I really enjoyed this smart cozy mystery. A protagonist who's a pediatrician? Love it! Although some aspects of the situation fall together a little too easily/seamlessly, there is really an effort to show the grief, adjustment, and resilience of kids. And most important in a mystery, there's a great mystery! The plotting is solid, the wide cast of characters is varied and easily distinguishable, and I felt content at the end of the book. A great escape novel for a few hours, with a terrific mixture of crime solving and that happiness I feel when most of the people I like in a book are a little bit better off at the end of the book than they are at the beginning.

Too Many Crooks Spoil the Plot is the first book in the Ditie Brown Mystery series. As with all cozies, there is a murder, a sleuthing woman hellbent on finding the killer (sometimes a male, but mostly women), and some twists and turns. For the most part, I did enjoy reading this one. I liked the characters and setting. However, this book didn't feel lighthearted like most cozies. There was a ton of emotion wrapped into the book as the sleuth becomes a guardian for her friends children who happened to be the victim of the story. So not only was she trying to solve her friends murder but she was also thrust into a mothering role herself for the kids. This is all original which is great, but I wanted a light and fluffy read and this really wasn't it.

If you are a cozy mystery fan and are looking for a new series to start then you may want to check out this book. Although I am warning you that it isn't a lighthearted read like many of cozies you may be used too.

2.5/5

This book was pretty mushy and saccharine but there were enough interesting characters and relationships (outside of the romance) that I can’t write it off completely. I’m willing to see where book 2 bring us.

I received a free copy of Too Many Crooks Spoil the Plot by Sarah Osborne in exchange for an honest review. This is the debut cosy mystery novel by Sarah Osborne. Pediatrician Mabel Aphrodite “Ditie” Brown is a wanderer. Ditie is getting up ready to pull up stakes and move when a childhood friend asks Ditie for help. Ditie gladly agrees to babysit for the weekend even though she had misgivings about what her sometimes shady friend may be doing. When the friend is murdered and the children are threatened, can Ditie and her friend Lurlene keep the children safe? When the police seem to be blocking the investigation, can Ditie and her friends figure out who is behind the wickedness before one of them is killed, too?

I liked this book. I already told my friends about it and recommended it to them. The characters were likeable and engaging. The storyline was interesting. The romance with the detective was a little trite, but you have to get a law enforcement connection in there somehow.

#TooManyCrooksSpoilThePlot #NetGalley

Wow what a great start to a new series, I couldn't put it down.
I don't think I would have put this book into the cozy mystery genre it was brilliant just the same .
a sad beginning Ditie friend Ellie asked if she could look after children for a few days while she sorted something out and never came back beacuse she was killed.
A lot of twists and turns, when you think you know who the murderer was another person comes into the picture it keeps you guessing and I never realised who it was until the end .
Looking forward for the next adventure with Ditie and friends .

I really enjoyed this one, it was relatable, realistic and inviting. The characters really made it for me; warm, true to life and charming, from the capable Ditie, stepping up to take in Ellie's kids to the sassy Lurleen to the sweet romance between Ditie and Mason, I found myself roped in from the first page. Lurleen is really the one I want to know more about, her back story was hinted at several times in the book and I'm looking forward to learning more about her. The suspenseful plot kept me glued to the pages, the corporate espionage angle was interesting and intriguing (I want to try that product!) but I have to say, that ending....I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't that. It was a little convoluted. Not bad, just a bit confusing who was one what side. Also, the TSTL moment by one of the characters at the just felt a bit unrealistic (I don't want to spoil, but jeeeeez.) But it was a great mystery and an edge of your seat adventure and the recipes included at the end of the book sound delicious and there's a couple I can't wait to try. An excellent start to a new series and one I'll look forward to reading more of in the future.

Romance, warm characters with depth and several twists to the murder made this a compelling read. The story line had a steady pace that never lagged and held my interest throughout the entire book. I could not put it down!
A must read. I'm anxiously waiting for the next one in the series.

Loved this book! Great storyline, great characters, complex mystery. Very hard to put down! Can't wait to read the next one!

Nice mix of romance and mystery throughout the book. Entertaining and I enjoyed the well written and developed characters and am looking forward to more.

I loved this story, with its warm and wonderful characters and its entertaining plot. Since childhood Dr. Ditie Brown has always looked up to her friend Ellie, but Ellie has a habit of only contacting Ditie when she is in some sort of trouble. When Ellie asks Ditie to look after her children for a few days, Ditie agrees and falls in love with the two of them. Later that night Detective Mason Garrett comes to tell Ditie that Ellie has been murdered. Then Ditie's house is broken into, a suspect in the murder is himself murdered and she is accosted when in her car. Ditie's friend Lurleen is helping her out by taking care of the children when Ditie is at work, and she also has a friend who works at Sandler's Sodas where Ellie was working and thinks the murder may be related to corporate espionage, With all these balls in the air, a romance developing between Ditie and the detective and the added layer of Ditie's work as a doctor at a refugee clinic this book is truly special.