read the first book in the series and be on the lookout for the next book. This is a truly enjoyable cozy mystery.

This is the second book in the series by Connie Di Marco.
Julia is a good character, however, I haven't been able to grow attached to her yet.
This story was good, I just wish some of the astrology parts weren't so confusing.
The story opens with Julia worried about her friend Geneva's wedding day. The charts aren't flowing right and Julia is concerned.
Everyone is shocked to find out about a horrible death, that soon tears a family apart.
Julia needs to set things right before another person becomes the next victim.

I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

I’d like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book through NetGalley.

All Signs Point to Murder is the second book in this series, if I'm not mistaken and it follows Julia Bonatti, an astrologer in San Francisco, who tries to solve the mystery of a lethal shooting on the wedding day of Geneva Leary aka Julia's friend. The plot does not unfold as quickly as you'd expect and you only get to the solution at the end of the book, but it was an exciting read. I appreciated the plot twists and the revelations.

The writing was good, easy to comprehend. At some times though it was kind of tiring to be informed about the feeding schedule of Julia's cat. Nonetheless, it did not bother me that much and I totally enjoyed the small chapters!

I could not identify with any of the characters, but it was fine. Julia is a very interesting protagonist and the involvement of astrology in the story makes it more unique. She is not a detective by all means! The other characters were okay and I managed to predict the killer, so kudos to me!

Overall, I do not want to spoil anyone with more information. I liked this book and it was a change from the usual YA Fantasy books I'm always reading. The story is gripping and you won't stop reading, till you reach the end. I recommend this book to everyone, but those of you that like mysteries might enjoy it slightly more. It comes out August 8th, so don't miss it!

The mystery drew me in from the start and the reveal of the killer was a total surprise and not someone I was expecting. The astrology aspects of this book were really interesting to me. It could sometimes be a little confusing, especially for someone who doesn't really have much knowledge about astrology, but it wasn't so confusing that it took away from the story.

All Signs Point to Murder is the second book in the series. We start out joining Julia as she takes part in her best friends wedding. I love the tie in to the first book right away which goes into the internal struggle Julia feels being in the wedding and how it is bringing her own sadness to the forefront. What should be a joyous day for her friend takes a quick turn as the bride's impulsive sister Moira is nowhere to be found. As the wedding is under way, Moira is found and everyone breathes a sigh of relief.
What should be a happy day quickly ends when gun shots are fired and Moira is found dead. Julia does her best to help her heartbroken friend try to piece together who would commit such a horrible crime as the family all looks at eachother with suspicion. Julia uses her talent for astrology to help get all the puzzle pieces to fit correctly to solve the crime.
What is great about this book is it works as a stand alone as well as a continuation. The story really does not have any slow moments and the author paints a beautiful picture of the Bay Area. Book one was highly enjoyable and engaging and book two did not disappoint either. It is great to find a series that touches on a subject that is rarely used in cozy mysteries.

As an astrologer Julia Bonatti knows she should trust what she sees in the stars, but serving as a bridesmaid for her friend Geneva diverts her attention. This has catastrophic consequences - a missing bridesmaid, a disrupted wedding and then a murder. Pulling all the pieces together Julia works through the stars to find the killer. As always Connie di Marco has written a gem.

Julia Bonatti, astrologer and newspaper columnist never expected to be a guest at a murder. Well...not exactly...Julia was a member of her dear friend Geneva's bridal party.
When cleaning up the aftermath took longer than expected, she was invited to the family home, and though reluctant, her own bed called, she accompanied the family home.
When gunshots woke her up, she ran down to investigate with others similarly startled to find Brooke's husband in the garage by a gun and her sister Moira dead.
As a favor to Brooke and Geneva, Julia investigates on her own, sifting through facts and planted red herrings. Criminal connections to drug runners and another body raise the stakes. As she closes in, so does the murderer....on her.
This is an engrossing cozy.

I liked ASPM more than I did the first book in the series (The Madness of Mercury). I felt there was a true mystery this time. The author does a good job tying in astrology and fleshing out the story by developing Julia's personal life and showing her doing more than just following clues.

That said, my rating is 3.5 because I don't find Julia a very engaging character and the author hasn't given her a solid group of secondary characters to play off of. Yes, at least three characters reoccur from book 1, but they don't add anything really to the book.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.