This is the first Amanda Flower book I have read that didn't involve Amish country or magic. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Darby Piper, one half of the Two Girls Detective Agency, is left to investigate the murder of her partner. A murder for which Darby is looking like a very good suspect. She gets help from her late partner's nephew and from her on again-off again boyfriend while working the case. The murder is a well-developed mystery with enough misdirection to keep the reader guessing. The nephew, Darby's new partner, also seems to come along with a bit of mystery. And there are unanswered questions about Darby's relationship with the +/- boyfriend (police officer Austin Caster).

So it seems there are more stories to tell about this group. I hope this is just the beginning of a new series.

Dead-End Detective by Amanda Flower is the first in the new series, A Piper and Porter Mystery. It's a great start to a new series in my opinion.
Darby and Samantha are the owners of Two Girls Detective Agency. Not only are they owners, they are also best friends. Lately though, Samantha has been distant and has been leaning towards leaving the agency for a new opportunity. Of course, Darby is upset, not only will she will be jobless, she lives in the upstairs where the office is located. When Samantha is found dead in her crashed car and the investigation shows she was ran off the road, all signs point at Darby being the guilty party. After all, everyone thinks she is going to inherit Samantha's percentage of the business or is she. Enter Tate, Samantha's military veteran, globe trotting, brother. He has never investigated anything, let alone a murder. Darby knows she will have to find the killer because all of the evidence is adding up towards her.
This quick, easy to read Cozy has everything, a great setting, likeable characters, some quirky, humor, and the possibility of a romance.
I was given an ARC by the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.

Darby Piper is shocked to learn her partner in Two Girls Detective Agency is planning to dissolve the angry and go to work for a local resort. While Darby is angry with Samantha’s decision, she regrets that their last words not happy ones when the police come to her home to let her know that Samantha was killed in an accident.

With Tate taking over his aunt’s share of the agency, both he and Darby are viable suspects in the murder, but both know they are innocent and are committed to finding who the killer is. Especially since they did a solid job at framing Darby for it. Will the new partnership end up with one of them in prison or will they find the killer before the entire Porter family and 2 Girls are both wiped out.

First in a new series from Amanda Flower. Not quite as enticing as her other series, but a first book is always an introduction and she is such a talented writer that I am hopeful the next one is even better and has me hooked like all of her other series. Though I could do without pictures being embedded into the book. Drawings would look so much better, in my opinion.

Overall, I enjoyed this read from NetGalley and Hallmark. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone with Hallmark books since I mostly read their Christmas selection. I liked the concept and the suspense that this book offered. There were a few things that grated my nerves; however, I think the main issue is that I just wasn't a fan of the main character. Sometimes characters just don't click with me, this was one of them. The lack of connection kept me from really loving it, but it was still a solid read.

Thanks to NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Darby is one-half of the Two Girls Detective Agency, but is about to lose her friend and other half of the agency she loves, Samantha, to another job. The loss becomes even more permanent when Samantha is involved in a fatal and suspicious car accident. Darby is considered the prime suspect, as she had her career and house if Samantha had taken the other job. Romances, old and possibly new, as well as a great supporting cast of characters make this cozy mystery even better. Highly recommend, and I hope a sequel isn’t too far in the future.

Dead-End Detective by Amanda Flower is the first book in Piper and Porter Mystery series and it is off to a good start.

Darby Piper and her colleague and friend Samantha, are running a Two Girl's detective agency, but Samantha is thinking of leaving the agency and starting to work for a owner of local health spa. That becomes a huge problem between two friends but things turn from bad to worse when Samantha dies in a car crash and Piper's car it the one that pushed her off the cliff.
Samantha's reclusive cousin Tate Porter shows up unexpectedly and Piper is devastated when she finds out that Samantha has left her part of the agency and Piper's home to the cousin, As now Porter owns the majority of the agency Piper finds herself in a very uncomfortable position.
Not only her business and home depend on a decision of unknown man but he is obviously hiding something, and Piper is afraid that he might have a part in his aunt's murder.
Add to this a former boyfriend who is the leading detective on a case, cantankerous cats, meddling mother and arrest hanging over her head and we have a recipe for a convoluted and absorbing mystery.

It is highly entertaining, fast and easy read. There are many interesting characters, a good dose of humor and a well presented mystery as well as a dash of romance.
Clues are clearly presented and easy to follow.
Since this is the first installment we have just met the side characters which will hopefully get more dimensional. But of all the characters I felt the main protagonist was given the least introduction. I feel we know less about her than anyone else which I hope will be remedied in later installments.

I was lucky to have an advanced reader copy of this book by my lovely friend Amanda. But I forgot when the release date was, so I did not get to it on time - but! It came out yesterday, so hopefully this review will help others deciding whether to read this book. My suggestion is to read it (although I am clearly biased).

I have not read all of Amanda's many books, but I have read quite a few of them, and this is my favorite to date (along with PROSE AND CONS and her forthcoming farm-to-table mystery, FARM TO TROUBLE). Protagonist Darby Piper is a private detective in the small Finger Lakes town of Herrington. She owns a detective agency with her slightly older partner, Samantha Porter. Of late, Samantha has been distant from Darby, talking about wanting to close the agency and take another job. Things only get worse when Samantha crashes her car and dies in the accident, leaving Darby grieving - and Darby learns that Samantha left her portion of the agency to her nephew, Tate. Now Darby has a new partner, and it's becoming increasingly clear that Samantha's accident wasn't exactly an accident.

Like FARM TO TROUBLE, this book has a strong protagonist - but what sets this novel apart is Tate as a foil for Darby. As they develop a tenuous relationship, bonded by their shared grief, they begin to joke with each other and heal together. Like Shiloh Bellamy, Darby has a lot of growing to do - and I look forward to seeing how that happens along with Tate. The mystery is also rich and complex. I love the private eye aspect - so different from cozies with amateur sleuths.

Dead-End Detective is the first in a new series by Amanda Flower. Darby Piper, half of the team that makes up Two Girls Detective Agency, has learned that her partner Samantha is planning to sell the agency. Just when the situation couldn't be worse, Samantha dies in an automobile accident discovered to be a murder and Darby is the prime suspect. Darby discovers that Samantha has left the detective agency to her nephew Tate Porter, who has just returned to town to surprise his aunt. Darby and Tate soon join forces and uncover the real murderer.

As one has come to expect from Amanda Flower's other series, the setting is so well described that you can easily place yourself in Harrington. The characters are quirky and well-developed. In addition to meeting Darby, Samantha, and Tate, we are introduced to Darby's parents, Mrs. Berger and her cat Romy who Darby routinely rescues, and Darby's cat Gumshoe. The story has many twists and turns and the reader is surprised when the murderer is finally revealed.

The relationship between Darby and Tate develops as the story progresses, setting the scene for many more adventures in subsequent books in the series. Great start to a new series - I look forward to many more!

Review based upon an ARC provided by NetGalley and Hallmark Publishing.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a wonderful start to what I hope will be a long series. The characters were good and very likable. The mystery was good with several red herrings. I love the setting of the small lake town where everybody knows everybody else. Looking forward to seeing relationships develop more as the series progresses.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.

This is a really good cozy mystery. I had fun reading this book, wonderful quirky characters. I could not put this book down kept me guessing till the reveal. I can't wait till the next book in the series.

Darby Piper and Samantha Porter are the Two Girls Detective Agency. Samantha has not been acting like herself and when she is found dead after a car crash, Darby soon becomes the main suspect. Turning to her friends and family, Darby starts finding out there was much more to Samantha Porter than she realized.

Tate Porter has come back to town just before his aunt Samantha turns up dead. He vows to uncover the mystery behind her death even if that means teaming up with the number one suspect in the case, Darby Piper.

Darby and Tate along with friends and family, slowly start uncovering more clues and the suspect list starts to grow. Can Darby and Tate help the police solve the crime before Darby gets arrested?

This was such a fabulous whodunit. I loved Amanda Flower’s writing style and there were many twists and turns in the story to leave the reader guessing. I loved the banter between Darby and Tate and how their friendship grew throughout the book. The supporting characters were so well written, I was completely engrossed in the story from start to finish. I am excited to read the next book in the series! Thank you so much to the author Amanda Flower, Hallmark Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book to review. It was fabulous! All opinions expressed for this review are unbiased and entirely my own.

I’ve read many of Amanda Flower’s books and enjoy her style of writing. This is a new book, in what I hope, is a possible new series.

Darby Piper is a partner in the Two Girls Detective Agency. When her partner is found dead, she suspects murder. So does her ex-boyfriend who is a police officer.

Darby comes under suspicion for many reasons so she decides to solve the murder using her detective skills. The nephew of the murder victim shows up out of the blue and gets involved with solving the crime.

Darby thinks he may be the murderer, so she keeps a close eye on him.

Some of the characters in this story are so funny, especially, an elderly lady who the city is trying to get moved off of her prime real estate land. There is more to this than a simple eminent domain issue and is another mystery for Darby to solve.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

I absolutely love all of the cozy mysteries by Amanda Flower and jumped at the chance to read the first book in this new series. It’s full of great characters and a very intriguing mystery.

Darby is a wonderful protagonist. I loved her strong personality and sassy attitude. Since the murder revolves around her dear friend and business partner, I feel like I really got to know and understand her personality quickly. She’s grieving, but also highly aware that she is being framed during this investigation so you get to witness her range of feelings, thoughts and emotions. I like that she not a typical armature sleuth since she is a licensed PI. It makes her actions more believable.

She needs to get over her ex quickly because I’m already a fan of the new love interest, Tate. He’s perfectly mysterious, witty and quite charming. I loved their scenes together full of fun, flirty banter. Flower’s always includes good humor and memorable animals in her stories. Mrs. Berger might be 90, but she is sharp as a tack and full of personality. Her moody Maine Coon, Romy, was a great comic relief. I giggled every single scene when Darby or Tate had to rescue him from a tree. I also adored Darby’s bestie, Maelynn. Everyone needs that friend who will stand up for you no matter what.

The mystery was really great. I ended up figuring out the culprit half way through, but still enjoyed watching the story progress as they worked through the clues and explained the reasoning behind such a hateful act. There were plenty of red herrings and side stories to try to throw you off track.

I’ll definitely keep my eye out for a sequel!!

Darby Piper and her friend Samantha Porter run Two Girls Detective Agency. That is, they do until Samantha is suddenly killed in a car accident. The surprises keep coming, as Darby - who expected she'd inherit Samatha's share of the agency and the building that houses it - discovers that Samantha left her share to a nephew. Who suddenly shows up in town.

But that's not all. The police think Samantha was murdered. Suspicion falls squarely on Darby. Thankfully, the nephew believes Darby is innocent and between them, they start to unravel the truth.

Flower is a new-to-me author with an obvious talent for an intricate tale that involves intriguing characters. Dead-End Detective is a first in series and I am looking forward to the next adventure!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Hallmark, and the author for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book I was not required to write a review, the opinions herein are entirely my own.]

Darby Piper loves being a P.I. and is part owner in Two Girls Detective Agency along with friend and colleague Samantha Porter. She can't understand why Samantha wants to suddenly give it all up and for a less exciting job. When Samantha is murdered and all the evidence points to Darby her world is turned upside down, especially when she finds out Samantha left her part of the business to her nephew Tate Porter. Even though Tate isn't a P.I. He wants to help Darby look for his Aunt's killer. The two team up and soon learns that Samantha was hiding secrets from both of them. Follow along as these two dig into the past to find a murderer, will they be able to work together or will this be the end of Two Girls Detective Agency?

Darby Piper and Samantha Porter are co-owners of Two Girls Detective Agency. Samantha, the owner with 60% ownership has decided to sell the business to a real estate organization against Darby's wishes. Darby will be left without a job, her business, or her home. Needless to say, the two are at loggerheads.

When Samantha is killed in an auto accident a day later, Darby is horrified ... even more so when she learns that this was no accident. And the really scary thing is that Darby seems to be the prime suspect.

Darby had expected to inherit Samantha’s half of the agency, but Samantha had recently changed the will to leave it to Tate Porter, her nephew, who returns to town.

Her ex-boyfriend, a detective, advises Darby to get a lawyer ... a criminal lawyer since an arrest will be made shortly. She and Tate decide to investigate themselves ... and hopefully prove Darby's innocence. Rifling through Samantha's life, Darby unexpectedly finds that Samantha had secrets .... was this why she was killed?

This is a well-written, highly enjoyable, cozy mystery. Darby and Tate are exceptional characters. Darby brings humor into the mix while Tate is a rather mysterious man. I love how that interact with each other. Maybe a budding romance? There are plenty of suspects to follow as the duo goes on the hunt for a killer.

Many thanks to the author / Hallmark Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this delightful cozy mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Dead-End Detective is the first in a new series by Amanda Flower, a Piper and Porter mystery. Darby Piper is a private detective. Along with her partner, Samantha Porter, she runs the Two Girls Detective Agency, at least until the day that Samantha reveals she is quitting, leaving for a job at a nearby, high-end resort. The problem is many-fold. Samantha has been her mentor; she owns 60% of the business as well as the building it is housed in, which is also where Darby lives. Darby is beyond heart-broken, even when Samantha indicates she has obtained employment a the resort for Darby as well as their secretary, Nat. None of it seems right and comes to a head when at 4 am, her ex-boyfriend, on-again, off-again for the past ten years, local cop, Austin Caster, arrives at her front door to tell her there has been a car accident and Samantha is dead. DEAD! Things move quickly from there, with Darby emerging as the primary suspect, for several reasons.

Darby is a clever and caring thirty year old who can hold her own with almost anyone. She is kind; she climbs trees to rescue cats, for crying out loud. The murder is solved in the end, after almost getting both Darby, and her new partner; Tate killed, with help from many, including her librarian mother, and Romy, the cat in the tree. There are many facets to the first in a series: many people and places to introduce, the long-term scenario to determine, and the setting to establish. Flower has done that well and is promising a terrific new series with hints of romance, friendship, and yes, mystery in a small-town setting. She is a terrific character and her new partner, Tate Porter, promises to be on as well. Flower is an expert at writing the cozy mystery and so her readers have high expectations. It looks as if her new mystery series will live up to them. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free ARC of Dead-End Detective by Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #deadenddetective

Dead End Detective is the first book in a new series by Amanda Flower. I feel a bit ambivalent about this book. It feels like Amanda curtailed her natural style a bit to fit a Hallmark laid out mold. Mystery - check, past love interest - check, new man in town as possible love interest - check.
As a main character Darby seemed all over the place. She was really on top of things, then she was emotionally immature, then she was disorganized, and her reaction to having her car be the instrument of death seemed more like resignation than an attempt to defend herself and right wrongs. I think I like Darby all right. I’m on the fence about Tate. I don’t care for Romy causing trouble in the tree all the time. And the one apparent villain does an about face at the end that nearly causes whiplash. While this isn’t the best cozy mystery I have read, it would be a good set up for a Hallmark mystery movie.
I may be closer to 3.5 stars on this one. I would probably give a second book a try to see if the characters and town grow on me.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review.

This was a fun cozy. The plot was a little unexpected as was the twist at the end. The story was delightful, easy to read and very entertaining. The characters were engaging and I liked them. You really get two mysteries in one.

I requested this book because Amanda Flowers is one of my favorite authors. I'll admit that I wasn't disappointed in this book. It's the first book I've read published by Hallmark. Biggest quibble with the book is Samantha was gone too soon. Looking forward to the next book in the series.