Overall, 4.5 stars, a bit of a mix of a cozy and thriller read. Great small town setting, characters and story line. When Izzy O’Brien flees the city centre apartment she shared with her controlling partner, she relocates to the seaside town of Dun Laoghaire, and the house she inherited from her aunt. The pacing of the book was absolutely spot on, at no point did it lull causing my interest to drop, it was just constantly on point. It was atmospheric and creepy, a feeling that for me, started with the front cover and kept at a steady pace all the way through the book. I mean can we just talk about that front cover for a hot second - a walkway that is dark at the bottom and seems to go on forever - at this point I'm walking down it and don't care if there are killer clowns at the bottom of it - I mean that's a slight lie but my enthusiasm to walk down it is real.

Tuesday Club Murders: Miss Marple’s Thirteen Problems The Tuesday Club Murders: Miss Marple’s Thirteen Problems

One of the characters makes a gender transition announcement during the course of events. While I loved the way the complications associated with such a coming-out were incorporated in the plot, I also feel like the transition was (mostly) portrayed in too idealistic a way. Considering how many busy bodies there were in the group, there would have been far more gossip than portrayed. The other characters’ easy switchover to the new name was also unrealistic. The mystery was fantastic. You think you get it figured out, then twist. Then another twist. I kept flipping through suspects and didn't have it completely figured out until reveal. It was great. I love that! And the murder plot made sense and the murders were complicated enough that it wasn't at all vanilla. The chapters are short and snappy, with many of them ending on mini cliffhangers. Moreover, as the narrative shifts across various characters with every chapter, we see multiple arcs unfolding at once and through them, multiple suspenseful chapter-ends. The whole experience is complicated and yet so much fun! Mysteries are fun, and cozy mysteries fit the sleuthing mood most of the time when I’m not in the mood for dark/ morbid thrillers or psychological whodunnits who make me feel like my mind has been put through a blender. There are certain cozies I enjoy more than others – and book club or bookish themes are one of those. Charlie is a heroine you have to admire. She's stubborn and feisty, and she won't let Marcus tell her what she can and can't do. Marcus is equally stubborn and arrogant. Their encounters make the sparks fly. The other characters are also well done. Dimitri, the hair dresser and one of her best friends, is Charlie's staunch supporter and a real hero. The book club ladies are delightfully snobbish and bitchy.I would warn that for fans of a cozy mystery this one may cross a few lines for readers that are used to a somewhat more clean read that you find in cozies. There's some language and also a relationship developing in here that I don't often find in those types of stories but for me I found I rather enjoyed this one being a bit of a mix of both types of books.

Murder at the Book Club: A Gripping Crime Mystery that Will Murder at the Book Club: A Gripping Crime Mystery that Will

Neighbour, Louise, invites her over for the local book club where she meets more of her neighbours.The Book Club Murders by Leslie Nagel is only the first book in this mystery series but it's one you can really sink your teeth into. It technically can be considered a cozy mystery where the amateur sleuth offers her assistance to the tough guy cop who finds her a nuisance (although unsurprisingly a love interest) but that's where the "coziness" ends. Nowhere in this book will you find cupcakes or kittens. It is a gritty mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.

The Book Club Murders: The Oakwood Book Club Mystery Series

Gorevan keeps the mystery alive as to who whether or not there is more than one murderer and who they may be! I had a guess and I was wrong! The bodies start to add up, but why are all these people being murdered? As the author threw us into the mix, the excitement ramped up and we had to try to guess what was going to happen and who was behind what did take place. A home-run debut . . . With action, adventure and murders involving mystery books, it is sure to please every cozy mystery fan! I highly recommend adding The Book Club Murdersto your Fall reading list.” —The Cozy Mystery Journal I had expected the book club to pay a greater role in the plotline. ( A part of me had expected a closed-door mystery where the members of a book club are rounded up by a book-hating maniac, or maybe by someone who hated the book chosen for discussion. Wouldn’t that have been something!? 😄) However, there’s only one scene set during an actual book club meeting, which was entertaining, no doubt. The references to books are also limited only to the start. So what I got was good, but I wanted far more, considering the title.When Izzy O’Brien flees the city center apartment she shared with her controlling partner, she relocates to the seaside town of Dun Laoghaire and the house she inherited from her aunt. Despite that, the book is good and I did not suspect the right person as the killer. We are led down some paths that don't lead to the killer (but the author does a great job of letting you think that person might be the one!) . I liked the premise of the book club trying to solve the murder, or at least a few of them. Of course i liked that the book club read only mysteries in tribute to Agatha Christie since that is my favorite genre. I love how fast-paced the story is, despite the number of characters and subplots. It never relaxes its tempo, making sure that I stay invested throughout. What a book! Every character is so well drawn and very real. The inclusion of a transgender character made it a book I connected with so deeply. I have a transgender 15 year old son, so I got so emotionally involved in Stephanie and how her coming out affected the people around her. Chapter 81 hit me. Her parents' reaction, Alan Gorevan, has written it perfectly. I understood the emotions and how parents can struggle to accept or understand. Especially when their child is so old.