This book is the first in the new Mah Jongg Mysteries, set in Serendipity Springs, Florida. Sydney, Kat, Marianne and Micki are friends who play mah jongg at one table together and are enjoying their retired life in this quiet town. Olivia Schwimmer plays at another table and doesn't socialize much with the other ladies; she is a more competitive player. All of that changes when Olivia's husband is found murdered off of a path in broad daylight. When Olivia asks Syd and the other three ladies to investigate who might have killed her husband, the women begin to discover how many cracks are in the Schwimmer marriage. But Olivia is not the only one with a motive. The ladies find leads that the Sheriff can't seem to uncover, much to his dismay. 

Overall, the book was an enjoyable read. It was different to have four protagonists. While the book description states that Syd is the lead, the other characters are well-developed--especially for the first in the series. They had nice, identifiable personalities and I wanted to pull up a chair and join them for a cup of coffee. The mystery had some nice twists and a couple of red herrings. While most of the book was at a comfortable pace, I felt like the ending was too rushed. 

 **Thanks to NetGalley and Backlit PR for a complimentary copy of this book. My review is voluntary..

Loved that the characters were seniors.

Kudos to Barbara Barrett for casting the Mah Jongh Mysteries with smart senior characters. They were likable and just eccentric enough to be realistic and interesting.  I liked that some of the characters like Sydney are married and others( you'll see who) may be finding love in their later years.  The mystery was well thought out and compelling and I loved that I hadn't figured out the murderer too soon in the book.
Definately a fun entertaining read.
I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley.

Very enjoyable book. I liked that the story focused on a group of people, but my addled brain had trouble keeping everyone straight. The mystery was really good. Fun read!

Craks in a Marriage is the first book in Mah Jongg series by Barbara Barrett.
Here we meet four ladies Syd, Kat, Marianne and Micki a devoted players of Mah Jongg. In their group there is a woman named Olivia whose husband turns up dead. It is immediately obvious that he was murdered and as always the first suspect is a wife. Olivia claims she did not do it, admits she susected her husband of having an affair and asks her Mah Jongg friends to investigate.
Reluctantly ladies accept but it turns out that Olivia has been keeping secrets. A formidable chief has his eye on the ladies, especially Kat, suspecting they are up to no good.
Interesting story, reasonably paced and not too detailed.
Likable, congenial characteres in realisticaly presented situations, behaving as amateur sleuths should act.
Judging by the first book this series has a chance of becoming one of the great mystery series.

I know nothing about the game of mah jongg, so I was interested to learn about it along with this story, Well written and well rounded characters that I want to have a conversation with. Enjoyed the twists and turns trying to figure it all out.

Craks in a Marriage by Barbara Barrett, is the first book in Mah Jongg series.  A fun group of seniors, Kat, Syd, Marianne and Micki, help co player Olivia solve her husbands murder before she is arrested.  This book is a fun read, with intelligent older women.  I found this book to be a quick read, with well developed plot and characters.  I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.  If you love fun cozy mysteries like I do, than I recommend this book.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the author for an honest review.

For Ms. Barrett's first voyage into cozy mystery writing she did a fine job!

For me, this book combined two of my favorite things: Mah Jongg and mystery.

Welcome to Serendipity Springs, Florida. You will meet four fun and fabulous retired ladies who get together once a week for a game of Mah Jongg. When another woman's husband is murdered they work to uncover who could've murdered him before his wife is arrested for the crime.

I really liked this book! I liked the cast of characters, their friendship and the description of the live in the town.
The mystery was quite good and kept me guessing.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley