Reading this was like being part of the team, albeit a frustrated member.
Olivia was so eager to prove herself I thought she was bit overzealous.
Merritt was insufferable at times and was prone to showboating, especially when it took 3 chapters to reveal the ins and outs of the case.
I was also glad Olivia was there for Trevor because that was so important.
I also liked Olivia’s Jeep!

A feel-good murder mystery that fans of cozy mysteries can settle in with and enjoy the shenanigans. Olivia Blunt and Aubrey Merritt are a perfectly matched investigative duo. Olivia, with her inexperienced but over-zealous yearning to prove herself, is balanced out with Aubrey's candid ability to be one step ahead and being right on time to help Olivia.

The pacing of the book was a bit slow at times, and I felt like some pages could have been cut. It did take me a while to get through. it just didn't hold my attention like I had hoped. I think fans of Sherlock Holmes' novels and Agatha Christie books would enjoy reading.

Aubrey Merritt is a world-famous detective who has trouble finding and keeping assistants.
Olivia wants to be Aubrey's next assistant and considers this opportunity her dream job.
During Olivia's probationary period, an urgent call comes from Vermont.
Victoria Summersworth has been found dead. The original investigation has determined cause of death to be suicide.
Victoria's daughter believes her mother was murdered.
Aubrey Merritt and Olivia take a road trip to Vermont.
Will Victoria Summersworth's cause of death be determined?
Will Olivia make the cut and become Aubrey Merritt's new, full time assistant?
The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant is a fun mystery and a perfect summer read!
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Thank you Penguin Random House and NetGalley for sending me this ARC.

The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant by Liza Tully is a fun mystery, pulling the reader into the world of privilege and hidden agendas surrounding a suspicious death inside a wealthy Vermont family, while watching the main character blunder her way through the investigation.

Olivia Blunt has landed her dream job, working with Aubrey Merrit, a renowned private investigator she has admired since discovering her while researching for her previous role as a fact-checker for an online news agency. But her job is not what she had dreamed of, as she is relegated to answering phones and doing internet research. That is, until she is given the chance to travel with Aubrey to investigate an apparent suicide that the daughter of the victim thinks is suspicious.

The mystery itself begins with the loss of the Summersworth family matriarch. Aubrey and Olivia look into the original police investigation and the family and friends to try and determine how she died. The characters are done well, each leading to a tangled web of possible motives, but in such a way that nothing is obvious, which I like. Also, there is a secondary plot that comes to light quite accidentally, which leads to a little more danger than Olivia was ready for.

Olivia’s method of investigation shows that she goes more for heart, while Aubrey’s methods are technical and analytical. Their contrasting styles often clash, and while this can be a little uncomfortable, it adds realism enough that you feel for Olivia and question her life choices in wanting to work with her. This shows that the author’s character depictions are done well; other characters are hated, loved, or sympathized with in kind. While empathy is felt, it does not overshadow the plot, which has twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end.

Overall, The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant is a smart and entertaining read, filled with twists, good character moments, and just enough tension to keep you flipping pages. This book would be a charming addition to any cozy crime fan’s shelf.

Thank you to the publisher Berkley Publishing Group, the author, Liza Tully, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 Stars
Olivia Blunt applied for a job as assistant to renowned detective Aubrey Merritt in hopes that she’ll get to help investigate cases. Instead, Olivia’s doing office work and research. This changes when they’re asked to look into the death of Victoria Summersworth. The police believe Victoria took her own life, but her daughter Haley believes she was murdered. On paper it seems Victoria had everything going for her: wealth, a new romance and a loving family.

Olivia and Merritt travel to Vermont to sort it out and become embroiled in a web of family drama with a wealth of suspects.

We get the story from Olivia’s perspective and while she was the assistant and in training, she was pretty observant and smart. She did have much to learn from Merritt who was like a cross between Hercule Poirot and Miranda Priestly, albeit a bit nicer. It was fun to see Olivia and Merritt work together. I enjoyed their methodical investigation as they question suspects, analyze the facts and mull over motives.

The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant was a fun sort of modern-day Agatha Christie with a bit of humor! I loved every page of this twisty, cozy mystery! I’m hoping we get more mysteries with this duo in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book! It's fun, funny and kept me guessing. I really liked the smart alec assistant. Looking forward to more from this author and these characters.

Olivia Blunt is a big fan of fictional detective stories and one real-life detective. As a fact checker for an online news bureau, she checked on story about Aubrey Merritt, and she became fascinated by the woman. She used logic and psychology to solve famous murders, and Olivia just knows that working for her would be life-changing. So when the chance came to apply to be her assistant, she applied.

Olivia gets the job only to spend two months answering the phone and making appointments. She got to go out to art gallery with her on a case, only to be the person holding an umbrella over the detective’s head as she got in and out of the cab.

But then she got the call that changed everything. Haley Summersworth calls about her mother, Violet. The previous week, her mother had fallen from her deck and died. The police are saying that it’s a suicide, but Haley is convinced that her mother was murdered. Olivia does some research and presents the case to Merritt, and the world’s greatest detective agrees that it is worth investigating. So they head off to Vermont, with Olivia driving her in her father’s beat=up car.

Violet was from a poor background and worked her way up to a position in advertising. That was how she caught the eye of the man who owned the company. She was only 30 when she married 50-year-old Warren Summersmith, who had 2 kids. After they married, they had 2 more kids, and were together for many years, until Warren fell off a boat and died. Violet ran their businesses for many years, but now Warren’s son Neil runs Kingfisher Development and their son Scott runs the Wild Goose Resort.

Merritt and Olivia stay at the Wild Goose Resort (Merritt in a lovely suite, Olivia in a small staff bedroom) as they investigate. They talk to the family and friends and look over Violet’s house. They dig up secrets and rumors, addictions and affairs and financial indiscretions. And through it all, Olivia offers up her ideas and theories to Merritt. And through all the investigating, Olivia is trying so hard to impress her boss. But instead, she gets everything absolutely and completely wrong.

Will they be able to solve the mystery of Victoria’s death anyway?

The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant is a fun new murder mystery that introduces a modern-day Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The partnership between Merritt and Blunt is a perfect balance of personalities and styles as Merritt quietly notes the clues she sees and hears and Blunt strikes up conversations with those involved in the case and digs up secrets. The relationship makes for a fun story, and I loved seeing how they interacted with each other through the case. This mystery is a lot of fun and filled with surprises and intelligence.

Egalleys for The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.

“The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant” (out now from Berkley, $30) from Liza Tully is a sly, intelligent re-imagining of the classic detective novel, pairing a famously irascible sleuth with a self-deprecating millennial apprentice.

As Olivia Blunt navigates the eccentricities of her formidable mentor, Aubrey Merritt, and a labyrinthine case involving a suspicious death among the elite, the novel explores themes of intergenerational tension, epistemic authority and the nature of truth.

Tully’s prose is crisp and witty, her plotting precise, and the dynamic between her leads as psychologically astute as it is entertaining. A savvy, layered mystery with real narrative charm.

The World’s Greatest Detective & Her Just Okay Assistant by Liza Tully is a fascinating & unique mystery novel about a famous detective & her recently hired assistant as these opposites take on a case. The matchup of the older famous detective & her new younger apprentice provided a super interesting dynamic that crosses generational line. It gave this novel depth, humor, heart & explores so much more than just the whodunnit.

The World’s Greatest Detective & Her Just Okay Assistant is great for those looking to read…
🔍 Whodunnit Mystery
🔍 Sherlock & Watson Vibes
🔍 Women Detectives
🔍 Opposites/Cross Generational Boss x Apprentice

I love a good mystery & I love even more a well thought out mystery that fully explains the elaborate web that the clever detectives unravels & this story does a fabulous job of this. I wasn’t sure where was it was going to go & I love a mystery that keeps me on my toes. This was an unexpected pairing that I would enjoy reading about again!

I highly recommend The World’s Greatest Detective & Her Just Okay Assistant.

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for the gifted copy which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

Thank you Berkley Pub for the free book! #BerkleyBookstagram #BerkleyIG #berkley #berkleypub #LizaTully #TheWorldsGreatestDetectiveandHerJustOkayAssistant

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝’𝐬 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐎𝐤𝐚𝐲 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐋𝐢𝐳𝐚 𝐓𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟖, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝟰★

This book definitely surprised me! Another cozy mystery that exceeded my expectations. This one had the most lovable characters in Olivia and Aubrey! Olivia is a an assistant detective but doesn’t want to spend the rest of her life living that way. She’s ready to prove that she’s ready for more. And Aubrey is a well-known detective, constantly being asked by others to take on their cases. Finally, Olivia finds one that she thinks Aubrey should pursue, and Olivia is desperate to prove that she’s more than just an assistant and has the skills to be a great detective. But soon Olivia is in way over her head and there is more drama than either of them anticipated.

This book will have you laughing out loud. The banter between Olivia and Aubrey was so good. This book kept me guessing and on my toes the entire time and I loved that about it. It was a fun one and I look forward to whatever is to come next, and I’m hoping this is the start of a new series.

Posted on Goodreads on July 9, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around July 9, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on July 9, 2025
**-will post on designated date

Thanks for the free book, #Berkley. #BerkleyPartner #BerkleyBookstagram

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant by Liza Tully
⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 400
Genre: Murder Mystery
Release Date: July 8, 2025
🥳#HappyPubWeek!🎉

Olivia Blunt just landed her dream job—assistant detective to the renowned private investigator Aubrey Merritt. Unfortunately, she’s being used more as an administrative assistant than an assistant detective. On their first real case together, Olivia is determined to prove her worth. A 65-year-old woman has fallen to her death. The police say it was suicide, but her daughter says it was murder and has hired Merritt to find out what really happened.

The murder mystery part of this book was decent, albeit long. And usually when there’s a grumpy main character, they have something endearing about them—an on-the-spectrum flaw that makes their bluntness funny and forgivable or an older generation that doesn’t quite get it but tries. Merritt was just a stuck-up, full-of-herself biyaaaatch. And Olivia didn’t have enough character to balance that out. She really was “just okay,” kind of like this book.

This book was okay. I was neither wowed nor upset at it. I think I wanted more Aubrey. She seemed quirky and I felt like Olivia and her played well off of each other. Sadly, the mystery focused more on Olivia’s attempts to solve it and while she was interesting, she didn’t overly wow me as a main character.
Thank you to Burkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant by Liza Tully is a cozy mystery with a heaping dose of family drama.

I used one of my monthly libro.fm credits to listen to the audiobook. The narrator does a great job, especially with how many characters are in this book. The pacing of how folks were introduced was really well done but the narrator made it especially easy to parse by her distinct voices and affectations.

I had an okay time with this book, though I laughed out loud several times throughout. I figured out many of the whodunits, but the banter between our titular detective and her assistant kept me going. There are also some characters that are very much the kind you love to hate.

The book felt a little too long overall. The beginning was especially slow for me due to it being full of interviews, though the pacing does pick up in the back third.

As a queer person, some of the plot made me feel a little uncomfortable, but I can't really go into it further without spoilers.

When you want to be a great detective, you should learn from the world’s greatest detective. Olivia is an aspiring detective toiling away as an assistant for the most awesome Aubrey. The dynamic of mentor/mentee was well done and Tully gets the reader right into the relationship and the basis for the mystery to come.

The death of a big bucks socialite at her birthday party is quickly ruled a suicide and Aubrey agrees, but Olivia has her doubts. Can she put the clues together and solve the murder? It’s a cozy so of course she can!

The actual murder was easy to solve-for once I figured it out before the characters! It was fun but also frustrating. My main problems with the book were the characters and the dialogue. There were too many people in this book. I spent so much time flipping back and forth trying to remember who was who; way too many people to keep track of; I could see after I finished the book, what the author was going for in terms of red herrings and misdirection but it needed editing.

Also needing the big red pen of an editor was the dialogue. The characters didn’t speak like real people, everything was choppy and ran on and on. Much like the way I write! I do get it, dialogue is hard. Real people talk differently than characters on a page. It’s a tough thing to nail and in places it flowed really well.

Overall this was a good book and apparently the first in a new series. I will read the next one because there were some good bones in the story and Olivia and Aubrey are interesting characters-just hope author Tully trims the fat and tightens up the plot next time. 4 stars.When you want to be a great detective, you should learn from the world’s greatest detective. Olivia is an aspiring detective toiling away as an assistant for the most awesome Aubrey. The dynamic of mentor/mentee was well done and Tully gets the reader right into the relationship and the basis for the mystery to come.

The death of a big bucks socialite at her birthday party is quickly ruled a suicide and Aubrey agrees, but Olivia has her doubts. Can she put the clues together and solve the murder? It’s a cozy so of course she can!

The actual murder was easy to solve-for once I figured it out before the characters! It was fun but also frustrating. My main problems with the book were the characters and the dialogue. There were too many people in this book. I spent so much time flipping back and forth trying to remember who was who; way too many people to keep track of; I could see after I finished the book, what the author was going for in terms of red herrings and misdirection but it needed editing.

Also needing the big red pen of an editor was the dialogue. The characters didn’t speak like real people, everything was choppy and ran on and on. Much like the way I write! I do get it, dialogue is hard. Real people talk differently than characters on a page. It’s a tough thing to nail and in places it flowed really well.

Overall this was a good book and apparently the first in a new series. I will read the next one because there were some good bones in the story and Olivia and Aubrey are interesting characters-just hope author Tully trims the fat and tightens up the plot next time. 4 stars. I was given a copy (thank you NetGalley!) to read and share my thoughts.

Olivia Blunt is eager to prove herself. She’s sick of her fact checking job, so when the opportunity to work for Aubrey Merritt, the “World’s Greatest Detective” arises, she jumps at the chance to apply. She gets the job, but it takes weeks for a case to actually stand out to her. Victoria Summersworth’s death has been ruled a suicide, but her daughter knows that can’t be true. Olivia and Merritt travel to Lake Champlain to investigate the death, and soon realize there are plenty of people who could benefit from Victoria’s death.

I don’t always love cozy mysteries, but I thought this was a really fun one. In large part I sum that up to the characters. I really loved how Merritt and Olivia worked off of eachother. Merritt has been in the business for a long time and is a source of inspiration for Olivia. I loved Olivia’s tenacity as she tries to prove her worth to Merritt, even if it does end up backfiring on her quite a bit. Merritt is a bit prickly and I had a harder time connecting with her, but she really does seem to value Olivia’s help as the investigation progresses, especially at the end. I hope we get to see Olivia succeed and learn more in the next book - and hopefully she’s a bit nicer to her fiancé!

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for a review copy.

I thought this was a fun, cozy mystery series. We have Merrit, a world-renowned PI, who has solved all kinds of cases, and Olivia, who wants nothing more than to learn from Merrit. Sadly for Olivia, while she gets to work with Merrit, she is basically a secretary, at least until she brings her a case that she will have to drive Merrit to, and Merrit gives her a chance to help with the case.

I liked Olivia right away; she was earnest and had a gung-ho attitude about learning everything she could about becoming a PI. Merrit was a bit standoffish and wasn't the friendliest or the best of teachers, but I think if this ends up being a series, I might like her more. I loved watching Olivia go through all the evidence and present her thoughts.
I thought this was a fun book; if maybe a bit long, it had plenty of twists and turns, and kept me on the edge of my seat. If this does turn into a series, I will definitely read the next book.

Berkley kindly sent over an early copy of The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant, and while I enjoyed it, I did feel it could have been leaner in places.

Olivia Blunt, a former fact‑checker eager to break into detective work, becomes the assistant to Aubrey Merritt, the country’s most renowned private investigator. Their first big case takes them to Vermont’s Lake Champlain after Victoria Summersworth falls off her balcony during a birthday party. The police deem it a suicide, but Victoria’s daughter insists it was murder. Olivia and Merritt wade through a tangled web of suspects, including family members, resort staff, and mysterious outsiders, gradually uncovering decades-old secrets and motives

I enjoyed this one overall, especially the last 50%, which moved much faster than the interview-heavy first half. Things really picked up around the midpoint, and from there, I didn’t want to put it down. I did guess the ending around 60%, but watching it unfold was still satisfying. The characters are compelling, and I love a book with multigenerational friendships.

The main character Olivia felt slightly younger than her stated age, though I appreciated her personal growth over the course of the story. I wish there had been more comedic banter between Merritt and Olivia, but their tentative, “getting-to-know-you” dynamic works and I expect their rapport will grow more in future installments given this story clearly lays groundwork for sequels.

At around 400 pages, the dialogue-heavy setup slows things down early on, but once the investigation takes hold, the story really gets going. Overall, a fun, cozy mystery with strong potential for a series.

The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant comes out July 8, 2025. Huge thank you to Berkley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting myInstagram @speakingof.books.
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Liza Tully is a new author for me - under any of her names of which she uses several to write various different genres. Probably most known as Elisabeth Brink who writes dark fiction. This Liza Tully book is a cozy mystery.

Description:
Olivia Blunt doesn't want to be an assistant detective for the rest of her life. She's determined to learn everything she can from her mentor and renowned investigator, Aubrey Merritt, but the latter is no easy grader.

After weeks of fielding phone calls from parties desperate for the world-renowned detective’s help, a case comes across Olivia’s desk that just might be worthy of Merritt’s skills. On the evening of her sixty-fifth birthday party, Victoria Summersworth somehow fell over her balcony railing to her death on the rocky shore of Lake Champlain. She was a happy woman—rich, beloved, in love, and matriarch of the preeminent Summersworth family. The police have ruled it a suicide, but her daughter Haley thinks it was murder.

Merritt is ever the skeptic, but Olivia believes Haley. Plus, she’s desperate to prove her investigative skills to her aloof boss. But the Summersworth family drama is a complicated web.

Olivia realizes she might be in over her head with this whole detective thing... or she might be unravelling a mystery even bigger than the one she’d started with.

My Thoughts:
I truly enjoyed this cozy and liked the characters Merritt and Olivia. Olivia wanted to learn everything she could from Merritt but Merritt certainly didn't make it easy. But Olivia had good instincts. I thought Merritt was really tough on her being so ready to point out her mistakes - and she did make some. There were a lot of characters and the the question of the whether whether Victoria's death was murder or suicide was difficult to solve. The investigation was fun and I didn't want to put the book down. I look forward to seeing more of these by Liza Tully or whatever name the author wants to write them under - she's a great author!

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group through Netgalley for an advance copy.

This was a very charming debut mystery. It has a lot of the tones of classic mysteries, and feels out of time with its summer resort setting, but there are enough references to contemporary technology and situations to keep it grounded in the present. I'd love more mysteries with Olivia, and the opportunity to learn more about Merritt would be welcome as well.

Oh, there’s a tenured professional in a highly specific field that our main character has been obsessed with and now has a chance to prove themselves in a job WITH said tenured professional? Obviously I’m invested from the first chapter!
In this story, the tenured professional is a well-known and very successful private investigator named Aubrey Merritt. Our main character is named Olivia Blunt, and she just got hired to be Merritt’s assistant. The two find themselves investigating a death that has been ruled a suicide, but shows signs of foul play. The death occurred at a luxury lakeside resort in Vermont, and the woodsy environment was the perfect soothing background to juxtapose the high-intensity investigation!
This is the kind of book that feels almost nostalgic. There were so many summers where I read mystery after mystery, and dreamed of solving my own curious case someday. Merritt and Olivia’s mentorship gave the book an interesting slant, and I found myself also wanting Merritt’s approval. The mystery itself was enticing and twisty, and kept me fully invested.
If you’re looking for a fun summer murder mystery, this is a perfect pick!