The Jane Doe Book Club is about to host the party of the year. An Agatha Christie party set in Magnolia Manor - a local bed and breakfast. It will be just in time for the Halloween season. But when the party ends with a real murder, the book club must solve the murder. The chief of police is out of town, the new detective b&b owner seem to be suspects, and someone is staging a look-a-like party. Will the book club find the true murderer before Halloween?

I have read all the books in this series and truly have enjoyed each one. I highly recommend.

“Crime for the Books” by Kate Young this is the 3rd instalment in the "A Jane Doe Book Club Mystery" series. OMG! I really enjoyed this story and think I liked even better than the first two. This has become one of my favourite series!

Lyla Moody and her book club, the Jane Does, are hosting a Halloween party at Magnolia Manor, tailored after Agatha Christie’s A Murder is Announced, but when the lights come on after the staged murder, a real victim lies dead with a gunshot wound in her chest.

I found myself engrossed in the story and reading till the wee hours as I had to finish. It was suspenseful, and had me on the edge of my seat. I found it had just the right mixture of everything.

This go around we are more focused on Sergeant Rosa Landry and why she is acting strange and proving Elaine didn’t murder of her cousin. The mystery was interesting, well plotted, and full of twists and turns as well as a few surprises that kept me on the edge of my seat.

I am so looking forward to seeing more in this series

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

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of A Crime for the Books (A Jane Doe Book Club Mystery #3) by Kate Young from Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books in order to read and give an honest review.

…brilliantly crafted characters and intriguing clever plotlines that will keep you turning pages…

Having read the first two Jane Doe mysteries On Borrowed Crime and Reading Between the Crimes, I must share that by far this is my favorite for so many reasons. In A Crime for the Books an estranged relative of the Elaine is murdered at a Jane Doe book club event, an Agatha Christie Murder Mystery Party hosted at Elaine’s B&B. When another book club member, the currently acting police chief Rosa arrests Elaine, the town, PI Lyla Moody along with the rest of the book club are enraged. Lyla makes it her mission to get to the bottom of it before Elaine is falsely convicted and their Jane Doe book club family is destroyed. When rumors begin circulating about Rosa and her erratic behavior everyone turns on her, she is not only suspended, but becomes a target when an announcement similar to the book clubs current read Agatha Christie’s A Murder is Announced begins to circulate announcing another murder will take place. When a second body is found, and evidence starts to point to Rosa, Laya battles the evidence and the opinions of friends to help her. Laya’s friendships and her relationship with her law-enforcement boyfriend Brad are put to the test.

This book really delved into the characters this time around highlighting the relationships, both friendships and romance. The author created characters with real challenges and genuine responses. The plot is clever and intricately woven filled with red herrings, suspense, heartbreak, and a touch of humor. A wonderfully complex whodunit that will keep you reading to the wee hours of the morning. I would really recommend A Crime for the Books as well, all are fantastic reads, and I am looking forward to reading future books in this series!

Author, Kate Young has done it again, brilliantly crafted characters and intriguing, clever plotlines that will keep you turning pages and if you’re like me…losing sleep. I really enjoyed Crime for the Books and although it is the third in the series, it works well as a stand-alone, however, I would really recommend reading all three and I am looking forward to reading future books in this series!

Welcome to Sweet Mountain, Georgia. You are invited to witness a play, one that will end with an all too real murder. Lyla Moody is a member of a mystery and true crime group called The Jane Does and her day job is as an apprentice PI, working with her uncle, owner of the Cousin's Investigative Services.
Halloween is coming and the Janes Does decide to put on a play to honor Dame Agatha (A Murder is Announced) and as a fund raiser for the group. Seems like a good time will be had by all but tension flares between Elaine Morgan, owner of the B&B acting as the venue and her estranged cousin. Elaine inherited Magnolia Manor and her cousin was more than a tad bit upset by that. From the verbal fight between them it was clear that cousin Patricia was out to try to change things.
Cue the play, off go the lights and bang. When the lights come back on Patricia is stone cold dead -who did it? How about making her cousin Elaine the prime suspect. Too bad the police chief was out of town leaving another member of the Jane Does, Rosa, as the investigating officer. She will need Lyla's help, especially when it soon becomes evident that there may be somebody setting about to make Rosa into a corpse, as well. There will be plenty of twists and turns before Elaine is removed as the prime suspect and the real killer is revealed.
I have enjoyed all three books in this series and I hope that there will be some more. The recurring characters of Lyla's mother and grandmother have much more to share with the reader and there are, of course, many more Agatha Christie novels to play off of.
My thanks to the publisher Crooked Lane and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

When Lyla Moody and her fellow book club members - the Jane Does - arrived at the B&B that was hosting the Halloween party which followed one of Agatha Christie's stories, she didn't expect the elderly Elaine Morgan - owner of the B&B - to be in a verbal fight with a relative, one whom PI Lyla had worked a case against. When the staged murder was over and the lights back on, a woman lay on the floor, bleeding to death. "I'm sorry" were her last words to Lyla before she died.

With Elaine arrested and the Jane Does sure of her innocence, Lyla worked hard to find evidence of the real killer. When Chief Quinn arrived back from his honeymoon to find utter chaos in his Sweet Mountain town, he found himself on the back foot. But Lyla continued her plan - she was sure she knew who the killer was, but could she prove it?

Crime for the Books is the 3rd in the Jane Doe Bookclub Mystery by Kate Young and it was fast paced and electric! I thoroughly enjoyed it, and believe it's the best yet in the series. Lyla's dogged determination couldn't be faulted, her belief in her good friends steadfast. I'm looking forward to #4 in the series very much. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

A well done cozy mystery, with interesting characters and a great plot!! I will definitely be reading more books from this author! I would highly recommend this book to everyone!

I gave Crime for the Books by Kate Young 5 stars.

This is the third installment in the Jane Doe Book Club Mystery-series. I have read all three books and this one is as good as the two other ones. All the books in this series revolves around books by Agatha Christie, so if you are a fan of the queen of mystery, you should check this series out.

Kate Young really knows how to write intriguing mysteries, and I could not put the book down until I found out whodunit. I really enjoy all the characters in this series, especially Lyla Moody's friends and her amazing gran. I'm looking forward to the next book, especially since we got to see some development in the love department in this book.

Crime for the Books takes place during Halloween, so it's very fitting that it comes out October 11th.

Thank you Net Galley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjal5Qjr0dp/

I absolutely loved the previous book in this series. Crime for the Books by Kate Young is the third book featuring Lyla Moody and the Jane Doe Reading Club. However, I did not enjoy this one as much as the previous one. The Jane Doe Reading Club has decided to have a party inspired by Agatha Christie’s A Murder is Announced. It is meant to be a solve the mystery event, but something goes really wrong and someone is actually murdered. This is just the beginning of all of the chaos that follows. Rosa, one of the founding members of the book club, is acting uncharacteristically. Is she behind all of the problems or is she being set up?
The plot seemed more convoluted than normal in a cozy mystery. I am saying this as someone who loves cozy mysteries, so I do not expect the situations to be real to life but I definitely felt that this plot was way too much soap operaish. I could feel there was something off about the villain from the first moment.
In addition, the main character has romantic problems which seemed to me too much for only the third book of the series. I do like the fact that Lyla iis a private detective helping the local police. I would have liked more interaction with her grandmother.
I would recommend it as it is well-written, but it was definitely not for me. I am giving it three solid stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the free advanced reader’s copy.

Teaser review published at https://wellreadpiratequeen.blogspot.com/2022/10/crime-for-the-books.html

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Yet again, Kate Young has made me go off my "read all of the Christies in order" plan and jump ahead from 1928's The Mystery of the Blue Train to 1950's A Murder is Announced. It's a re-read for me and also happens to be one of my favorite episodes of Agatha Christie's Marple with Geraldine McEwan playing Miss Marple. Sure, they made quite a few changes, but the cast is freaking phenomenal and I've rewatched it several times.

The long and the short of it: an announcement is placed in a local paper of a murder that is going to occur at a local residence and it is assumed by many to be an invitation to some sort of murder mystery party. Of course, it isn't, and an actual murder occurs and ....

Matthew Goode. Zoë Wanamaker. Keeley Hawes. Elaine Paige. Geraldine McEwan (my favorite Marple) .... and Catherine Tate as Mitzi.

Read the book, of course. It's a good one. In spite of the changes, the episode is also a kick and appears to be readily available on all sorts of services. (There are, of course, multiple versions with multiple Marples .... the McEwan will always be my favorite off-the-page.)

Of course, we're not really here for the Agatha Christie ... though, really, one can never have too much.

This is the third installment of Kate Young's Jane Doe Book Club Mystery series and the book club is hosting an Agatha Christie themed murder mystery party at a local B&B.

Sounds cozy, right?

The ramble I did about the second in the series went into all the "why"s about this being a cozy series ... but also the "why"s into how it is soooo not typical. [That one also included a bonus Christie read -- it really isn't any wonder why I love Kate Young so dang much.] I would probably call them more "cozy suspense thrillers" as every installment so far has kept me right at the edge of my seat and made my heart race in the way that most cozies don't -- but suspense thrillers do.

There are some bits I probably would have cut from this. Like, there's a bit too much Brad ... but I'm also not finished with it so maybe that bit will resolve itself. Either way, this is a series I will continue to read and recommend as long as Kate continues to write them.

Lyla Moody and her book club are hosting a Halloween party using a Agatha Christie story as their theme. The scene is set at Elaine Morgan's B&B. The lights go out and gunshots are heard, but when the lights come back on there's a real dead body on the floor. The victim is Elaine's estranged relative and they were seen arguing right before the event. Of course Elaine is seen as the prime suspect by the police so Lyla and her book club need to identify the real killer.

The chief of police is out of town so the acting chief is Rosa Landry, a member of the book club. Not only does she not have the experience necessary for such a crime, but someone is framing her to take the fall.

When the second victim is initially misidentified as Rosa, Lila knows that someone has a target on Rosa's back.

Lyla thinks she knows who the Killer is but with no proof, she must lay a trap.

This is the third book I've read in this series. The characters are great and the stories are interesting. Not a lot of unnecessary information to slow down the story. There are a couple of red herrings, but not too many.

This is the first Jane Doe Book Club mystery I've read and I enjoyed it. I was looking for a good cozy and noticed the cute cover on this one, so I picked it up. The book club holds a murder mystery Halloween party baed on one of Agatha Christie's mysteries. When the lights are turned on after the staged mystery, someone has been truly murdered! One of the book club members, Lyla Moody -a PI in training at her uncle's business - takes the lead for the book club in trying to determine what really happened at the party and who is behind the murder. She wants to make sure the sweet older lady, Elaine Morgan, who owns and operates the Bed and Breakfast where the venue was held, doesn't get framed for the murder.

This mystery was complex with a lot of various leads to follow. I enjoyed the pursuit of the truth. Lyla is a good character, and I might pick up the earlier books to read. There were some good twists and a few surprises. The book kept me interested following the plot.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published October 11, 2022.

A nice addition to the series that will be just as enjoyable as a standalone. Lyla and her Jane Doe Book Club shocked when their murder mystery event results in an actual murder. Patricia was not a nice person but who felt so strongly that they killed her? Sergeant Rosa Landry, a member of the Jane Does has the case but her friends think there's something off= no spoilers. The problem doesn't end with Patricia and the Does are pressed to come up with answers. I like that this series plays off Agatha Christie novels (which you need not have read) as well as the characters. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A fun cozy read.

What a great group the Jane Does is! Everyone should have a book club like them. This book has a great storyline with a twist or two. The characters are great. Gran may be my favorite. I love a feisty Gran! What a lucky girl Sasha is. I can’t wait to follow her story. I can’t wait to go back to Sweet Mountain and catch up with Lyla and friends again.

Lyla Moody and her book club, the Jane Does, are hosting a Halloween party at Magnolia Manor, tailored after Agatha Christie’s A Murder is Announced, but when the lights come on after the staged murder, a real victim lies dead with a gunshot wound in her chest. The victim was an estranged relative of Elaine Morgan, operator of the B&B, who’d earlier been seen arguing with her about the fate of the property. Suspicion immediately falls on Elaine, and she’s arrested.

The Jane Does believe Elaine is innocent, and when they get the chance to team up with police officer Rosa Landry—a member of the club—they jump on it. But then, the club discovers that two more murders have been brazenly predicted online and in the Sweet Mountain Gazette—and that one of the intended victims is Rosa.

Lyla thinks she knows who the killer is, but the only way to find out is by laying a trap using Rosa as bait. But, like an Agatha Christie mystery, the truth is never what it seems. Lyla and her trusty book club will have to sleuth out the killer before Rosa meets her final chapter. (Goodreads synopsis)

I have not read any of Kate Young’s novels prior to this one.

I enjoyed the “current topics” theme throughout the novel. Specifically, how investigations can impact a community, from the unreliability of witnesses to attention seeking reports. The book also demonstrates how perceived misconduct, or accusations of misconduct, can impact an investigation as well as the community overall. It forces a reader to view a news story from another POV, and not just what the reporter conveys.

I felt frustrated with Lyla, and with Rosa, because there were obvious clues that something was wrong, and yet it seemed to take them a while to figure it out. But I was also frustrated by the lack of communication between them, since it is implied that they are close friends (this is book 3 afterall). However, I was also frustrated with Lyla because of the way she was with Brad. I did not like Brad, not even his introduction. I imagine he was better suited in the previous novels and I simply missed it, but I could not find the means to like how he handled the first murder.

The plot itself was intriguing, and absolutely something that could, and has, happen in real life. Sometimes, it is not police that experience these things. It could be an average everyday citizen. In today’s view with social media, it is easy for mistaken identities and rumors to run agog.

Overall I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars. I think if I go back and read from the beginning, then I might have to change my rating.

Crime For The Books is the third in the Jane Doe Book Club' Mystery series. In this one the club sets up a murder mystery party inspired by Agatha Christie and A Murder is announced, their latest book club pick. When an actual murder takes place at the party suspicion falls on a couple different people, especially after someone near and dear to Lyla begins acting very unlike their normal self. Lyla has to follow the clues herself before more people get hurt.

The story opens with a rainstorm which I loved but the first twenty percent of the story started a little slowly for me. That might be due to this being the first one I have read in the series. But that didn't matter because soon after. crazy things started to happen and the story became wildly entertaining.

Strange behavior, creepy murder announcements., conflicting testimony. It was all fun.. Speaking of fun, so are the characters. Lyla's grandmother is delightful. Her dialogue was hilarious and a treat. Their relationship is very sweet.

There is a quite a bit of realism in this book., and I'm guessing the series. Lyla has a perfect reason for investigating and I like how she works with law enforcement. This ended up a very quick read for me and I look forward to more in the series. I think fans of Agatha Christie will enjoy Crime For The Books.

Crime for the Books: A Jane Doe Book Club Mystery
By Kate Young
Crooked Lane Books
October 2022

Review by Cynthia Chow

It makes sense that for the Halloween season the Jane Doe Book Club is hosting a murder mystery night at Georgia’s Magnolia Manor bed and breakfast. Things get a little too real though when, after blanks fired by the designated murderer, an extra shot is fired and a real body is found with a bullet hole in her chest. The now late Patricia Donaldson had been a harassing nuisance to her cousin over an inheritance, which is why Elaine Morgan had hired Cousins Investigative Services to protect and deliver a cease and desist order. Book club member and police officer Rosa Landry quickly concludes that Elaine is guilty, riling up the other members and placing Rosa at odds with Lyla Moody. No longer a trainee with her uncle’s private investigative company, Lyla can’t help but notice that Rosa is acting oddly and that her rashness could lead to a massive injustice. With the Sweet Mountain police chief off on his honeymoon and dissension stirring among the ranks, Lyla and the rest of the Jane Doe Book Club members will be relying on their vast knowledge of Agatha Christie books to track down the real killer.

This third in the series keeps readers on their toes as they try to track down unidentified suspects and known ones suddenly displaying uncharacteristic behavior. While Lyla’s exuberant Gran can be relied upon to cause dismay for her children, it’s the rest of Lyla’s life that seems to have suddenly bern sent into upheaval. The usually competent Rosa is suddenly erratic, abrasive, and secretive, warning the Jane Does to stay out of her case. Lyla’s once-sizzling romance with Special Agent Brad Jones is suddenly skidding off course, with gossip floating in that his business meetings have not been that professional. Unable to rely on her normal law enforcement sources, Lyla has to take it upon herself to track down mysterious witnesses, find out the truth of stalking allegations, and discover who is attempting to smear the Jane Book Club’s reputation.

With all this to unpack, the novel swiftly speeds along as Lyla puts together the many different pieces of the puzzle. She’s forced to take an introspective, and somewhat uncomfortable, close look at her life and what she wants for her future. The close circle of friends she has can always be relied upon to lend an investigative hand or just a shoulder to cry on, making the Southern setting emotionally fun and rewarding. Gran continues to drive Lyla’s parents crazy with a new motorcycle-riding boyfriend, but she never becomes too comical or unrealistic. A plot point from one of Agatha Christie’s “A Murder is Announced” comes into play to further complicate matters for Sweet Mountain but charm mystery readers. This compelling mystery ultimately pulls together all of the pieces quickly at the end as it delivers a satisfying conclusion and a promising future for Lyla and her Jane Book Club friends.

I really enjoy all of the Jane Doe mysteries, but this is my favorite because it gave me such insight into the characters and their interactions with each other. The plot includes several murders as well as one of the Jane Doe club members being a suspect. The plot is intricately woven with several nicely added twists to keep it engaging. I enjoyed Lyla’s role as a leader in the club and in pursuing the killer relentlessly and I especially enjoyed her Gran who is a humorous hoot, full of vim, vigor and mischief. This is a fun cozy mystery with no vivid descriptions that would make me ill but enough details to let me imagine the scenes. The characters are credible and fully invested in the carrying out their roles in the plot. This is a great story with a fast pace that kept me reading to find out whodunit. I guessed incorrectly several times, but that was part of the fun. Although this book is part of a series, it can definitely be read as a standalone and thoroughly enjoyed.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

This is the third release in the new cozy series "Jane Doe Book Club" by cozy author Kate Yound. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own.

This has a fun Halloween party them with a murder mystery party in a mansion. When the party is over a real murder has occured and our savvy protaganist Lyla and her book club pals are on the case. Through red herrrings, numerous clues and dead ends Lyla soon has the killer in her sights. I enjoyed the well crafted fun mystery . The ending was a pleasing conclusion. The characters are richly drawn . A enjoyable cozy series that never disappoints .

Crime for the Books by Kate Young is book #3 in the Jane Doe Book Club Mystery series. Lyla Moody works as a Private Investigator in her Uncle Calvin's firm, Cousins Investigative Services. She is also one of the original members of the Jane Doe Book Club in Sweet Mountain, Georgia. The book club decides to hold a murder mystery event at the Magnolia Manor B&B honoring Agatha Christie and one of her books, A Murder Is Announced. The murder performance becomes all too real. Lyla and her fellow book club members are on the case. This storyline was quite entertaining. The story is fast-paced and filled with tension and suspense. I became immersed in the story from the very beginning. I like Ms. Young's writing style and look forward to the next book in this series.

I am grateful for the opportunity to read #CrimefortheBooks by Kate Young, provided by #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks.
I was drawn in by the beautiful cover, bookish title, and intriguing description. However, once I started reading my interest quickly waned.
I found the first four chapters to be disjointed, and by the end of the fourth chapter (10% according to Kindle), I had lost all interest in progressing. The characters didn't draw me in, nor did the setting descriptions or dialogue. Once I put down the book, I couldn't force myself to pick it up again. Perhaps it is because I hadn't read any of the previous books in the series.
Ultimately, I decided to put this one in the did not finish pile.