The eighth in the Sophie Kimball series, Railroaded 4 Murder, is a fun continuation of this beloved series. While getting ready for her wedding, Sophie is distracted by the murder of a model train enthusiast, resulting in all the hijinks you expect from the Kimball series. All your favorite characters make a return (Hello, Streetman!) and I actually learned a lot about model trains, which was new and interesting. Hopefully not all model train groups have this much drama! In all, I look forward to continuing with this series.

Fantastic cozy mystery, loved all the hilarious characters, was on the edge of my seat waiting to see who the murderer was, wwhat clues came out, etc. Highly recommend to all mystery lovers.

I adore this hilarious, character-driven series. There are just enough wacky characters and delightful setups to ensure lots of LOL moments, I laughed so much reading this book in bed, my husband rolled over and said, "I'm trying to sleep over here."

Phee's engaged to be married and Phee's mother, Harriet, who makes Phee's life her business, is ecstatic. And Harriet has the perfect role for her own little spoiled chiweenie dog, Streetman, for Phee's wedding, ringbearer. But before there's even talk about what Streetman will wear, another dead body is found in Sun City West and the victim is the President of the Sun City Model Railroad Club, Wilbur Maines, a philanderer who had more than just his eyes on just about every member of the Choo Choo Chicks.

Well-plotted and with a surprising murderer, this was another great addition to this fun series.

When a model train enthusiast is killed, and a tap shoe is found nearby, all fingers point to his tap-dancing wife, a friend of the book club gang. Phee’s PI firm is investigating, but that won’t stop her mother from using Phee, and her beloved dog, Streetman, to track down a killer. Okay, so Streetman isn’t all that helpful, but who doesn’t love a dancing menace of a pooch? On top of a murder investigation, Phee is also planning her wedding and not having a lot of luck keeping her mother from turning it into a dog and pony show.

The suspects are numerous, the evidence sketchy, and the victim’s wife may be spending the rest of her life behind bars if Phee can’t figure out what happened. Following her instincts and the book club’s secret plan, which isn’t all that secret, Phee and company track down the killer. But nothing about the culprit makes any of them feel any better. Even the PI firm has difficulty believing who the killer is, and even though they helped with the unveiling, it ends up being all on Phee in the end. Railroaded 4 Murder is a wonderfully fast read, with animated characters and enough action and intrigue to stimulate the mind and keep readers guessing. It’s a delightful read in a series that continues to keep smiles on the faces of cozy fans.

This is easily my favorite series. The book has murder, family drama, humor, and crazy characters. Phee gets a frantic call from her mother about a possible body at a model railroad. With an extra long list of suspects via the model railroad club, Phee, her mother, and her mother's friends have their hands full. I find myself almost laughing out loud at times. This book is a wonderful escape and I look forward to my next visit to Sun City West.

This is book 8 in the Sophie Kimball series. It can be read as a stand alone. Sophie is busy planning her wedding when her mother calls about another murder at the Sun City West retirement community. Wilbur Maines runs the model railroad club in the community and his wife was in the PI office where Sophie works hiring them to see if he was having an affair. Between the wedding plans, her mother and her dog, Streetman, Sophie is at the end of her wits. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book is fantastic. The suspense and the crazy antics keep you turning page after page in this humorous cozy. The characters are wonderful and the story unfolds at a fast pace. Turn after turn makes it fun to track down the murderer. I definitely recommend this story.

Includes a very helpful cast of characters but be warned, these characters will have you literally laughing out loud, so be aware of where you are when you read. If you choo chose this book you will be in for quite a ride! No need to have read the others to know what is going one, each story is a stand-alone, but it does move an overall theme along, mainly Phee’s life, love, mother-daughter relationship, and the unstoppable Streetman. These books are such a hoot to read and you don’t have to be a daughter to have those same thoughts that Phee has about your own mother and her extremely colorful friends. I hope this storyline keeps adding tracks because even if Phee isn’t ready to officially joint the detective ranks with Nate and Marshall, she is an awesome amateur sleuth! With all the talk about bagels and bialys, I think I might just have to try my hand at making some, as inspired by the many references to Bagels N More.

Railroaded 4 Murder by JC Eaton is a tap-dancing, costume-wearing, great sleuthing time. I laughed so much.

Will Phee figure out who killed Wilbur before Roxanne spends the rest of her life in jail? And what about Operation Agatha?

Phee & Harriet
Phee and Marshall are planning their wedding and are truly happy. Well, until one of Harriet's friends finds a dead body. Harriet decides that they have to save the widow, who has obviously been framed. Of course, the book club ladies, along with Herb and his pinocle buddies, are helping too. But that isn't enough for Harriet. She needs Phee to get involved too.

Phee is the nice, pleasant-mannered, bookkeeping daughter, that gives up a ton of time to keep her mother out of trouble. Although, most of the time, Phee couldn't stop Harriet or the dog at all. I like Phee and adore the crowd that she keeps around her. Harriet is hilarious, seriously that woman hasn't slowed down much, and all the clubs that she attends in Sun West are filled with the best characters. They make me laugh out loud often.

The Mystery
The mystery moves around from a cheating spouse to members of the railroad club to people the victim knew years before his retirement. Nate and Marshall are working on other cases too. Honestly, I figured out who did it, but for the life of me, I never saw the motive coming.

Five Stars
My rating for Railroaded 4 Murder by JC Eaton is five stars. I love the wackiness of the characters, Streetman the Chiweenie, who wants love and treats but can cause an unscheduled incident anywhere, and the actual mysteries which keep me guessing. I highly recommend this series. If you love a good cozy, this is the series for you.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Railroaded 4 Murder by JC Eaton.

Until the next time,
~Jen

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.

Railroaded 4 Murder is book #8 in the Sophie Kimball mystery series. Phee Kimball is planning her wedding when she chances upon a murder at a model train display. She works as an amateur detective with the help of her mother and her mom's retired friends to solve the case. Her mother's Chiweenie dog Streetman causes more mischief.

I wanted to read this book because I have enjoyed all the other Sophie Kimball mysteries; I love Chiweenies and also like model trains. This is my favorite book in the series so far. It is so sharply written and full of funny lines and scenes, thanks to Phee's mom Harriet and her wacky friends - and especially Streetman the dog. The scene of Streetman at the Aladdin musical performance truly had me laughing out loud! There is even a map of Streetman's walking destination favorites in the back of the book.

I recommend Railroaded 4 Murder and this entire series for anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries, and especially mysteries with some humor - and dogs.

Railroaded 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton is book eight in the Sophia Kimball Mystery. This is only the second I have read, but I really enjoy this series.
This story is has the president of a model train club being murdered You are given plenty of suspects since he wasn't well liked in the club and was a known womanizer. There is also plenty of humor when Phee's mother and her dog, Streetman gets involved, I laughed out loud! The main characters are likable and you get a sprinkling of some quirky seniors. There is family and friendship.
I was given an ARC by Kensington via NetGalley for an honest review.

Everything was going great for Sophie as her and Marshall’s wedding plans are going well, even if Harriet, Sophie’s mom, wants Streetman in the wedding. Then she gets a call from her mother telling her she needs her to get down to the model train exhibit because Cecilia thinks she has discovered a dead body. Sophie wants to know why she doesn’t call the Posse (volunteer police for the retirement community), but it seems that maybe Cecilia has called them a few times before, so Harriet makes Sophie come down to check it out and sure enough this time Cecilia did indeed run across a body. It happens to be the president of the model railroad group.

Before you know it Harriet has Sophie in the middle of another murder investigation even though her boss and fiance are the actual privite investigators. Harriet ropes Sophie into helping with Operation Agatha when the victims wife is accused of the murder and they don’t believe she did it. Harriet has decided they should infultrate the model railroad group because they heard that Wilbur was having an affair with a Choo Choo Chick (Yes, you read that right…lol), and since Roxanne, the wife, is part of the Rhythme Tappers, they talk Cecilia into signing up since she has had tap dancing classes (when she was a kid).

Just imagine all the fun and hilarious things that ensue with all of that going on and poor Sophie is in the middle of it all. They do find out a lot about Wilbur and it seems that there might not have been a Choo Choo Chick that he didn’t lip lock with and so the suspects are plenty!

This book had me laughing so much I loved it! This series is in my top ten favorite cozy series and this one didn’t dissappoint! Though at times Harriet can be a bit much, she still makes me laugh and you would think Streetman was more than just a little dog when you hear her talk about him. He has a fun roll in this one that had me laughing! And poor Cecilia, Sophie swears she must have been a nun in another life and having her join the tap dancing group and the sort of outfits they want them to wear! She really had some of the best dialogue in this book! All the characters are great though and I really love how great that Sophie and Marshell fit together!

This one had a really good mystery and I was very impressed with myself when I figured out the killer and sort of the motive because of a piece of information I remember at the beginning of the book, that seldom happens…lol.

I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves cozies or wants to try one!

Dollycas’s Thoughts

While wanting to focus on work and her upcoming wedding, a wedding her mother Harriet has more than a few ideas about, she has another murder mystery on her hands. Wilbur Maines has been found dead by one of Harriet’s friends. He was the president of the Sun City West Railroad Club whose interests included more than model trains. Rumor has it he was drawn to more than one Choo-Choo Chick making his wife Roxanne the police’s number one suspect. This has Harriet tooting the horn for the ladies of the Booked 4 Murder Book Club to muster their own investigation and of course, they can’t do that without Phee and Harriet’s Chiweenie, Streetman. Phee does her best to keep the women on track but that truly is impossible especially when she learns of their many hair-brained schemes. Hang on as these investigations roll out of the station because it is going to be a very bumpy ride.

Book 8 in this series keeps this delightful cozy mystery series chugging along. Railroaded 4 Murder has become my new favorite book in this series. Sophie “Phee” Kimball is a strong protagonist and this time she really has her hands full. The woman has the patience of a saint and she needs it with a mother like Harriet Kimball. Harriet is an outstanding character that comes up with some truly outlandish plans and somehow survives them all. Phee’s fiance’, Marshall Gregory juggles all his investigations sometimes with the helpful assistance of a bride-to-be. That also means dealing with Harriet and her crazy friends. He and Phee make an awesome team. All the characters this writing team has created are well-developed and they continue to surprise me in each new story.

The authors have penned a great mystery with plenty of suspects. The antics of Harriet and the Booked 4 Murder Book Club members will have you in stitches as their investigation, Operation Agatha takes off. It includes infiltrating the Sun City West Railroad Club and convincing one of the book club members to join the Rhythme Tappers to find out all they can about Wilbur and his wife Roxanne and their friends and enemies. With plenty of twists the mystery coming to an exciting and hilarious conclusion.

I know when I start reading a book by J.C. Eaton my spirits are going to lifted and I may be laughing out loud pretty darn often. I needed to read a book like this one when I did. It took my mind off my troubles, made me use my brain to try to solve the well-plotted mystery, and had characters that were fun and kept me totally entertained.

I highly recommend Railroaded 4 Murder and the entire Sophie Kimball Mystery Series. This wonderful series is a must-read for all cozy mystery lovers.

All Phee wants to do is plan the final details for her upcoming wedding. Her mother, senior citizen Harriett, is bound and determined to have her chiweenie, Streetman, be the ring barer. All Phee can think is Heck no! and has a mental image of the little neurotic pooch running amuck at the ceremony and lifting his leg at random. With that in mind the prospect of solving the murder of a model train enthusiast - discovered by Harriett along with a few of her friends - sure, why not? Somebody needs to try and keep the Booked 4 Murder group under some sort of control.
From the beginning things are complicated. The PI agency Phee works for has taken on the soon to be widow of the philandering dead man. Then the police turn their investigation on her making her the prime suspect. Oh and she is a friend of Harriett's. Did Roxanne kill her husband for doing in horizontal hula with various female members of the model railroad group - known as the choo-choo chicks. Of course the residents of Sun City West concoct a plan to unmask the real killer. Tap dancing is involved.
This series is laugh out loud funny. The mystery is well developed and the recurring characters of Harriett, Cecelia, Aunt Ina, are wonderful and so quirky. It's a series that will take the reader away from these stressful times if only for the time it takes to read it.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Railroaded 4 Murder by J. C. Eaton is the 8th book in the Sophie Kimball Mystery series, and another fun read. Sophie, “Phee” Kimball has moved in with her private detective boyfriend, Marshall, and they are busy planning the wedding. Before the wedding can take place, Phee has to solve one more murder. Phee, her mother, Harriet, and Harriets Chiweenie, Streetman, discover the body of the railroad club president. Unfortunately the club president's wife is a good friend of Harriet's, so they must solve the murder. I love this series, this book made me laugh out loud, it was so funny. Once I started this book, I could not stop reading it until I was done. Not only is this book an exciting mystery but also very refreshing and a quick read. If you love funny cozy mysteries, which are my favorite, I strongly recommend this book/series, you won't be disappointed. 
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I had a hard time getting interested in the characters in this addition to the Sophie Kimball series as they seemed very static and slow to get involved with.

3.5 Stars

Accountant Sophie “Phee” Kimbal and her fiancé Marshall work for their friend Nate Williams at Williams Investigations. Nate and Marshall are the official investigators for the Glendale, Arizona company. However, no matter how hard Phee tries to stick to the numbers side of the agency, her mom, Harriet, always finds a way to involve Phee in the “hands on” part of investigations. Phee finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation when one of Harriet’s friends finds a body at a model train exhibit. Harriet and her friends from her senior community are counting on Phee to prove the victim’s wife, Roxanne, is being “railroaded” for the crime.

This book is the eight one in the Sophie Kimball mysteries series. I’ve missed a few of them, but have enjoyed each one I’ve read. Sophie is smart and patient with her mom and all her friends. Roxanne, who suspected the victim was cheating on her, is the obvious suspect in her husband’s murder, but Phee and Harriet think a few of the clues pointing to the wronged wife are just a little too convenient. The victim was in charge of a local model railroad club, so as part of her investigation, Phee had to learn more than she wanted about the world of model trains. I like the way Phee, Marshall, and Nate compare notes on the case to find the guilty party. There are a few parts in the book where the investigation stalls and Phee and Marshall both overlook an obvious clue. Then Harriet’s “chiweenie”, Streetman, makes a surprise appearance at a tap dancing show and this comic relief comes at a perfect time to perk up the book when the pace had slowed.

Overall, the book is fun and entertaining. There is a satisfying resolution to the case and to the book. There is a cute map of Harriet’s neighborhood at the end of the book which shows the various landmarks that are important to Streetman! There is a lot to look forward to in future books as Phee and Marshall’s wedding date grows nearer. Eaton can be relied on for entertaining, cozy mysteries and humorous situations. Fans of Rita Lakin would enjoy the series.

~ Christine

This is the 8th release in this delightfully funny cozy series. I have enjoyed the entire series and always look forward to returning to the authors well crafted world of fun senior antics in a retirement community in Arizona. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley . My review opinions are my own.

Phee is finally getting her wedding of her dreams to Marshall . As wedding preparations take center stage Harriet, and their beloved Chiweenie, Streetman ( who is so smart!) decided to go to a fun model train exhibit. While at the exhibit they discover the railroad president dead with a very incriminating clue beside the body. She calls Phee to come right down to start investigating. Of course our intrepid sleuth is involved determined to solve this complexing case. As she dives into the deceased background she finds he was quite nefarious and perhaps many people wanted to do him harm. Will Phee solve the case before her wedding bells ring ? With the help of her Mom and their fun senior friends they are soon on the right track .

I loved this next in series with the author's trademark humor throughout. The charcters are a delight, the sleuth always pleasing to conclusion . There is so much to love about this series you will find yourself laughing out loud at the many antics and great humor interspersed through the story. Well done to the author !

Phee works as a bookkeeper for a private investigation firm in Arizona. Their latest client, Roxanne, thinks her husband, Wilbur, is cheating on her. Roxanne and Wilbur as well as Phee’s mother, Harriet, live in Sun City West, a massive Arizona retirement community.

Wilbur is found dead near the outdoor model railroad exhibit. Nearby is a bloody tap shoe. Roxanne is in a tap dance club. Was Wilbur murdered by Roxanne? Or by his alleged mistress? Or someone completely different? Phee has to find out with the help of her mom and her mother’s book club friends. She also has to plan her “simple” wedding to finance Marshal that hopefully will not include a dancing Chiweenie named Streetman, her mother’s beloved dog.

This series is just do much fun! I look forward to reading each one. Railroaded 4 Murder is a particularly good entry to the series because Phee is getting married! The older characters in the novel add endless enjoyment with their blunt talk and endless gossiping. It sounds so enjoyable to live like them that I researched Sun City West. The setting is completely real!

Overall, I recommend Railroaded 4 Murder 100%. It offers genuine and varied characters. The mystery has enough red herrings to hold any armchair detective’s interest. But the best part is that you will laugh-out-loud at some of the antics of the retirement crowd. It’s perfect for fans of Meg Landslow or early Stephanie Plum books. 5 stars and a favorite!

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

"Railroaded 4 Murder" the 8th instalment in the Sophie Kimball Mystery series by J.C. Eaton. While planning her wedding, Sophie "Phee" Kimball gets sidetracked by the murder of a model train enthusiast...

I found myself engrossed in the story and reading it in almost one day. It was entertaining, full of twists and turns as well as a few surprises. Even learnt a few things about Railroads…

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and I loved the characters which are well developed. There is plenty of humour, too with Harriet and Streetman her Chiweenie and the rest of her crew from the Sun City Retirement Community. This is one of my favourite series and I always buy in Paperback as I know I will read again.

I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends.

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Kensington Books and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.