A great book by a fantastic author. The writing is excellent and the mystery keeps you turning the pages. Characters are well developed. Highly recommend.

I absolutely love discovering a first in a new series book. A Grave Issue truly did deliver! The author did an excellent job with developing the characters and the plotline. I look forward to the further development of both and reading the next in the series.

What an interesting and unusual mystery, great start to a series. Loved the fact that there was a diverse group of characters and the plot kept me guessing as to whodunnit.

I am always a little tentative when it comes to the first book in a new series. A Grave Issue truly did deliver. It has good bones and I feel that the next one will be great. I felt like the characters could use a bit more development but overall the book was interesting .

Desiree Turner, Deathray, to her friends returns home to Verbena, California and to her family business. They own a funeral parlor. Her good friend Lola's husband, Kyle, is arrested for the murder of his neighbor, Alan. Alan and his wife Rosemarie have not gotten along in recent time so Kyle is a natural suspect. Especially after the most recent argument where Rosemarie has accused Kyle and Lola's dog of murdering Vincent, their pet Emu. Desiree, who considers Kyle as a second father, is trying to find out who really killed Alan in order to save Kyle from going to jail. It seems Alan was not as well liked as many thought he was, so Kyle is not the only one who has a motive. This was a fun cozy mystery and it was great getting in on the storyline at the beginning. Looking forward to more from the Funeral Parlor Mystery series!

I really enjoyed this book - it is a character-driven cozy for sure. At some points it was difficult to keep track of them all [and that really would be my only complaint about the book - there are A LOT of characters and it at times seemed jumbled because of that]. What was nice though was that they all felt like real people; people that you would want to actually know in real life and the town they lived in was also lovely. California is a great state to have a cozy set in!!

I found the story very engaging and it kept my attention from beginning to end; and I had NO idea who the murdered was and that is always a plus in my opinion!!

Really looking forward to the next one!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

This is a great start to a new series. Desiree Turner, a former journalist, has returned home from Los Angeles with her journalistic tail between her legs after an unfortunate incident with a hot mic and is now the assistant funeral director at her family's funeral home.

Her father has disappeared, presumed dead, and Desiree and her sister Donna have taken over the running of the business, along with their uncle. She has no reason to get involved in the murder of a local bank manager until the man who stepped in to care for her and her sister after her father's death, Kyle, is arrested for the deed. Desiree simply refuses to believe he has anything to do with it - for one thing, blood makes him squeamish!

This book doesn't race along but moves at a steady pace and there are three potential love interests for Desiree, which is unusual and it will be interesting to see how things work out. It could come across as overkill and I sincerely hope a love triangle (square? parallelogram?) will be avoided. Those are tiresome and overused in cosies.

Outside of that, this was a good introduction to the cast of characters, with two mysteries to solve (although one wasn't really all that surprising), and the setting is definitely quirky, so I'm looking forward to seeing where the author takes this series.

A great new entry in the cosy mystery genre.

Desiree Turner has moved home to Verbena, California after her journalism career hits a snag in a big way. There is peace and quiet and work for her at the family funeral home. As she is making herself familiar with the old and new faces in town--along with coming to terms with her old nickname, Death Ray, an old friend's arrest for murder after a dispute leads to her investigating the crime. One thing I really enjoyed is how the snippets from the small town-y newspaper, The Verbena Free Press, helps propel the story along. And only in California would there be neighborly disputes over emus!

“A Grave Issue” earns 5/5 Funeral Bouquets…Delightful Fun!
New series…First book…Yeah! Everyone starts out as a newbie, but I am now a fan of Lillian Bell’s Funeral Parlor Mystery series! She also pens thrillers under the name Eileen Carr, paranormal and chick lit by Eileen Rendahl, and another cozy the Popcorn Shop Mysteries under the name of Kristi Abbott, so it was easy to join in. The first notable and very entertaining extra of “A Grave Issue” is that several chapters begin with a news article from the Verbena Free Press. These articles are a fascinating literary technique to provide background and character connections and to further the storyline. Along with that, we have contemporary issues related to the role the press plays in defining, or exacerbating, community and personal affairs. Cozies often start out with a serious event occurring, sending the lead character back home, and here, Desiree Turner, a former journalist in L.A., returns to her small hometown of Verbena, California after a live television faux pax went viral. Putting journalism aside, she goes to work in her family’s funeral parlor where she grew up, taking charge of funeral preparations. That is a delightful setting with lots of rich characters not relying on stereotypes, but adding some quirkiness for fun. Although dead bodies don't bother Desiree, a murdered body is another topic, and working near her former boyfriend/county medical examiner Nate Johar adds an interesting dynamic. And when motive, opportunity, and means implicates close friend and “he's like a second father” is arrested for murder, her thorn-in-her-side Luke Butler becomes another dynamic worth following…and her journalistic nose comes in handy. But beyond the main mystery, Desiree is dealing with being on the opposite side of journalism, keeping the funeral home going, and the mysterious death of her father. All of this makes for a very entertaining page-turner I highly recommend.

Our heroine, Desiree, returns to her hometown, and her family business (a funeral parlour) after losing her job in the city as a reporter. One of her first funerals to organize is that of the local bank manager, who just so happened to have been murdered -- shot through the head, no less. Desiree doesn’t agree with who the police have tagged as the prime suspect, and she decides to investigate. The hook for this series is that Desiree works in a funeral parlour, a place most of us think of with sadness and grief, but Bell/Desiree turns it around and give us the happy side of the business, with a healthy dose of quirky.

I wasn't completely won over from the beginning. The writing was nothing out of the ordinary, and I didn't find myself loving with any of the characters. I only skimmed through the news stories used to start most of the chapters.

Despite my initial misgivings about the book and the way my fingers twitched over the ‘remove from my device’ button at around the 25% mark, I ended upfinishing this book. It isn’t Christie or Sayers, but it is a bit of harmless escapism.

I got an ARC of this book form netgalley.

Princess Fuzzypants here:
Desiree Turner has returned home to help run the family funeral business after a major gaffe on air ruins her career as a journalist. The disappearance and presumptive death of her father and the at-risk pregnancy of her sister puts even more pressure on her shoulders as she learns the ropes.
Her funeral home turns into a rather lively spot when neighbours clash and then one neighbour is accused of murdering the other. The fact that the murderer is someone close to Desiree makes her even more determined to find the real killer. The victim turns out to have been a rather slimy piece of work and the more Desiree digs the slimier he becomes. Things and people are certainly not what and whom they seem to be on the surface leading to lots of surprises.
It is an entertaining quick read. I give it four purrs and two paws up.

Title: A Grave Issue

Author: Lillian Bell

Series: A Funeral Parlor Mystery Book 1

Pages: 288

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Rating: 3.5 stars

A Grave Issue by Lillian Bell is the first book in the A Funeral Parlor mystery series. Desiree Turner has come home to her hometown and the family business she couldn't wait to get away from years ago. The Turner family funeral parlor. But for now she's home and she's going to make the most of it. But being back home brings all kinds of memories and nicknames she rather forget.

When she finds herself involved in a murder investigation to help clear a family friend because she is convinced that the sheriff wants to take the easy way out. The smart thing would be to look the other way. But Desiree is already to deep in the mystery. She wants to see it through. She'll have to balance helping at the funeral home with working on the mystery. All while trying to keep her out of harm’s way. It's not going to easy.

I enjoyed A Grave Issue but I guess that's because I have a weird sense of humor, and I guess because I have family members who use to own a family funeral parlor as well in a small town. The Small town humor and everyone knowing everyone's business it’s the curse of a small-town. I look forward to the next book in the series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

The first in this series was interesting, surprising, and compelling. I was able to figure out who the murderer was, but only because it was a gut feeling as I was reading along. The characters are well developed and there is a mystery within a mystery surrounding the disappearance of Desiree's father. Pick up this first installment, read, and anticipate book #2.

As a wife of a funeral director, I quickly jumped at the chance to read this debut novel by Lillian Bell. I was not disappointed! This was such a cute story and it was tastefully written. There was an interesting cliffhanger at the end ta boot! Looking forward to the next installment to see how it all plays out.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily reviewed.

Desiree Turner is returning to her small town roots and helping out at the family funeral home. She's hiding from the public after an on-air gaff during her radio show has left her humiliated. When a murder is committed, she grew up liking the main suspect and thinks the police aren't looking at other possible suspects so she decides to investigate. Lots of strange characters in town and the humor is subtle and low key. Lots of possibilities for future stories in the Funeral Parlor series.

A Grave Issue is the first in a new cosy mystery series by Lillian Bell, who also goes by the pen names of Kristi Abbott, Eileen Rendahl and Eileen Carr. (No, I have no idea why she feels the need to go under so many different names either.)

Our heroine, Desiree, returns to her hometown (small California town which I assume is fictional) and her family business (a funeral parlour) after losing her job in the city as a reporter. One of her first funerals to organise is that of the local bank manager, who just so happened to have been murdered -- shot through the head, no less. Obviously, our heroine doesn’t agree with who the police have tagged as the prime suspect (an old family friend) and she decides to investigate.

The hook for this series is that Desiree works in a funeral parlour, a place most of us think of with sadness and grief, but Bell/Desiree turns it around and give us the happy side of the business, with a healthy dose of quirky.

Desiree’s family business does give her ample opportunity to investigate suspicious deaths without people questioning why she is involved with the recently deceased. The three ‘quirky’ women who have their regular seats in the funeral parlour (as their hobby is to attend everyone’s funeral) were rather annoying, however, I will agree an odd place of work is preferable to some other cosy mystery ideas: a psychic BFF or a talking cat, for example.

I admit I was not completely won over from the beginning. The writing was nothing out of the ordinary, and I wasn't falling in love with any of the characters. Although I only skimmed through the news stories used to start most chapters and my eye rolling skills became honed at the fight the widow of the deceased and the wife of the accused get into at a funeral, it was the keeping of ‘quirky’ pets that sent me over the edge.

You see, the pet in question was an emu. Yes, an emu. That bird on the Australian coat of arms. A pet? I can’t even. WHAT!?!!? This isn’t quirky. This is just wrong. Plain wrong on so many levels. It was only what a quick read the book was going to be that I kept reading. (Just as I was listing off the many many Australians who keep emus as pets -- that would be zero, how is this even legal? -- I realised I was already at the 25% mark.) Somewhere around the second quarter of the book, I found that it had started to become more readable.

Desiree actually does do a bit of sleuthing. Unlike some cosy mysteries I’ve read of late where the characters just slide in and accuse everyone until they get it right. I’m not saying she’s in Miss Marple’s league or anything, but at least her former occupation as a journalist gives her some credibility. Although, I must say her conclusions were a little too tidy for any self-respecting mystery book and therefore, incorrect. (Yet nearly every character in the town gives her a pat on the back and says ‘well done’. IDEK...)

There is a tiny bit of romance in the book. The one we were supposed to fall in love with was Nate, the medical examiner. Unfortunately, I didn’t think he was in the book enough for me to become attached to him or to cheer on their romance. I suppose, given his occupation, he will be in the next installment, so we'll have to wait and see. The two other likely candidates for Desiree's attention feature much more prominently: Rafe, the newspaper editor (I liked him) and Luke Butler, the local policeman (who was my favourite of the potential new boyfriends and seemed to have the most chemistry with Desiree, imo). We’ll have to see which suitor becomes Desiree’s endgame man, I guess!

Despite my initial misgivings about the book and the way my fingers twitched over the ‘remove from my device’ button at around the 25% mark, I ended up enjoying this book. It isn’t Christie or Sayers, but it is a bit of harmless escapism.

The ending included a bit of a hint of a new mystery involving Desiree’s supposedly dead father, so will I seek out book two? I might, on one condition -- Bell promises not to include any wild Australian animals kept as pets.

3 out of 5

Lillian Bell's A Grave Issue is the first book in the Funeral Parlor Mystery series. Desiree has returned to the family business after her job as a journalist implodes. Her hopes for peace and quiet are short lived. While overseeing a funeral she ends up in the middle of a fight between two neighbors. When the husband of one is murdered, the husband of the other is arrested. Desiree has to pull herself together for her family and her friends. This book was a strong start to the series. The author did a great job of introducing the characters while still keeping the story line moving. I look forward to reading more from this series.

After a huge mistake in her job as a journalist Desiree Turner finds herself returning home to Verbena, California for some peace and time to reset in the quiet town. Desiree also knows her family needs her help in their business, a funeral home, after her father had disappeared a few years before surfing leaving the family devastated. Desiree’s first attempt at hosting a funeral however doesn’t go well when two of the town’s residents, Rosemarie Brewer and Lola Hansen, end up in a fight.

Shortly after the disastrous funeral Rosemarie’s husband, Alan, is found murdered. The police quickly arrest a suspect in the case, none other than Lola’s husband Kyle. The neighbor’s had been feuding for a while and when Kyle’s gun is found nearby the police believe they have their man behind bars but Desiree is determined that Kyle is innocent. Kyle had been like a second father to Desiree so there is no way she’s going to sit back and let him go to jail for something he didn’t do.

A Grave Issue by Lillian Bell is the first book in the new cozy A Funeral Parlor Mystery series. This first book of the series was a really solid start into what looks to be another great cozy mystery series. We have all the great cozy elements involved in this first book, a strong female lead with a background that would have her used to research and crime, a small town full of unique characters to help the story along and an interesting mystery with plenty of twists and turns.

One thing that I found quite unique to this particular series to make it stand out as it’s own story was the author’s choice to begin chapters with a little news article. This really fit into the book with the main character having a background in journalism and gave it a little unique touch that added a few details into the story going on. In the end I quite enjoyed the story and will look forward to seeing what is in store next for Desiree and her family funeral home.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

A GRAVE ISSUE is the first book in Lillian Bell's new "Funeral Parlor Mystery" series. In it, we meet Desiree Turner, a recently disgraced reporter who returns to her home town, one, to live down her humiliation and two, to help with the family business, a funeral parlor.

There are all the tell tale signs of a cozy mystery series in the making with this book...Desiree is a likeable main character with strong connections to those close to her, including but not limited to the man she believes has been falsely accused of murdering a neighbor over a disagreement involving an emu and a pair of dogs. She happens to have a loyal best friend who still lives in her quirky hometown, who is the town shrink and is in the know of the anger issues of the town. Sort of helpful when you need to help track down a killer. Multiple suitors, all of whom I'm sure we'll read more about in the rest of the series.

The book has a very strong focus on Desiree's missing father in addition to the murder plot line she's trying to help solve. I'm hoping that future books in the series are a little less focused on that.

I felt that Bell tried a little too hard to make sure that the book was "contemporary". With cozy mysteries, there are certain things that can help them seem somewhat timeless (at least they could be happening any time in the past 10 years or next 10 years), but it felt like she was trying to ground it with a lot of topics. I hope it continues to work for her, because the danger in doing that is that times can change quickly...and suddenly readers can be turned off the series.

Will I read the next one? Probably. I'll give every new series a second try. Will I run out to make sure I get it the day it comes out? Probably not.

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.