This was super enjoyable! I loved the (bigger sized, curvy!!) small town girl meets big city trope, enjoyed the thoughts on the city and New Yorkers, drooled over the food descriptions (vegan stuff too!), and was wistful at the descriptions of the city. The only thing that annoyed me was the fact that she was too nice; who gives up the bed to sleep on a sofa for months‽‽ As for the mystery, I really liked that she was suspicious because she was a murderino/true crime podcast fan; very plausible cause it fit so many of my friends!

Wowza! I adore the way the author awakened the inner New Yorker of me! Even though I live in West Coast / shiny angels and Mr. Morningstar’s city, I spent more of my years in NYC and these were the best years of my life! 

Ms. Blacke is amazingly talented author because the realistic, snarky, vivid depictions of Brooklyn and her reflections of artistic, complex, intense, entertaining mosaic of its hipster universe was so strict to the point definitions. Her perspective is so genuine, true and smart just like her MC Odessa’s characterization. 

  The girl comes from smallest city/ island with no experience tries to blend chaotic, adventurous, complicated, crowded, multicultural Brooklyn world and interestingly she is resilient to blend in perfectly. She has so many different interests, talents including being seamstress, knowing lots about designs, colors, styles and she also addicted to true crime podcasts which will help her to conduct her own investigation to solve her friend’s murder. 

  Let’s take a look at the story line: Odessa Dean, our smart, natural, sarcastic heroine perfectly adjusts to be Brooklynaire by having a rent free apartment at the one of nicest neighborhoods, working at a bookstore/ cafe named Untapped Books& Cafe, selling organic, tasty sandwiches, appetizers and local brands of brewery. 

I have to admit the mouth watery depictions of brewery and sandwiches just made me drool. (Sprinkling Feta cheese pieces on avocado toast was brilliant idea! I tried and it’s delicious! Californian cafes should add the ingredient to their recipes ASAP!)

  But at the same day one of the waitresses and her acquaintances Bethany wants her to take care her customers at the busiest hour of the cafe, leaving the place without any explanation and as Odessa watches a viral video on YouTube, she realizes a girl falls off the elevated way of Domino Park. The girl wears same cafe uniform she wears. Could she be Bethany? Could she leave the restaurant to Domino Park in hurry? 

  Odessa dashes out from her work place quickly to find out and as the paramedics carry the body on a stretcher at the park she sees the turquoise owl tattoo on the underside of her wrist! Bethany has the same tattoo at the same part of her body.

 Later Odessa learns Bethany is rising star of the YouTube and she has so many rivals want her fall down! As a big fan of true crime podcasts, Odessa already finds herself dig more to find out what happened to her friend which means she may be the next target of the perpetrator! 

This was my another quick reading! Normally I’m not into cozy mysteries but this book truly exceeded my expectations. I had so much fun! I adored the heroine! It is impossible not to enjoy a book takes place in one of my favorite locations in the earth! It was pleasure for me to trip down on a memory lane!

I’m giving four I love Brooklyn, snarky and clever heroines, intellectual hipsters stars! 

Special thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy in exchange my honest opinions.

Eh, I’ve read a few “cozy mysteries” and perhaps this genre just does not work for me. I found Odessa to be very irritating; her kitschy quips about everything were unnecessary as was the incessant overexplaining. NYC is hot in the summer, I get it, I live here. 

I’d consider reading another book in this series as some of the supporting characters were interesting, but only if I didn’t have much else on my to-read list. 

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Series debut -- Odessa Dean, native of a small Louisiana town, is house and cat sitting for her aunt in New York City for three months. The culture shock from the bayou to Brooklyn is extreme for Odessa, but she is loving the eclectic energy of the city and working in a small bookstore/cafe. Odessa is an interesting character -- she stands out because of her background and accent, but she is comfortable in her own skin. When one of her co-workers falls to her death after leaving the cafe with a cryptic message, Odessa is convinced it's murder. The police, however, can find no evidence to support that so she continues to investigate on her own.

Odessa is a well-fleshed out character and their small corner of the city and her funky workplace is well-described. This is a quick and fun read and I would pick up another. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"Killer Content" is a cozy mystery. There were some clues about whodunit and why, but it's not a puzzle mystery. You can't solve the mystery from the clues until the main one at the end, when Odessa also made the connection. Since there was no proof that the death wasn't an accident, she managed to get a recorded confession from the killer...which is better than many cozy mystery heroines.

However, Odessa didn't come across as "real" to me. The cozy aspect was partly her waitressing job but mainly the difference between her rural, southern upbringing and life in the big city. Even though she had only lived in Brooklyn for a relatively short time, she was never thrown by the differences. When a truck (gently) hits her and the driver yells at her, she's not confused, angry, and in need of someone to tell her why he yelled at her. Instead, she immediately told us why she was actually in the wrong and didn't seem bothered by the incident at all. As in, she's never the "fish out of water" but always the confident, knowledgeable guide to Brooklyn culture. And while I love nice heroines, she seemed almost inhumanly, effortlessly nice and understanding (except when it came to her boss).

There was no sex or bad language. Despite the problems I mentioned, I'd still recommend this enjoyable mystery.

This book definitely took me back to my waitressing days (though I never witnessed any murders on my break). Odessa Dean has temporarily moved from Louisiana to Williamsburg, Brooklyn to cat-sit for her aunt, and becomes an amateur detective after a coworker at the bookstore/pub where she works is killed in what police are convinced is an accident. Along the way, she’s forced to deal with vegans, bad drivers, unrequited crushes, creepy customers, and literal garbage. 

KILLER CONTENT is grounded in online life—Odessa, along with thousands of other people, witnesses the story’s central death in a flash mob video—but what makes it come alive are the face-to-face relationships between its characters. Odessa’s new coworkers, friends, and antagonists are quirky but real and always entertaining, and Odessa herself is a delight: snarky yet good-hearted. My favorite parts about this read are the humorous tidbits such as Odessa’s asides about her annoying Gen X manager, Todd, who thinks he’s still “with it” because he listens to Nine Inch Nails (I feel personally attacked, btw). I’m super excited to read about Odessa’s future adventures in Blacke’s next book, NO MEMES OF ESCAPE! (I love a puntastic title.)

This was a fun book with a solid mystery that had me immersed in all that was happening from the introduction of Odessa Dean to the description of the activities at the bookstore/café to the events leading to her co-worker’s demise and to the eclectic cast of characters who all had pivotal roles that aided and abetted the various ways Odessa was able to seek out clues that would lead to the motive and the killer’s identity. With visually descriptive narrative and engaging dialogue, I loved seeing the neighborhood through the eyes of Odessa and it was those sights that gave way to bits and pieces that kept me glued to the pages and enraptured in what was going on. Odessa is a great protagonist and I enjoyed how she stayed true to herself (it’s the boots) while surviving in a new landscape.

I don't usually read mysteries but this book was just what the doctor ordered at the beginning of a new year.  It was a quick read, the plot and characters engaging and held my interest from beginning to end.

This book was great. Funny, intriguing, and Odessa was an absolutely adorable protagonist. Loved it!

Killer Content is the first in a new cozy mystery series. Odessa from a small Louisiana town is catsitting for the summer in her aunt's swanky NYC apartment. To earn money, Odessa is a server at Untapped Books & Café, a Brooklyn bookstore, and cafe. Untapped serves local microbrews, delicious food, and the bestsellers complete with a dog mascot.

Although Odessa often feels like a fish out of water - she still hasn't braved the subway - she's starting to make friends and explore the city. Until the shift when a coworker asks Odessa to cover for her because she has to meet someone. That's the last time Odessa sees Bethany alive. What the police are calling an accidental death, Odessa is sure is murder even though no one including her boss or the other servers believes her.

Odessa is sassy, full of heart, and always wants to do the right thing. On a budget, she loves scoping out thrift stores so she can reimagine and repurpose her buys into new clothes. She's relatable as a twenty-something, unsure about what she wants to do long-term. It was nice to have a chunky main character who's comfortable with herself.

As a former server, I could totally relate to Odessa's trials and tribulations with demanding customers, flaky coworkers, and a downer of a boss. At least I didn't have to wear a neon green polo or walk the dog as part of my tasks.

This was a fun and enjoyable read, with lots of banter. If you read a lot of mysteries, there won't be many surprises. This the type of cozy that you read because you enjoy Odessa not for the puzzle-solving.

Killer Content is a fun mystery with its unforgettable main character, Odessa, who’s from Louisiana but living in Brooklyn house sitting for the summer. Odessa and her spunk make the entire mystery worthwhile.  I wish this was the start of a series because she’s too good to not write about again.

With everything that’s gone on this year, Killer Content is exactly the kind of cheerful escapism that we all need. The MC, Odessa, is unfailingly likable— huge heart, great instincts, and a strong moral compass all packaged up in a pair of cowboy boots.
I was immediately sucked into Odessa’s Williamsburg, which the author did a great job of encapsulating without it being too overpowering or needlessly descriptive. From the sense of community to the descriptions of the food, I felt immersed in the best possible way.
The mystery itself was intriguing, but more than the mystery itself, the way Odessa went about solving it is what really appealed to me. A nice relief from the usual gruff, crusty detectives, Odessa is drawn to solve her co-worker’s murder because that’s just who she is. 
I look forward to reading more about Odessa’s escapades in New York, and hope the next book comes out soon!

What a fun read! You can't help but love the main character, Odessa, a spunky waitress from Piney Island Louisiana who is cat-sitting in Brooklyn for a summer. She gets a job at a bookshop/cafe and after barely a week in the big city, is solving a murder! The secondary characters were wonderful, Odessa is sweet without being syrupy, and there was plenty of plot. Ms. Blacke has a clear and humorous voice and a gift for snappy dialogue. I hope we get to see more of Odessa and her friends very soon!

I loved Odessa!!! What a great character. I wanted to be her friend, and hang out with her around Brooklyn. The author really made Brooklyn come to life - the smells, sounds, sights. I could see the bookstore and cafe where she works perfectly. What a sweet, fun mystery that kept me guessing up until the end. I can't wait for more Odessa and am so glad that she will be staying in Brooklyn (at least I assume since this is Book #1 of the Brooklyn Murder Mysteries). I need more Odessa in my life right now!

This is such a charming mystery! I loved Odessa who is spunky and stubborn, and her fish-out-of-water relationship with NYC. The secondary characters were great, and so was the backdrop of the cafe - everything felt very real with a hilarious quirkiness. And of course the mystery kept me guessing! It was lots of fun watching Odessa be an amateur sleuth.

Odessa is a country girl from Louisiana who gets the opportunity to spend a few months living rent-free in Brooklyn, thanks to the fact that her wealthy aunt is travelling and needs someone to housesit her luxurious apartment and take care of her adorable cat. She finds a part time job in a coffee shop, and in just her first week there, a co-worker dies under somewhat mysterious circumstances. Odessa is convinced murder was involved, but the police disagree. She decides to solve the mystery on her own. This is a fun read with relatable characters and an interesting New York setting. I'd recommend it to readers who enjoy lighter women's fiction and cozy mysteries. It's kind of the best of both types.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Odessa Dean is house sitting for her aunt. A native of the Bayou, she is finding Brooklyn to be full of excitement and culture. To supplement some of her time, she snags a job at a local business, Untapped Books & Cafe. Things take a turn for the worse when her co-worker, Bethany, tragically dies. Her death is caught in the background of many videos of a flash-mob proposal. Odessa hadn’t known Bethany for long, but something doesn’t feel right. Rather than accept that this was a tragic accident, she takes matters into her own hands to find the truth. 

This was a fun murder mystery that had me wishing I was spending the summer in Brooklyn (minus the sweltering heat). Odessa was a likable character that wouldn’t let anyone stop her from getting justice for Bethany. I do wish that the book was a bit faster paced. The timing of finding clues and being introduced to new characters felt a bit off, but overall it was still an enjoyable book. 

If you are looking for a light read that has you solving mysteries with Odessa, then this is for you. It was intriguing and unlike mysteries I have previously read.