An entertaining light mystery. It had some serious elements in it but was more of a cozy than a thriller. Very readable but didn't require a ton of thought--perfect for a beach read.

A great mystery! Likeable characters kept me guessing right until the end - eagerly await more from this author.

I loved the blurb, it drew me in and was led me to request the book.

This was a great mystery, full of intrigue, red herrings and a great setting. Her descriptions of San Francisco and France were so well written, I felt I was there. I thought the characters were well rounded, although I found Rae a little irritating. How she could remain so naive after her scandal didn't work for me. I thought the dialogue was realistic and authentic.

I didn't see the ending at all and I'm normally very good at working out who did it! Well played Bonnie C Monte.

Looking forward to reading her next book.

Small business owner Rae Sullivan has a bomb dropped on her when her business partner and long time friend Thalia Holcombe tells her she has been having an affair while on business trips to Paris. To make things worse, Thalia’s amour comes to town with his wife and son and they attend a party at Thalia’s home. Then things taken an even worse turn when Thalia Rae finds Thalia dead in Golden State Park.

Rae promises to prove who killed Thalia and her quest takes her around the San Francisco Bay area and to Paris. When she finally gives up and stops investigating she finds the murderer wasn’t quite who she though they were.

The locations, characters and storyline are all solid and provide a great read. Grab a copy and cozy on up with a good read.

Rae and her business partner Thalia own a shop in a quaint town outside of San Francisco. When there is a murder, Rae wonders who she can trust and who is a suspect. Of course, she starts to investigate on her own, thinking the police aren’t doing enough. I really liked the Bay Area setting and the characters; the plot kept me guessing much more than most of the cozy mysteries I’ve read.

international-crime-and-mystery, murder-investigation, California, France, friendship
Well done! The title is a reach, but the characters are well drawn and even the hard to like ones resemble real but self absorbed people. I am also very fond of the imagery of life and surroundings in the French countryside. The plot works, including the urgency felt by Rae to be as instrumental as possible in bringing the murderer to justice while fixating on one suspect and discounting the intelligence of the police detective. I confess that I was very happy to be right about Rae's primary suspect. I loved it!
I requested and received a free review copy via NetGalley. Thanks!

This is an intriguing mystery with plenty of twists and turns to keep me entertained from start to finish. There is more than one mystery in this book, which may or may not be connected. With several suspects and motives, I was kept guessing until the very end. Some of the characters were quite likeable, some not so much, and I was fairly indifferent to the protagonist, Rae. The story moved at just the right pace, and I didn't find myself getting bored or daydreaming while reading. This is my first book by Bonnie C. Monte, but I've added her to my author watchlist.

*Note to cozy fans: this may not strictly be considered a cozy. Though it has a cozy feel, there are a few profanities which didn't bother me, but may be off-putting to some readers.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A great voice, fun character, and fresh approach to the (cozy) mystery. The writing was strong in parts, in others there seemed to be a rush to get to the next clue. That said, the mystery was plotted decently; I really look forward to seeing what the author writes next...

Recommended if you're ready to take a chance on something new, and can overlook the imperfections.

From the first scene of The Sleeping Lady, I knew I would love Rae. This is a well written cozy mystery that is smart and keeps you guessing until the end. I hope this will become a series. A good read!

A solid mystery in what I hope will be a new series. I love the setting and the main character, Rae, who has spunk. The author does a nice job of introducing various supporting characters, all of whom are interesting and easy to keep track of. The plot was strong with a few nice surprises thrown in. My only complaint is that in a few spots the pace dragged; for example, characters repeated information to each other that the reader already knew from reading a previous scene. I noticed this particularly when Rae would get home and tell her husband Peter something that we already knew had happened. Overall this is a nice mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Not the most exciting of books ive read. I struggled to keep interest in it. The plot just didnt live up to the description sadly

After a scandal, Rae becomes a partner in a business with friend Thalia, who she finds is having an affair during her frequent buying trips in France. Not only that, Thalia is being blackmailed. Determined to fight back, Thalia tries to rope Rae into coming with her to the drop off place, but Rae is having none of that. When Thalia doesn't return, Rae goes looking for her and discovers Thalia dead. Rae believes she knows who the killer is, and determines to bring the murderer to justice.

There was a lot to like about this book, and some dislikes as well. As a new entry, not a series, there was a lot of character development going on. We get to know and understand who all the characters are and what makes them 'tick'. The writing style was fluid. This, I liked quite a lot. Building the background worked and did not bog us down.

Personally, I don't like MCs who are pit bulls. No spoiler here, but Rae sees no truth but her own. She also involves a teenager in her investigation, which I thought was unnecessary and did not add to the book overall.

I had figured out the two major elements in the story (the murderer and the mystery around a man named Marcel) but I thought that it nicely came together in the end.

This is hands down one of the best mystery books I've read in a while. From the very first page you're drawn into the story. Each and every one of the characters are so thoroughly developed they pop off the pages as real people. The settings and atmosphere are so artfully described you feel like you're there. No plot spoilers, but if you're looking for a great read, this is the one. Exciting murder mystery with just enough red herrings to have a surprise ending regarding, "who done it". Friendships, lovers, intense family dynamics, this one has it all. I see an open door for a follow up story, and hope there is one. 5++++ stars for this one!!!

A really good read! Good characters and a great setting. The mystery keeps you guesssing until the end.

The Sleeping Lady is a contemporary cozy mystery with a little romance thrown in. The novel follows the protagonist through her search to find who killed her friend and also provides insights into her character's feelings.

The killer was who I had suspected from the beginning. But it isn't super obvious.

A well written book. I would read more by this author.