I love a good cozy mystery, and "Record Store Reckoning" did not disappoint. Darcy's pursuit to unveil the truth behind Eddie's death drives the narrative with suspense and intrigue. The aspect of her sobriety adds to her character depth and likability. There is a compelling cast of diverse characters. With a blend of music nostalgia and suspense, the book offers a unique and engaging take on the classic whodunit. I will look forward to reading the next in the series.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A cozy mystery with a band and music, what else could you wish for? Great descriptions made for vivid pictures.

I really loved this book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end

The book started out good but by the 40% mark, I was a bit bored with the story. Not much happens in the way of investigating the death of the music store owner however the main character ends just about every chapter stating they needed to find the person who murdered him. It just became very repetitive and the mystery itself wasn't that intriguing. The plot following the record store and keeping it open was the most interesting thing. I think if the author had focused the book on one or the other plots, it would have made for a more detailed story but because we jump back and forth, it always felt like the murder was a secondary plot that wasn't fleshed out as well as the record store plotline.

Grab something to snack on, pick a comfy chair, kick back and get to know Darcy Gaughan and the crew of Marysburg Music - you won't be disappointed! Record Store Reckoning is an awesome start to a new series - not many cozies, if any, have a protagonist who is a former punk band drummer celebrating 5-years of sobriety. This fact alone leaves you routing for Darcy from page 1, as she has successfully turned her life around, owns her own home and is the manager of Marysburg Music. Unfortunately, Darcy's world is turned upside down when Eddie Maxwell, owner of Marysburg Music and the person who saved Darcy from herself, appears to have committed suicide. Knowing Eddie the way she does, Darcy believes Eddie was murdered and sets out to prove that he indeed did not kill himself. The Detective Sargeant, with whom Darcy had several run-ins during her days as an alcoholic, does not believe Darcy's assertion that Eddie was murdered. In the end, Darcy proves Eddie was murdered, the culprit is brought to justice and the Detective Sargeant admits she was wrong.

This is a great book on many fronts - interesting, well-developed characters who genuinely care for each other, many in the town of Marysburg who respect the way Darcy has turned her life around, Darcy's renewed self-esteem and self-respect giving her the confidence to run the music store as Eddie would have wanted, and the town of Marysburg claiming Darcy a hero and supporting her in the end.

There are many references to different musicians and bands throughout the book -- from Neal Peart to Bob Marley to the Beatles, and many unknown to this reader in between. There is even a cat named Ringo! Many of these mentions brought some humor to the story and only added to the enjoyment of the book.

The author does such a wonderful job describing Darcy's day-to-day life, her working relationships with store employees Hank, Char, Izzy and Peter, as well as with college pal Liam and business owner Jenna that you almost forget about the murder!

This is a great book all-around and I highly recommend it. I will very much look forward to reading more of Darcy and the Marysburg crew in future installments to this series.

Former rock star and alcoholic Darcy Gaughan must solve the murder of her mentor, boss and life saver. She does so with the help of devoted friends and co-workers. Rock on Darcy!

This was a new setting for a cozy mystery series for me. Despite having frequented record stores in my teen years, I don’t really know too much about running them (or have forgotten what I did know). I enjoyed learning about it along with Darcy and getting to know her and the town where the shop is set. The story plodded along a little slowly for me, but I did enjoy the references to the bands I grew up listening to. I will definitely check out the next in the series.

This was a pretty good mystery. There were several red herrings that kept me guessing until the end on who the murderer was. The book is set in Indiana, where I live, so it was interesting to see all the Indiana references/facts that were thrown in. The main character was kind of quirky, but she grew on me and I enjoyed reading it. I plan to continue reading the series if more books follow. The only negative thing that I have to say is that this book needs some serious editing. There were words left out, use of the wrong word (ex: "the" instead of "she"), words repeated in a sentence, and even an instance of an incorrect name (Allie) being used. I had to read those sentences twice to understand. In general, it didn't affect the flow of the story or my opinion of the story, but editing would definitely be a big help for this book/series to be successful.

J. C. Kenney has written a marvellous first instalment in his Darcy Gaughan Mystery series. Darcy Gaughan used to be the drummer in the punk band, Pixie Dust, but alcohol and a torn elbow ligament caused her to lose her job with the band. She returned to her hometown of Marysburg, Indiana, where Eldred (Eddie) Maxwell owns Marysburg Music. Five years on, Eddie has made her manager at his music store. Darcy, who lives in a century-old, renovated former fishing cabin, has been on holiday and arrives back to find Eddie dead from a fatal stab wound. The investigating officer is Detective Sergeant Kaitlin Rosengarten; during Darcy’s drinking days they had several run-ins. The police rule Eddie’s death a suicide but Darcy’s certain Eddie was murdered...

The story is well-written and plotted, the pacing is comfortable and the characters, especially Darcy herself are believable. I was kept guessing until the very end as to the killer's identity and I am keen to read the next instalment in the series and meet up with Darcy again.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Level Best Books, Independent Book Publishers Association via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This book was enjoyable to read. The story was engaging, and the characters were likeable. I look forward to reading the next book in the series. I did notice a few misspellings, etc. in the book. I highly recommend this book to other cozy mystery readers.

A solid start to a new series.
Darcy Gaughan is on a path to recovery, after becoming an alcoholic after losing her career has a drummer in a punk rock band.
Her boss at the record store she manages, is found dead, and the police believe it is suicide. Darcy knows Eddie wouldn't do that, so she works to solve the mystery.

I like Darcy, she is an interesting character. But most of the other characters are not really fleshed out enough.
Hopefully, the author expands on them more in the next book.

The mystery is written well enough, but I can't say that it sucked me in. It moved along well enough.

I want to thank NetGalley for a copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review of this book.

Record Store Reckoning by J.C. Kinney is the first book in the Darcy Gaughan series. This book is a rockin' redemption story for Darcy Gaughan, founder and former drummer of the band the Pixies. After finding her boss and mentor dead in his office at the record store, Darcy realizes she needs to step up and prove to herself and everyone else that she has changed and can handle whatever is thrown at her. When the police say Eddie's death was suicide, Darcy is determined to find out what really happened, knowing Eddie would have never killed himself.

I enjoyed the setting of the record store and the musical references sprinkled throughout the story. I look forward to reading the next installment of this series.

Thank you to Level Best Books, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This is the first in the Darcy Gaughan mystery series. Darcy is a former drummer in an all-girls band who is a recovering alcoholic and a store manager of Marysburg Music. She is excited as she has just celebrated her 5-year anniversary of sobriety and has just returned from a much-needed vacation. She loves her job at the music store as Eddie Maxwell owner is her mentor and former professor at Ball State. She credits Eddie with believing in her and giving her a new start at the store. When she arrives at work in the morning, she knows something is off as the front door is already open and she finds Eddie dead in his office. When the police arrive, they declare it a suicide as it was his Elvis letter opener, Darcy objects. Detective Kaitlin Rosengarten stills sees Darcy as a screw up and drunk who she hauled off to jail and had problems with years ago. Darcy is convinced Eddie was murdered and plans to find out who killed him even if the police will not. She confides in her closest friends and soon everyone in the small town is aware that she is investigating. Darcy keeps the store open in Eddie’s memory and is surprised when she receives an envelope in the mail that Eddie had declared her the owner of the store and planned to present it to her when she returned from her vacation. The lists of suspects are a greedy real estate developer, lazy step son, angry neighbor and a couple of other business owners. This book starts off a little slow but most first books are. Darcy has a good heart and I love how she showed her appreciation to her employees and friends. Love how they all come together and help each other out. This was a very good start to this series and I look forward to the next book.

Record Store Reckoning by J.C. Kenney is a quirky cozy mystery with a unique premise. Darcy Gaughan returns from vacation to find her boss, Eddie Maxwell dead at his desk at the Marysburg Music Company. The police rule Eddie’s death a suicide, but Darcy knows he would not take his own life. Darcy is determined to uncover what really happened to Eddie plus find a way to keep the record store open. Record Store Reckoning is the beginning of A Darcy Gaughan Mystery series. The story starts out a little slow as we are introduced to Darcy Gaughan and learn her background. There are a numerous references to musical artists (I did not know most of them) along with drumming terminology. The pacing increased about a third or so of the way in. I am glad that the author took the time to give us Darcy’s background and information on the town. The business district of Marysburg, Indiana sounded like a great place to browse with its funky shops. The mystery begins in chapter one with the death of Darcy’s boss, Eddie Maxwell. I was surprised to find the murder so early in the book since this writer is not a newbie. It makes the book seem long when the mystery occurs so early. The mystery was interesting, and I liked that the death was personal to Darcy (gave the story depth). There is the death of Eddie plus a valuable missing record. The are several good suspects along with a red herring or two. There are clues to help readers solve the whodunit if you pay close attention. It was nicely wrapped up at the end after a unique reveal. Record Store Reckoning has a sweet ending. I like how the people of Marysburg support Darcy and the record store. Record Store Reckoning is a groovy cozy mystery with a stabbed superior, a determined developer, a pilfered record, a discordant detective, a handsome helper, and a sober sleuth.

An excellent start for a new cozy series: Darcy is fleshed out, clever, and interesting character. I liked her, she doesn't hide her story or her frailty but she's very strong at the same time.
This is a book that will surely be appreciated by music lover and I loved the choice of MC (a former alcoholic
and musician) and the role music plays in the story.
The mystery is solid, full of twists and turns, and the solution came as a surprise.
I can't wait to read another story in this series.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Record Store Reckoning has an interesting premise and setting for a cozy, but unfortunately, it was a DNF for me. I had a really hard time getting into the story with the constant discussions of drugs and additiction. Others may not have the same issues, so I'm giving this book a 3/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Level Best Books, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully drawn characters and a story so intriguing it kept me one-more-chaptering till late into the night.

Vinyl, vintage music, jazz and a whole lot of sleuthing, Record Store Reckoning is a smashing cozy series debut.

Darcy comes back to work after a vacation and finds her boss lying dead in his office. The local cops conclude Eddie's wounds were self-inflicted but Darcy knows Eddie was not of the suicidal kind. She decides to investigate, after all, a collector's edition of The Beatles is missing from the store - maybe, it was a robbery gone wrong?

Plenty of red herrings, perfect combination of setting, character introduction and, a mystery to keep one guessing till the end, Record Store Reckoning is a must-read cozy mystery!

Record Store Reckoning is the first book in the Darcy Gaughan Mystery series by J. C. Kenney.

Darcy Gaughan used to be the drummer for the all-girl punk band Pixie Dust, but the abuse of alcohol caused her to lose her gig with the band. She returned to her hometown of Marysburg, IN, where Eddie Maxwell, owner of Marysburg Music. He got her to rehab, and five years sober, Eddie made her manager at his music store.

Having arrived home from vacation the night before, Darcy heads for work and is surprised to find the front door unlocked. She calls out to Eddie but gets no response and heads for his office. Darcy finds Eddie seated at his death, apparently dead from a stab wound from his Elvis letter opener. Darcy’s not happy when she sees one of the investigating officers is Detective Sgt Rosengarten; during Darcy’s rowdy drinking days, they had had several run-ins. The police will rule Eddie’s death a suicide, and Darcy’s is sure it was murder.

Going through the papers on Eddie’s desk, she finds an envelope with her name on it. When she reads the note from Eddie that he was making her president of Marysburg Music, she knows that she has to find his murderer. It’s the least she can do for someone who had so much faith in her. Darcy has two full-time employees and two part-time high school students and assures them that the store will stay open and their jobs are secure.

Darcy will need to investigate Eddie’s step-son, who hangs around with his hand out; maybe he wants his inheritance now. There’s a real estate developer trying to buy all the buildings on the block that houses the record store, or maybe Eddie’s neighbor who is tired of listening to Eddie’s parties with loud music.

I found this to be a fascinating new series. Even though the music and groups were unknown to me, they didn’t take away from the story being told. Also, I particularly liked that the characters weren’t sitting around drinking wine or mixed drinks but centered around someone fighting alcohol abuse.

The story is well-written and plotted. It reads at a good pace, and I found it hard to put down. The characters are well-developed and believable. There were plenty of twists and turns, and I was kept guessing until the very end as to the killer's identity.

I will be watching for the next book in this fascinating new series.

Record Store Reckoning by J.C. Kenney is a good addition to the cozy shelf. There is lots of trivia about music and a good mystery to go along with it.