Amber Winslow, former PI, has fled her home, her former life, carrying nothing but the clothes on her back. She has found herself in the sunny state of Arizona in the luxury accommodations of her grandmother’s retirement community. Never mind that Amber has never actually met her estranged, eccentric grandmother.

As soon as she finds herself in Seven Ponds, she’s shocked to learn that George Vincent, aka The Admiral, was found dead on the very night of her arrival. Much to Amber’s dismay, all anyone seems to care about is the missing Vincent family heirloom and the possible whereabouts of his mysterious tortoise who went missing shortly before his death.

As rumours circulate, Amber doesn’t want to admit that the grandmother she has just met could be guilty of murder and they must work together to clear her name, no matter the cost.

This was a fun, cozy mystery. I loved the missing tortoise and the antics that he gets up to as a little side story. This 90 year old character somehow has the whole community intrigued and it makes for a fun way to get to know some of the characters.

I also like how multidimensional all the characters are. No one in the story is who they appear to be and everyone has a backstory which makes for endless entertainment.

Thank you to Poised Pen Press, NetGalley and the author for my copy of this book in exchange for a review

Thank you @poisonedpenpress and @netgalley for the #gifted book .

MURDER RUNS IN THE FAMILY is the first book in a new series set in the Seven Ponds Retirement Community. This cozy mystery was so fun. There is a cast of eclectic characters, a true crime podcast, a hot ex boyfriend, and an emotional support tortoise named Tatiana.

Amber flirts her way into the retirement community to find the grandmother she never met and isn't sure her grandmother Jade knows she has a granddaughter. Their connection is immediate. Jade, along with several others in the retirement community runs the Death Comes Calling Podcast. She wants Amber on the podcast as a detective. When one of the members turns up dead and an heirloom ring goes missing, Jade is arrested as the prime suspect. Amber is determined to clear her grandmother's name.

I enjoyed getting to know a little background of each of the fun characters. Each has a secret and love that this group has become a found family. Jade has taken Amber in with open arms and I liked watching their relationship grow. The story is well plotted and fast paced and I read it in an afternoon. This cozy mystery is perfect for fans of Only Murders in the Building and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

I lovd the family aspects of this story and the way Amber reclaimed her independence from Bones. The standout aspects of this particular mystery came from the ways Amber connected to others and the social manipulations she utilized were great, but I do feel that the ending was a bit rushed and underexplained.

Tatiana was a second lovely addition to the story. Everyone needs a cute little animal sidekick and as someone who used to ride tortoises as a toddler (those guys can get really big!) they deserve more love in the literary community.

Anyone who has mommy issues and a love of detective stories will enjoy this one!

I had a lot of fun reading this book. Some of the mysteries in it were pretty easy to guess, but I really enjoyed the cast of characters and the setting. I love seeing a group of older folks with huge personalities and doing more than just sitting around all day. I hope there's more books in these series so I can visit them again.

This was a laugh out loud cozy mystery. It reminded me of Only Murders in the Building or The Thursday Murder Club. Definitely recommend
Also posted on Goodreads

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Just finished Murder Runs in the Family by Tamara Berry and I’m officially obsessed with cozy murder mysteries again.
This one is witty, twisty, and totally self-aware. Think: small-town charm, murder with a side of humor, and a mystery writer who keeps getting pulled into real-life crime scenes—because of course she does.

The dialogue? Snappy. The characters? Quirky and lovable. And the mystery itself? Surprisingly layered. I had theories… and I was so wrong, in the best way. Tamara Berry nails that balance between clever and cozy, without getting too heavy.

It’s the kind of book you read with a cuppa and a blanket, pretending you’re the main character in a Hallmark-meets-true-crime series.

4/5 stars. It’s fun, sharp, and perfect for anyone who likes their murders with a wink.



❤️shaye.readss

I had a lot of fun reading this book! All of the characters are so colorful and there are crazy hijinks going on at the retirement community of Seven Ponds! Amber fled her ex and wound up at this place to see if she could find her grandmother, a black sheep (kinda like Amber) from the rest of their family. And I love how the characters are mostly likeable (even Nancy has her moment) though all are flawed, so it is not too sugary sweet. From Jade to Raffi, and even grumpy Ethan, each person stands out with their own talents (and a few secrets) and that means a memorable adventure for Amber to solve the murder of the Admiral (and prove her grandma did not do it), and possibly find his tortoise (I love this little guy!) as well as a missing ring that the Admiral's relatives really want (they are a nasty greedy lot!). Only one dead body, so not much of a murder mystery, just a fun mystery.

Was this a deep and thinking book? No. but it is an entertaining story with plenty of laughs but also sweet moments where Amber learns that she is loved and accepted (at least at Seven Ponds) and the group will always have each other's backs in times of trial. I kinda hope she gets to stick around and help out even more, whether it is solving more mysteries or becoming part of the podcast and maybe finding a new guy to replace Bones!

A lovely cozy mystery with an adorable tortoise! Love this story and the ensemble of characters. The meet-cute is so good, and I can't wait to read whatever Berry writes next. Thanks to NetGalley and and Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced copy!

When Amber Winslow decides to flee town, she heads to her grandma's retirement community, even though she has never met her grandma. When she arrives, she finds that one of her glamorous grandma's friends has just die, it looks suspicious, and her grandma ends up in jail as the murder suspect. Amber must rely on her grandma's kooky cast of friends, and retirement employees to get to the bottom of the murder, and free her grandma! I loved this! Amber and Jade (grandma) are wonderful characters. I enjoyed the retirement home setting, and the turtle was adorable. I hope we see this grandma and granddaughter duo again, along with all of Jade's friends. There was also a love interest for Amber that I hope she gets to pursue!

There is a tendency with some authors to write quirky seniors as those they are either certifiable or should be locked away somewhere. It is annoying and can ruin what would otherwise be a good book. I am happy to report this book has some very quirky seniors who are anything but dangers to themselves or others. This does not mean they cannot get up to shenanigans but they do it with humour and grace.

Amber’s relationship has imploded and she has made a midnight scarper away from her demeaning boyfriend. She lands at the senior community where the grandmother she never met and had been warned about lives. Grandma Jade is a pistol. She writes a murder podcast that involves many of her friends around the complex. Think Only Murders in the Building. The morning after her arrival one of the podcast friends is found dead in the studio. There are reasons for suspicion about the cause of death but when the grasping children cannot find an heirloom, they accuse Jade of murder. Amber, with the help of her boyfriend who has tracked her down and others in the community must figure out who is responsible so she can spring grandma out of jail. Add in a 99 year old tortoise and other sundry supporting cast with a plot that has lots of great twists including the best one in how the heirloom is recovered. It is entertaining from start to finish. And no seniors were hurt in the process.

Five purrs and two paws up.

Surprise, surprise, I did NOT solve this mystery.

A cozy story full of the found family kind of love, Murder Runs in the Family had the most welcoming characters. While a few people took longer to warm up, the community there was so earned. Everyone there loved each other deeply and understood what being there meant. They were each other's biggest champions, supporting each other even if it meant making up jobs to pass the time.

Even Bones eventually grew on me—for just a bit!—but I don't know if I'd be quite as forgiving as Amber had been.

As for the mystery of it all, the ending had me in tears over the sweetest resolution possible. The constant new theories and debunking of those theories was also so fun to read because it felt like the way I'd explore the universe, although with maybe less wiles involved. It was also so cool to use the evidence as we got it, so we got to feel a lot more immersed than if there had just been a grand reveal at the end.

Then, we have the other emotional arc and that was also such a lovely tie-in to the world beyond this book. Because, after spending so much time here and connecting with her grandma, Amber learned to appreciate her family and the life she had. Now, she's just better equipped to find her direction.

If there's more to this universe, I'd love to hear how Amber manages to edit the podcast without incriminating anyone, how Ethan's life is going post-retirement home, and how Bones is handling his Tatianas.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

A bit quirky, but with an abundance of affectionate friends who are a “family”. Liked the 98 year old tortoise who had a starring role and the twist at the end. Thanks to #MurderRunsInTheFamily and #NetGalley for advanced digital copy.

Murder runs in the family is what I’m assuming is the start of a new series. Amber Winslow is an amateur detective who goes to visit her grandma at her nursing home in Arizona. Amber finds more mystery than she bargained for-her grandma and her group of friends run a cold case podcast and ambers grandma is accused of murder of the admiral. Ambers grandma finds herself arrested and Amber and the podcasters must work together and follow a trail of clues and red herrings to free her grandmother.

This is a quirky and humorous start to the series. I will be honest that it did not grab my attention for some reason and I found myself drifting throughout. This was a me issue at the time of reading through so take that for what it is worth, a fun tone pervades throughout and this is definitely a nice cozy option.

Thanks to the publisher for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3 Stars – A Quirky Start with Potential, But Not Quite a Knockout

Amber Winslow is having a rough go of it—fleeing a failed life in the middle of the night and landing smack in the middle of murder and mayhem at an Arizona retirement community that’s far from restful. Murder Runs in the Family serves up a cozy mystery with a charmingly wacky setup: eccentric retirees, a missing heirloom ring, a possibly murderous grandma, and a conspicuously vanished tortoise. What more could a mystery lover ask for? Turns out… a little more polish.

This book had all the ingredients for a standout cozy: a former PI-in-training heroine, snappy banter, a retirement community full of colorful suspects, and a mystery that manages to be both murder and treasure hunt. Amber is a likable protagonist with a big heart and a habit of leaping before she looks, and her reluctant reunion with Grandma Jade had definite heart beneath the hijinks.

That said, the pacing occasionally meandered, with a few red herrings that felt more like detours. I found myself wanting the mystery to tighten up a bit and the cast of side characters—delightfully zany as they were—to stand out more distinctly from one another. The humor worked in places, but sometimes tried a little too hard to be quirky-cute rather than organically funny. (Though I’ll give points for the tortoise subplot. I mean, come on. A missing tortoise? That’s gold.)

Ultimately, Murder Runs in the Family is a fun series opener with a unique setting and a promising premise. I’d definitely check out book two in hopes the series finds its stride. For fans of cozy mysteries with a touch of found-family chaos, it might just be your cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advance copy!

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Amber Winslow is an unofficial PI who visits her grandma in Arizona. While there, she is met with a murder mystery that her grandma is arrested for. Amber works to solve the mystery and hopefully free her grandma. This was a fun read! 3.5 stars.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Amber Winslow has never met her Grandma Jade, but when she decides to leave her PI boyfriend in the middle of the night with her meager belongings, she heads to her grandmother’s retirement community in Arizona. Her grandmother welcomes her with open arms, knowing a surprising amount of information about her life and her PI-in-training status.

She barely gets settled in her grandma’s guest room when she learns about a resident man’s death. George Vincent (The Admiral) was a friend of her grandmother’s and a member of a close-knit group that produces a cold case podcast. Amber also learns that the Admiral’s pet 98-year-old tortoise has been missing for a few weeks. While no one appears to be overly upset by the man’s death or the missing tortoise, several people are demanding to know what happened to a high-value Vincent family heirloom.

Then Amber gets a huge shock when her Grandma Jade is arrested for theft and murder. Even though she doesn’t know her grandmother well, she knows she needs to use her PI skills to prove her grandmother had nothing to do with the man’s death or his missing heirloom.

In this new series from Tamara Berry, we meet an eclectic cast of characters led by protagonist Amber Winslow, a 30ish woman with a dysfunctional relationship with her mother and siblings. She was training to be a private investigator, but her boss/boyfriend, Bones, wasn’t on the same page regarding her job and progress. That sent Amber off to find her maternal grandmother. A woman whom Amber’s mother had cut from all their lives. Her mother has issues, but that’s for another book.

Amber’s Grandma Jade is a hoot. She is very comfortable in her skin, just check out the portrait in the guest bedroom. She has a positive attitude about almost everything and is the force behind the Death Comes Calling podcast. She has quite a group of seniors to work with. The Admiral researched cold cases to feature. Julio works as a security guard, keeps the books for the podcast, and is the resident bookie. Raffi plays the part of the lead character on the podcast. Peggy Lee has many techy talents and spends time at the reception desk. Camille does promotion and distribution for the podcast. Lincoln works to keep all the friends fed and makes some amazing croissants. We also meet the director of the facility, Geerta Blom, and Nurse Nancy. All the characters are well-crafted for this first book in a series, with plenty of room for readers to get to know them better.

Amber solved her first solo case quickly when she found the Admiral’s tortoise, but the last thing she needed was a posse of senior citizens as she worked to free her grandma from jail. But that was just what she got. She also didn’t need her ex, but Bones showed up in Draycott, Arizona, wanting to help and win her back. What ensues are some crazy antics, twists, turns, a strange discovery, and a surprising realization.

Ms. Berry’s intriguing mystery has friendship and family themes along with a behind-the-scenes look at the Seven Ponds retirement community. It is also laced with quite a bit of sarcastic humor courtesy of our main character.

What I really loved was the prominent role of 98-year-old Tatiana the tortoise. After Amber found the pint-sized tortoise, she named him and took him everywhere. First, she walked him very slowly like a dog. Then she fashioned a sling like you would use for a baby and carried him everywhere. Sadly, he wasn’t eating, and the whole senior posse, Bones, and another resident there recovering from surgery, were concerned. The little guy touched my heart, too.

Murder Runs in the Family is a terrific start for this series. It’s an entertaining story with a Gen Z protagonist trying to find where she belongs, a fun group of senior amateur sleuths trying to live their best lives, and a lovable tortoise set in a retirement community with Nasty Nurse Nancy lurking around every corner. A lively, lighthearted read with an unexpected ending. An Enjoyable Escape! Bring on Book 2!

Amber runs to her grandmother’s home after leaving her boyfriend behind. Once there she meets her grandmother’s quirky friends and find out they do a cold case murder podcast. Her first evening there, one of the friends dies. Amber was training to become a PI, so she takes on the cases of the missing turtle, the case of the missing ring and was it murder or natural causes.
Goodreads

Amber is the family screw-up, a wannabe PI whose ex-boyfriend wouldn't sign her training paperwork. She runs away to the one place she could think of: her estranged grandmother's retirement community. When her grandmother's friend dies suspiciously, Amber jumps into action. Add into the mix her burly ex, a 98-year-old turtle named Tatiana, a handsome but grumpy post-surgical patient, and a handful of feisty retirees looking for excitement in their lives.

I enjoyed Amber and Jade (grandma!) and the characterization there. I was glad for Amber that she found someone who will care about her without aggressive expectations.

The storyline was well plotted. I had a guess that the end would shake it the way out did, but the ride was a lot of fun. If you've enjoyed the Thursday Murder Club books, or Killers of a Certain Age, or An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good, this is a great option for you. This was a lot of fun, and the cast of characters is a lot of fun, even Nasty Nancy.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in return for sharing my thoughts on this book. Thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity!

After a breakup and a stalled career, Amber heads to Arizona to meet the grandmother she’s never known—who just so happens to live in a retirement community. Always feeling like the odd one out in her own family, Amber instantly connects with her quirky grandma, Jade. Turns out, Jade runs a true crime podcast with her misfit retiree friends, and when an actual murder rocks the community and Jade is accused, Amber finds herself right in the middle of a real-life mystery.

With the help of Jade’s podcast crew, Amber’s PI ex-boyfriend Bones, a missing ring, a judgmental turtle, and Ethan—a guy who’s way too young for the community but recovering from a hip replacement—this wild, funny, and unpredictable whodunnit kicks into gear.

I had a blast reading this one! It’s fast-paced, full of laughs, and the twists kept me guessing the whole time. If you’re into cozy mysteries with a quirky cast and a heartwarming family thread, definitely give it a try.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy—I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

"Murder Runs in the Family" is a sharp cozy mystery (fingers crossed this becomes a series). Typical of the genre, we meet Amber who has broken up with her boyfriend and decided to start her life anew. She ends up at her grandmother's place, and it doesn't take long before she has a murder to investigate.

The characters in this book are sassy, strong women (and some cool men) who know what they want and aren't afraid to go for it! I loved them! Tamara Berry has crafted a well-plotted story with a murder case that turns out to be an intricate labyrinth with many twists and turns along the way. The dialogue between the characters is snarky and to-the-point, giving the book a delightful sense of humor.

And the setting in the grandmother's retirement community is absolutely wonderful! I loved the banter and neighborly squabbles over social media - just delightful. If you enjoy funny books with suspense, drama, and quick dialogue, this is the book for you.