I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was a very cosy murder mystery novel full of twists and great detective work. It also had a good structure, was well written and I quickly got into it. The main character Lyla is a lovable and determined woman, which I liked. This is the first book in a series and there were some open storylines at the end of the book that I can't wait to explore further in the next book. At the same time it does work well as a stand alone book too, so it is also something for readers that are not fans of series. Leaving the best to last: I had no idea on who dunnit until it unfolded!

Many thanks to NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Kate Young, Kensington Books and NetGalley for letting me read On Borrowed Crime: A Jane Doe Mystery.

Lyla is a young southern belle with an odd obsession - she and her book group ‘The Jane Doe Bookclub’ can’t get enough of Murder mysteries. But when one of their own is the next victim; will the truth be stranger than fiction?

I loved the character in this book and they beautiful way you, as the reader, find yourself situated right in the middle of complex, endearing relationships that are easy to resonate with. Lyla is a smart, headstrong girl following her passion despite the naysayers and it’s great how every time she’s targeted by the killer, she just gets more determined to solve the crime! I’m excited to see how she develops in future books as a butt kicking belle.

You’ll be guessing till the end with this one as the story is well crafted and everyone looks guilty! Interestingly, I found myself casting some of the psycho chicks from the Bachelor AU as the divas running around in this book! 🤣

In all, a great book with smart characters and a well paced story. Keen to watch this series unfold.

I didn't much care for writing style of this book. There was too much dialogue with so many characters that all sounded the same that it didn't even seem to matter who was speaking. I also felt the transitions were abrupt and sometimes made it difficult to understand what was going on.
The story itself was okay, with potential to be better if I had liked any of the characters but I didn't very much. The main character, Lyla, was the most interesting and only really developed character. All the characters had formal and unnatural sounding dialogue.

On Borrowed Crime is the perfect starter for the Jane Doe Book Club mystery series. If you're a fan of book clubs, and the Aurora Teagarden Mystery series by Charlaine Harris then this is going to be a book/series you'll want to check out.

Having enjoyed other titles by Kate Young, On Borrowed Crime, definitely did not disappoint! Reminiscent of Ellery Adams' Secret, Scone, and Book Society, (which I loved), I can't wait to read more of the Jane Doe Book Clubs' antics!

Any lover of cozy mysteries will love this series.

This is the first in a new series by Kate Young. What a great start! Lyla works as a receptionist for her uncle in his PI office. When one of her friends is found dead,or rather dumped at her door in a suitcase, it is only natural for Lyla to become involved.
Lyla also belongs to the Jane Doe Book Club, these women that are friends, yet have flaws that can be related to.
Dysfunctional parents, fast paced read and had me guessing until the very end. Love Lyla's grandmother!

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this book.

I loved this one! It was the perfect blend of cozy mystery and thriller! On borrowed crime kept me on edge until the very end and left me shocked when the killer was finally revealed! I loved Lyla and I loved her grandmother and uncle! Such incredible characters!

I went back and forth about how I'd rate 'On Borrowed Crime' book 1 in the Jane Doe Book Club mystery series by Kate Young, but ultimately I give it 5 stars! The few qualms I had with this novel couldn't outweigh the good time I had trying to unravel the mystery along with the main sleuth Lyla. So let's start with the positives! This cozy married a cold case with a fresh case of murder which forced our sleuth to dig into a past murder to uncover the present murder - a really fun dynamic that I see rarely in other cozies!

There's also the character dynamics to consider - the author wasn't afraid to show a sort of ugly side to everyone. Lyla's parents were having arguments, her mother is cold, withholding and judgemental, her ex love interest is mostly dismissive, and some of her fellow book club members were nasty about her interest in wanting to help solve the case. There were a lot of not-so-cozy, prickly personalities which at first felt unpleasant to read, but that I ultimately decided was a nice change of pace. It's ok to be different!

I honestly couldn't put the book down and just wanted to know how everything tied together. And a bigger part of me wanted Lyla to overcome all of the negativity that was coming at her from all directions (her parents, her ex, her 'friends'), and I was not disappointed.

The only negatives I felt were... that as a northerner I struggled with the southern aspect of the novel to a small extent. Not so much the 'ya'lls' and cultural differences but the use of 'Daddy' coming from a 31 year old is weird to me, and the Mother constantly talking about Lyla needing to get married and have babies - ugh. The constant show of disrespect from the Mother about Lyla's 'dead' club and her choice of profession, the one member of the book club who had kids acting like she was fed up with Lyla because she was just trying to have "me time" and solving the murder of her friend wasn't as important as relaxing while she had time away from her kids - wow. The book also lacked diversity - you definitely get the sense that it's the white south and the characters are in their own bubble of privilege. But if I'm being honest - we all know that some social circles really are that insular in real life.

A very well written and entertaining cozy mystery. A good plot and character development. I look forward to reading more books in this this series. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

The author did a great job in telling this evenly paced drama that had me immersed in all aspects. From meeting the various characters and the pivotal role they played, this was an enjoyable read. The mystery was well-written where the potential suspects were hiding in plain sight and the clues, were told in a way that kept me guessing. I had my suspicion as to the perpetrator and it was fun watching all the pieces fit together. There were a few red herrings, one in particular, that enhanced my reading pleasure. Lyla is a likable protagonist and I like the relationship she has with her friends and family. Overall, when all was said and done, this was a great start in this debut series, and I look forward to more exciting cases with Lyla and her friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of On Borrowed Crime in exchange for an unbiased review. This book is the first in a new series that follows members of the Jane Doe book club. The writing is good, the plot is engaging and the book is a relatively quick read that is able to keep the reader interested until the end.
I look forward to more character development in future books. I need to know, for example, how the club members get along, why they continue to meet and more about some individual back stories. Their chemistry felt flat to me. I'm also curious to know more about Lyla's mother and uncle and their history. In short, there are some loose ends that will make me want to read the next book in the series.

I've not read this author before, so it may just be me, but I was finding it hard to keep track who the characters were. Very early on one of the characters gave me creeps. The actions of police was also a concern. It was a little heavier than my normal cozies.

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

On Borrowed Crime is the first book in the new Jane Doe Book Club series. This was my first Kate Young book, and I absolutely loved it. I loved the protagonist Lyla, and all the secondary characters involved. Makes me want to start my own Jane Doe Book Club! If you're a fan of cozies, this is a fantastic book!

This was a good first book in the series. Lyla Moody is part of a book club called the Jane Does. She is also a receptionist for her Uncle's PI business. Her mother hates Lyla's obsession with crime. All she wants is for Lyla to settle down and get married. Lyla arrives home after one of the Jane Doe meetings to find that her ex and cousin have moved in next door to her, making things extremely awkward. Later the same evening a suitcase is dropped off. Initially Layla thinks it is her friend Melanie's as she just returned from vacation and the airport had lost her luggage. What she doesn't expect is for one of her friends from the Jane Does to be dead inside the suitcase. Once the suitcase is discovered to be Melanie's the police zero in on her as a suspect. Lyla won't let her best friend get arrested.

I enjoyed this book. I liked Lyla and Melanie. Lyla's mother was overbearing and at times just plain annoying. Your daughter is happy with her job. Let her be happy. She does balance nicely with Lyla's father who is more laid back and accepting of what Lyla wants to do with her life.. Lyla's cousin was just horrible and vindictive. I figured out who the killer was pretty early on. It was pretty obvious if you were paying attention. There was a romance hinted towards the end but it wasn't really developed. Hopefully that will be fleshed out in the next book. There were also some typos in the books as this was an ARC. Hopefully that will be fixed before publication. All in all, I liked this enough to read the next book to see where some storylines go.

On Borrowed Crime was a fun and entertaining cosy mystery. The mystery was layered and had several red herrings thrown in the mix, that kept me guessing a bit. Although I sometimes got a bit frustrated with Lyla Moody, I loved the relationship she had with her grandmother. Also, I felt the characters were uneven in terms of complexity, some had it, while others didn't.

It was an entertaining read, though, with a bunch of Agatha Christie references.

On Borrowed Crime is the first title in the A Jane Doe Book Club Mystery series. Lyla Moody works for her uncle's private detective company and finds herself wrapped up in the murder case of a friend and fellow member of the Jane Doe Book Club. Quite literally, as the friend's body is left in a suitcase at Lyla's dooor. Lyla must work to not only prove that her best friend Melanie isn't the killer but manage to get used to the fact her ex and cousin have moved in together in her building.

I had a hard time getting into this book but appreciated the writing style. I do feel there were so many characters to follow and did not feel like I got to know most of them in a way that made me care about what happened to or with most of them. Lyla's grandmother, however, was a real character who made me laugh several times, reminding me of Grandma Mazur from the Stephanie Plum novels. I will give the series another chance when the next book comes out and would reread On Borrowed Crime as a refresher.

Thank you to Net Galley, Crooked Lane Publishing and Kate Young for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

A first in a new series by Kate Young, author of Southern Sass and Killer Cravings.

On Borrowed Crime follows Sweet Mountain, Georgia resident Lyla Jane Moody. Lyla is obsessed with a good "who done it" and true crime. She and her friends are members of the Jane Doe Book Club where they gather to discuss fiction and true crime cases. Lyla has a passion for these topics and being just a receptionist at her Uncle's PI firm isn't going to cut it. So, when a fellow Jane Doe shows up dead on her doorstep it's time to put her knowledge and investigation skills to the test.

This was such a great start to a new series! One of my favorite cozy series is Kate Young's Marygene Brown Mystery series. If you have read and enjoyed that I think you will like this one. If you enjoy a southern small town setting and realistic family/friend relationships in your cozies then give this a try! To me, this story had a little more detail and darkness to it that we usually don't get in a "cozy". I found it to be very refreshing. I can't wait for the next in this series!

*Thank you to Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
*All opinions are my own.

This one was a bit hard for me to read because the ARC that I received was formatted oddly, but I did enjoy the story. Lyla was a great character and I liked reading about her. The story moved along at a nice pace and I was determined to finish the book to see who was the murderer. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.
Similar concept to Charlaine Harris’ book Real Murders, first in the Aurora Teagarden series, published in 1990. In this book, also the first in a series, the murderer stuck out like a sore thumb. That was pretty apparent although there were other things that were not. What is the backstory on Lyla’s mom? What is the thing about Lyla’s previous obsession? What about these two ex-boyfriends? I also felt character development was very limited.
And the biggest taboo ever in a mystery, never reveal whodunnit for another author’s book. Even if it is a book written by Agatha Christie in 1939. I’ve read it but that doesn’t mean everyone has.
After all that, I might try a book in the author’s other series which sounds more cozy-like than this one was.

Firstly, I want to thank Netgalley, Kate Young, and Crooked Lane Books for giving me a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am so scared writing this review because this is my first ever "critical" book review. And i'm thinking that i'm giving different opinion than those who reviewed this book. But here we go...

(I'll be getting the synopsis on Goodreads because i'm not really good on explaining what the books are about. Lol.)

This is the first book in Jane Doe Book Club series. It follows Lyla Jane Moody who is a mystery book enthusiast. Lyla Moody loves her sleepy little town of Sweet Mountain, Georgia. She likes her job as receptionist for her uncle's private investigative firm, her fellow true crime obsessed Jane Doe members are the friends she's always wanted, and her parents just celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. But recently, with her best friend Melanie on vacation, and her ex-boyfriend and horrible cousin becoming an item and moving in next door to her, her idyllic life is on the fritz. The cherry on top of it all is finding Carol, a member of the club, dead and shoved into a suitcase, left at Lyla's front door.

I'm getting started with the things I love in this book: First, Lyla is a relatable character (atleast for me) because of her fascination with true-crimes and mystery books. Every reader who also love those kind of topics will surely fall in love with Lyla's character.

Also, the main character is so independent. You can really see that the main character's characteristics were really fit into the story, because she is very observant, and notice even the small things. And it also means that her character is very well-written. Lyla is so inspiring, despite her parents strongly and verbally disagreed to her passion, she keeps pursuing what she wants and doesn't give up with her beliefs. You can also really see that she is a determined character.

At the first 30 percent of this book, it was so fun to read because some well-known mystery and thriller books were mentioned. And it has true-crime references also.

But after that 30 percent, that when it starts to go downhill. It's somehow repeating to mentioned some parts, it's kinda annoying and I feel like instead of giving a chance the readers to process the information, I feel like it somehow spoon feeding us. I laughed when one of the characters said that “Everything was right in front of you, and you never saw it." because it was ironic. Although I said that Lyla is an observant character, later in the book, the clues are already spoon-fed and she's still processing or analyzing or dismissing those clues. Other side characters are kinda annoying and too cartoonish. I feel like for some characters, you can't clearly see what they really want with what there characters should be.

The ending was so convenient for me. Because just when the culprit was discovered, somehow the things that was discussing in the first 30 percent was instantly solved. Like the author just wrote the ending like "This is the ending of the book and things will all fall into place". It was a little ridiculous.

I understand that this book was supposed to be a 'cozy atmospheric read' but in the later part of the book it became so frustrating for me. And I just didn't vibe with it. So I only rated this 2 stars. I'm really sorry for the low-rating.

I hope that the other future readers of this book will have an opposite opinion to me. But if you are looking for a cozy mystery read, you should consider giving this book a try. Just because I didn't loved this book it doesn't mean that you'll also hate it.

Thank you for reading! Until next time!