Staged 4 Murder by J. C. Eaton is the 3nd book in the Sophie Kimball Mystery series, and another fun read. Sophie, “Phee”, Kimball gets sucked into another murder investigation by her mother and friends. I love this series, this book made me laugh out loud, it was so funny. Once I started this book, I could not stop reading it until I was done. Not only is this book an exciting mystery but also very refreshing and a quick read. If you love funny cozy mysteries, which are my favorite, I strongly recommend this book/series.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Sophie “Phee” Kimball is trying to do some work at her private investigation company in Arizona. Unfortunately, she’s distracted by her old crush arriving from Minnesota to join the staff. The last thing she needs is constant updates from her mom on the local production of Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap.” Practically everyone from her mom’s book club and retirement community wants to join the cast and crew. But someone’s playing the role of the killer for real.

After a much-despised cast member is found dead on a catwalk in the theater, Phee has no choice but to be drawn into the investigation. Especially if her drama-queen mother is right about the
vaguely threatening note left on her windshield, which could mean curtains for another victim.
--

Series: Sophie Kimball Mystery Book 3
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Author: J. C Eaton
Publisher: Kensington

In Staged 4 Murder Sophie has her hands full, between her job and her mother she doesn’t have much time to relax. When her mother’s book club jumps into the mix life goes crazy. Then add the new private detective she has had a crush on for years, Marshall Gregory, and her life is chaotic at best.

Sophie “Phee” is a divorced older lady who has recently moved to Arizona to be near her mother and to heal her broken heart. She is excited about her new job and a bit anxious about the new detective the company has added. At times she feels like a young school girl but reminds herself that she is a long way away from being a teenager. At times, however, when her mother interferes with her plans, she wants to rebel like a kid, but she gives in every time.

When her mother gets a part in a local production of the Agatha Christie novel, “The Mousetrap,” she hopes her mother is too busy to meddle in her life. Unfortunately, murder gets in the way. Sophie finds herself playing detective again with her mother and the book club as her sidekicks.

The characters in this story are wonderfully odd but lovable. They live for excitement and have few worries about what anyone thinks people their age should be doing. They do what they want when they want to do it. They love a good who-done-it and relish the opportunity to be involved in a real mystery.

The location of Arizona is not your standard setting, but in many ways is perfect for this series. It allows the characters year-round access to everything they want to see and do with little to no concerns.

Marshall adds a bit of spice to the mix and keeps Phee on her toes. When he gets involved in helping to solve the mystery, she is pleased and anxious at the same time. Her unrest adds to the flavor of the story which allows the reader to see a middle-aged woman as more than just middle aged. Phee is still a vibrant, desirable woman who is intelligent and charismatic.

Staged 4 Murder is a well-written, fast-paced and funny mystery. The characters are well-developed and likable with just enough weirdness to entertain and at times make the reader laugh. The twists and turns and clues flow smoothly throughout the story and keep the reader guessing. I highly recommend this book and series to lovers of older heroines, original characters, and a wonderful plot.

ARC provided by NetGalley

This story has a great group of characters including an quirky cast of retirees and main character Phee Kimball with her humorous sarcastic wit.

The retirees of Sun City's Booked 4 Murder book club are excited to be involved in a local production of the Mousetrap until an actress turns up dead, But panic really sets in when the victims ghost seems to be in the theatre and people start getting threats. Phee gets volunteered by her mother to help find out what is going on and soon finds out the danger to everyone is real.

It is book #3 in the Sophie Kimball Mystery series but I have not read the first two and had no trouble following the story. Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair review.

I enjoyed the plot, characters, and location of the story. J. C. Eaton doesn’t disappoint. This is the third edition of the Sofie Kimball Mystery series.

I enjoyed the book club members’ interactions, their quirkiness, and the humor sprinkled throughout the book. This is a well-written work, fast moving and fluid.
Thank-you J.C. Eaton for placing this story in Arizona, I really enjoy it even though I'm not in Phoenix.

Sophia Kimball is playing amateur sleuth again. When her mother and her cronies announce they will be forgoing reading a book for their book group and instead trying out for a play they all get more than they bargained for. When a pain in the behind actress is found dead on set chaos follows. Sophie works for an investigative firm but isn't actually an investigator but that doesn't stop her mother from making her life a nightmare constantly giving her people to interrogate! This book was definitely worth the read and laugh out loud funny!

Staged 4 Murder is the third installment in the Sophie Kimball Mystery series set in the retirement community of Sun City West, Arizona and featuring private investigation company bookkeeper, Sophie "Phee" Kimball. Sophie is feeling a little jittery that Detective Marshall Gregory, her crush from her previous job at the Mankato, MN police department is coming to work full time with her current boss Nate Williams, at their newly opened Williams Investigations.

Phee's mother, Harriet, and her group of friends who call themselves the Booked 4 Murder book club have decided to try out for the local production of Agatha Christie's, The Mousetrap. Harriet lands one of the three female roles and the other ladies take positions behind the scenes where they won't succumb to stage fright. Shortly after the roles are cast Harriet and her best fried Myrna Mittleson receive threatening notes on their windshields reminiscent of Agatha Christie's, And Then There Were None.

The women are convinced that someone is plotting to kill them and their main suspect is leading lady and Bingo Queen, Miranda Lee. Harriet and her friends are adamant that Phee and the men from her detective agency investigate to find the mysterious note writer. It's not long though before the director is hospitalized with food poisoning, a main character is found dead on the lighting catwalk, and a ghost is haunting the theater.

A quick paced plot filled with the laugh out loud antics of Harriet and her friends. Just a touch of romance and a spunky little dog named Streetman. Readers of the series will not be disappointed with the newest addition to the series.

I received an advanced copy of Staged 4 Murder from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to share my honest opinion.

This is book 3 in the Sophie Kimball mystery series. It works well as a standalone because the story is easy to follow and there aren’t any gaping holes from information in previous books that isn’t included in this one.

I love that the author paired the main character, Phee (Sophia) with her mom, Harriet, and Harriet’s friends: a group of seniors who have a lot of interesting personalities. If you’re in the midst of those child-rearing, working-for-a-living years, it almost seems as if these seniors might be having a lot more fun than you are. (You might very well be right!) However, it isn’t all fun and games when the seniors decide to participate in a play, and the main character, who lots of people dislike, ends up dead. What ensues is a fun mystery with Harriet expecting her daughter to find the killer.

I thoroughly enjoyed the two books I read in this series, and I hope this one catches your eye because it is definitely worth reading!

So. Much. Fun!! Easy to get caught up in the story! A lot going on here but never got lost. This is what I call a “bathtub book,” because I was able to read it in just a couple of hours! (Some of my favorite books are bathtub books!!)

Staged 4 Murder is the third book in the Sophie Kimball Mystery series! We meet up again with Sophie who has stumbled upon another murder mystery. Sophie’s mother and her kooky bunch of friends get involved in a local theater production of Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” and while on set, one of their cast members is found dead. Sophie must find the murderer before someone else winds up dead.

Oh, this new installment was a lot of fun! The concept/theme of theater was very exciting to explore. I learned a lot actually, but my favorite thing was the characters! As usual, they were all delightful and interesting. I found myself laughing out loud many times while reading. Mostly because of Sophie’s mother’s friends—all of them were just outrageously funny and entertaining. I don’t know how Sophie puts up with all of it. It would drive me crazy haha.

The mystery itself was very well-plotted and very suspenseful. There were so many suspects, yet everyone was entwined together so perfectly that it wasn’t easy to pick out the real culprit. I loved that. It was so unpredictable and very exciting!

Overall, this is a great addition to a wonderful series! It’s a lighthearted, humorous mystery that will leave you entertained and satisfied. I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series!

Staged 4 Murder is the third book in Sophie Kimball Mystery series.

Sophie(Phee) is settling in nicely to her move to the Sun City West area. Business at the Williams Investigations is booming and her boss, Nate Williams, had decided to take on another PI. He has brought Marshall Gregory on board. Gregory had worked with both Nate and Phee at the Mankato, MN police department and Phee had a crush on him. She is vacillating between hoping for a possible relationship or continuing to listen to her mother, Harriet, ask her about her love life.

Speaking of Mother, she tells Phee that she and her book club friends are going to try out for roles in the Agatha Christie play Mouse Trap that will be produced by the Sun City West Footlighters. Early in the tryouts, Harriet and her friend Myrna are getting their nail done and when they go to get in the car there is a sign on the car that says: AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, another work by Agatha Christie. Not being new to solving murders, they consider this a threat. Soon thereafter, the director of the play comes down with a case of food poisoning. But when Miranda Lee, the star of the show, is found dead on the stage lighting catwalk. In addition, there were also a couple pranks at the theater, one of which one of the actors could have been seriously injured.

Phee has been sitting in on some of the rehearsals, doing a little of investigation and soon Marshall joins her, to help find out who wanted Miranda dead.

I quite enjoy this series. Phee, Nate and Marshall are all enjoyable, but for me, Harriet and the other members of the book club, are the ones that enjoy the most. Even though I may shake my head at some of their action or comments, I can’t help but give a chuckle throughout the book.

I will be watching for the next book in this funny series.

J.C. Eaton is a fantastic writing duo and this series is just so much fun it always has me laughing out loud!

Sophie is a bit nervous about Marshall coming to work for the agency as she had a major crush on him back home. She doesn't have a lot of time to dwell on that as her mother has joined the theater! They are doing an Agatha Christie novel, Mousetrap and the Booked 4 Murder club are buzzing with excitement at being able to act out a murder mystery. Only a few of them are actually in the play but others are working behind the scene. It doesn't take long for things to go wrong.

Soon the director gets food poison and they have to bring in a new director and then Sophie's mom and another from the club get a strange message on their cars and they just know they are going to be next, then the lead actor is killed and it just gets crazier from their as those Book 4 Murder girls are fun of crazy, quirky fun! I do feel a little sorry for poor Sophie as it's so easy to see those eye rolls, etc.

Her mother won't give in till she gets her boss and Marshall involved as she just doesn't think the police are doing enough. So Sophie is dragged into another murder and doing her best to figure it out while placating her mother. It does allow her to work beside Marshall which she doesn't mind but at the same time she hates having him in the think of her mother and her friends antics. Marshall takes it all in stride and has fun with it.

This book just has an awesome cast of characters and I just love everyone of them! Sophie is a saint for putting up with her mother and her friends and they are so good for a laugh. This is one of those series that if you are in need of a laugh then you will read it again just for the laughs and giggles! I also love Nate and now Marshall is winning my affection. Just a great group of main and secondary characters.

Maybe not everyone will figure out this mystery as quickly as I did but I had it pegged pretty early on but it didn't hinder anything as it's really the fun characters and their antics that I love more than the mystery. :)

I highly recommend this series if you love cozies!

In book 4 of the Sophie Kimball Mystery series, Phee's mother and her book club has decided to try out for the the Sun City West Footlighters' production of Agatha Christie's <i>The Moustrap.</i> Naturally, Phee's mother believes it is her duty to inform her daughter of every little detail. Rather quickly, things get interesting. Harriett, who is cast in the play, as well as one of her friends and the star of the play, annoying Miranda Lee, all get notes on their cars stating in plain text: "AND THEN THERE WERE NONE." And things only get worse when the insufferable Miranda Lee is found dead on the catwalk. Accidents repeatedly plague the set, and the more things happen, the more hysterical the book club women become.

In the meantime, Marshall has begun working with Phee at the detective agency. Phee had a crush on him when they worked together in Minnesota, and now she is working in close quarters with him everyday. Phee is constantly trying to balance her mother's crazy requests for her to investigate, her feelings for Marshall, and the job she actually gets paid for.

I totally love this series, and I can't for the life of me figure out why. Phee's mother and her friends drive her completely crazy, to the point where I want to reach in the book and smack them. But somehow, they are totally endearing. And Phee is terrific. She's very real - dealing with her deranged relatives, her crush, and her job. There is just nothing I don't like about the series. I had an idea of the murderer, but it was pretty much up for grabs until the very end, which is how a good mystery should be. I'll be looking for the next one!

This is my first Sophie 'Phee' Kimball mystery and I am a fan!. I loved being inside of Phee's mind. Her stream of consciousness is hilarious and says things we all think but often filter. There is a perfect blend of great characters, deft mystery, humor and romance. I'm going to go back and get the other books in the series, and look forward to more.

Staged 4 Murder is the third book in Sophie Kimball Mystery series but it can be read as a stand alone.
This is the first book I have read and it was very easy to get into the story and familiarize with the characters. The story flows at the nice pace, there are many interesting and quirky characters to make it fun and spicy. Well told with lots of twists and turns.
Sophie is an accountant for PI firm but when the leading lady in local production of Mousetrap is found dead, her mother and her croonies are beyond scared. So they enlist her help. And Sophie enlists Marshall's help, who just happens to be her old crush and has come to Arizona to join her firm.
Together they try to figure out what is going on and who is the killer while fielding off eccentric seniors and their demands.
Very nice and entertaining read and I highly recommend it to all mystery lovers.

Phee's back! This is a classic cozy in many ways- there's a murder of an unlikable person, an amateur detective, a love interest- but it's got something special in Phee and her mother Harriet. Harriet and her book club are a merry band of seniors. I'm not usually a fan of using a play as a backdrop for mysteries (it's been done so many times) but Eaton does it well here. This is a lively, entertaining series with great characters and a lot of sly humor. The fact there are so many "mature" characters is a plus. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Don't worry if you haven't read the earlier books, you'll be fine and enjoy this greatly!

Staged 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton is the third book in the cozy Sophie Kimball Mystery series. Our main character in this series is Sophie “Phee” Kimball who had been working in accounting at a police department in Minnesota so her retired mother thought Phee would be the perfect person to come to Arizona and investigate when several suspicious deaths happened at her retirement community.

After her first trip out to Arizona Phee decided to make the move and took a job working for a detective friend but to Phee’s mother that still makes her perfect to investigate whenever anything out of the ordinary comes along for the ladies in the retirement community. So when Harriet’s group decides to try out for the new Agatha Christie play Phee is not surprised when she gets the call that another body has been found and she is needed to find another killer.

This series by J.C. Eaton has 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.

Sophie and her mother have a great relationship and I often find myself chuckling at their interactions. And now getting a group of retirees into a theater and all that goes with it was a great mix for even more laughs in this edition. Just a fun read with fun characters and always look forward to seeing what the authors have in store in the future for Sophie and friends.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I love this series! What a Hoot!

I have read the prior books in this series and have loved them as well.

Phee is settled in Arizona now, as the only daughter who lives near her mother Harriet, in a Sun City West retirement community.

The fun begins when Harriet's book club decides to do a play and a dead body of a club member (who is not well liked) is found dead on the cat-walk.

Phee has plenty to keep her busy with this humorous mystery while trying to keep her eye on the hunky new hire Marshall, whom she had a crush on before the business relocated from Mankato.

This book kept me entertained from cover to cover and I can't wait until the next installment is ready for fans of this writing duo team.

I have recommended this series to all of my friends and family and I will also post on Goodreads. 5 star entertainment!

A good solid cozy mystery with interesting and humorous characters.
I would recommend reading the series in order.
I look forward to reading the next in the series.

Staged 4 Murder is the third book in J.C. Eaton’s (the husband and wife writing team of Ann I. Goldfarb and James E. Clapp) Sophie Kimball Mystery series and is a well-written, steady paced and humorous whodunit, with well-developed and likeable (and often quirky) characters. This is a fast and fun read and there are enough suspects, twists and turns, and red herrings to keep the reader engaged and guessing. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading fun, well-crafted cozy mysteries.

Sophie ‘Phee’ Kimball is a divorced, middle-aged mother of an adult daughter, who moved from Mankato, Minnesota to Peoria, Arizona and is enjoying the milder climate. When she lived in Minnesota, she worked as an accounting clerk for the police department in Mankato and now she’s the bookkeeper for her friend’s, Nate Williams, private investigation firm. Nate, who used to be a Mankato PD detective, is adding another investigator to his firm, Marshall Gregory, who Phee has a crush on. The only person knows how Phee’s crush is Augusta, the part-time receptionist. Her mother, Harriet Plunkett, lives in a retirement community in Sun City West, Arizona with her chiweenie dog, Streetman, and belongs to a book club, Booked 4 Murder. The Sun City West Footlighters is holding auditions and interviewing potential crewmembers for their upcoming production of Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap,” and the book club members who love to read murder mysteries are excited and plan to try out and/or interview. Harriett calls Phee in a panic when she and another book club member, Myrna, received printed notes on their cars saying “AND THEN THERE WERE NONE” which she believes are threats because it’s a title of an Agatha Christie novel and she wants Nate to look into it. Harriett is ecstatic because Myrna and she were cast for roles and her other friends will be working behind the scene. The ladies kept complaining about the lead actresses, Miranda Lee, who is insufferable, then Ellowina Bice, the director, is hospitalized for food poisoning, and then a dead body is found on the catwalk. Deputies Bowman and Ranston are the investigating officers and the victim is identified as Miranda, but the cause of death remains inconclusive. Her mother gives her an extensive list of people Phee should interview about the murder and demands she follow up with everyone. Marshall encourages her to investigate, but stresses she needs to be careful. Accidents occur and random threats are made in the refurbished Stardust Theater. Harriet doesn’t think the sheriff’s department is making any progress and hires Williams Investigations and Nate and Marshall agree to look into things.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I enjoyed this book very much. The first couple of pages didn't look promising but when you get further in it's much better. The writing style is unique, the characters very quirky and fun. I can't wait to see what comes next. #Staged4Murder #NetGalley