With that first line and what came next I knew I was going to enjoy this cozy and I did! It was a lot of fun.

Phee isn't a cop but she does work for the Mankato Police Department as an accountant. Her mother seems to think that means she can solve a case. Her mom calls her frantic about how four members of her book club have died after reading or while in the middle of reading it. She just knows the book is cursed and needs Phee to come out and figure out what is happening.

Phee's police friend Nate thinks that there must be something going on and talks her into going a checking things out. He figures that if she can figure out all their accounting and papers that surely she could do a bit of sleuthing. So Phee goes and she does notice that there are some strange things going on. Though a couple of the deaths might have been just accidents the other ones it seemed could have had a little help and then there is the near death of another one. At times she wants to give up as she doesn't think she is getting anywhere but she keeps going as her mom won't let her give up.
Nate also helps her by having someone he knows look into the book and giving her some advice.

I love how she tried to do a Miss Marple or Poirot type finally and how it didn't go as planned and it's pretty funny. If you love cozies you really need to try this one.

I really liked Phee, she doesn't pretend to know what she is doing while trying to sleuth and a lot of the times she just accidentally comes by the information or finds something. She really thought she was never going to figure it and I wasn't even sure what exactly happened and had to just read to find out so it was a fun mystery. Phee's mom cracks me up and some of the other secondary characters were fun too.

I can't wait to try the next one and see what kind of trouble Phee gets into.

This book was a real piece of entertainment. Phee is a an employee of a police department, accounts receivable, in a cold weather state. Forty, long time divorcee, mother of one who is on her on, Phee enjoys her job and life. Then there's her senior mother who lives in a retirement village in Arizona, which is how the mystery begins. Frequent calls from her mother regarding the questionable demise of several of her book club members, prompts Phee to visit her mother and put her non existent sleuthing skills to work. What ensues is an absolutely hilarious cozy mystery. Looking forward to the next installment in this new series. Thanks NetGalley and publisher for an advanced copy. It's a winner.

I really enjoyed this who done it. It was well written and kept my attention until the end. I didn't guess the end at all. Phee works in a police department, not as a detective but as an accountant. When her mother urgently calls her to come visit because she is convinced someone is killing members of her book club, Phee is hesitant. While she thinks her mother is a little crazy, she eventually relents. What she finds when she lands is indeed a mystery.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Book one in the new Sophie Kimball Mystery series. We get to meet Sophie, called Phee, who works in accounts payable at her local police precinct. She is a divorced mother of a grown child that lives in Minnesota while her mother lives in Arizona. Mom calls to tell her that her most recent book club book comes with a curse that has her club members dropping like flies (though they are all elderly making the deaths not a total surprise). Mom convinces Phee to fly out to investigate though she readily tells her that investigation is not part of her skill set. The resulting attempts are quite comical though she does mostly solve the case (there are still a few surprises now matter how diligently she tries). The characters are all interesting (the dog may be my favorite) and I just loved the area that contains them all. The writing is smooth and the mystery follows a logical time line without seeming boring or bogged down. A touch of comical relief ties it all together with a surprise twist at the very end. I really enjoyed reading this mystery cozy so it gets 4/5 stars. My only regret is that I now have to wait months for the second book to come out.....

An entertaining trip from Minnesota to Arizona. Amusing details about the heat and senior citizens of Sun City West. Humorous start to a new series. I look forward to reading the next one. Clever curse coincidences and book club antics.

You definitely get a feel for life in a retirement community from reading Booked 4 Murder. I haven't been over on that side of the valley for a while, so it's good to know that you still have to watch out for golf carts. There's a lot to like about this debut mystery even though it has one or two small things I'd rather do without. I've obviously been spoiled by my own family's behavior because pushy, interfering, "colorful" mothers like Harriet Plunkett drive me nuts. Harriet also makes a big production of her rescue dog she's named Streetman, but I found Streetman to be very much underutilized throughout the book-- other than showing that Harriet cares more about the dog's needs than she does her own daughter's. Ah well. If nothing else, I have a greater appreciation for my own mother!

But as I said, there's a lot to like. Phee may not have many police/investigative smarts, but she does have a friend in the Mankato PD whom she can call for advice. And she does need advice. The writing team of J.C. Eaton has created a mystery with many layers, and I had fun watching Phee piece all her clues together. I have to admit that I found the reason for the whole "cursed book" scenario rather disappointing-- probably because it's easy to see it actually happening. Read it for yourself and see if you agree. Phee's mother may have worked my last nerve, but I still found Booked 4 Murder to be a very enjoyable read.

This is a delightful new addition to the cozy mystery world. I loved this book and finished it in one sitting ! I could not put it down, It is written by a husband and wife team who are very clever and have a pleasing writing style that is perfect for their new series.
Sophie has a quiet life as a account clerk for a police department and is busy being a single Mom . Her quirky Mother convinces her to come visit her in Arizona to help solve a mystery with her book club. The fun ensues with a fun well crafted mystery, witty dialogue and fun characters. I love the relationship between Sophie and her Mother which adds a lot of humor to the story. The description of the heat in Arizona are hilarious as is our protagonist. The sleuth is very well done with added twists and turns that kept this avid mystery reader guessing until the end . A successful cozy debut ! I look forward to the next in series. I received a ARC which did not influence my review. I highly recommend Booked 4 Murder.

From the beginning, this book held so much promise as a fun mystery with a grown daughter, Phee, who is drawn into investigating the curse on her feisty mom’s book club. If you are like me and you enjoy cozy mysteries with a story about book lovers, I hope this one catches your eye because it is definitely worth reading!


Throughout the book, Phhee’s mom, Harriet, keeps pushing Phee into doing all the dirty work: rummaging in a dumpster, spying on people—that kind of thing. Harriet takes the easier, “gossiping for answers” route. In spite of that, you can tell that the two have a caring relationship and get along well. The book is at times very funny. While there really aren’t any extremely suspenseful scenes that would have had my heart racing, I enjoyed the story, and I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

An interesting story that featured a set of hipsters at their young age of eighty plus, the characters of this book were a unique and interesting bunch. Harriet Plunkett continuously nagged her daughter Sophia to leave her accounting job at the police station for a while, to come and investigate the curse that was on a book her book club was discussing, which as she puts, it killed three of their members in one month, she didn’t want to be the next on the list to die. To appease her mom Phee took time off to make sure she and her club members were okay, but I tell you these ladies are a busy lot, and sometimes hard to keep up with but determination led the way for Phee. The storyline was good with a few comical episodes, a very interesting and entertaining read.

Booked 4 Murder is the first book in the A Sophie Kimball Mystery series.

Booked 4 Murder is a very enjoyable beginning to, what I think, will be an entertaining series. If you like a good helping of humor with your mysteries, this is definitely a book that should go to the top of your to-read list. A fast paced book with a wonderful cast of characters. The book is set in Sun City, AZ, a retirement community with a group of retired seniors, who are set in their ways but still are alert enough to watch out for their friends. The story, along with the characters, makes me want to call this a combination of Columbo and the Keystone Cops.

Sophie finally gives in to her mother’s request, putting it mildly, to come to Sun City to investigate the deaths of three members of her mom’s book club. He mom is sure that deaths are the result them reading a “cursed” book. As Sophie arrives at her mother’s there is a police presence across the street. It is soon learned that there was carbon monoxide poisoning, but it was found early enough that the homeowner survived.

Sophie works in the accounting department of the Mankato Police Department, so she has no real investigative skills, but she does have common sense which she uses to look into te suspicious deaths. She feels that at least two of the deaths are simply accidents, But the death of one the members from a bee sting and the attempted death by carbon monoxide poisoning have her stymied. In addition, Sophie is also perplexed that she can find anything about the book or it’s author. Sophie contacts Nate Williams, a detective with the Mankato PD to asks procedure questions and whatever information he might be able to get to help find the killer.

I will be anxiously waiting for November 28, 2017, when the second book, Ditched 4 Murder comes out, to see what further adventures Sophie Kimball has.

The first installment in this new cozy mystery series kept me entertained and laughing at all the crazy and zany antics. At times, it was a bit over the top in the silliness factor but I would recommend it to those who don’t take things too seriously. It was hoot and I will be checking out the next installment.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cosy mysteries rock! Booked 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton was a fun read. The storyline was interesting and creative. I liked how the pieces fit together with all the twists and turns. The characters were fun. I loved Phee as an investigator and her mother was the archetypical portrayal of the pushy mother, nagging about this and that.

Phee works for a police department as a accounts person up in Minnesota. However, when her mother calls about the number of people who are dying over this month’s reading book and then starts with crazy conspiracy theories, Phee feels obligated to Arizona to help her mom. Her mom’s book club is called Booked 4 Murder and four of the member of the club died this month. Phee’s retired mother, Harriet Plunkett is positive the book is cursed and only her daughter can save the club from certain death over their monthly book.

Booked 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton is a fun read. It seems that this book might be the first of a series and I will want to read the next one’s in line! The humor and the pace of the book kept me reading until late into the night.

Nice start to a new cozy series! I especially appreciated that Sophie, while not a law enforcement officer herself, works with and is respectful of them. I also liked that this is about mature women- Sophie, her mom, and members of the book club! There are some twists but this isn't too complicated. I expect there will be more character development as the series goes along. Eaton has made good use of her setting. Thanks to net galley for the ARC.

Well written book with a great plot and characters that I fell in love with.

I thought this cozy mystery was ok, a bit uneven. It makes use of two locations, but really we only see a glimpse of where the main character lives, which seems a waste to me. Almost all of the time we are in Sun City West, Arizona where our amateur sleuth' smother wants some answers as to why members of her book club are dying- could it be a cursed book?
The plot has many twists and red herrings to keep you guessing, but honestly I wasn't connecting too well with the characters. For a book with a dog on the cover, animals aren't much loved by the main character, and sometimes her actions make no sense- she goes to a dog park multiple times without a dog despite her mother having one. Want to look out of place at a dog park? Don't bring a dog! Irs so obvious you are up to something.
I think the series has potential but has to work on some flaws.

Sophie “Phee” Kimball works in the accounting department of the Mankato, Minnesota Police Department. Phee’s mom Harriet Plunkett is a member of a book club in Arizona and is convinced the book they’re reading is cursed. Three members of the book club died within days of each other while reading the book. Even though Phee isn’t a detective, since she works for the police department, Harriet wants her daughter to come to Sun City West and investigate the curse. After a fourth book club member dies, Phee gives in and agrees to travel to the Phoenix suburb to investigate.

Booked 4 Murder is the first book in a new series and I am impressed. This isn’t the first series that features a mystery book club, but it is one of the most fun. Phee is advised by a seasoned detective back in Mankato as she investigates the strange events going on in Sun City West, so there are some elements of a police procedural in the book. She ignores the “curse” aspect of the recent deaths, and sets out to logically and methodically investigate, as she would if she were auditing expenses in her job as an accountant. However, there are many lighthearted moments as Phee deals with her opinionated, but loving, mom and other residents in Harriet’s retirement community. Phee is more grounded than her feisty mom, but doesn’t take herself too seriously as she wonders if she really has what it takes to be an amateur sleuth.

I enjoyed the characters and the situation in this well-written and entertaining book. I found the Sun City West setting to be a good one with a variety of interesting senior citizens as witnesses and potential suspects. Part of the solution was a bit of a let-down, but the author does keep the reader guessing as to the motive and the explanation behind all of the mysteries deaths among the book club members. I think the series kicks off splendidly and would definitely be interested to read more about Phee, especially given some events that occur at the end of the story that perfectly set up Phee’s next adventure.

~ Christine

Booked 4 Murder is the first book in a new cozy mystery series!

Sophie Kimball, at almost 45, is enjoying her life. She works for the Mankato, MN Police Department in accounts receivable. Her daughter is in college and her mother has moved to Arizona. Her life is pretty well set. Peaceful. Until......members of her mother's book club start dropping dead after reading their book selection for the month, a little known self-published tragic romance, The Twelfth Arrondissement. Sophie's mother, Harriet, immediately calls her daughter, demanding she come to Sun City West to investigate. The book must be cursed! Can Sophie discover what happened the four book club members who died? Is the book really cursed? Or were they victims of foul play?

I love this book! The relationship between Sophie and her mother is a hoot! Sophie keeps saying she isn't a detective that she handles accounts receivable not investigations, but her mother keeps demanding that if she can hunt down receipts that she can solve the mystery of the cursed book. Both women are intelligent,independent and stubborn! And they love each other, despite a bit of grousing. The side characters in this story are quirky and charming. I love the retirement village setting where residents fight over bingo, wreck golf carts and vie for the best sun chairs at the pool. I had to look up the definition of arrondissement...but I didn't feel bad because characters in the story admitted they didn't know what it means either.

The mystery portion of the plot is interesting and different. There are several suspects and scenarios that keep the reader wondering, and plenty of action to keep the suspense going. I enjoyed reading about a middle-age sleuth....no romance with a local cop or other overdone tropes. This story was new, refreshing and different. Plenty of humor. Great side characters. All in all, a fun read and a great start to a new series!

J.C. Eaton is the pen-name for this collaborative effort between writers Ann I. Goldfarb and James E. Clapp.

I will definitely be reading more of this new series! Luckily, the second book in the Sophie Kimball Mysteries series, Ditched 4 Murder, will be available in December 2017! Not long to wait!!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Kensington Via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. **

Booked 4 Murder is the first book of a new cozy mystery series by J.C. Eaton. It follows Sophie Kimball as she travels from Missouri to Arizona to help out the world's most annoying mother. Sophie, or Phee as everyone calls her, works for the police department, but in accounting. Her mother calls her and demands she come to her home to investigate a series of deaths. When Phee's mother tells her in the first few pages: “I’m telling you, Phee, they were all murdered. Murdered by reading that book.” I knew we were in for something fun. And when her mother tells her they got emails saying: "Death lurks between the lines,” I was ready to go along for the ride.

The allegedly cursed book, a self-published tome entitled The Twelfth Arrondissement. was chosen at random from suggestions of the group to be the book club reading for the month. Four people died, and another had an attempt on her life while reading it. Of course, when you consider that the people in the book club all live in a retirement community, the death rate seems a little less alarming. But not to Phee's mother, Harriet. And so Phee finds herself in Arizona in the summer running around a retirement community.

Phee is a great character. She manages to put the book curse rumors to rest with no real detective training, relying only on the help of a friend from her home department and his tech buddy. Well, and her mother's insistent directions. And speaking of her mother, dear god, could she be more obnoxious? If that's what the authors were aiming for, they nailed it! And then what happens at the end, well, perhaps Phee is a little more imbalanced than I thought for even considering such a change! (Sorry for the vagueness, don't want to spoil!)

All in all, it was still quite good even with the obnoxious mother. I will definitely look for the second in the series!

Phee, an account clerk for a Minnesota police department, gets a panicked call from her mother, Harriet, who now lives in West Sun City, Arizona. It seems that the members of Harriet's book club are succumbing to their latest book selection's "book curse." Harriet insists that Phee is the only one who can solve the mystery of the curse, and who can argue with a mother as persuasive as Harriet?

This was an interesting first-in-a-series book, but it took a lot longer to get into the story than I'd anticipated. The setting, a retirement community in Arizona, seems almost perfectly described, from the neighborhoods to the residents to the habits of those residents. The characters jumped to too many conclusions to keep track of, and I jumped to a few of my own. I was certain I had not only the identity of the culprit and the motive figured out about halfway through the book, but I could not have been more wrong! I rarely give up on a series after just one book, but I haven't yet decided whether to continue this series or not.

Sophie Phee Kimball works in accounting at the police department so of course her retired mother thinks that should make her perfect to investigate a series of deaths in her retirement community. Sophie’s mother is sure that her book club has been reading a cursed book when several of the club’s members suddenly die. Sophie does her best to explain to her mother there is no such thing as curses but her mother won’t let the matter go.

After speaking with a detective friend at work Sophie decides the best thing to do is take some time off and go visit her mother, asking a few questions here and there wouldn’t hurt, would it? After arriving Sophie begins to look into the deaths of the book club members and finds herself getting deeper and deeper into a plot that she never expected and trying to prove that there is no book curse.

Booked 4 Murder is the first book in the new Sophie Kimball Mystery series by J.C. Eaton. This first edition to the series had all the great ingredients to a cozy mystery that I enjoy, a down to earth main character that follows the clues and questions those involved but with some connection to law enforcement to help with the harder aspects, likable characters and a fun environment for the story to take place.

I thought Sophie and her mother had a great relationship and often found myself chuckling at their interactions. The retirement community in Sun City West, Arizona is exactly how I’d imagine it to actually be, the residents having their own way of doing things and quite set in their ways while keeping track of everyone else. Just a fun read with fun characters and would look forward to seeing what the author has in store in the future for Sophie and friends.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.