I love this series. Once again Ellison stumbles finds another body, this one in her own house. A new detective on the force thinks Ellison is a prime suspect. When another victim dies in her house things go from bad to worse. Despite the serious issues they are still some laugh out loud moments. I really like the characters and the author does a wonderful job in capturing the 70s. The mystery was good and the solution made sense. Enjoy another wonderful book in this series.

I loved this book and the series. Ellison had a knack of finding dead bodies, often on her own property. This book is no exception. When she gets a call from Aggie, her housekeeper about her car breaking down, she heads off to the local shopping center to get her. She leaves her decorator in the house to continue coming up with ideas while she is gone. Well, you guessed it, when she gets back home less than half an hour later, she is dead in the den with a bullet in her head. Of course Ellison calls Anarchy, the handsome detective that she has a budding relationship and he shows up with his new partner. There is a lot going on in this story, with another body along the way and some women who also end up in the hospital.

The mystery kept me guessing until the end, which I always like. This book was not just a mystery. This series takes place in the 70s and at that time, police and medical practitioners felt that physical abuse between spouses was a personal matter and they did not intervene. This was an era where women just took it when their husband or boyfriend hit them, it was almost a joke about women hiding their black eyes behind the huge sunglasses of the day. Unlike many, the woman who was abused in this book got out, and her husband's family stood behind her, not her husband who was their relative. It was due to Ellison's persistence that she finally spoke up. So kudos to Julie Mulhern, for dealing with this topic and maybe this will help someone now break the silence and get out. The setting is also very nostalgic to those of us who grew up during that time so it adds another enjoyable dimension. I suppose you could read this book without reading the rest of the series, but who would want to. This is one of the best cozy series I have read.

Book received from NetGalley.

I loved this book, while the mystery was great and it took me almost to the end to figure out whodunnit, those weren't the reasons for my high rating of the book. Part of it was due to nostalgia, the books are set in the 1970's and it brought back quite a few things of my childhood, a big plus in my book. The other reason was the fact one of the subplots dealt with an extremely tough topic, made even worse by the time the book was set in. The 1970's was an era where women just took it when their husband or boyfriend hit them, it was almost a joke about women hiding their black eyes behind the huge sunglasses of the day. Unlike many, the woman who was abused in this book got out, and her husband's family stood behind her, not their relative when she finally broke her silence after ending up in the hospital. So kudos to Julie Mulhern, for dealing with this topic and maybe this will help someone now break the silence and get out.

I love this series, such a blast from the past. If you haven't read this series, do yourself a favor and start at the beginning. You'll be glad you did. The characters are well developed, the mystery always satisfying, what more does a great mystery series need? It needs to be in your hands. Looking forward to #6.

I love me some easy and entertaining page-turners. And if they involve murder and humor: even better! I stumbled across the "Country Club Murders" book series by Julie Mulhern not too long ago, and love each and every single one of them.

So I was happy when NetGalley and Henery Press sent me the kindle version of the latest book in the series: "Watching the Detectives". It did not disappoint! The story is quick, fun, catching and I could literally not put the book down. Great plot and backstory! Can't wait for the next book in the series!

I didn't put down until finished it. You will learn about Society's feeling about domestic abuse at the time especial social milieu of the Country Club with its iron clad rules on deportment, ruled over by force of nature. I especially love Ellison's fiercenes

Watching the Detectives

by Julie Mulhern

Watching the Detectives is a funny, action packed, cozy mystery you don't want to miss. In fact, you’ll want to read the whole series. Julie Mulhern continues to make the early 70’s come alive with details like plaid sports jackets for men, twin sets for women, and Polaroid cameras. She even jokes about squeaking naugahyde chairs at the hospital: “many nagas had given their hydes for that chair.”

The main character, Ellison, is a part of the country club world, but she is so down-to-earth and practical that she is endearing. Besides, you have to feel for anyone who stumbles across so many bodies. Yes, that’s Ellison!

A prominent feature of this book is the conflict between Ellison and her domineering mother. Her mother resembles Emily Gilmore in the TV show The Gilmore Girls—always right and very controlling. There continue to be two love interests in Ellison’s life—lawyer Hunter Tafft who is Ellison’s mother’s pick and Anarchy Jones who sets off fireworks in Ellison’s heart.

It is difficult to keep a constant underlayment of humor in a book that features serious issues such as murder and spousal abuse, but Mulhern does it respectfully and effectively and leaves the reader wanting more.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Historical Fiction, Mystery

Notes: #5 in the Country Club Murders, but works as a standalone

Publication: May 23, 2017—Henery Press

Memorable Lines:

Mr. Coffee might not be able to solve all the world’s problems or clean the study, but things tended to look brighter after he’d worked his magic.

Reality was ex-wives living in efficiency apartments and spritzing perfume at makeup counters because they had no job skills. Reality was their ex-husbands reliving their youths with girls not yet old enough to know better. Reality was rather bleak.

“Your mother has a strong personality,” she said. Attila the Hun had a strong personality. Mother was a mile-wide tornado with hundred-fifty-mile-per-hour winds.”

In this latest entry in the 1970s Country Club Murders series, widow Ellison Russell wants to redecorate her late husband Henry's study. But after leaving her home for a short errand, the last thing Ellison expects is to find the body of her decorator, Khaki White, on the floor of her study. Unfortunately, it's only been a week since the last body was found and her mother is not amused. And this time Detective Anarchy Jones has a new partner who sees Ellison as the prime suspect. Then Ellison’s overbearing mother forces Ellison into hosting a cocktail party on short notice for her cousin Cora who is chairing a charity luncheon with an explosive speaker. Poor Ellison is stunned when another dead body shows up during the event. Spousal abuse was not a topic publicly acknowledged in 1974 and this plays a key role in the motive for the killings.

I received this book for free from Netgalley and Henery Press in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Watching the Detectives by Julie Mulhern is the fifth book featuring Ellison Russell. Ellison continues to find herself wrapped up in murder when she discovers the body of decorator Khaki White. Complicating things is the fact that she discovers the body in her study…earning her a place on the suspects’ list.

Ellison is such a fun cozy character. I love the setting of the story. Ms. Mulhern really transports the reader to the 1970s. That is an era that is before my time, and I absolutely love being able to see it through these mysteries. One of my favorite things is that the author manages to present several viable suspects and weaves a mystery that keeps the reader guessing until the end. This is a fun series and one that I hope doesn’t end any time soon. I have enjoyed a couple of earlier books, but still have some to catch up on. If you love fun cozies with a touch of humor, you owe it to yourself to check out the Country Club Murders series. You’ll quickly be swept up in a mystery that is by turns suspenseful and humorous. This series is the perfect balance of humor and mystery. Be sure to add this series to your to-be-read list.

"She finds Mrs. White in the study killed with a revolver. Things go from bad to worse when she finds Mr. White in the dining room killed with a candlestick."
How could I resist a come on like that?!
And the story lives up to it.
Quirky and fun with a good mystery.

Ellison Russell lives in a wealthy Kansas City suburb with her daughter Grace. She's been widowed for six months, and has decided to turn her late husband's office into a study, so is looking for a decorator. At the request of her attorney Hunter Tafft she's allowing his ex-wife Khaki White to offer a bid, even though she knows she won't hire her. After all, she is dating Hunter, and feels it would be awkward to have his ex- (remarried) wife in her home. When Khaki shows up, she begins making asides regarding Hunter that put Ellison on edge. So when Ellison receives a telephone call from her housekeeper Aggie, it's a welcome respite.

It turns out Aggie's car Bess has finally died, and she needs Ellison to pick her up. Ellison leaves Khaki to measure the room and tells her she'll be back shortly, and to just lock up behind her when she leaves. That should be the end of her seeing Khaki...but instead it's just the end of Khaki. When Ellison and Aggie return home, she finds her front door ajar, and Khaki in the study, shot between the eyes. In shock, she calls Detective Anarchy Jones for help.

When Anarchy arrives, it's with his new partner Detective Peters, and he thinks everyone - including Ellison - is a suspect. She has no idea who killed Khaki but she knows it wasn't herself or Hunter, (even if her neighbor did see a white Mercedes like Hunter's in her driveway). As it is, she and Grace need to evacuate their home while the police check the crime scene, and if this isn't bad enough, her mother Frances - who is having a disaster in her own home - has volunteered Ellison's home as a replacement for a benefactors' party - in two days' time.

With her hands full of disasters and trying to keep everything together, she allows her mother her way and it appears the party is going just fine. If things were bad before, they're about to get worse. Ellison, making her way around her home greeting her guests, notices the lights are off in the dining room and turns them on only to see another dead body - this time it's Khaki's husband, and someone has done him in with one of her grandmother's candelabra.

But as she's caught up in two murders, you'd think it would be enough, but that's not all. She has friends who are hiding secrets, and not little ones, either. Secrets that could not only get them killed, but Ellison as well...

Julie Mulhern has done it again and given us a captivating mystery to sink our teeth into and happily devour. Her characters are so full of life, so animated, that we are drawn to them instantly. Even those we would rather not spend any time with, such as Frances (don't judge - Ellison doesn't want to spend time with her, either) have distinct and vibrant personalities.

We are transported back in time to the 1970s - Bell bottom pants, colorful (very) clothing, no cell phones or Internet, and ex-baseball player Joe DiMaggio was hawking Mr. Coffee on televisions all across America. It is a world Ms. Mulhern feels comfortable in, and by extension, makes us comfortable in it, too.

What she has given us is a mystery not only with two murders; there is also something darker going on, and we find ourselves involved in situations that have no easy exit; mistakes that are made that can change the life of anyone forever. When Ellison starts questioning her friends - those that used Khaki as a decorator - she becomes embroiled in a type of conspiracy, and one that has roots closer to her own home than she could ever have imagined.

With her life in such turmoil, she makes another decision that could change her life, and time will tell whether it was the right decision or not. I have to wonder if it was based on being new, different, a rebellion of sorts; watching how differences collide will be interesting, to say the least.

When the ending comes, and we find out the murderer, it comes as a surprise - not the reasons why, but who the killer turned out to be. It's a twisted sort of person who can justify things in their own mind that aren't justifiable at all. Watching the Detectives was thoroughly entertaining, delightful to the extreme, and alternately funny and piquant; and even sometimes a little sorrowful. Highly recommended, and I eagerly await the next in the series.

Watching the Detectives (The Country Club Murders #5)
by Julie Mulhern (Goodreads Author)
Paperback, 234 pages
Published May 23rd 2017 by Henery Press

Goodreads synopsis:
Ellison Russell wanted a decorator, not a corpse. Too bad she finds Mrs. White in the study killed with a revolver. Things go from bad to worse when she finds Mr. White in the dining room killed with a candlestick. With so many bodies, is it any wonder Detective Anarchy Jones’ new partner considers Ellison a suspect?

With the country club gossips talking a mile a minute, an unexpected cocktail party, a visit from Aunt Sis, and a romantic decision, Ellison hardly has time to think about murder. Unfortunately, the killer has plenty of time to think about her.

***

4 stars

I have already read all the previous books in this series. And let me tell you, it was a marathon read from book one to book five. I LOVE THIS SERIES! I just can’t get enough of it. When you are reading this you have to remember it is set in the 1970’s during the time of pant suits, cat suits and exclusive country clubs. Ellison Russell is really ahead of her time. But I am not sure I would put up with as much BS as she does. But I just have to consider the times and move forward.

This is another wonderful installment of the Country Club Murders series. And I have to tell you that it didn’t hurt my feelings one iota that Ellison kicked the silver-haired lawyer to the curb. His appearances were sparse in this book and I was happy to have him stay away for awhile.

I liked how the author brought out how even the Richey Riches of the world are unhappy and treat their significant others horribly. Money really can’t buy happiness.

I honestly don’t know how Ellison puts up with her mother. She is such a control freak and a drama queen. Ellison is a great roll model for standing up for yourself… even to your mother. Her mother repeatedly tells her too stop finding dead bodies. (Like that is something she can actually do.) But it seems when anyone else comes across one the ignore it, run away or think they will be accused of killing the person so they don’t report it. The community should be thanking Ellison for making the cop’s jobs easier.

I love how Anarchy misses an important sporting event to come to Ellison’s rescue. I am definitely Team Anarchy!

If you love all those cop shows from the 70’s or anything that is mystery related. You will love this. Check it out.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank Net Galley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Mulhern delivers another solid winner in her Country Club Murders series. Well written with developed characters, the story is straightfoward, allowing the reader to just sit back, relax, and enjoy. Also, this book enables new readers to the series to pick up the story easily - though readers will certainly be intrigued enough to want to get the earlier books. High marks for this. The time period of the seventies is a great feature. I can see this series as a hit TV show.

Ellison hopes she is finished finding dead body, but once again, she returns to her home to find a body. It is Khaki, the designer she is interviewing to redecorate the study. As much as she is encouraged to avoid investigating my "her detective" Anarchy Jones, she dives right in asking questions of her country club set. What she discovers are deep secrets in the families of "the best" people and finds her life in jeopardy.

This author transports the reader to place of likable, funny, sometimes intense characters with a dash of adult romance. .Ellison's 'don't embarrass the family' leads to some interesting scenes

Ellison has barely had time to recover from the horrifying clown events of the last book, when the decorator she hires to finally redo her late husband's study is killed right in her own home. You can pretty much feel and hear her mother's sigh of disgust when that news spreads. I chuckled out loud at the references to the game Clue, the decorator being the unfortunate Mrs. White. The country club set has all used Mrs. White, and that's how Ellison manages to eventually tie things together, with husbands and wives both releasing bits of information. There's a bit more serious side the story involving domestic violence and in keeping with the Seventies theme, Mulhern really illustrates how hidden a lot of that activity was, particularly among women of that social stature. As usual, the bits of repartee between Detective Anarchy Jones and Ellison are some of the best parts of the story and I hope we don't have to wait long for another one of these smart mysteries.

The Country Club Murders are set in Kansas City in the early 1970’s and feature Ellison Russell, an artist whose cheating husband is murdered in the first book. And murder definitely does not fit into the country club life, a fact that Ellison’s mother is sure to point out to her whenever she happens to find a body. Somehow Ellison must juggle her family obligations, her art career, being a newly widowed single mother to her teenage daughter and solve the murders that keep coming her way.

Fortunately Ellison can depend on lawyer Hunter Taft and Detective Anarchy Jones. Ellison’s mother has already decided Hunter will make an excellent second husband while Anarchy on the other hand, would be completely unsuitable in any sort of relationship. Still, there’s something about him…

In Watching the Detectives Ellison agrees to let Hunter’s ex-wife do a proposal on re-decorating her late husband’s study. Called away for a short time, Ellison comes home to find the decorator dead in the study.

The wonderful thing about the Country Club Murders is that they combine a challenging mystery with complex characters and relationships. The mystery engages your brain while the characters pull at your heartstrings. There’s humor and suspense and drama and mystery all packed into each volume of this series. This is absolutely one of my favorite current mystery series and Watching the Detectives is a worthy addition.

I love fun, quirky cozy mysteries and Mulhern has become one of my favorites in this genre. Fun, fast paced, and always fresh.

Ellison Russell is a widowed mother of a teenage daughter during the 70's. During this time there were some taboo topics that never came up in conversations and Spousal Abuse is one of them. This book handles the subject wonderfully. Khaki White is a decorator hired by Ellison to redo her husband's office and also a supporter for a women's shelter along with her husband. Khaki is killed along with her husband because of their support. I loved this book and highly recommend it along with the series.

Julie Mulhern has written a wonderful series set in the 70's and amazing with her details pertaining to this era.

I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review

Ellison continues to have mother and man problems, and now there's a second detective, a Columbo type, who has partnered up with Anarchy. She has no intent of hiring Khaki to redo the study where her husband was killed, but she's a friend of Hunter's so... and then Khaki's dead and somehow her best friend Jinx - or her husband Preston - may be involved.

Mulhern manages to not only capture the apparently idyllic perspective of the country club set, but also a bit of politics and women's lib amidst two murders, and lots of questions about Khaki's business practices. The story is well-paced and the characters keep it moving. Mother-daughter relationships with Ellison in both roles and decisions on whether she's ready for romance or not add a little humor to the mix.

This is the fifth in the Country Club Murders Humorous Mystery series, but can easily be read as a stand alone. The series is enjoyable though, so the best plan is to start at the beginning with THE DEEP END. If you've already read the others, you won't be disappointed.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.