I am new to the cozy mystery genre, but absolutely adored this book! Just delightful. This book is book one in the Brooklyn Murder Mystery series. Odessa has recently moved from Louisiana to Brooklyn where she is house and cat sitting for her aunt and working at Untapped Books & Café. When her coworker Bethany has fallen to her death, the police deem it an accident. But Odessa believes Bethany, an influencer with a large following, has been murdered. Odessa makes it her mission to solve the crime. This was a fun and entertaining book. Odessa is relatable, smart and kind. Even though the pace stalled a bit in the middle, it ramped up again towards the end. I would definitely read the next book in the series! Thank you to Berkeley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the advanced review copy and for introducing me to the cozy mystery genre!

I would recommend this for patrons who like Laura Levine's Jaine Austen series, or other cozy mysteries more on the humorous side.  For me this book was a little too "millennial" and I couldn't really relate to the characters.  And there were a lot of comments made about the rude manager who seemed to be a stereotype of what the author perceived as a typical gen-xer.  The mystery was not well-crafted but most books in this genre are read for the characters and interactions than the actual crime-solving.  However, I don't think my typical cozy mystery readers would connect well with Odessa.

I really wanted to love this cozy mystery, but it was a little dry and boring for me. The characters were cute, but the story was very slow.

Odessa Dean is housesitting for her Aunt in Brooklyn. She comes from a very small town in Louisiana so there is culture shock with her new environment. She is lucky enough that her Aunt lives in an awesome apartment. And she finds a job as a waitress in a cafe/book shop. It sounds like she has a charmed life.

The mystery begins when her coworker, Bethany, dies in a near by park. The cops rule it an accident, but Odessa believes there is something suspicious about her death. She begins digging into Bethany's life.

I like that Odessa was not as irritating a sleuth as some cozy mystery protagonists. She asks a lot of questions, but goes about it in a nice way. The reveal of the murderer is believable and makes sense. I like it when the murderer doesn't come entirely out of left field. My only complaint of Odessa as a character is that she seems too nice and lets too many people take advantage of her. I felt annoyed on her behalf.

This is a fun book and Odessa is a great character. I enjoyed reading it and I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

I received an ARC fron NetGalley and the publisher.

Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.  
Publication - February 2, 2021 

A small town girl from Louisiana finds herself in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City, New York for three months to house sit for her aunt.  After recognizing her meager savings will not sustain her fun while in NYC, Odessa gets job as a waitress at a local cafe specializing in craft beers, organic foods, a lazy old hound and an assorted cast of characters.

A warm summer day in Williamsburg brings a flash mob proposal and Brittany, another waitress at the cafe, rushes out on the pretense of a life or death matter at the park. Brittany never returns to work and videos on the internet show her lifeless body laying on the ground.  

Odessa jumps into the investigation as she believes it is more than an accident that took Brittany's life.  Unfortunate mishaps burden Odessa's investigation over the course of the week from dumpster diving to getting arrested.  Throughout the book, Odessa is undeterred by the authorities labeling of an accident, and is determined to identify the killer who took her friends life. 

The book is exciting in the beginning, gets bogged down in the middle building the facts and the conclusion is rushed.  There are moments in the cafe that are completely irrelevant to story which mitigate the story.  Killer Content (A Brooklyn Murder Mystery #1) is a quick read. 

Someone please tell me Untapped Books and Cafe is a real place!! ROAD TRIP.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this advanced copy!  I really enjoyed getting to know Odessa and how quirky she was. It was interesting to see how her true-crime obsession led to her being certain that her coworker was murdered instead of it being an accident like the police stated. In my opinion, it just seemed a bit far fetched. Odessa only knew her coworker for about a week and it seemed as though she was just forcing herself to be part of the story. It felt like it was being dragged along. I was also very annoyed at the fact that every couple of pages there was a mention of Odessa being from Louisiana. I think a couple of times was sufficient. But overall, I assumed this was going to be a campy murder mystery and that our main character was going to have more skills at her disposal but sadly that wasn't the case. I do still think it was a fun read but I think it was missing a bit more plot. It just seemed off with how quickly Odessa became obsessed with this death.

A great mystery that kept me turning the pages! 
I've been dying to read this book! 
Thanks NetGalley publisher and author!
This book is everything and then some! 
Had no idea it was going to be this so dang good!

Killer Content by Olivia Blacke is a Brooklyn based murder mystery novel. Odessa is from small-town Louisiana, only in NY for the summer. When her co-worker, a waitress by day and DIY soap making Youtuber by night is caught on video falling to her death Odessa knows it isn’t an accident. Sure, she doesn’t know Bethany all that well, but she has watched a lot of true crime podcasts. With the police telling her to back off and an absolute nightmare of a manager, Odessa is determined to find the killer. 
As a New Yorker I am definitely biased, but there were entirely too many descriptions of random scenery from Brooklyn, the setting of the novel, for my taste. This book felt like it was half walking tour of Williamsburg half murder mystery. Blacke was also constantly reinforcing the small town girl meets the big city trope by including random facts about the small town in Louisiana and mentioning that Odessa wears cowboy boots. I found the character development to be incredibly lacking. For example, Odessa is cat and apartment sitting for her rich aunt. But, it is never made clear how her aunt got rich, where she went, if they were close or not, and why she has so many weird rules that Odessa seems to constantly be breaking. There was also no resolution on several matters, including the fate of one of her friends who is currently a squatter and if she stays in her job working for a boss who abuses his power daily. Finally, there were no twists-and-turns, no fake outs, and really little mystery. I was surprised to find out who the killer was, mostly because they seemed irrelevant for most of the book. Mostly, I was confused why Odessa was so obsessed with this girl’s death, when she barely knew her and everyone she knew was telling her to drop it.

3.25 stars
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TW; Death
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Odessa Dean is from a small Louisiana town who is learning to adapt to a new Brooklyn life as she watches over her Aunt's cat for the next few months. During her few months she gets a job at Untapped Books & Café - but when one of her coworkers ends up dead, Odessa will stop at nothing to prove that her death isn't a freak accident. I'll start off by saying I loved Odessa's character, she was so witty and stood her ground for someone who comes from a small town. Blacke does such a good job at painting a picture of Brooklyn - I can't wait to revisit these characters in the sequel. 

This was a cozy mystery - the café adds as a great workplace and due to this we get some pretty solid secondary characters that act as the fellow coworkers. As much as I loved reading about the café, it felt like some parts could have been edited out to focus more on the crime aspect. At times I felt frustrated since it felt like no one believed Odessa, not even the police. It finally took for her to crack the case before someone finally believed her. 

The book reads fast, but I mainly was interested in reading what happened in the end. As mentioned above, I found myself skipping over some of the work scenes and scenes that weren't relevant to the mystery. 
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I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you want something light and humorous with a thread of mystery, then you will want to read Killer Content by Olivia Blacke.  I read this quickly and thought it was the perfect story to read over the course of an afternoon. Its nothing too heavy or graphic, just a cute story that is set in Brooklyn with a Louisiana native named Odessa.

Check it out:

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?

This comes out soon, on Feb. 2!

For a new series I felt like this had a good start.  Most of the characters were engaging, especially Odessa. The writing flowed well enough to keep me interested.  It is a lighter read than some and it went fast.  There were some parts that seemed repetitive and tedious.  I found it interesting to view it from the perspective of a millennial  but as a GenX I found some of the over-generalizations(criticisms)  of older people and their use of social media/technology  to be irritating.  Talk about stereotyping--many of us grew up watching all of this unfold and are first adopters since the beginning.  But rant aside, I would be interested to see how the next book develops further.

Nice intro to a cozy mystery series. 
Odessa is apartment sitting for her aunt - she has a super cute cat, Rufus, who requires livein care. 
After a few weeks, Odessa lands a waitress job at a local cafe specializing in craft bear, a lazy senior dog,  hypster menu and eclectic staff. Bethany leaves mid shift to visit a local park - emergency situation. 
While watching the YouTube video of a flash mob proposal,  Odessa catches a glimpse of the cafe's neon green uniform shirt. Running to the park,  she discovers it is Bethany- on a gurney,  in a body bag. 
No one else but Osessa thinks murder.  
Odessa delves into Bethany's life to prove foul play. She also gains a roommate- Izzy, who helps Odessa become more outgoing. 
A steamy detective, clumsy Odessa searching through a dumpster, Izzy and her vegan recipes - book with humor and heart.

This book follows Odessa Dean who comes to Brooklyn from Piney Island, Louisiana and it is nothing like what she was used to at home. Odessa came to Brooklyn to apartment sit and watch over her Aunt Melanie’s cat, Rufus. Odessa had a job at Untapped Books and cafe where she had lots to do. One day her coworker, Bethany, runs out in the middle of the shift and then a viral flash mob video shows a woman in the same work uniform fall from a walkway and die and, sure enough, it was Bethany. Odessa knows Bethany’s death is suspicious and she is determined to find out what really happened. 

This was a fun story that was such a quick read. I loved Odessa and thought she was such a unique character. She was a Bayou girl living life in New York City which wasn’t exactly easy. She was also just always willing to help other people even when it inconvenienced her. I also loved all the side characters and the fellow employees at the cafe. I liked hearing about them and what they were up to. I also thought the idea of the cafe was so cool and I seriously wish I had one near me because I would go all the time. The descriptions of the foods in this book also made me so hungry. 

I loved how witty the story was and how it was putting a modern spin on a mystery, but I definitely wanted a little more mystery. There were a lot of characters that were potential suspects, but they weren’t really mentioned as suspects, so it was hard to guess who the killer could be. This was still an extremely quick read that I truly couldn’t put down and I really cannot wait for the next boom in this series!

I received an eARC courtesy of NetGalley

This is solidly 3.75 rounded up to a 4.

Odessa Dean of a small Louisiana town is spending her summer minding her favorite aunt's cat and upscale Brooklyn loft.
She makes ends meet like many millennials, waitressing. One afternoon a co-worker falls to her death. The "accident" is caught on video and is suddenly trending.

Everyone is convinced it's an accident but Odessa is sure that it's murder.

Despite this book taking place in Brooklyn, it has a small town feel to it which is a characteristic of a cozy murder mystery. I enjoyed the "family" of background characters that were her co-workers. I also really liked the social media twist. I've read a few stories where the inclusion of twitter/IG/YouTube felt really forced and awkward but the author worked them in seamlessly. I was pleasantly surprised by the friendship of Odessa and Izzy. I really loved the depth she managed to give a secondary character and the sisterhood they developed.

As a Gen Xer, I was slightly annoyed by the portrayal of Odessay boss, an alleged member of GenX, who had a much more "Ok Boomer" attitude. Maybe I just don't like to think of myself as that old and grumpy. LOL!

This is a solid start to a charming cozy series!

Brooklyn, law-enforcement, family, friendship, cozy-mystery, situational-humor, verbal-humor, amateur-sleuth*****

I've just found my new favorite character, Odessa Dean! It doesn't hurt that she's from the Bayou and the story takes place in Brooklyn, either. In this story she hasn't been in NYC very long, is cat sitting for her aunt in a posh apartment, works in a bookshop/cafe (with the manager from Hades), and firmly believes that one of her new work friends was murdered (in spite of what the police and the coroner say). Now the sleuthing begins complete with plot twists and red herrings! The imagery is terrific, the characters are marvelous, and the humor is just my style.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley. Thank you!

Killer Content held my interest day and night, I finished in 3 days. A Louisiana girl house sitting for her aunt in an out-of-her-price-range apartment in NYC. I recognized the culture shock as I had experienced the opposite. I was a Michigan girl transplanted to Dallas. We both recognized that people are the same, just the cover story is different. The way I saw it, people in the south sugar-coated everything. Her perspective is that NY people like it raw. 

This could have been a travel journal, the descriptions of the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of NYC are vivid. Yes, I wanted to visit again, as I read the tale of Odessa and the search for her co-worker’s killer, but it also reaffirmed the reasons I don’t want to live there. 

This author is witty, clever, quick, all the good attributes. She doesn’t always make the choices I would have. When she let Izzy stay with her and shared keys, everything in me was crying out no, no, don’t do it. In the end, it was a good choice. Izzy will be a great roommate. 

If Odessa decides to stay on the east coast, I’ll be watching for more of her cozy mysteries. I enjoy hearing about New York City and I honestly felt like I had visited there this week. Oh, and I just couldn’t resist having some avocado toast, she made my mouth water!

This is exactly the kind of mystery/thriller that takes the load off after reading something really dark. It's such an interesting concept and I just really enjoyed the execution of the plot.

Odessa Dean is used to her small bayou town where the pace is slow and everyone knows one another's business, so when she moves up to her aunt's Brooklyn apartment to cat-sit for a few months, she's like a fish out of water. It's loud, it's crowded, and dear god does it smell, but Odessa is determined to make the best of her time in NYC. She gets a job at a local bookshop/diner and during one of her shifts, another waitress, Bethany, rushes out and never comes back. The next thing Odessa knows is a massive flash mob proposal goes viral when it catches the death of Bethany in the background. The police rule her death as accidental, but Odessa can't shake the feeling that Bethany was murdered. Channeling her inner detective, Odessa will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of the case, but will her digging put her right in the path of a killer?

This was a cute read, but I was hoping for just a little bit more. I like my mysteries to make me work for it, and I was able to tell who the murderer was within the first few chapters. Another issue I had was the need to go in-depth over minute things. Nothing about what Odessa ate for breakfast or about how hot NYC summers are is crucial to the storyline, so these random details did nothing to move the plot along and instead made it drag. Character-wise, I liked Odessa and found her sarcastic and driven, but as for the others, I could really take or leave them. While I had a few issues with this, I do still think it would be a good book to pick up if you're looking for a filler read or just one you don't have to think too hard on.

A fun start to a new series featuring a young (she's 20!) woman with a lot of spunk.  Odessa is in Brooklyn to cat sit for her aunt and it's terrific but it's a lot different from Louisiana.  She's coping well enough with the city (well, not all of it) and in need of extra cash, takes a job at a cafe bookstore.  Customers can be a pain (you like me might recognize these people) but what's worse is when her co-worker Bethany walks out mid shift.  Even worse- Bethany falls to her death.  Odessa is certain that Bethany was murdered but she's got to sort through a lot of stuff to find answers.  This mystery is rooted in social media - Bethany was a YouTube success.  It takes a wry look at how influencers are made and the competition between them, as well as at the denizens of Brooklyn.  Odessa is a dynamic character who might best be described as spunky (but, to be clear, not annoying).  Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.  It's a unconventional cozy and it made me smile.

This was a pleasant quick read. I didn't stay as engaged in this at all times like I hoped I would, sometimes the descriptions and the repetitiveness of the main character seemed to drag on. Despite that I really did like Odessa, she was sarcastic and funny and her descriptions (yes even the long ones) did make me feel like I was in New York at the bookstore cafe with her. I also liked that the author brought in phrases calling out problematic phrases/words people are still using. 

I think if you like cozy mysteries with a variety of fun characters you would find this very enjoyable. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the digital review copy. I will post this review to GR and Netgalley now and on my IG on pub date (02/02/2021)