After spending ten years trying to make it in Hollywood, Charlotte Lucky is back in the small town of Gett, Florida to help take care of her grandfather and run the family’s whiskey business. Things are not exactly going well—making whiskey is hard work, and Charlotte also must deal with a rival whiskey-making family and the lingering resentment of the townspeople over an old high school prank. And it only gets worse when Charlotte finds the body of Lucky Whiskey’s main distiller—and her ex-boyfriend—stuffed in a barrel of whiskey. When the local law enforcement centers their investigation on her grandfather, Charlotte is forced to team up with her whiskey-making rival to find the real killer and prove that Jack is innocent.
A SHOT OF MURDER is the first novel in the cozy mystery series by J.A. Kazimer. The story has a good plot, and Charlotte has a legitimate reason for getting involved in an amateur investigation. The local law enforcement have basically decided that her grandfather is guilty and are not pursuing any other suspects. There is a lot of back and forth between Charlottes and her rival Brodie Gett—she cannot decide if she can trust him or not. Nor can she decide if he should be one of her main suspects. Their back and forth, hot and cold “relationship” got a bit tedious at times. It felt like every other page Charlotte was had to question Brodie or herself for putting up with Brodie. She constantly believes the worst of him and there are countless misunderstandings between them that cause unnecessary drama. Charlotte is supposed to be in her late 20s, but her maturity level seems to be stuck in her late teens—as does the maturity level of some of the locals that Charlotte encounters. She constantly compares Gett to Hollywood, causing her to find the hometown lacking as she portrays it as a clichéd small southern town.
Overall, A SHOT OF MURDER was an interesting story and the mystery plot kept me guessing until the end. The resistiveness of certain aspects, as well as Charlotte’s immature attitude, kept me from fully getting into the novel. Because I like the concept, I will give the second novel in the series a try.

I am becoming a huge fan of the cozy mystery genre due to books like this. You can read this as an escape from the everyday in a weekend. A really good mystery.

Enjoyed this even more the second time around. Read and reviewed last year.. This is what I said: A humorous southern mystery. Many delightful lines. The murder kept me guessing. The typos kept me stumbling with hopes that all are caught before final publication. I realized that I was reading an advance reader copy. Amusing relationship between "Charms" and "Grodie Brodie." I guessed early on about the water tower, but the murderer was not apparent to me. Nobody walks anywhere in Los Angeles, so Charlotte walking three miles to get to her dinner engagement was a treat. LA had not changed this southern gal. I look forward to reading the next one in this new series. I am going to start on it now. Thrilled to have reread the first and more eager than ever to read the second one.

This is new author for me and I did enjoy this book. It was fast paced and easy to read. It’s always a pleasure to find a new to me author.

I really enjoyed this book. I am a big fan of cozy mysteries and this one did not disappoint. All of the characters were well developed. The main character has returned home to help her grandfather recover from a heart attack. When he is accused of murder, she vows to prove his innocence. Being back in town brings back the memories of growing up. She has insecurities and old feelings that shape he thoughts and views on the evidence she finds. Can she trust the one man that taunted and teased her in high school? He is part of the rival family in town. The chemistry between the two is very clear. There are many secrets that keep her doubting friend and foe. The dialog flows smoothly. This story catches your attention right away and keeps it throughout.

JA Kazimer is one of my FAVORITE mystery authors of all time - I just LOVE LOVE LOVE all of her books and this one was no exception. I couldn't stop reading it all the way thru in one weekend. Definite must-read.

It’s been a very long time since I read a Southern cozy mystery (spunky heroine, attractive man she shouldn’t mix with, alligators etc) but when NetGalley kindly offered me the chance to review one ..... why not?? Initially I feared it was going to be the same old stuff on which I’d overstuffed myself in the past but gradually I was charmed (pun) by the story and enjoyed it a lot. Good ending. No real physical violence, sexual violence, swearing etc. Will buy sequel on Kindle

I really enjoyed this book. I loved Charlotte and the other characters in the book. It had a good mix of comedy and drama. I look forward to getting to know more about Charlotte and the residents of Gett, Florida.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book! A goo old-fashion cozy read for me and was a fun book all-around. I thought this book has an awesome plot line and pulls in the right amount of humor through-out. Overall, a great read. High quality and a quick read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for getting a chance to read. All opinions are mine.

It's a good cozy, engaging and entertaining.
I had some issues with Charlotte because she grates on my nerves but the cast of characters was quite likable.
I liked the humour, the plot and the mystery that kept me guessing till the end.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Slightly unsure why I picked this book. I think it was on a temporary read now list on Netgalley on account of the next book coming out (which was also up for grabs but I didn’t realize this until it wasn’t anymore). I might have been slightly drunk myself, to be honest. But this wasn’t bad, it would even have been good if there was less repetition and wild theory on Charms’ part. I mean I get the whole town done me wrong vibe from Charms if they can’t let the water tower thing from her teen years go, but she went around suspecting everyone and their (grand)mother of murder. I didn’t mind her whatever it was that she had going on with Brodie, but the whole thing with the Gett-Lucky clans brought to mind Ellen Byron’s Bayou series. It’s about as annoying here as it is in those books.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is a new author for me. I enjoyed both books in this series and highly recommend reading both books.

I was absolutely entranced by 'A Shot of Murder', the first in J.A. Kazimer's A Lucky Whiskey Mystery series. I was taken to a locale (rural Florida) and lifestyle (whisky business) that was new to me and I was immediately interested. This book has a difficult mystery, regular laugh out loud humor and delightful characters, all with a quirky and sometimes hard edge. The best thing about it was I got to read the next book in the series right away. I am a complete fan!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

A Shot of Murder is a first in a new series and I really enjoyed reading this one. It has a solid plot line as well as several interesting characters that was well developed. An added bonus to it all was of course the whiskey distillery side of it all.

First in a new series, this book's premise sounded intriguing. As cozy mysteries go, this one was better than average with interesting characters and a solid plot line. I can't wait to start the next book!. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

A Good Start Is Not To Be....
Book one in the Lucky Whiskey Mystery series. Entertaining cosy mystery with a Florida backdrop. Charlotte Lucky returns to her small town to run the family whiskey distillery - a good start is not to be however when a corpse is discovered in a whiskey barrel. Fun, amusing escapism with a few twists and turns and a promising start to a new series.

Charlotte has returned to Gett, FL to help with the whiskey business after her grandfather’s heart attack. Gett is a small town known mostly for its whiskey makers and the Gett family. Charlotte is from the Lucky family and their whiskey is superior to the Gett’s whiskey. When Charlotte finds the Lucky distiller dead in a barrel, she’s off to find the murderer before her grandfather rots in jail.

This is the first book in the series and it is very enjoyable. I look forward to more of these characters in the second book.

I am all in on this series of book 2 is like book 1! This was fun, had intrigue, heroine clueless that the guy likes her, interesting locale, and kooky side characters. Now, I just need them to get together in book 2 and I’ll be all set! Oh, and the cliffhanger this ended on has me zipping to book 2!

A Shot of Murder by J.A. Kazimer was a fun read on a summer day. The first title in the Lucky Whiskey Mystery series left me ready for the next installment.

Charlotte Lucky, or "Charms", has returned home to small town Gett, Florida from Hollywood to care for her grandfather, Jack after his heart attack. Part of his care means taking over the running of Lucky Dystillery, while continuing the feud with the Gett Family, particularly "Grodie" Brodie Gett. After finding Lucky Dystillery's head distiller pickled in a barrel of whiskey, Charlotte has her work cut out for her trying to clear Jack of a charge of murder, with a little help from Brodie.

I enjoyed the familiar feeling of a small town full of gossip and innuendo. The heat between Charms and Grodie had me torn between wanting them to take it further but also wanting them to hold back until Charms is sure she can trust a Gett man. This was a page a turner and I look forward to catching up with the people from the town of Gett in the future.

Thank you to Net Galley, Midnight Ink Publishers and J.A. Kazimer for allowing to me read an ARC of A Shot of Murder.

A bit of Dukes of Hazzard meet Nancy Drew, but an amusing story. Charlotte Lucky returns to Gett, Florida, to care for her ailing grandfather and run their whisky distillery, only to find a dead body pickled in a cast. She's forced to join forces with her arch-nemiesis--"Grodie" Brodie Gett in order to clear her grandfather and uncover the true culprit. The perfect read for a lazy summer afternoon.

Thanks to Beyond the Page Publishing and NetGalley for access to an ARC.