The Corpse Wore Stilettos

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Pub Date 30 Apr 2019 | Archive Date 06 Jul 2019

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Description

SHE WORE A DONNA KARAN MARKED FOR REPOSSESSION

Since Kat Waters’s father took a trip to the slammer on what she’s sure are trumped-up racketeering charges, life’s been tough. All their assets are frozen, and she’s down to the last few pairs of Jimmy Choos she can swap for rent. To keep her family out of the homeless shelter, the former socialite took a job at the local morgue—a job she’s about to lose when the body of a murder victim goes missing on her watch.

HE WORE A CAPTIVATING SMILE

While Kat’s processing the latest victim in the prostitute serial killings, ex-Special Forces soldier Burns McPhee strolls in with an air of confidence, expecting access to the Jane Doe. While Burns tries to flirt his way into examining the latest victim, whom he thinks is connected to the death of his best friend, someone else steals the body right out from under them.

THE CORPSE WORE STILETTOS

Dodging questions from the cops and kidnapping attempts from a body-snatching psycho, Kat and Burns forge a deal. He’ll clear her name and keep her safe if she gets him information on her peculiar coworkers, one of whom he’s certain is involved with the body heist. But digging up secrets can lead to a lower life expectancy. The unlikely team will need all their talents not to end up as the morgue’s next clients while they hunt for a murderer, the missing corpse, and a pair of diamond-studded stilettos.

SHE WORE A DONNA KARAN MARKED FOR REPOSSESSION

Since Kat Waters’s father took a trip to the slammer on what she’s sure are trumped-up racketeering charges, life’s been tough. All their assets are...


Advance Praise

“The characters make this story” - Pirate Patty Reviews

“It’s hard to make death funny, but Ms. O’Neill has done a great job. I loved every page of this” - Literary Gold Reviws

“The characters make this story” - Pirate Patty Reviews

“It’s hard to make death funny, but Ms. O’Neill has done a great job. I loved every page of this” - Literary Gold Reviws


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9781948051279
PRICE $8.99 (USD)

Average rating from 49 members


Featured Reviews

This is Kat and Burns book, since Kats father ended up in jail for some trumped up racketeering charges life has been really tough! all her family‘s assets are frozen and she’s been relegated to selling her last few pairs of jimmy Choo heels! To keep her family out of the homeless shelter The former socialite took a job at the local morgue! A job she’s about to lose when a body of a murder victim goes missing on her watch! While she’s processing the latest murder victim, a prostitute that’s in a long line of murder victims, ex special forces soldier Burns strolls in expecting access to the murder victim, while Burns tries to flirt his way into examining the victim ,who he thinks is connected to the death of his best friend someone else steals the body right out from under their noses!! While dodging questions from the cops and kidnapping attempts from a body snatching psycho Kat and Burns make a deal! He’ll keep her safe and try to help her solve this mystery if she gets some information on her peculiar coworkers! This book in certain parts was really really funny I was just cracking up! It definitely was a very interesting and very good read! I definitely enjoyed reading this one! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

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In any group there are a number of roles that are played according to this story: The ‘leader’; the ‘cheer leader’; the ‘martyr’; the ‘historian; and the ‘information broker’. And when a newly employed assistant in the County morgue has a corpse disappear on her, then these roles are played by the people she co-opts in her search to discover who the corpse was, and who stole her from the morgue.
There were a couple of clues that I thought was not followed up enough - firstly the stilettos themselves - our heroine identifies them as high end designer wear when she first sees the corpse and then this is ignored in the description that was later given as a reason the dead girl was un likely to be a prostitute. Secondly her jewellery was taken off in the morgue and included a solid gold cross which was put into the evidence locker. Again this was not mentioned again in the story.
So Kat really needed to read in more depth her ‘PI for Dummies’ book..
I liked Kat though as a character and her habit of spouting odd facts and her inability to make decisions without lists and decision trees; her issues within social situations; and her general lack of self-worth. I also liked the other characters in this book - DC - the Cheer Leader and wearer of odd outfits; Marshall being suitably creepy; and Burns the enigmatic one.
I’m interested to see where this series goes from here.

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The Corpse Wore Stilettos is a fun and absorbing mystery that takes readers deep into the morgue and the lives of people there.

Not at all morbid or gruesome it is highly entertaining read about Kat Water's who is a socialite fallen on hard times since her father's has been sent to prison due to unconfirmed accusation about working with the mob.
She has moved back home to help her mother and grandmother during the difficult time and since all their funds have been seized by the police had to find an employment, and that is how she ended up working in the morgue.

One night as she is about to work on a body of a assumed prostitute, the body is stolen. She thinks that the Russian have taken the body. Why? Because of the shoes the man who stole the body wore.
She has no choice but to find out the truth since she has been suspended and desperately needs her job, and involuntarily enlists help from a certain security company whose boss has been investigating deaths of prostitutes and an investigative journalist.
This is a gem of a book. There is mystery, romance, friendship and craziness all wrapped up together in a fantastic story.
There is an array of wonderful and quirky characters, each more eccentric and unique than the others.
Well written and intelligent mystery wrapped in a light and easy story with many laugh out moments and funny situations.
There is also a mystery within a mystery which is always a big plus in my book.
Great first book in what I hope will be a long running series. Not to be missed.

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There are a very few cozy mysteries that I have read that were not only engrossing but had me smiling and chuckling at times. Kat and her family are unique with Maybell as my favorite (please let her have a bigger role in the next book!) This book is not a cliffhanger but I'm hoping the next book will come out soon. If you enjoy cozy mysteries with some humor try this book. I truly loved it. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

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I absolutely loved this mystery. Kat Waters finds herself back home working in the morgue of all places to help her family out while her father spends time in the slammer due to what she believes are fabricated racketeering charges. As the story unfolds we find Kat and her cast of zany characters reacting as a body goes missing from the morgue.

I have to say that this book was a fun read filled with lots of unforgettable characters. Kat's supposed involvement with the missing corpse adds more fire to the drama and she finds herself wrapped up in trying to solve the missing corpse mystery. Lots of great quirky characters and fun plot twists lead to a cliffhanger ending which some readers may not like but it just makes me to snap up the next in the series.

Fun read and great writing from author M.J. O'Neill makes me glad that this one is available for other mystery fans to read. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy for my honest review.

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The Corpse Wore Stilettos by MJ O’Neill is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. This book is based in St. Louis which is a plus for me! 😁. That's my stomping grounds. The story is cute. Our gal Kat is new in the morgue assistance business when two guys show up to look at a freshly dead body. While she is dealing with them, someone else steaks the body. Now the cops think she was in on it! She is now determined to find out who did it.
It was cute it parts but slow in parts so a 3 1/2 stars rounded to 4 stars was given. Worth the read.

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This author is going on my must-read list! This book had me literally laughing out loud and gasping in shock until the last page. Kat and her crew are hilarious and so relatable. I couldn’t decide on my favorite character because they were all so great and so different. I would love to hang out with any of them and would probably have the time of my life. Most mysteries can usually be figured out by the time you’re half way through but this kept me guessing until the very end and it was both unexpected and satisfying. I can’t wait for the next book and I hope this is the first of many to come. Will definitely recommend to all the readers I know.

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This is quite an entertaining novel - Kat Waters has a lot going on in her life. Her father has been imprisoned, potentially for mob links, and she has left her privileged background and is working in the local morgue, as well as selling off her beloved designer shoes to raise cash to live.
A body is brought in, and before Kat can process it, she is first approached by Burns McPhee who wants to view the corpse, and then it is stolen.
This catapults her into a rollercoaster of events. There was a feeling that the author was so desperate to keep our attention, she introduced a few too many sub-plots for comfort. Her grandmother is quite a character, who provides some light relief. There is also her burgeoning romance with Burns, plus her suspicions around her fellow morgue-workers. The Russian mob are also involved and so it goes on.
Most is unravelled successfully (although I never did really understand why the corpse wore stilettos) and I found myself hoping for a sequel as the characters are endearing and fun.
Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I love this book! Another new author for me, I am impressed! Witty, very sophisticated witty, Kat, who's father, a boring, sweet, wealthy man, is arrested as being part of the Mob! Her lifestyle goes from living with her fiance', her job at The Boston Museum, to working in the St.Louis Morgue! She, her Mother, and Grandmother are all downsized to 900 square foot house! In their home, Kat's bathroom was larger than their new home! In order to pay her Grandmother's medicine, she sells a pair of Louboutin shoes to a drag Queen, in order to pay for the meds! Lucky for her, most of her things were at her boyfriends apartment, before he dropped her like a hot potato! That was five months ago, their assets are still frozen!
In the morgue, can we say, extraordinary co-workers? This is a whole new world for Kat, her Mother has raised her by rules, they make Southern Girls Mothers sound normal! It is a riot! Then something happens in the morgue, good thing Kat is Anti-men at the moment, I know my heart stopped beating at the description of Burns! Oh my, can we say, book boyfriend crush! If she doesn't get him, I will boycott the morgue! Oh that's right, the morgue is being boycotted, all for her sassy Grandmother's boyfriend, Claude! I am putting this on my blog, as one of the top 25 books of 2019! This is laugh out loud, call your friends, do a book club, drink wine, and laugh all night kind of book!
I highly recommend! Thank you Netgalley!
carolintallahassee.com

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Loved it!
Full of twists and turns!
Gripping page turned!
Could not put it down!
Devoured it in one weekend!

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The Corpse Wore Stilettos is a fantastic and entertaining read. Great characters and a good storyline. Well written.

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The Corpse Wore Stilettos is the first book of Ms. O'Neil's that I have read. I found that the story started off a bit slow for me. I had to push myself to continue for half of the book, but then I was hooked. The characters are quirky and meshed well with each other. The plot, as stated, was a bit slow to start, but it then captured my interest. Love and betrayal, slumming and pretending to live the high life, and working for the elite to working in the morgue are only a few of things that our main character Kat finds herself dealing with. I liked how I had thought I knew what was going to happen, and then something completely else occurred. The ending does well to lead us in to the next book. How can you go wrong with love and lust, Italian and Russian mobsters, and a serial killer that's out to get you? I enjoyed The Corpse Wore Stilettos, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

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What fun and a great read was this book!
A woman whose father is in prison for mob money, a mother that still wants to keep appearance even if their all assets are frozen, a grandmother that only forgets what she wants, a job in the morgue where a corpse is stolen and a crazy Russian stalker are a perfect mix for a fast-paced ,well written, great characters and mystery solved by our main heroine. There are a lot of twists and turns to keep you not wanting to stop reading until you find out what happened and how everything will wrap out.
Really enjoyable read with a mysteriously stolen corpse of a journalist female, some other crimes implicated and very similar to the one in this case as well as a very good sense of style as kat is always analysing everyone around her. Kat needs to solve the mystery by herself so she could keep her job and help keep appearance until her father situation resolves.
I liked the banter, the secondary characters are adding a great view and turns to the story and of course, there's a bit of romance that i always want to see in my books.
I'll recommend this book because it has everything you want from a great summer read.

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If this book would be a season one on Netflix, with a next available season... I would jump into continuing it right away. Light, funny and well written. This story is only beginning! What I look forward in the next book is to learn more about the characters and how they continue solving the mysteries in their lives. I find all aspects of them intriguing and appealing.

The only warning I will give is for people who can not finish the book with unanswered questions. The ending of this book will feel like hitting a wall ;)

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This was a fun, light mystery to read. I read a lot of Patricia Cornwell/Kathy Reichs type books and this was an enjoyable read but a little more wild, quirky and light than those. Still has the lovable female crime solver, but she is maybe a little more relatable which can be appealing. The additional characters can also be a hoot!

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As the author notes, The Corpse Wore Stilettos is a lighthearted, romantic mystery with a sweet twist. A very well written book, it had me devouring it in a few hours. The characters, the plot and the writing are all superb.

Definitely recommend.

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Wow, what a wild and exciting book mystery ride M.J. O'Neill has created! I am in book "love" with whole quirky, humorous and lovable cast of characters! A trivia talking gorgeous high society heroine, a grandmother who smokes imaginary cigarettes and is sharp as they come, a best friend who dreams of being a superhero, the Russian mob, co-workers you love or hate, handsome men, a pet pig named Marynell...did I mention the strippers & drag queens with hearts of gold? This was one of the books that I purposefully didn't read all at once - I didn't want it to end!

Katherine "Kat" Waters is your normal high society twenty-something - until her father is convicted of a white collar crime and put into prison. A crime Kat doesn't believe he committed. Kat, her mother and grandmother are left to fend for themselves after all their money and property is confiscated by the government....well, except what Grand recovers, during nightly raids, with her senior boyfriend, Claude. To make ends meet, Kat works at the morgue. A particularly sad case, where a body is stolen from the morgue, throws Kat into an adventure of a lifetime...if she survives!

I absolutely loved the book! Kat is a loveable main character. She's independent, smart and determined to find justice for her father. I enjoyed the light romantic angle and the fact that Kat needed a partner - not a rescuer. The supporting characters are well-written and each one has a story that you'll love to discover. The dialogue is witty and has subtle bantering between Kat and her partner Burns. Love that type of book! While there is humor and amazing characters, the mystery is not something that you can easily figure out. While the reader may know "whodunit", the questions of why and who, among Kat's friends or acquaintances is betraying her, becomes the real mystery. Red herrings are all over the place in the book!

The book is fast-paced (don't start it at night unless you can sleep in), has a "keep you guessing mystery", a humorous cast of characters and a main character you'd want for a best friend! I can't wait for the next adventure!

I received an ARC from Netgalley for a fair and honest review of this book.

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The corpse wore stilettos is a good read. Kat once very lucky to live a life of luxury now has to get a job as her father ends up in prison. Kat lands herself a job in a morgue to keep her family out of the homeless shelter. On her watch a body goes missing, and she is linked to and is trying prove who did it to get herself out of trouble. There were parts that were laugh out loud moments - some times I thought I were slightly unrealsitic but I guess that is the joy of fiction. All in all I would recommend as a light hearted murder mystery.

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Loved this cozy mystery.
Had me totally laughing out loud.
Enjoyed the fun characters.
Story is well written and makes you want more
Looking forward to additional books with some of the quirky characters.
Thanks Books Go Social and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

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The Corpse Wore Stilettos by M. J. O'Neill is a fun very entertaining book that I really enjoyed. Kat Waters's fines herself working at a morgue, after her dad was arrested for racketeering. Kat is living with and supporting her mom and grandmother. I love the way Kat rattles off random thoughts when she is nervous. Cute, funny, and a nice fast read. This title will make a great summer pick. I am looking forward to more books by this author. Highly recommend.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

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I love it when I discover another cozy writer that I really want to read. The story was funny and uplifting to me. I love a book which I can just read and read to the end and this is definitely one.

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An intricate mystery with interesting characters, humor and a touch of romance. This combination makes for a fun and complex story that will leave you wanting more. The cliff hanger ending helps.

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A good story overall, and I did enjoy the characters and twists. I did get confused a bit though with some of the names, trying to keep everyone straight. Also, not sure what the obsession is with shoes. Never seen a pair of Jimmy Choos (spelling?) in my life. A light mystery, and one I would recommend. Look forward to the next in the series.

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I really enjoyed this book! The cast of characters are very likable, entertaining and unique! The setting is also a bit unusual! The main character, Kat Waters, is a socialite who’s family has fallen on hard times and she takes a job in the morgue to help support her mother and grandmother. A body is stolen from the morgue during her shift and in order to clear her name and keep her job she begins her own investigation to find out who the Jane Doe was and why her body was stolen. Kat’s spouting of trivia when she got nervous was amusing! I’m looking forward to reading more from this author!

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This is a portion of the review on my blog, Trails of Tales
‘The Corpse wore Stilettos‘ is a pleasant surprise. The beginning to a series that sounds incredibly interesting to me, this turned out to be one of those books that I would love to watch as a movie. I am normally not an advocate for book to movie adaptations but this would work. It positively would.

M. J. O’Neill, as a debut author has portrayed excellent understanding in creating her characters. And I don’t just mean the protagonists but also the supporting characters.

Each of the characters is more layered than they initially seem. It is also impressive that even though the storyline of ‘The Corpse Wore Stilettos’ has multiple branches to include the supporting characters, they all come into a cohesive whole. At no point, does it feel like a digression.

I adored the character of Kat’s best friend Daryl Claiborne, better known as DC. A friend like that is what we all need. Even though he could be a complete diva at times (most of the time, actually), he was still ready to stick out his neck for Kat and Burns. His sense of humor and affability would turn even the most stone hearted ones into fans.

Another one of the author’s lovable supporting characters is Kat’s Grand who is suffering from Alzheimer.Her zeal for life is worth applauding. As is her fierce loyalty to family despite the occasional tiffs with Kat’s mother. Grand also seems to have a happy love life, something that I direly lack. Any notes for me, Grand?!

The character of our heroine, Katherine Waters has been given a perfect balance of rough and smooth edges. On one hand she has her vast knowledge of fashion, on the other hand, her observation skills and people instincts are absolutely on point. You cannot help but marvel at Kat’s intelligence and resoluteness.

The situational comedy in ‘The Corpse Wore Stilettos‘ effortlessly puts you at ease and the action scenes are well thought out.

Kat and Burns light hearted banter wrapped in romantic undertones was capable of giving me a heart flutter which is saying something, because I am not the fluttery heart kind of a person. (It wasn’t a big flutter though, I don’t do huge flutters…What? You don’t believe me?!)

Keep pace with Kat as she runs in her heels to catch the body snatcher. Don’t underestimate a woman running in heels!

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You know you're in for a treat, when the story begins with a woman showing up to work in a morgue wearing Donna Karan. This was a thrilling, fast paced and hilarious mystery, which keeps you briskly turning those pages or swiping across your Kindle.

Kate Waters, a former socialite is forced into finding a job and paying the bills, since her father has been sent to prison. She finds work at the local morgue. Very early on, the body of a murdered person is brought to the morgue and it Kate's responsibility to insure that the victim remains there.

Burns McPhee, ex-Special Forces member arrives at the morgue thinking he just access any body he likes and Kate isn't being persuaded by his charm or any other attempts. During their discussion, the murdered victim's body disappears under their noses. Eventually, Kate and Burns agree on a deal, where he'll help clear her family name, if she give him access to personnel records, since Burns has determined that someone from inside the morgue took the body.

Kate and Burns make a great pair and this humorous and clever mystery expands on their characters, which they offset one another beautifully. It's suspenseful and funny, which allows the story to flow unevenly, but it does come to a clever and tense conclusion. Humor can play an important part in a mystery, provided the author has a firm understanding on how to approach it. MJ O'Neill definitely serves up and exceptional and amusing story.

I want to thank Books Go Social, the publisher and Net Galley for this advance copy.

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An interesting and entertaining tale with lots of players all with their own personal agenda. Great characters but I like the main characters Kat and Burn Mc Phee, best. They fit well it well in this intriguing and compelling tale with its captivating storyline. I love the hint of the budding romance between the main characters, and before AI forget I love Gran she is a wild one but oh, so interesting and fun.

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This book was given to me at no cost by the publisher and Net Galley in return for an unbiased review. The Corpse Wore Stilettos is an enjoyable mystery. There is a hint of romance, but the protagonist is a strong female. There is a large and diverse cast of characters, and several are multidimensional. The main character is a former socialite whose father has been incarcerated. She takes a job at the morgue to help pay the bills. When a corpse is stolen on her shift she is suspended. She can’t afford to lose the job, so she begins investigating on her own and ends up causing trouble for a Russian mobster. There are some moments that stretch credibility, but the story is good and it is a fun read.

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This is the first that I have read from this author. The cover and description drew me into the fold. I am happy that Netgalley offered me a chance to read this after the publication date. My only regret is it took me so long to get to it.

What I liked about the book was the plot, characters and humor. I like my cozy mysteries with a touch or more of humor. It also had some twists on the standard fare. It was nice to see the Burns doing the flirting to try to gain information to solve this case.

I would definitely read another book from this author.

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The Corpse Wore Stilettos is a great cozy mystery. As this is the first book I have read from MJ O’Neill I was pleasantly entertained. Definitely like the cover.

Once I started with this book I could not stop - it is funny and you have to love the characters, especially Kat and McPhee. It is an enjoyable story, and I especially loved the main character. How she uses her expertise from being a socialite in formulating opinions is truly entertaining.

I was provided this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion. So, here goes - buy this book - it is funny with a twist of suspense.
This book definitely gets my full approval - I give it 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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I loved, loved, loved this book.

Kat Waters has to come home to help support her family while her father is in prison. Of all the places to get a job, Kat finds herself working in the morgue. Which is all well and good until a body goes missing from the morgue and Kat tries to solve this mystery.

so many brilliant supporting characters and loads of fun throughout the book. Twists and turns and a cliffhanger to end on.

I can't wait for the next in the series.

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Well, this was my first M.J. ONeill mystery and I want to read more. This book had me entertained from the first page until the last. I was drawn in by the authors ability to intertwine the characters. Kat’s father goes to prison so she decides to come home and help out. Now Kat does not believe her father has done wrong. Kat needs a job and well she finds one... in the morgue. Everything goes great until....a body turns up missing. Kat and McPhee are perfect in this novel. You will laugh and then try to figure it out all at the same time. Thank you to netgalley and the author for allowing me to read this book in return for my honest review.

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Quirky characters, plenty of twists, a missing body, and a family turned upside down combine to make this a great story. Kat's grandma had me laughing, and I'd love to spend a day with her! If you like your cozy mysteries to be a bit quirky, then you'll love this book. I hope to see more of Kat and Burns in the future.

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I just love it when I discover a writer whose books I really end up enjoy reading. The author has created a story that was humorous with entertaining characters and a well thought out plot. I was able to sit down with a cup of tea, some cookies and this book. An enjoyable, quick read.

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This book was just a bit of fun, which is not what you usually hear when talking about murders. But it was light and enjoyable and the characters are really well written.

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