Princess Fuzzypants here: Lyla and her fellow Jane Does are hosting a big murder mystery bash at a local B&B. It is an exciting event but there is far more excitement than planned when there is a real murder and the elderly owner of the hotel is arrested by one of Lyla’s best friends, who happens to be acting police chief while the real boss is off on his honeymoon. There is a huge kerfuffle as her friend is not acting normally and she is doing some very bizarre things. It turns out there is a very good reason why she is acting this way but neither Lyla nor anyone else twigs until irreparable harm might have been done to Rosa’s career.

There is a solid mystery going on and it has some unexpected twists and turns. I could not wait to see if my suspicions were right and I was delighted to discover I was fooled. I did not see it before the villains were revealed. I thought I did but I was wrong. I love it when I get bamboozled in a good way. I also love Lyla. Here is a heroine who has discovered she has a penchant for investigation and is now a partner in a company formed by her uncle. She is very smart. She works with the police, rather than at cross purposes, which leads to a far more satisfying and logical story line.

I truly enjoyed this book and give it five purrs and two paws up.

The third book in the Jane Doe Book club by Kate Young. And I have to say it is my favorite of the series so far. It was the perfect cozy mystery to read at Halloween.




I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

I read to the middle of the book and skimmed the next part, and to be honest -- I am not sure if I finished it.

Monotonous. No part or character stuck out as remarkable or intriguing, and I am now wondering what I liked about the first two books in the series. There must have been something that had me willing to pick up this third book, yet I can’t recall what it was.

Will I look for another Jane Doe book? I doubt it since my reading habits are changing, and I need a bit more when it comes to amateur sleuths.

The Jane Doe book club finds itself in a mess when a member of their club, Elaine, has a murder take place at her place of business, and another member, Rosa, seems to lose her mind. The victim is a distant relative of Elaine’s, and Rosa is the police officer in charge of the investigation; things get crazy when the evidence points to Elaine as the killer, and Rosa is out to prove it.

Characters in this series are fully developed with all the characteristics you would expect from a series that has only three books under its mantel. Lyla, Rosa, and all the others in The Jane Doe book club are wonderful, with each member contributing to the overall feeling of friendship and family. Crime for the Books adds more background to the setting and the characters and makes readers want to go back and read the other books in the series again.

The victim isn’t known by many of the Jane Doe club, and she is not well-liked by those who know her. She causes massive trouble for Elaine and even argued with her just before she was killed. Evidence is sprinkled throughout the book and is easy to find. However, the killer is difficult to find, and the reason for this may cause some disgruntlement for some readers. I had issues with some of the twists in this story. There were just a few too many, and some of the evidence was iffy at best. I did not like the way Rosa was portrayed. She was a strong character in the past two books, but seemed weak and useless in this one. I felt the relationship issues between Lyla and Brad were completely wrong on every level. Lyla was too cold and unfeeling, and Brad was too easily persuaded to give up.

Crime for the Books, although a generally good book, this was not one of my favorites. I did not enjoy it as much as I expected to. The Jane Doe book club is still the best part of this series, and hopefully, Rosa will be back to her lovable hard police officer self in the next one. I recommend readers start at the beginning of this series in order to understand who the players are and how their personalities and quarks play in the overall scheme.

Crime for the Books (Jane Doe Book Club 3)
Kate Young


The Jane Doe Book Club is throwing a bash! Set in the 1950s and held at the Magnolia Manor B&B. It’s all anyone can talk about and is scheduled to be the jewel of the Sweet Mountain season.

The girls have merged with another book club, increasing their membership and activities. In this book, Layla and the ladies, including gran are putting on the dog and hosting a murder mystery party. As usual, it’s all about finding a murderer and friendship.

This was a difficult review to write because I enjoyed so many elements yet I could only rate the book 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the surety of Layla, the main character. She didn’t waffle as much, as in past books. She is not only more sure of herself in business but also in her relationships. This leads to confidence that wasn’t previously noticeable. Rosa’s difficulties and group response. You can truly feel the love and respect that these women and yes even their partners have for each other. It was a quick moving read that never left me bored. I do admit some things were even a bit too glossed over for me.

Overall, a really good read I would recommend it. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.


Jane Doe Book Club
Reading Between the Covers
On Borrowed Crime

Margene Brown Mysteries
Southern Sass & a Battered Bride
Southern Sass & a Crispy Corpse
Southern Sass & Killer Cravings

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Lyla Moody and her book club, the Jane Does, are hosting a Halloween/murder party at a local mansion. Imagine their surprise when a real murder takes place. Good cozy murder. Lots of interesting characters.

Well the month of October completely flew by. It’s fitting to share this book review of A Crime for the Books today since this book takes place in the month of October.

The book picks up a year later after Reading Between the Crimes. The Jane Doe Book Club hold a costume party to re-enact A Murder is Announced in honor of the Queen of Mystery. When a real murder is committed the hunt is on for Lyla Moody as she works to unravel the clues as one of her dear friends looks more and more guilty.

Kate weaves an intriguing tale full of twists and turns and drama that leaves tingles up and down your spine. The build up of suspense and the topics brought up such as misconduct in law enforcement and investigations bring about a sense of realism. I enjoy how strong and independent Lyla is. She is determined to make the world or at least her sweet town a better place. Lyla with the help of her friends getting the bad guy at the end was very satisfying.

Thank you @netgalley and @crookedlanebooks for my ARC e-book to read and review. All thoughts are my own.

This book was beyond fantastic, wow. What a read. I could not put it down and proceeded to finish it in one sitting. It moves along at a pace which is perfect for this story. The characters are fantastic and you will fall in love with them no matter what happens. This book needs to be read, there is not doubt about it.

Lyla and the Jane Does are hosting a murder party for Halloween when the lights go out and there is a real murder. Elaine is arrested and the Jane Does must fine the real killer to save their friend. Meanwhile flyers are floating around for another murder party to be held in the graveyard, but the Jane Does aren’t the ones hosting. Who is framing Elaine and who is hosting this one.
Goodreads

I love this series. It is a bit of a departure from usual cozy faire since there is some cursing in the book (which I welcome) but still suitable for the cozy audience as the expletives are few and far between.

Lyla Moody and her fellow Jane Doe book club members are hosting a murder. Their plan is based on a novel by the acclaimed Mystery Queen herself, Agatha Christie, where the character announces their murder in a newspaper advertisement. The Does are very excited about their party, until a real murder occurs when an extra shot is fired during the main event. And it turns out one of the Does was the actual target.

I found the book to be a bit frustrating because the intended target walls herself off from her friends in buried secrets and self pity and two more victims turn up in the process.

I had a few suspects for whodunit but my ultimate guess wasn't correct. A truly excellent mystery when I can't make all the pieces fit. I do hope there are more books to come.

This is the third book in the series and my first. I was able to read as a stand-alone. I'll definitely be reading the beginning of the series and any future books. I really enjoyed the mystery and following the clues. I had no idea who did it. I liked that the main character is a PI herself. Doing her own investigation and knowing what the police know.

In this cozy mystery, the pace was fast, the story was well written, and the characters were engaging.

This is a female investigator who is not just an amateur sleuth, but actually a private investigator who works closely with the police. There was a lot of realism in the characters and there was a lot of development in the story. A particularly lovely addition was the Halloween theme. Crime for the Books is a staged murder mystery based on an Agatha Christie book. I knew it would be enjoyable.

This book was provided to me by NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books. This is an honest review.

It's a Halloween party at the Magnolia Manor hosted by Lyla and her book club called the Jane Does. The Halloween party has the theme of Agatha Christies A Murder is Announced but when the lights come back up on the staged murder for the party a real person has been killed with a gunshot wound. The victim was last scene arguing with the owner of the B & B Elaine Morgan. Elaine is immediately the number one suspect in the murder. The Jane Does believe that Elaine is innocent and someone else committed this horrible crime. They decide to lay a trap to see if they can catch the murderer red handed. Can Lyla and her club solve the murder and save Elaine?

I really enjoyed this mystery. I like that Lyla is a competent investigator and that she is trusted by the police to help with their investigations; too often in cozies, the sleuth is always discouraged from sleuthing (with good reason). The twists and turns of this particular case were fascinating and though I figured out quite early on who the murderer was, there were parts of the solution I didn’t see coming. Highly recommended but read this one is order (or at least read the second one before this one).

This was crazy good with its combo of Halloween creepy and a twisty, compelling murder mystery. At times I wasn't sure who to trust, but there were definitely a couple people on my radar, and I was right about one of them. When it got to be over halfway through the book, I couldn't read quick enough as the clues and theories started coming fast and furious.

I absolutely love it when a group of friends orchestrates a trap with the police, so to me, this showdown was pretty darn epic. And who doesn't love it when a wily killer gets bested right? And busted too. ;)

The dynamics of the book club ladies and their camaraderie is just awesome. There's really nothing these girls wouldn't do for each other since they all feel like sisters who can discuss or do anything. From commiserating over breakups to breaking down a killer to confessing, these ladies were unstoppable! The side story of Amelia and her hubby adopting a little girl was so sweet! I liked the fast-forward at the very end to include their new addition as well as a super comprehensive wrap-up of the case. Can't wait for the next installment!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

3 1/2 stars. A Halloween mystery with plenty twists and turns that will keep you guessing and thrilled to the end. Agatha Christie fans will have fun because it all starts off with a party based on A Murder is Announced.

There is a big cast here that can get a bit confusing at times but overall it is easy to follow. There are some big developments in a relationship in this book that carries over from earlier books in the series so if you haven't read them it won't have the emotional impact it would other wise but the reader can easily follow what is going on. Without going into details for it would give out spoilers, there were facets of the book that deal with a touchy subject for me but I would not say that there are triggers in this book. However, that did affect some of reading pleasure.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Kate Young continues to prove that she is among the elite cozy mystery writers. In this installment of The Jane Doe Mystery Series, Lyla Moody is back in action trying to solve multiple murders, and prove her friend, Rosa, is innocent. Things don't look good for Rosa as evidence piles up, and her integrity as a police officer comes into question. Lyla is a character that goes above and beyond when trying to solve her cases. With support from her Gran and best friend, Melanie, Lyla will stop at nothing to get Sweet Mountain back to the safe town its always been. I really love this series, and Kate Young just keeps writing them better and better. Lyla Moody is a strong female character that proves time and time again that she can hang with the big guys. Mostly she does a better job at gathering evidence, and catching criminals than the police of Sweet Mountain. I can't wait to see what Kate Young has instore for Lyla and the Jane Does next .

A return to Sweet Mountain with Lyla and the Jane Doe Book Club members in this third book of the series! What starts as a book themed Halloween party, quickly has a turn of events and a guest turns up dead. Lyla uses her knowledge of Agatha Christie mysteries, her experience and the help of the Jane Does to find out what happened and clear her family friend's name. I love the setting of this series, the reference to other books, and Lyla's character! Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

This third entry in the Jane Doe Book Club mystery series finds PI Lyla and members hosting an Agatha Christie themed murder mystery party. Things go terribly wrong when the local B&B's estranged cousin is killed and owner Elaine is arrested. The investigation goes all wrong and acting chief Rosa is suspended. When a Rosa lookalike is also murdered, Lyla and crew do all they can to get to the truth and unmask the killer.

This is the first bok I've read in this series, but had no problem getting to know the characters and backsrories. All of the characters are appealing; I like Lyla's determined loyalty, and Gran is a hoot. The Halloween backdrop makes for a nice seasonal read. The mystery kept me guessing with plenty of twists and turns. The climax is a little far-fetched but supremely enjoyable.

I recommend Crime for the Books to any cozy reader looking for a tight knit group of friends/sleuths.

I think this is the best instalment in this series as it's compelling and entertaining. A quite complex plot, well developed characters and a solid mystery that kept me guessing.
It's a bit over the top at times but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It can be read as a stand alone but reading the books in order makes it more interesting.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine