I haven't read many cozy mysteries, but I am familiar with mysteries overall. The writing wasn't necessarily for me though I loved the book club and Jane Doe mystery concept, I found very little of actual interest for me in terms of the characters and their interactions. The mystery was also a bit underwhelming. It does have a lovely cover and a quirky main female protagonist but she didn't intrigue me enough.
Without sounding very harsh, I'll wrap this up by saying that this is not a bad book, I don't fault the writing nor the idea at all, I'm used to a different type of story but not bad for my first cozy mystery ever.

As a big fan of Kate Young’s Southern Sass series, I was dancing with glee when I found out that she has a new cozy mystery series. This was just as good as I could have ever wished! With some really shady characters (providing a substantial suspect pool) and a strong female protagonist, this book appealed to all of my hot buttons as a cozy mystery fan. Lyla Moody is supposed to be a receptionist for her uncle’s PI firm, but when one of her friends is killed, she starts to dabble into investigating herself and gets into deep waters quickly. I think my favorite part of the book was the Jane Doe Book Club, a club of mystery book readers who end up trying to figure out real crimes. I really want to join that club! As expected, some of the characters were quirky and the ending was a total surprise for me. Since I enjoy being surprised in a mystery, that was a bonus point for the author and the way she wove the story line with plenty of clues as well as red herrings. I am looking forward to more Jane Doe mysteries from Ms. Young. I love everything that she has written because she does her craft so well! Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy this book and look forward to more!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

On Borrowed Crime by Kate Young is the 1st book in A Jane Doe Book Club Mystery series, and it is off to great start. Wow, once I started reading this book, I could not stop reading until I was finished. This book reminded me a little of Charlaine Harris mystery series Aurora Teagarden, where the club is interested in real murders. This book might be a little darker than some cozy mysteries, but I loved it and will be reading more by this author, can't wait for the next book in the series. Strong plot and characters, I highly recommend this book!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is such an amazing read that I finished it in one sitting. It moves along nicely, has amazing characters that you want to know more about and no matter what you cant help but love them. The story keeps you reading and wanting more. This is a must read, and I look forward to reading more.

A good start to a new series. I enjoyed this book wuite a bit. It started out rather slow but got much better. I did find the over use of grandiose words a bit tedious at times. The constant reminder that Lyla is from a very rich southern family got old as well. Her friends are neurotic but fun. Overall an entertaining read. I will read the next one and hope the author focuses more on the characters than on their wealth and proper upbringing. Lyla's Gran is an absolute riot!

On Borrowed Crime is such a fun read!! Following Lyla as she tries to solve the mystery behind her friend Carol’s death made me think a lot and I really like that about this kind of books. I’ve read a few crime books, and this is probably the most exciting one! The first half was alright, but the second half kept me reading and reading! I couldn’t stop reading until the right suspect was revealed. There was a point near the end where I thought I figured out who it was, but I was still wrong! I think I read a review saying the book was kind of predictable. It wasn’t predictable for me at all! This book makes me want to read more mystery and crime books, thank you.

This is a fun cozy that revolves around Lyla and her book club, the Jane Does. Lyla was raised to be a genteel southern lady, but she loves unsolved mysteries. They intrigue her, much to her mother's chagrin. Lyla's best friend, Mel, is due to return from a vacation. A vacation where the airline lost her luggage. So Lyla, doesn't question anything when a bag shows up on her doorstep. She assumes it is Mel's and with Mel living next door, no big deal. How wrong she is. A member of the Jane Doe book club has been killed and stuffed in the suitcase. The club sets out to find the murderer.

I enjoyed the plot. It was unique, and intriguing. The Lyla is a fun character. Everyone has a little quirk which is entertaining. The writing style and plot grabbed my attention. The murderer was a bit of a surprise and so was the motive.

This is a pretty good start to a new mystery series! A clever mystery, good characters and a relatable main character lead to a book that will grab you quickly and become un-put-downable. It's also nice to have a mystery series set firmly in the South with Southern ladies.

That said....

Two notes: It's obvious that this is the author's first book and it probably needed a better editor. For example, I was initially thoroughly confused because there's the Jane Doe book Club and the Jane Doe murders and the two are unrelated. Likewise, the main character keeps referring to her "friend" leading me to say, "Which One???" Some plot bits got introduced so abruptly that I immediately thought I missed something and spent 10 minutes flipping frantically back in the book. Also, someone should tell the author not to use passive tense so much. However, I'm willing to chalk this up to "new writer."

The other quibble I had was with the advertising for this book. As others have noted, this book has too much gore to be a cozy. The setting is cozy, I suppose, but I would call this plain old mystery. This, however, is not the author's fault; I think their marketing was to fail here.

A third note: the Kindle version of this book is absolutely _unreadable_. I had to download the Netgalley app just to read this book.

All in all, this is a good series start!

This isn't a stereotypical cozy mystery. The blurb compared it to Ellery Adams and Kate Carlisle, both of which I have read and enjoyed, but it is more graphic and dark. Lyla works for her uncle at a Private Investigation company. She belongs to the Jane Doe Book Club which studies unidentified dead women and crimes, both fiction and real. It was exciting and a bit suspenseful and I didn't guess the culprit.

Oh my goodness this book was such a delight to read! I was kept guessing until the end and I loved the protagonist and her gumption. I know a lot of cozy female protagonists have a lot of gumption but this one was fearless and feisty and I appreciated her aggressive nature in her sleuthing and her no buts about it attitude in doing so.

Lyla Moody has an obsession with true crime and mysteries. She is a member of the Jane Does, a mystery book club that shares her fascination with crimes and whodunits. Unfortunately, true crime hits home as one of their members is murdered. As the story unravels in exciting twists and turns we learn there is something extremely sinister afoot in the sleepy town of Sweet Mountain, GA.

I loved, loved, loved this book. I was both disappointed to see there were no more and delighted at the possibilities that this might become a series. Oh I so hope it does. I would even be willing to pay hardcover prices for it.

I will say given this was an ARC sometimes it was a little hard to read because I did not receive the book in it's edited glory so sometimes it was difficult to tell which character was speaking. However, it certainly did not detract from my enjoyment of the story.

I will caution fellow cozy readers- this one is a little dark and there is some profanity throughout, which does not bother me. However, what seems to be the hallmark of the cozy genre is limited violence, no sex and no swearing. I think the addition of some well needed four letter exclamations add to the story when appropriate.

Oh please give us more of these!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kate Young for an ARC copy On Borrowed Crime. This is my personal review.

On Borrowed Crime is the first book in the new series A Jane Doe Book Club Mystery by Kate Young.
Lyla Moody is working as receptionist at her uncle's PI business. But her real ambition is to be a PI. What she really wants to do is to be a PI solving crimes.
Lyla is part of the Jane Doe Book Club. They read mystery books in this club and they try to solve the murder before they get to the end of the book. Little did they know one of their own book club members turns up dead and this gives Lyla the chance she needs to solve a real-life murder mystery.
This is a wonderful first book in the new series and I look forward to reading more in this series.

"A shoe-in read for fans of Ellery Adams and Kate Carlisle, On Borrowed Crime is the first in Kate Young's new Georgia-set, sweet tea filled, Jane Doe Book Club mysteries.

The Jane Doe book club enjoys guessing whodunit, but when murder happens in their midst, they discover solving crimes isn't fun and games...

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.

Unusual circumstances notwithstanding, with Carol's heart condition, the coroner rules Carol's death undetermined. But when they discover the suitcase belongs to Melanie, who had returned from her vacation the following morning, Sweet Mountain police begin to suspect Lyla's best friend. Determined that police are following the wrong trail, to clear her friend's name, and to not allow Carol become one of the club's studied cold cases, Lyla begins to seek out the real killer. That is, until she becomes the one sought after. Now, finding the truth could turn her into the killer's next plot twist, unless she wins the game of cat and mouse."

OK, yes, I'm all here for the true crime and the book club angle!

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.

This is the first in a new series.
Although it has cozy aspects, it is far too dark and graphic in my opinion to be classified as a cozy.
It was okay but not what I expected.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

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!