Title:  Killer Content
Author:  Olivia Blacke
Genre:  Cozy mystery
Rating:  3 out of 5

Bayou transplant Odessa Dean has a lot to learn about life in Brooklyn. So far she's scored a rent free apartment in one of the nicest neighborhoods around by cat-sitting, and has a new job working at Untapped Books & Café. Hand-selling books and craft beers is easy for Odessa, but making new friends and learning how to ride the subway? Well, that might take her a little extra time.

But things turn more sour than an IPA when the death of a fellow waitress goes viral, caught on camera in the background of a couple's flash-mob proposal video. Nothing about Bethany's death feels right to Odessa--neither her sudden departure mid-shift nor the clues that only Odessa seems to catch. As an up-and-coming YouTube star, Bethany had more than one viewer waiting for her to fall from grace.

Determined to prove there's a killer on the loose, Odessa takes matters into her own hands. But can she pin down Bethany's killer before they take Odessa offline for good?

Blacke has some solid writing chops, but this just wasn’t a good fit for me. Odessa was quirky, but it was so over-the-top that it felt like a farce. The other characters felt like cookie cutters, and none of them were distinct enough to feel real. Odessa was also super-judgey, especially of her boss, who she basically treated like an idiot because he was older than her and “clueless.” Actually, Odessa’s personality bothered me more than her quirkiness:  she just wasn’t a nice person. Nosy, condescending, and self-centered, she acted even more immature than her age.

Olivia Blacke has lived all over the U.S. Killer Content is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Berkley in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 2/9.)

I’ve never read a cozy mystery before and this book was the perfect intro into the genre. It’s exactly the type of mystery I needed to read after something dark and twisty. Cozy mystery’s tend to lean on the cute and fun side, and this one really didn’t disappoint. I had so much fun reading it!⁣⁣
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Odessa Dean just moved to the Brooklyn neighbourhood, Williamsburg, to house sit for her Aunt while she’s away on holiday. Odessa got a job at a local café/bookstore and is ready to dive into the new world that she finds herself in. Odessa’s life flips upside down after she watches a viral video of a flash mob that goes awry: her co-worker Bethany has an “accident” and tumbles to her death during the show. But Odessa isn’t convinced it’s an accident and begins to do her own investigating.⁣⁣
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To add to the story, you have a gorgeous detective and a funky new roommate who brings out Odessa’s outgoing side! She was the right amount of wholesome and quirkiness, definitely someone you want to root for.⁣⁣
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The best way I can think of how to recommend this book is: it’s a thriller book reader’s version of a hallmark movie. What I’m trying to say is, if you like mystery/thriller novels and occasionally enjoy a sappy hallmark movie, then pick this one up!⁣⁣
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This one comes out this Tuesday Feb 2nd so make sure to gets hands on it if it sounds like something you’d like! ⁣
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This was a very fun new cozy. Fish out of water Odessa, freshly transplanted from Louisiana to Brooklyn, makes for a charming heroine as she brings her small town standards to the big city, making her neighborhood feel like a close knit small town with all the hallmarks of a traditional cozy while being novel. Fresh, young, and vibrant, this is definitely a new series to watch.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for the ARC. 

🌟🌟🌟 3/5 stars 

Killer Content is a cute cozy mystery that reminds me of my beloved Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. Our main character, Odessa Dean, has recently moved to Williamsburg from Louisiana and is working as a waitress. One day, she is watching a viral video of a flash mob proposal gone wrong and she witnesses the death of one of her co-workers. Her co-worker, Bethany, was a YouTube star and had many enemies. Odessa decides to solve the mystery herself. 

Cozy mysteries are very hit or miss for me. I always love the movie adaptations of several cozy series, but sometimes I have trouble getting into the books. Killer Content is one of the better ones I have read. This is due to the true crime podcast element. Odessa is an avid listener and uses the knowledge she has gained from podcasts to solve this mystery. Any book featuring a podcast fan is a book I will enjoy. Odessa is a fun, sweet character and her fish-out-of-water storyline allows for many laughs. 

Overall, Killer Content is a breezy, cute, and funny cozy mystery that murderinos and hallmarkies will enjoy! 

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Killer Content is cute start to a new cozy series. Odessa Dean is housesitting for her Aunt in New York City. That’s pretty far from the Bayou, but she’s doing her best to fit in. And when a co-worker dies, Odessa won’t stop till she finds the truth. Cute and quirky characters with a mystery that’ll keep you guessing. Watch out NYC, Odessa is taking over!

*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

this book has an interesting premise, and the cover is beautiful! my main issue was the main character, i felt she wasn’t entirely like able. it was interesting to see the story unfold and get to the bottom of the mystery

I am hooked from the first chapter! Odessa is a likable character, and her journey after moving to new york is one hell of a ride. The mystery really intrigued me, and I find myself asking what is going on?. the twist and turns are remarkable. The characters are well-developed and very engaging. The story is captivating and remarkably written.

After you’re drawn in by this absolutely eye catching cover that has all the perfect details for this contemporary cozy, stay for the atmosphere, fun characters and unique setup for a murder mystery series! 

You won’t regret picking up this delicious debut, 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓, by Olivia Blacke as you meet Odessa Dean, a new to Brooklyn waitress who might just be the cooler version of every millennial who doesn’t fit the normal size two female, without a clue what to do in life female beyond what’s happening now & how to deal with it. 

Maybe it’s the fifteen years of my own serving & bartending experience that just had me from page one, I felt Odessa’s character in my very soul. Add in feeling like she’s in an in-between from her small town hometown to big city living, and coworkers who turn into family, and this story had everything I didn’t know was missing from my book collection. 

Her coworker Bethany may have been a social media content creating superstar, but she’s also created enough frenemies that someone was willing to kill her. While Odessa may have only worked with Bethany for a week, seeing a viral video of her coworker after she asked her to cover for her at work turns her true crime podcast listening + people skills to a new role as amateur sleuth when no one believes that it wasn’t an accident. 

There were plenty of characters introduced in this quick read, which could have seemed overwhelming, but for me it only added to the flavor of the story - and that much more exciting to realize that this book was a series, and imagining who could be featured in future titles! From quirky coworkers, to the detective working on the case, Odessa was surrounded by incredible supporting characters we got just the right taste of without being too overwhelming. Knowing any one of them could be the killer, but also setting us up for future books just made it even better! AND the story features a loveable shop dog + her aunt’s cat full of personality, so BONUS for the pet lovers! 

Blacke’s writing style gave Odessa such a vivid voice, with just enough laughter, drama and friendship to remind you while you love a good cozy pick me up. Who knew New York could be the perfect setting for a cozy mystery?! I LOVED that this book was so out of the norm, it just 100% worked for me! 

Untapped Books and Cafe is the place of my dreams, my bestie and I have said for YEARS this kind of place is exactly what we would love to create - without the murder mystery - we’ll let cozies like this one serve that up! 

Thank you to Berkley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my personal review. 

& please, don’t forget to tip your server. <3

Y'all are going to enjoy Odessa's adventures in New York City. This Louisiana gal will charm you. Good start for a new series. I look forward to reading the next one. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

Fresh, fun, and well-written! Odessa and this cast of quirky characters make for a quick, delightful read! Can't wait for more in this series!

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

This modern take on the cozy mystery genre is a hit! Odessa Dean is a Southern girl living in NYC working at a cafe in a bookstore while taking care of her aunt's cat. What's not to love about that? I loved getting to know her and her friends as she tries to figure out what happened to her co-worker. The mystery kept me guessing until the end. The tweets at the beginning of each chapter were fun. I recommend Killer Content to everyone who wants to travel but is still stuck at home.

Quirky, cozy and laugh out loud funny! I adored this book! I don’t normally ready cozy mystery’s but this was just different and I ate up every word. I adored Olivia, I want to be best friends with her. 

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for my advanced ebook copy.

Odessa Dean is still getting used to life in New York City after spending her first quarter century or so in the sleepy Louisiana town of Piney Island. Her aunt needed a cat-sitter while jaunting off to Europe for three months, so Odessa happily took the opportunity to see the big city, rent-free. Aunt Melanie tried to give her some spending money, but Odessa had been sure her savings would be fine for the summer, a notion she was swiftly disabused of after only a few weeks of living in a place far more expensive than her rural hometown. 

So Odessa gets a job waitressing at Untapped Books & Cafe, a position she both loves and hates. When her co-worker Bethany Kostolus abruptly leaves mid-shift on a matter of “life and death”, Odessa is mostly annoyed at having to cover for her, especially when Bethany is gone for much longer than promised. When Bethany doesn’t come back at all, Odessa begins to suspect something is seriously wrong, even before she views a local flash mob proposal going viral on social media for all the wrong reasons. Instead of attracting attention for the happy occasion, the video is snagging viewers for footage of someone plunging to her death from overhead. Odessa is shocked to recognize that someone as poor Bethany.

Despite the cops, including the handsome Detective Vincent Castillo, ruling Bethany’s death an accident, Odessa is convinced that foul play must have been involved. Her persistence in investigating earns her mostly exasperation from Detective Castillo, who is understandably unhappy at her amateur attempts at detection:

QUOTE
"Let me guess, you read a lot of mystery novels."

I shook my head. "No, but I do listen to true crime podcasts."

"Listening to podcasts doesn't make you a detective."

"Why not?" I argued. "I taught myself how to sew a Renaissance Faire costume, complete with corset, by watching YouTube videos. I could get a whole master's degree online if I wanted to."
END QUOTE

This very millennial attitude permeates this fun contemporary cozy novel as Odessa traverses Williamsburg in search of clues as to what really happened to Bethany, getting to know her co-workers better and making friends along the way. As someone on the cusp between being a millennial and a Gen Xer myself, I spent my time alternately nodding along in recognition and cringing in embarrassment as Odessa blithely makes her way, fish out of water style, through solving a murder while navigating life in 21st century New York City. I also really enjoyed her growing relationships with the diverse and quirky cast of characters, as well as the deftly handled romantic subplots. 

Perhaps what I enjoyed most of all was Olivia Blacke’s commitment to depicting the unexpected best (and occasional worst) of Williamsburg. From thrift stores and squatters to dog parks and locavores, Ms Blacke seamlessly blends the very real concerns of modern Williamsburg residents into her narrative, as here where Odessa’s co-worker Parker addresses her concerns about the beehives he maintains on the roof of Untapped:

QUOTE
"Are you kidding? The neighbors love them. My bees pollinate every flowerbed and community garden within two miles. That's like most of Williamsburg. If it weren't for my bees, all of the beer and veggies we serve in the cafe would get their ingredients from Jersey or something instead of right here in Brooklyn. Take our most popular beer, Pour Williamsburg. They use coriander, grown on the rooftop garden next door and pollinated by my bees, to give it that extra little flavor. Then they bottle it in Park Slope and deliver it out of the back of a minivan. That's what makes eating local so special. The whole of Brooklyn can get involved."
END QUOTE

Both charming and rooted in reality, this entertaining debut is a breath of fresh air in the cozy genre, featuring a sleuth who reads like an actual 20-something in the right now instead of from the last century. The use of technology and social media throughout was also really well done, especially with the ways Odessa used both to help her find and trap a killer. I’m excited to see where Ms Blacke goes with this delightful cast next, and am looking forward to solving more mysteries with Odessa as she grows into full-fledged independence and adulthood.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Cozy mysteries are usually too…cozy and action-less, for me, but Killer Content piqued my interest and persuaded me to give the genre another shot. And once I reframed my mindset in terms of the branding of the “cozy,” I found I was able to enjoy what this one brought to the table.

One of the best parts is the setting…while I’ve read several books set in New York, I liked how this one generally felt like a no s change of pace, even keeping in mind it is a busy metropolitan area. The cute little Williamsburg apartment and charming bookstore/cafe are examples of settings that feel idyllic, and I loved the vibes I got from them. 

And the fact that Odessa herself is new to the area makes it easy for a non-resident to resonate and soak it all in with her. Not only that, but there’s a charming recurring cast of characters that are absolutely delightful. 

The mystery itself is engaging, and I was impressed with how it was still able to deal with a complex crime and the questions around it without delving too much into the shock value, as I feel like some other cozies I read pulled back too much and lost my interest as a result, to the point that I didn’t really miss the lack of intensity of a more standard mystery. 

This is one of those books that, to my knowledge, appeals to all the familiar cozy mystery tropes, yet is still accessible for someone who isn’t so sure about the genre or its appeal yet.

Killer Content by Olivia Blacke was a killer murder mystery! This was good enough to brave reading on my Kindle in the bathtub which is a hallmark of how much I NEEDED to know what would happen next! Our sleuth is Odessa Dean from a small town in Louisiana, but thanks to her aunt's spoiled cat she's a temporary New Yorker in a swanky Brooklyn apartment. She gets a job as a waitress at a cafe/bar/bookstore. When one of her coworkers dies a bit mysteriously, she is on the case like her many true crime podcasts have prepped her be. 

Odessa is amazing, I love seeing a younger slueth who isn't afraid to investigate and has fun hobbies like sewing! I can't wait to see where this series goes! Put this one on your must read today!

If Untapped books & café is a real place I wanna go there right now! Killer Content was a quick read. I personally don't read many 'cozy mysteries' and I'm not sure if it is my favourite theme/genre. One main issue I had with the book is unnecessary details given throughout as well is repeated/similar scenes. For example, Odessa talking about the heat wave in New York, the food that the cook makes, etc. It made the book a lot slower and did not add any value. Other than that, I liked the characters- especially Odessa. she was fun and I liked her inner-dialogue. All of them were interesting and had distinctive personalities. Overall, this book was a miss for me, but readers who enjoy cozy mysteries may enjoy this!

Killer Content by Olivia Blacke is an interesting cozy mystery that had me invested in the characters.

Odessa Dean is cat-sitting for her aunt for a few months in Brooklyn. Odessa is from a small town in Louisiana and is now living in one of the nicest apartments in the city. She works at Untapped Books and Coffee.  She likes her job but doesn’t have any friends. Odessa is also still getting used to living in a city. One day at work, Bethany asks her to cover for her while she leaves for an hour. Bethany doesn’t return to work because she died. Everyone is convinced Bethany’s death was an accident except Odessa. Odessa hardly knew Bethany but will do anything to prove she was killed. Bethany is trying to find the murderer. 

I really enjoyed Killer Content. The story grabbed my attention from the very beginning. The characters are definitely one of the best parts of Killer Content. Odessa is quirky and relatable. Her aunt offered to pay her to stay at her apartment, but Odessa refused. She decided to get a job as a waitress instead. Her boss makes her do odd jobs that he doesn’t feel like doing like walking his dog. Odessa works had and doesn’t let this bother her. Odessa doesn’t fit in with most of her coworkers and even when she hears them making fun of her, she is still nice to them. When Bethany dies, she will do anything to find out what actually happened even when people try to convince her to give up. When another coworker she hardly knows needs somewhere to stay, she breaks her aunt’s rules and lets Izzy move in. Izzy and Odessa quickly develop a friendship. Izzy tries to be a good house guest by cooking and cleaning for Odessa. Bethany is an interesting character. Odessa discovers many things about Bethany during her search. Odessa is put in some interesting situations that are very entertaining.

I recommend Killer Content to fans of cozy mysteries. I usually do not read cozy mysteries but am so glad I read this one. I will definitely be reading more cozy mysteries and looking forward to book two in A Brooklyn Murder Mystery series.

Thank you Berkley Publishing, NetGalley and Edelweiss for Killer Content.

I liked the premise of this book - a 20-something woman from small town Louisiana goes to New York to spend a summer house and cat-sitting for her aunt in Brooklyn. She takes a job as a waitress in a combo cafe/bar/bookstore, and right at the beginning of the book, she sees one of her coworkers fall to her death in the background of a viral flash mob proposal video filmed just minutes before she sees it. Though she barely knows the woman, she decides to get involved and pushes her way into the police investigation in a way that I assume would be very much not appreciated in real life. I liked Odessa as a main character but I didn't like the writing style in this book - it was overly descriptive/explanatory often (like "so and so is a vegan, and that means that she doesn't eat any animal products including eggs and honey"). I think I would have enjoyed it more if the writing style was a bit sparer.

3.5 cozy + quirky + laugh out loud stars to this debut whodunit mystery novel! Odessa is a Southern girl, living in Brooklyn for the summer, cat sitting for her aunt and waitressing at a bookstore cafe. One of her coworkers is murdered and Odessa, a true crime junkie + concerned coworker, is determined to solve the mystery and deliver justice for her friend. Full of hilarious misadventures and interactions, this book kept me laughing and entertained until the end. It was a quick, fun read. Perfect for fans of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. 

Thank you to Berkeley Publishing + Netgalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love a who done it - especially when the one figuring it out is someone who takes matters into their own hands. Well done.