Tallie Graver runs a cleaning business with a great crew in Pennsylvania, a town where she's content, and she also has her boyfriend, Max Bennett. She lives in the flat above her family's funeral parlour and works there part-time, though her family would like her to have a lot more input into the funeral business. Tallie is hoping to spend some time alone with Max over the Christmas holidays, but the Gravers have other ideas and instead, she's at an annual Christmas Eve bingo game with her mum and granny, and her mean Aunt Ronda. Luck is on Tallie's side and she wins a prize, much to the disgust of Aunt Ronda. Her aunt marches off and leaves her purse behind, but when Tallie follows her to return it, she finds a dead body... it's her aunt.

Varnished Without a Trace is the 5th instalment in the Tallie Graver Mystery books and it's my 1st in this series. Although it was book five, I had no difficulties keeping up with characters and events, but I would have preferred to have started from the first novel for continuity reasons.

Protagonist Tallie brought her sparkling personality and her astuteness to the proceedings and I also enjoyed the contributions from her wonderfully quirky family who were highly entertaining, as well as the grouchy Police Chief, Burton. Events moved along at a comfortable pace and the mystery itself was fantastic as there was never a dull moment. There were a number of suspects to choose from, and the conclusion was a surprise to me. I had a blast reading this highly amusing and fun, festive cozy and I'm already looking forwarding to catching up with Tallie in book #6, as well as grabbing copies of the first four books.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

4.5 stars

This is the fifth book in the Tallie Graver mystery series by Misty Simon.

Tallie has a cleaning business she loves but her family wants her to take her place in their funeral home business. While visiting with her aunt, mother and grandmother during a bingo game, Tallie comes across the dead body of her Aunt Ronda. Her Uncle Hoagie is suspect number one, then a body turns up they think is him but surprisingly, it is really a very close lookalike. Then they discover Hoagie might not even be related to them at all. What the heck is going on?

I surprisingly enjoyed the back and forth between Tallie’s real job and her family obligation to the funeral home. Plus, all the red herrings and twists and turns kept my attention all the way through. Great characterization. Loving Tallie’s family. They are so dominant here.

I will definitely want to check out the other books in this series just to see what happened in the past. Loving it so far.

If you love a good cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
As many other reviews have stated, this is book number 5 in an established cozy mystery series. I have not yet read the books that preceded this one and I definitely feel that I would benefit from going back and catching up on all the story that has gone before. I wasn’t so lost ever that the current story line didn’t make sense but I do get the impression there’s been a lot of story that has gone before and it would be good to look after the main characters’s relationships from the beginning.
It is set at Christmas time, but I felt it was very light on Christmas content and could easily be read at any time of the year.
I enjoyed this book and was kept guessing until the end with many plot twists and turns. Definitely recommend and I will be carrying on with the series.

Another delightful visit to the funeral home. Many chuckles, some surprises. Enjoyable and entertaining series.

It turned out when the Police Chief Burton commented that there was too much going on in town for how small and quaint they're supposed to be it was an understatement. He was even desperate enough to ask for help from Tallie Graver, who owns a cleaning business and helps out in her families funeral home,. This was a surprise to Tallie because he had never been happy about her interference in the past but as the mysteries add up Tallie finds more questions than answers. and soon discovers people aren't always what they seem to be.

The plot in this story really pulled me in with so much going on and a lot of things to try and figure out. I also liked that Tallie's boyfriend, Max, not only was okay with her sleuthing he would help when asked. This is the fifth book in A Tallie Graver Mystery series. . Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Tallie is at it again, solving a murder and this time she also has to find an arsonist.
With her aunt dead, her uncle missing and a bunch of fires being lit, Tallie has her work cut out for her. She has the help of her love, Max. The police chief is actually asking for help this time.
Opinion
I haven’t read any of the previous books and had no problem following this story. I would however recommend you start from the beginning of the series.
Overall, I loved this book. It appealed to me because it is set in the middle of Pennsylvania, where I grew up. I could definitely see this book set in my hometown.
The plot was fun and interesting. Throughout the whole book, I was trying to figure out “who dunnit,”
If you like fun, cozy mysteries then you will want to check this one out.

Aunt Ronda surely did bedevil her husband, Tall'e uncle Hoagie, but she doesn't believe he murder her, even though he's gone missing,. I admit to being a fan of Tallie, a strong cozy protagonist who uses her smarts to run her cleaning business and deal with her family, which owns a funeral home. She's got a good relationship with Burton, the local chief, and now, her uncle, the fire chief, has asked for her help in finding an arsonist. THat's a lot- and it's Christmas! AND her love interest Max has announced his willingness to help in the family business. How does she resolve all this? No spoilers from me but this is, as always,. a well crafted cozy that will be perfectly fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fun read!

This is a great addition to this highly entertaining series.
It was great to catch up with the characters and to read about what is going on in their life.
I loved the character development, the Christmas spirit and the solid mystery that kept me guessing.
Can't wait for the next instalment, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This was just what I needed to keep me entertained. Spending some time with Tallie was a treat. It's Christmas and there is a lot going on in Tallie's life. The usual day to day stuff plus family friction at the bingo game. Her Mother and her horrid Aunt Ronda are itching for a fight. Tallie thinks the fire is out between them for now, until she finds it will be permanent - somebody has bumped her off and then her husband goes missing. If he didn't do the evil deed, who did?
From the first page to the last, the humor and the puzzle sucked me in and never let up. I think this might just be my favorite of the whole series. If you are new to this series, line them all up and settle down for a binge. You won't regret a minute of it.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is the second book I’ve read from this series. I really enjoyed it and am thinking of going to the library to check out the books from the series I haven’t read to read them.

Tallie Graver has become one of my favorite hometown sleuths. Misty Simon has a true talent for creating a realistic story line with very human characters.

This is the 5th in the Tallie Graver mystery series. Tallie is a good place as her boyfriend Max has moved to town and they are renovating the apartment above the funeral home to be larger and easily fit them and both their pets. It is Christmas Eve, Tallie, her Mother and Grandmother who is in town for the holidays go to the towns bingo. Tallie gets bumped to another table and has to sit with her Aunt Ronda who is always a little nasty and bingo night is no exception. After bingo, Tallie notices that Ronda left her purse so she goes after her and unfortunately finds her dead behind the building. Next her Uncle Hoagie goes missing. They decide to enjoy their Christmas, the next day Max (who has an office in Hoagie’s Hardware store for his tax business) and Tallie go to get some items at the hardware and to look for Hoagie. A fire breaks out next door and Nathan Hoagie’s long term is all shook up and they find Hoagie’s body against the store. Tallie goes to check it out and says that it is not Hoagie but essentially his look alike. What is going on? Burton the police chief and Uncle Sherman the Fire Chief are both looking for Tallie’s help as there is a murderer out there as well as a firebug. Tallie wants to help both of them and is frustrated that she is not finding the answers quick enough. Of course, Tallie does put it all together in the end with some help from her Grandmother and Burton’s father. I like Tallie and the way her relationship is evolving with her family and how she is growing as a person. Good solid mystery and I highly recommend. Looking forward to the next installment.

This is the fifth book in the Tallie Graver series. This is the first book that I have read in the series. I was able to read it without reading the others and not be lost. The author did a good job of keeping the reader in the past storylines.

I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. This Christmas, Tallie Graver would like to take a break from running her cleaning business to be with her boyfriend, Max, and enjoy their first holiday together—alone. Instead, she’s stuck keeping her mother and grandmother from duking it out during the town’s annual Christmas Eve bingo game. As for festive spirit, she’ll have to settle for her mean-spirited Aunt Ronda, whose mouth could use some soap.

The night only gets worse after Tallie discovers Ronda’s body. It seems someone cleaned her clock with a can of varnish. While all the evidence points to Ronda’s husband, Tallie doesn’t believe her beloved Uncle Hoagie could do such a dirty deed. Of course, his sudden
disappearance doesn’t help his case. If Tallie hopes to clear his name, she’ll need to dig up some dirt to locate the real killer. Otherwise, someone else could get rubbed out . . .

I love Misty Simon and I always look for Tallie and her new adventures. The books are fun and a really good mystery series.

Fun mystery with a warm family, great friends and unusual journey to the truth.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

Great addition to the series. Max is making himself more a part of the family, we meet Grandma. The mystery was interesting, and there were a couple of them to make it even better. Tallie and the Chief are getting along better.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review..

It's nearing Christmas and Tallie's unlikable grandmother is visiting. All she does is argue, and no one wants to spend time with her. But Tallie has agreed to be a buffer between her and Tallie's mother, so they go to bingo together. But when Tallie is shifted from her seat by a bingo regular, she finds herself sitting between a nice woman and her Aunt Ronda, who also has problems being nice to people. After an uncomfortable night, Ronda leaves in a huff and forgets her purse. Tallie runs out the back to give it to her, and finds Ronda -- dead from a blow to the head. When Ronda's husband, Tallie's Uncle Hoagie, disappears the same night, he's suspected of murdering her.

But more than this is happening to Tallie: her uncle Sherman, who's the fire chief, has asked for her help in locating an arsonist that no one is able to catch. He's depending on Tallie's being able to notice details and her instincts to help him, if she can. To top it off, her boyfriend Max has announced at the dinner table that he'd be happy to help her father run the mortuary, leaving Tallie free to run her cleaning company, but stunning her at the same time. Now Tallie's trying to find an arsonist, locate her uncle Hoagie, and decide what to do about Max. If she can stay alive - again - she might be able to figure it all out...

This is the fifth book in the series and probably the best. While I figured out what was going on with Hoagie early on in the book, it was still a lot of fun to watch everyone else figure it out along the way. I loved the fact that Tallie isn't afraid to speak her mind, and she's not an bumbling idiot running into problems because she didn't think them out first. She's intelligent, and I like that above all things. I also like the new direction in the friendship between Tallie and Burton; and in this book we learn more about his past and why he is the way he is. It's bringing more life to the characters involved, and pulling you deeper into their own lives. It's highly enjoyable.

The story line was one of the best so far, and I loved the fact that Tallie is finding out her own strengths and knows what she wants out of life. She's able to run a business and still have time for her family and friends, and solve a murder or two along the way. I also like the fact that she gets her ducks in a row before blindly heading out and getting caught up in bad situations. It makes the entire book a real pleasure to read.

I also love to read any books about Christmas, and while this one doesn't center on the holiday, it still has enough touches where you know it's there. There is a presence of family around the table, and conversations much as all families have, along with the siblings arguing over one thing or another. Days gone by in my household (I live far from my own family); but remembrances live on.

When we get closer to the end of the story everything starts to come together, with surprises still at hand that I don't think anyone could have seen coming. The ending itself was done wonderfully, giving us a tale that ended satisfactorily and also things to look forward to in the next book. Highly recommended.

Holiday bingo games might sometime lead to bloodshed, but as Tallie Graver soon finds out, it might lead to murder. Coaxed into joining her feuding mother and grandmother at a Christmas Eve bingo event, Tallie can hardly wait to step outside at the end of the session. Unfortunately when she does, she trips over the body of Ronda Hogart. When Ronda's husband is discovered missing, Tallie is reluctant to believe the likeable Uncle Hoagie is the killer. As she digs deeper, she discovers so uncomfortable information that might disrupt everything she believes is true. The push and pull between Tallie and her funeral director father is fascinating as is her relationship with Police Chief Burton and his desire to keep her out of the crime investigation. A thoroughly enjoyable series with a determined lead character.

Varnished Without a Trace is a very entertaining cozy mystery. A great plot and a cast of quirky characters. Mystery fans will love this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

I just adored this quirky addition to Misty Simon's A Tallie Graver Mystery series. I was so engrossed in wanting to see resolution of the mystery that I could barely put it down. Add in the complex but funny characters (Funeral Home Humor) and you have a delightful read. I can't wait for more!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Christmas in July is the perfect summer antidote to heat and humidity. This delightful cozy was filled with family drama, a fresh romance, and a well written mystery. It was an enjoyable read on a stormy and muggy Thusday.