Cover Image: No Small Murder

No Small Murder

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Member Reviews

The first book in a new series can be hard to get into at first.  I enjoyed the setting of this book even if the author did try to oversell it.  An aggravating client of Emma's is found dead in a shipping container.  Emma is also dealing with her grandmother who has moved out after a disagreement with her son (Emma's father).  Let's just say it is complicated.  The murder mystery was easier to solve than the missing characters who were there one moment and gone the next.  I liked Emma's grandmother and the tiny house community setting and will give the second book a try.
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Loved reading this book and author. If you haven't read it yet I highly recommend her and her books. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
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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
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Oh that Granny Rose! I just love that character! Every time I read a book by this author, I've always gotten taken in on the first page or two, so this book definitely followed that same expectation. I loved Emma's group of friends and now that her Granny was living there, they had an additional sleuth...and someone to keep an eye on since Emma wasn't super thrilled over her matchmaking lol. The Great Dane pictured on the cover's name is Butch, and he's a sweetie!

The mystery was a good one that I definitely didn't figure out, and that showdown was absolutely priceless! Not gonna spoil anything, but it was epic. I sure hope there's another book in the series 'cause by the end, I was so glad for everyone's turnout that I just needed more time with these characters.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.
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No Small Murder by Lena Gregory

Mini Meadows, a Tiny Home community in rural Central Florida, is home to Emma Wells, a downsize specialist who left her daddy’s mansion and her inheritance behind in favor of a simpler, more peaceful life in a tiny home that was once two shipping containers. But when she opens a shipping container and discovers her dead client sitting in a rocking chair, neatly wrapped and labeled, and two of her friends end up on the suspect list, Emma pitches in to help find the killer. With plenty of clues to unpack, Emma narrows down the suspect list, but as she begins to close in on the culprit, she realizes if she’s not careful she could end up in a box of her own.

This was a great start to a new cozy mystery series, and I will definitely pick up the second! I enjoyed the cast of characters and the tiny home community setting. No, it's not all 100% believable, but what cozy is? The was an entertaining mystery set inside a fun story. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Level Best Books for a free copy of No Small Murder.  All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own. #NetGalley
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This is such a fun start to a new cozy series, and I had a great time with this cozy mystery. I loved the plot, the twists and turns, and the characters!
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The first book in a new cozy mystery series was a fun read. Set in a tiny home community No Small Murder follows Emma and her Granny Rose as they try to solve a local murder. This was a very easy read murder mystery book for me. I did find the ending a little bit predictable, however I still enjoyed reading it and the build up to the who done it. Overall I do not regret this read. A very readable start to a new series.
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Been sick, so this book and others kept me entertained during recovery. I would seriously need Emma's services to even think a bout a tiny home, a unique background for this series with its interesting characters, and solidy mystery.
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Princess Fuzzypants here:  Downsizing from a big house to a tiny home is never easy.  That is why Emma is building a good business helping people sort through the detritus of their lives and drill down to the basics.  Her latest client is making the process even harder.  And when he is murdered, it puts both Emma and Granny, who has crammed into her tiny home with a huge dog, in danger.  The man truly was an unpleasant piece of work and neither his wife nor son seem bereft at his death.

Is it possible that one or both of them might be the villains.  If that is the case, especially when a second murder occurs, it may prevent Granny from purchasing the tiny home that the victim had just bought.  What is worse, the killer seems to think that Emma is getting too close to the truth.  She takes the various threats seriously but it still does not prevent her from walking into a trap that when it closes surprises both her and the reader.

With a cast of interesting characters and an unusual setting, this series has a lot of potential.  Just don’t expect me to downsize any time soon.  Four purrs and two paws up.
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Hmmm...I like the set-up. An organizer living in a tiny home, overwhelmed when her grandmother (and then an enormous dog) move in with her. All complicated by murder.

And I like Emma fairly well, and Granny--once we get past her over-the-top caricature as a woman on the hunt.

The mystery's okay, but a couple of things sort of ruined the book for me.
1) The idea that Emma could live in a tiny home and function for weeks with Granny and a huge dog unexpectedly moving in with her, without her life being total chaos, is pretty ridiculous. Emma gets sore from sleeping on the couch, but that's about it. The unreality of that made everything else feel that much more ungrounded and unbelievable.
2) Granny pointing a loaded gun across the table at an acquaintance and saying, "Go ahead, make my day"--as a joke! When she's never fired a gun. Doesn't know how to use one. Honestly, at that point, I just thought, "Well, Granny's a total moron. And so is Emma for barely giving her a slap on the wrist."

Lots about this book works fine, but there are so many cozies to compete against, and this one just feels okay by the end.
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This is an entertaining and well plotted story, the good start for a new cozy series. I had a lot of fun and the solid mystery kept me guessing.
Well developed and likeable characters.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
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The first book in a new cozy mystery series was a fun read.  Set in a tiny home community No Small Murder follows Emma and her Granny Rose as they try to solve a local murder.  The mystery was well done and ended with a big twist.  

I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves cozies!

Thanks NetGalley and Level Best Books for the eARC!
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    🌴 cozy mysteries
    🌴 strong friendships
    🌴 small town charm
    🌴 quirky and eccentric characters
    🌴 HEA

Emma Wells, a “downsize specialist” is leaving her old life (and daddy’s mansion) behind to move into a tiny house community in Florida called Mini Meadows. Emma is going to live in a “house” that was once two shipping containers. When she opens her first shipping container however, she finds the dead body of her client!! Two of her friends soon become suspects, and Emma must beat the clock to find the real killer and save her friends!

My favourite characters were OBVIOUSLY the animals, but I also really liked all the quirky small town characters. I really liked Granny Rose of course, and I loved the relationship between Emma and Jacob Bennett 💕💕
There’s just something about a small town cozy ❤️❤️ I loved all the descriptive scenery (I really felt like I was in Mini Meadows myself 🤪) and I absolutely loved all the small town specialty stores. I wish I had some of these in my real life!
The thing I like most about cozy mysteries is they all have their own little “niche”, ie. bake shop mystery, book store mystery, library mystery etc… This allows them to all be slightly different and that’s why I enjoyed about this one. It was set in a “tiny house community”, which is a super fun concept that I have never seen before, so that was very enjoyable and different for me. The premise of cozies are pretty much the same so it’s how the author does those little things to set their work apart, which is what happened here. A very enjoyable read!
I DID NOT SEE THE END COMING! That is my absolute number one requirement in a murder mystery, and this one certainly shocked me!! I really really enjoyed this first in series book and hope there are more books coming!!
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If you've always wondered about tiny houses then look no further than this fun first in series cozy mystery! The characters were likeable, especially Emma and her grandma, and  the story's twists and turns kept me  guessing until the very end. You will definitely be surprised when all is revealed. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.
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Emma Wells has left her wealthy family home & for the last few years has lived happily in a Tiny Home made from two shipping containers. She has built up a successful business advising & organising people who are downsizing. A new client has not endeared himself to her by his attitude & by the fact he is wanting to keep all his belongings & ditching his soon to be ex-wife! She may not have liked him but finding his body in his removal van wasn't something she wished on him! In the midst of this Granny Rose decides she has had enough of living with Rose's overbearing father & has decided to move in with her. Granny is a force to be reckoned with & the mystery of the murder soon leads her, along with Emma & her friends into danger.

This was an entertaining cosy mystery. I loved the setting & the characters & look forward to meeting them again soon. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.
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No Small Murder
A Mini-Meadows Mystery, Book #1
Lena Gregory
5 Stars


Synopsis:

Mini Meadows, a Tiny Home community in rural Central Florida, is home to Emma Wells, a downsize specialist who left her daddy’s mansion and her inheritance behind in favor of a simpler, more peaceful life in a tiny home that was once two shipping containers. But when she opens a shipping container and discovers her dead client sitting in a rocking chair, neatly wrapped and labeled, and two of her friends end up on the suspect list, Emma pitches in to help find the killer. With plenty of clues to unpack, Emma narrows down the suspect list, but as she begins to close in on the culprit, she realizes if she’s not careful she could end up in a box of her own.

Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Emma is happy helping people downsize .  She had to downsize herself when she moved into her tiny home and she decided to make a living doing it.  When she finds her client dead in a shipping container, she will have to find the killer because a couple of her friends are persons of interest.   So that is what she does.  

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read.  The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. The mystery was well plotted and there were plenty of suspects to consider and clues to sift through. I did not know who the killer was until it was revealed at the end.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery.  I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
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Emma Wells lives in Mini Meadows, a Tiny Home community in Florida.  She is a downsize specialist, helping people move from their large homes to their newly acquired tiny home.  Emma's home seemed to be even smaller when her Granny Rose decided to move in, but it was worth it to have her granny near. 

Emma was working with an especially unpleasant client when she found his dead body in his shipping container on moving day. From there the story gets more complex as Emma tries to identify the killer before she finds more dead bodies in Mini Meadows. 

This was a nice read with likeable characters.
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Emma Wells specializes in helping people downsize from their large homes to smaller dwellings. She lives in a tiny house in Mini Meadows with her cat Ginger.  Then all at once, things change when her Granny Rose comes for an extended stay, a downsizing client is murdered, and Granny Rose adopts the late client's Great Dane. Emma decides to be an amateur sleuth and work to solve the murder, with the help of her grandmother and friends.

I wanted to read this book because I love cozy mysteries and am fascinated by tiny houses. The addition of a cat and dog to the book is another nice perk.

No Small Murder is a fun start to a new series. Readers will get to know Emma, her grandmother, and her friends - as well as see the beginning of a potential romance for her (and maybe even one for her grandmother as well).

I loved the Mini Meadows setting. The little adjacent town even has tiny businesses, and residents travel to and from town in golf carts!  This book made me even more intrigued about the idea of spending time in a tiny house community.

The mystery aspects of the book were interesting, and there was a surprising twist to the murder.

I recommend No Small Murder for fans of cozy mysteries, and especially for anyone who has an interest in tiny houses.
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I’ve been intrigued with the idea of tiny homes for a while, so when I saw the description of No Small Murder I immediately wanted to see how a tiny home community would play out in a cozy mystery.
I like the characters - Emma, Granny Rose, Jade, Chloe, Max, Tiny and Eric. Emma’s business of helping people to downsize is interesting. I really like Mini-Meadows and the variety of tiny homes found there. I wish it was something encouraged where I live.
I didn’t see the murder resolution wrapping up the way it did. We’re left with two dead and the motive was greed. 
I will happily recommend No Small Murder and look forward to the next in the series.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.
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I’d forgotten how much I love cosy mystery books, and this was a great way to get back into the genre. Such likeable characters, a funny and easy read to keep you guessing. 4 stars purely because I felt the link between the two characters at the end was a bit stretched. 
Thanks to Lena Gregory, Level Best Books and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review posted directly to Goodreads as the IBSN didn’t link.
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