"On Borrowed Crime" by Kate Young is a delightful and engaging cozy mystery novel that will captivate readers with its charming characters, clever plot twists, and small-town charm. Young, with her skillful storytelling and knack for crafting intricate mysteries, delivers a captivating narrative that keeps readers guessing until the very end.

One of the most compelling aspects of "On Borrowed Crime" is its protagonist, Laine Eldritch. As the owner of a charming bookshop in the quaint town of Honey Springs, Laine is a relatable and endearing character whose love of books and curiosity often lead her into unexpected adventures. Readers will find themselves drawn to Laine's warmth, wit, and determination as she sets out to solve the mystery at the heart of the story.

Young's writing style is engaging and accessible, with a perfect blend of humor, suspense, and heart. She expertly builds tension throughout the novel, keeping readers on the edge of their seats as they follow Laine's investigation into a series of puzzling crimes. From red herrings to unexpected plot twists, Young keeps readers guessing until the very end, making "On Borrowed Crime" a true page-turner from start to finish.

Moreover, "On Borrowed Crime" is not just a mystery novel—it's also a celebration of community, friendship, and the power of second chances. Young's vivid descriptions bring the town of Honey Springs to life, immersing readers in a world filled with quirky characters, picturesque landscapes, and cozy cafes. The camaraderie between Laine and her friends adds depth and richness to the story, highlighting the importance of connection and support in times of trouble.

The novel is also notable for its cleverly crafted plot and well-developed cast of suspects. Young keeps readers guessing with a series of twists and turns that keep the mystery fresh and engaging. As Laine delves deeper into the case, she uncovers secrets and scandals that threaten to unravel the fabric of her tight-knit community, adding intrigue and suspense to the story.

In conclusion, "On Borrowed Crime" by Kate Young is a must-read for fans of cozy mysteries and charming small-town settings. With its lovable characters, engaging plot, and heartfelt message of friendship and redemption, it's a book that will warm the hearts of readers young and old. Young has crafted a delightful and entertaining novel that is sure to leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series.

Not what I would consider a "cozy" mystery. However, this interesting story kept me guessing until the end.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery with all of the characters. The main character was Lyla Moody.

Lyla Moody works for her uncle in his investigative firm as a receptionist. When her best friend's suitcase shows up on her door step she brings it in side. But what she and her best friend find the next day is very surprising. Her best friend suitcase has a dead body within. Lyla decides to try to find out why.

This was a fun story to read. It had action, suspense, and drama throughout. It had a few giggles within. It was fun trying to solve the mystery within.

I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. This is my honest unbiased opinions.

This is the first book in the Jane Doe Book Club Mystery series and I can’t wait to read more! Kate Young wrote this cozy mystery so well that I never could decide who I thought was guilty. Every time I’d think I was sure of who the culprit was, there’d be a twist that completely threw me. To me, that’s the sign of a great mystery writer! There was a large cast of characters that took me a bit to learn but I enjoyed getting to know all of them...even if I didn’t trust any of them until the actual murderer was revealed. 😂 If you enjoy cozy mysteries set in cute small towns that are solved by amateur sleuths, definitely check this book out! Also, I’d just like to add that this book especially felt like I could be living in it as it’s set in Sugar Mountain, Georgia, a fictional town about 45 minutes north of Atlanta, and I live in a small town in NW Georgia about an hour and a half from Atlanta. I’m no Lyla though so don’t expect me to go snooping around to solve any Jane Doe cases anytime soon!

This is the first novel in the Jane Does Book Club trilogy and the first thing I’ve ever read by Ms Young; despite a few quibbles, it will definitely not be the last.

There are two currents in the narrative, both of which worked beautifully for me. One, the slightly ditzy and inexperienced, but passionate, amateur dealing with real life murder (and the inherent danger thereof); second, the quasi-Southern Gothic themes of an apparently perfect well-to-do small town, and all the secrets, some generational, that everyone keeps.

The beginning of the book is a bit uneven for me; for one, there is a lot of unnecessary information in the first few pages. We get things like a crash course on privileged white Southernness (women never leave home without their handbags and are never seen without full makeup; no white after Labor Day; ‘ladies don’t make scenes’, and so on), along with too much description, including brand names, cars, how many rooms a house has, how old it is, specific objects inside, etc. Seriously, we get detailed descriptions of pretty much every space she enters, even when all she does is sit to read something.

Then there’s the fact that Lyla felt quite young to me for a long time; even after we are told that she’s actually 31, she reads like an immature 20 to 22 year old. There are some reasons for this, but it’s jarring to have a woman over 30 having to repeat, to herself and almost everyone around her, that she’s “an independent woman”, capable of taking care of herself and making decisions about her life. (see footnote 1)

The premise of the plot is that Lyla is obsessed with crime, both fiction and non; she works for her uncle not just to earn a living, but in hopes of eventually becoming his partner. It follows easily that she would belong to a book club devoted to mysteries and true crime, and, given there are only a handful of other members, that she would be reasonably good friends with them all.

Keeping in mind that I’m reviewing from an uncorrected proof, I have to say that the scene where we meet the other “Jane Does” is confusing; it’s also the one place where the descriptions are perfunctory (I believe one of them may be Black, but I’m still not sure, after finishing the whole novel). At any rate, it took me a bit to be able to differentiate between them.

And then, one of the Janes is murdered, and Lyla happens to…well, not so much ‘find a body’ as have it deposited at her doorstep at about 10% in, and the story picks up steam from there.

There are a few moments throughout the book where Lyla goes back to acting like someone much younger and a lot less intelligent than she’s proven herself to be; with one exception, these ‘lapses’ make sense, given what we learn about her life.

My one complaint here is that there’s a lot that’s hinted at regarding Lyla’s past, but very little is actually explained, and the same goes for her mother’s and maternal uncle’s childhood and youth; at one point, the only thing that is clear is that everyone is keeping secrets, and that some of those secrets are likely to be deadly.

This contributes to the general feeling of menace, and helps obscure the identity of the killer (I knew by the time I hit 80%, but it’s not obvious, if that makes sense); the climax has enough tension and actual action to keep reading, and the resolution and actual ending were properly satisfying. I particularly like that Lyla rescues herself while still being imperfect and occasionally ditzy.

On Borrowed Crime gets 7.75 out of 10.

(I was pleased to learn that we learn a lot more about Lyla’s mother’s secrets in the next book, Reading Between the Crimes. The third novel in the series, Crime for the Books, comes out on October 11.)

* * * * *

1 It is not addressed in the novel, though it may crop up later in the series, that Lyla’s parents have been married 50 years, yet she’s only 31–that means their marriage was childless for some 18 years. This surely has something to do with how Lyla and her parents relate, but the thing is: her parents aren’t written like people in their 70s, more like people in their mid- to perhaps late-50s.

In the first book of the Jane Doe Book Club cozy mystery series, author Kate Young offers readers a glimpse into the life of Lyla Moody of Sweet Mountain, Georgia. She’s been working at her Uncle Calvin’s private investigator office, and hoping to become a PI herself at some point, much to the chagrin of her mother. Lyla and her best friend Melanie are part of the Jane Doe Book Club, which generally meets to discuss true crime books and mystery novels, but they get caught up in a real life mystery when one of the members of the club is murdered, possibly tied to a local cold case.

Although I did find myself mentally yelling at Lyla for making some very bad decisions, this is a very good read. It’s a bit darker than your typical cozy mystery, but I still very much enjoyed it. Unlike most series starters, this book doesn’t start with Lyla’s first day working for her uncle or her first day joining the book club or anything like that. She’s already been working at the PI office for a bit, the book club is well established, and we only get a few hints to Lyla’s past. It’s an interesting approach. There are some cracks in the foundation of the Moody family’s seemingly perfect life, which I hope gets explored. I look forward to reading more in this series to learn more about why Lyla’s mother is so against her interest in true crime and to learn more about the strained relationship between Mrs. Moody and Uncle Calvin.

Looking at the mystery itself, it was enthralling. There are a lot of characters introduced, and you’ll probably suspect most of them over the course of the book. The ending is executed very well! I will definitely be reading more from this series and from this author!

I loved the Southern Sass series so no surprise that I loved this series as well! Kate Young easily and quickly became an auto buy/read author for me. I cant wait to see what she comes up with next!

This was a fun and fast read. The theme and plot were not all that fresh, but still a good and fun introduction to a series. I would love to read a second book when it comes out.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Much to her mother’s dismay Lyla Moody is very interested in solving crimes, especially cold cases, as do her friends. Together they have formed Jane Doe Book Club. She also loves working for her P.I. uncle as a receptionist but hopes her role will grow into her being more of a partner in his investigations. Her position there does give her an in when pursuing cold cases too.

Sadly the case the book club is now investigating is the death of one of their own. Lyla came home one day to find a suitcase on her porch. Thinking it was her BFF Melanie’s suitcase that must have been lost when she was coming home from vacation, she pulls it in the house and doesn’t give it another thought. That is until Melanie arrives and there is a terrible smell in the air. When they open the suitcase they make a gruesome discovery. Their friend Carol has been killed and unceremoniously folded up and stuffed in the suitcase. Of course, the police put Melanie at the top of their suspect list. With no faith in the police, Lyla enlists the help of the rest of the Jane Doe book club to clear Melanie’s name and find the person that murdered their friend. Soon the tables are turned and hunters become the hunted. Is the killer planning to kill off the book club members one by one? Not if Lyla can stop them!

Ms. Young has created some wonderful characters in this new series. Lyla is a very dynamic protagonist that I want to know better. Her interest in true crime and mysteries has driven her fine southern mother to distraction. Her mother’s total concentration is getting Lyla married to a fine man and providing her with grandchildren. Her father, a well-respected psychiatrist is more laid back. It is her grandmother though that became my favorite character. She is kind and funny and supports Lyla 100% in everything she does, including trying to catch a killer. Her Private Investigator uncle tries to keep Lyla safe and out of his cases but when one of those cases takes him out of town there is no holding Lyla back. We also meet Lyla’s cousin who is a real piece of work. She has been dating and has now moved in with Lyla’s ex. To really throw things in Lyla’s face they have moved in right next door. The book club ladies are an entertaining group and we have just scratched the surface getting to know them. Oh, and the police chief and Lyla have a past. That keeps things interesting.

The mystery was complex and very well-plotted. I liked the way it connected to another case that Carol was delving into. With all the twists and turns the author ramps up the suspense while still keeping the story within the cozy mystery realm. She finds a nice balance between drama and humor and just starts to approach the idea of romance near the end of this story. The ending was exciting. There is still a subplot mystery to be revealed yet as a bit of a cliffhanger drawing us to the next book in the series.

The sweet southern small town of Sweet Mountain, Georgia was an ideal setting. The descriptions painted a vivid picture of the locale but it was the dialogues and attitudes that really gave the story the true southern feel. Lyla’s mother made sure everyone knew what was expected of a young woman of the south even though Lyla bucked and kicked that notion day in and day out.

On Borrowed Crime was an excellent debut for this series. The mystery was first-rate and the characters were very intriguing. There is a lot of room for development as the series continues. I am looking forward to what I hope becomes a long-running series.

The cozy mystery is a continually evolving genre, but in author Kate Young's series debut, she proves exactly why that's so important. It seems lately whenever I'm writing about cozies, I'm always talking about the idea of "freshness"—and really, what I mean is whether a book feels like every other one on the shelf ... not that there's anything wrong with that. However, when an author offers up something different—fresh—I find myself sitting up a little straighter. Paying a little more attention. Falling in love with the genre all over again.

With On Borrowed Crime, it all comes down to the crime itself. Lyla Moody, much like many other cozy heroines, finds herself stalled. Getting by in her little town in Georgia, she's had her ups and downs, but lately things are starting to grind. Her ex moves in next door. Her mother has all sorts of opinions on what a proper lady should be doing, and it certainly doesn't involve working for her uncle's private investigator business, nor running a true crime book club. And then she finds a body ... on her doorstep.

And it explodes off the page with as much grace as a car crash. It's so morbid and practically vulgar and it totally works. It's impossible not to care about the victim and it ups the stakes, putting even more pressure on Lyla and her cadre of crime-obsessed pals to solve the mystery.

From there, things settle into more familiar territory. Lyla wanders through her investigation, her knowledge of cases guiding her questioning. It feels as though Young really considered the trauma of such a discovery and tapped into Lyla's need for answers.

That doesn't mean she skimped on fun. Rather, because she hammers home the strong, serious moments, the beats of levity come shining through. An encouraging and spunky grandmother, Lyla's quirks, complicated love—Young knows exactly how to both layer and lighten the mood.

As a new take on the genre, On Borrowed Crime works on every level.

This just didn’t end up being a book that interested me. When I first read the premise, I was very excited and invested, but getting into it made it clear that it just wasn’t for me. Hopefully it works for others out there!

On Borrowed Crime is the first book in Kate Young’s promising Jane Doe Book Club Mystery series (the second book, Reading Between the Crimes, is due out later this year). It introduces Lyla Moody, who works as a receptionist at her uncle’s private detective agency in the small town of Sweet Mountain, Georgia. Lyla is also a committed member of the Jane Doe book club and, like her fellow members, is obsessed with reading true crime books. The knowledge she has picked up in this way comes in super handy when Lyla discovers the body of Carol, another member of the club, and her best friend Melanie becomes the prime suspect in the killing. Lyla is determined to clear her friend’s name and discover the identity of Carol’s murderer.

The mystery that Lyla becomes embroiled in is intriguing and her investigation features plenty of twists and turns, all while remaining delightfully cosy and non-threatening. Plenty of viable suspects are provided, in addition to some decidedly unlikeable individuals from Lyla’s personal life, although it being a small town in a cosy mystery, there are lots of fun and engaging characters too. The story is very atmospheric, and Kate Young goes a great job of recreating the Southern tone and style of small-town Georgia.

I could not put this book down! I loved it! The first in the series provided me with the background and character development I needed to move forward with more books in this series. I also enjoyed the fast pace of the story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. This was a really good mystery that kept me interested until the end.

This is a cozy mystery, and the first book in A Jane Doe Book Club Mystery series. I found that this book did not hold my attention. I did find parts of this book to be a good, but I think I had trouble with the writing style of this book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Crooked Lane Books) or author (Kate Young) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review about how I feel about this book, and I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

This title is the first in a series based is Sweet Mountain, Georgia. Lyla, a stand-in receptionist (and amateur P.I.) is a member of the Jane Doe Book Club. She and her fellow members are true crime buffs who read a variety of mysteries and thrillers. They become involved in a real life mystery when one of their own is murdered.

ON BORROWED CRIME is a good story, but there is a lot going on with a number of characters and jumping around. As the reader, you believe you are going to “see” the action you know is coming. s is not the case. All of a sudden you are in the next chapter and the event has been resolved, or concluded. You are simply forced to assume what happened because the characters move on. There is no description for some of the events, and others seem to have a great deal of detail when it is not really necessary.

Like I said, the story is good. I will read the next in the series to see if the Jane Doe Book Club with better capture my attention,

First in a new series, On Borrowed Crime follows Lyla and her book club as they mourn a friend and try to discover the truth behind what happened. I always love starting a new cozy series and I enjoy the small town settings, this one in a small southern village. It seemed like there was a lot going on and a lot of characters... and I’m still trying to decide how I feel about the protagonist. On to book two so I can find out!

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the complimentary digital review copy of this title.

I loved this book, and i wished i had read it earlier, this is a book club and one of them gets murdered. The book club instead of reading about crime become entangled in solving the case.. A dangerous thing to. Follow the storyline and curl up one evening to enjoy this cosy mystery book. I did!

This was a super cute, quick cozy mystery read! I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fast read that keeps you interested with its quirky characters and storyline.

Great new series with a fun southern setting. It has a book club called the Jane Does that everyone would want to join. I am really looking forward to following the main character, Lyla Moody, on her next adventure.