A nice humourous murder mystery. A little bit too predictable and cliched for my liking but I can see that others will love it. Very well written

Ryli Sinclair had no clue that her job as a forensic photographer would get her wound up in a killer's eyeline!

When she decides to investigate the case before a second victim is claimed, Ryli unwittingly ends up with the target on her own back. However, with great aunt Shirley and best friend Paige in tow, the team set off to sniff out clues to piece together the puzzle.

Ryli has inevitable chemistry with the chief of police, but for me there were a few parts of the book that were lacklustre and didn't really make much sense. It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

Awesome! I can never get into cozy mysteries other than the Stephanie Plumb series. I SO got into this one. It was fun, the crimes were interesting and the book flowed so well. I look forward to reading others by this author.

So far this has been my month for clueless heroines with lots of pluck and gumption who keep finding themselves in deep doo--, um, trouble as they flout not just their intrepid professional law enforcement friends and boyfriends but also common sense as the wade blithely and blindly into situations for which they are ill trained and not particularly suited. In Ryli's case, for a photographer she's not necessarily even that routinely observant (although she does have her moments). But she WANTS to be and she TRIES to be as she stumbles from one "situation" to another. I felt a bit as if I were reading a sequel as references to earlier incidents kept popping up but, no, this is the first of this series. And the Fannie Flagg-esque cast could quite likely combine forces to become as good as they think they are in future episodes. There is a lot of basic talent among the crew of amateur sleuths. Overall, an enjoyable meander through several fairly gruesome murders! And, yes, I figured out "whodunnit" before Ryli or her boyfriend did. The clues were there . . .

A great cozy debut series. Picture Perfect Murder by Jenna St. James is a cozy mystery series about a protagonist Ryli who is a reporter for her home town paper and moonlights as a forensic photographer for the Granville police department. She's smart, funny and loves her family . Her Aunt Shirley is probably the funniest character that I have read in a cozy series.. I love the humor the author writes with and how fast paced the mystery was. The twist and turns of the sleuth were very well crafted. The characters all add to the story . This is hit debut and I look forwad to the next in series.

Written by Jenna St. James, this novel follows Ryli, a local journalist and photographer, and she tries to solve a murder that she is called in to photograph. And dates the Chief of Police. And hangs out with her friend and crazy Aunt. Oh, and she has a cat.

That description is a good way to describe how this book went. I wanted to like it, but there were so many random things thrown in, the story was inconstant, and the characters weren’t believable. Okay, some of the side characters were. But not the main.

There were so many unexplored threads, and the pacing made no sense, neither did the characters reactions. At first I thought that the Chief and Ryli, a.k.a. Sin by him, weren’t dating. Didn’t figure out that they were together. But, then they are together, have been for a while, and everyone is waiting for them to sleep together but they never do but everyone insinuates that they are…

This just wasn’t a good book. Wanting to like it doesn’t make it good.

It is a cozy mystery, all right, with terribly unbelievable characters. Or, at least, characters that don’t make sense. If you are absolutely looking for something to read, I guess you can give this a try. I don’t recommend.

Do you know the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”?, unless you live under a rock, I am sure you have. This is a perfect example, the cover for this cosy mystery could be better, but as is with many cosy mysteries, it has a cheesy cover.

After my most recent cosy mystery read, I will honestly say I was apprehensive going in to this book. To my pleasant surprise, there was no need to be. From chapter one, St. James had me in her hooks and I and thankful for it! This my dear readers, is an enjoyable cosy mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat, laughing out loud (literally), and not wanting to put it down even though my eyes were protesting. Some hours later (I have kids to tend too, so as much as I would have loved to binge uninterrupted, I did not have 4 hours of “free time”). With that said, I am so happy with this book and I give it a solid 4 book stack rating.

Now onto the book! Right away we meet Ryli Sinclair, small town (isn’t it funny how so many cosy mysteries take place in a small town?) journalist and part-time forensic photographer for the local police department, and police Chief Garrett Kimble. Now, you don’t have to be a genius to see the foreshadowing of a possible romance between the two. We also meet Paige, Ryli’s best friend, Matt (the brother), Aunt Shirley (bad ass great-aunt who I love so much because she is freaking hilarious and I wish to be like her in my old age. YES), and a few other folks.

I really don’t want to spoil anything (I hate spoilers), so I will thread lightly. There is not just one murder to solve and the suspect list is constantly changing. I will admit that I had my suspicions throughout the book of different characters, but at the end, I did not KNOW who the killer was, until that chapter (I did suspect them for a quick second during the book but I let it go).

Ryli is not a detective, far from it, she is just curious and loves to try to figure things out. Chief Kimble is not a fan of nosey civilians who have to business getting involved where they shouldn’t. Aunt Shirley could care less because she is badass ex-private investigator and does what she wants. Paige is not an investigator but she goes along for the ride with her best friend. These three ladies make this book so enjoyable with their different personalities.

I really and truly recommend to cosy mystery fans. If you don’t want to take my word for it, check out all of the rave reviews on Goodreads! OH, and with that said, THERE ARE 3 MORE BOOKS IN THE RYLI SINCLAIR MYSTERIES! I see a binge happening in my immediate future and I am not complaining!

I am so so happy that I read this book and look forward to reading the others!!

Thank you Netgalley, Summer Prescott Books, and Jenna St. James for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Humorous cozy mystery with a touch of romance.

Ryli Jo Sinclair is a reporter for her small hometown newspaper and moonlights as the town's forensic photographer. Ryli is intrigued by the new police chief, Garrett Kimble, who appears not to reciprocate her attention. She is called in to photograph the corpse of Dr. Vera Garver, whose heart and fingertips have been removed. She decides to investigate the crime herself with the help of her best friend Paige and her Aunt Shirley, a former private investigator who now lives in a nursing home. Aunt Shirley is hilarious and provides welcome comic relief. Since Dr. Garver is hated by almost everyone in town, there is no shortage of suspects to investigate.

The mystery in Picture Perfect Murder is well plotted and the characters are inviting. While I eventually guessed the murderer, it was only after Ryli and her team had eliminated almost everyone else.

If you like humorous cozy mysteries, you can't go wrong in picking up Picture Perfect Murder. It is also currently available in Kindle Unlimited along with the second and third volume in the series. 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher, Summer Prescott Books, and netgalley for a free review copy.

This was a cute cozy mystery with funny, snarky bits - think Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books. Actually, it felt rather *a lot* like the Stephanie Plum books. Complete with the cute but utterly personal-safety-disregarding protagonist, crazy old relative (here a great aunt, there a grandmother), sexy cop love interest, zany hijinks and wacky small town residents full of quirks and foibles... The story was fun and easy to read. I saw the whodunit from a mile away, but the book was still enjoyable and a nice distraction from the two rather heavy non-fiction books I'm currently reviewing. St. James has written a pleasant (even when disturbing) murder mystery with giddy, almost-over-the-top-but-still-fun characters that is a nice, light, quick read.

3 1\2 stars out of 5
This is your typical cozy mystery with lots of goofy humor, lots of talk of clothing, shoes and the female characters get in over their heads many times. I was hoping for something a little different but honestly it is like all the others easy fast fun quirky read that will leave readers with a smile on their face.

over the stop eccentric aunt Shirley, awesome best friend Paige the hunky Garrett and a murder who wants her out of the picture. Add in a dog, lots of goofy things that make everyone lovable and you have a cozy mystery that doesn't set its self apart.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for my honest opinion.

Picture Perfect Murder's main character is a woman who is not only a reporter, but also a crime photographer to ensure she can make her brother's mortgage as he bought a second house and was nice enough to let us stay in his old one as long as she paid what he owed every month.

The first case of the book is a woman whose heart was removed and instead of her taking the pictures and moving on like a good crime reporter and photographer, she starts to get a little involved. A little more involved than her employer, and crush the police Chief, who is also a good friend of her brothers.

I liked this story for the most part, however about 50% of the way through it got a little slow, as in the tempo slows down and it becomes almost skimmable in the sense that if you skimmed, you wouldn't miss anything other than some witty remarks by her Aunt, some non-sexy times with the Police Chief, and some running around in the Falcon.

The main baddy is not overly apparent, but a couple of times there were times that a small inkling in my brain was like Ah-ha that is going to be the bad guy. That inkling usually leads to nothing, but it is there.

Not a picture perfect book...

This should have been labelled as 'christian' and not as 'cozy mystery'. i couldn't relate to the story or the characters at all. The church was the most imporant place in the story and apparently preachers are not supposed to drink? There was way too much talk about clothes and food and Ryli is not very witty or intelligent.

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

A fun, quirky mystery with humor and great characters and enough twists to keep you reading a long. Will be interesting to see how the series develops.

Ruling, Paige and Aunt Shirley are sure they can solve the murder before the police. Antics along the way will keep you entertained as you wait to see who will solve the case first.
Goodreads

I didn't love this book. First of all, I was confused by all the mentions of military service and PTSD in the beginning of the book when (slight spoiler alert) it never came into play in the rest of the novel. I thought the romance of the book was less-than-steamy and lacked any real interest or controversy. And, finally, I saw the ending coming from a mile a way, and there were no real twists and turns up to that point. But, the book was humorous, well written, and easy to read!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Picture Perfect Murder by Jenna St. James was a great beginning to this series. Ryli is a a reporter for her home town paper and moonlights as a forensic photographer for the Granville police department. She's smart, funny and loves her family and friends. Her Aunt Shirley is probably the quirkest character that I have read in a very long time. The plot is fast paced with plenty of suspects and just a few twists that keep you reading. I did get an idea of who the murderer might be about midway through the book but I was never sure until the reveal. This story is well-written and the characters are likable. It's an enjoyable cozy mystery, and now I'm looking forward to book two!

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Summer Prescott Books via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.

What a hoot! Really liked this book, although it is short, if felt complete. Ryli has a problem where she keeps finding dead bodies with parts missing. The first missing a heart, the second a tongue, etc. Ewwwww. With the help of her friend, the fiance of her brother, and her crazy Aunt Shirley, they set off to solve the mystery. With her growing romance with the sexy Garrett, it just gets better and better. Her cat Miss Molly made me chuckle too. I had a hunch who the killer was about halfway through, since she kept popping up, but it still threw me on how her mind worked. Creepy. Highly recommend this book and author, and look forward to more books about these characters.

Another winner for Jenna St. James. This book was a fast, fun read that had a twist of mystery in it. I thought that Garrett and Ryli were fun and you could feel their attraction sizzling on every page. I cannot wait to read another book by Jenna and I can bet it will be as good as this one of not better. Thank you NetGalley and Jenna St. James for allowing me to read and give an honest review of this book.