It's been years since I read the first book so I was a bit afraid that I wouldn't know what was going on in this book but had no problem jumping in, picking up on who was who, and getting caught up in the mystery. Each chapter starts with an organizing tip from Maggie's business which I really enjoyed. As well, Maggie is frequently at work or tackling some project so that it feels believable that she is actually a professional organizer but it isn't so detailed that I feel like I'm reading a book on home organization. One of my pet peeves with cozies is when it feels like the main character's career is just window dressing and that wasn't the case here. The mystery hooked me. Even though the victim is dead at the very beginning of the book I did feel like I got to know her and really enjoyed meeting Linc and the rest of the community and I loved to hate Detective Awful. Maggie's a great lead character. Her reasons for getting involved in the investigation do make sense and she's not so nosy and forceful with her questions that it seems over the top. The story is well paced with likable characters and a bit of suspense. Plus, there's a golden retriever and that's a really hard story element to beat!

Maggie McDonald is back and as organized as ever!! I am really enjoying this series as I love the characters and it gives me tips on how to organize my life.

When the fiancee of Maggies new client Professor Lincoln Sinclair is found murdered in his home, Maggie knows she has to investigate to find out who killed her and why to clear Lincolns name.

The mystery was good and the cast of characters is wonderful, the group of friends she has is fun and supportive, doing what they can to help Lincoln in his time of need.

The third book in this series is waiting on my kindle for me to jump into and I think it's about time I did just that.

*Huge thanks to Mary Feliz, Kensington Books and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

This is the second of the series but can be read out of order. I tend to read series in order but wasn't able to this time and it didn't bother me at all. I wish I had a friend like Maggie, one willing to help in any way possible if asked...and even when the friend is too distraught to ask. A dear friend of hers, a school librarian and soon to be married, is found dead in her fiancé' house. Maggie offers much needed support and is pulled into helping her police friend, Paolo, work the case. He needs all the help he can get due to the senior police detective being such a nasty piece of work, earning him the nickname 'Det. Awful'. The mystery is complicated enough to keep you engaged and guessing to the end. The animals add a nice touch to the wonderful cast of characters. I will certainly read the next in the series, with pleasure.

In this second encounter with Maggie McDonald, we find her up to her neck in mystery, murder and mayhem. There was a lot going on in this story, but Mary Feliz does a great job of writing this story so you do not get confused. Maggie is hired by Professor Linc Sinclair to help organize his belongings and clean out his house so he can move in with his fiancé, Sarah, a friend of Maggie's. When Sarah is found dead from electrocution in Linc's home, of course she has to get involved. With Jason, her friend the detective laid up with a seriously broken leg, they call in a retired Police Detective named Apfel, but Maggie and her friends quickly nickname him Detective Awful. He does no investigating because he is sure that Linc int he killer. During her investigation of Sarah's death and trying to clear Linc, she meets many people, who could be possible suspects. Of course, Maggie is a very nurturing person, so she moves Linc and his wolfhound Newton into her home while the investigation is going on. Things start getting dangerous when Linc and Newton are hurt in a bicycle accident. There are more accidents and Maggie is right in the middle. The second storyline has to do with some teens who Maggie believes have aged out of the foster care system. With an ex stalking one of them, Maggie has a second mystery on her hands. This was a well written book that flowed well and kept me entertained. There were several surprises at the end of the book, although my suspicion of the murderer was confirmed. I am looking forward to the next one in this series. Cozy mystery lovers will enjoy this book and series.

I throughouly enjoyed this novel. I adored the first book in this cozy mystery. The characters were great, the mystery was excellent. An excellent sequel in the Maggie McDonald series. I can't wait to see what comes next!

I love the critters and the cover is what drew me too this book. Feliz creates a story that sticks with you,

SCHEDULED TO DEATH was a fast paced, action filled mystery. A real whirlwind just like the first book in this series, ADDRESS TO DIE FOR.

Author Mary Feliz once again pens a true page turner. I was spellbound as page after page the story, and the mystery evolved. The creativity of this author is astounding. The way she plotted out this story, and the ultimate reveal, left me happily breathless.

Don't let my short review (not my style), steer you away from reading SCHEDULED TO DEATH. I'm late getting this one written (as I am with a few others), and this is the second review I have done that has suffered because of being a bit behind.

Please do give this wonderful mystery a read! Both delightful books in the Maggie McDonald Mysteries need to be in your TBR!

This was my second visit to Orchard Valley and I was not disappointed. Knowing the back story for professional organizer Maggie McDonald made it more interesting but new readers can start with this book and not feel lost. Maggie is hired by Stanford professor Linc Sinclair to help downsize his personal collection of “stuff” and sort three generations worth of furniture. Linc has been nominated for a Nobel Prize so Maggie is excited by the opportunity because it will introduce her to a new client base. Unfortunately the excitement turns to anxiety when they discover that Linc’s fiancée Sarah has been electrocuted. The introduction of a new character, “Detective Awful”, pushes Maggie into protective detective mode. He is immediately suspicious of Linc and doesn’t want to investigate thoroughly but Maggie is determined to find the real killer. Ms. Feliz has a knack for creating believable situations for her diverse group of characters. In this book she touches on a couple of hot button issues in a way that is informative without being preachy. The book draws you in from chapter one and moves steadily to the resolution but there is plenty of action along the way. I think the reveal of the villain’s motive will be surprising to most readers. This series gets better and better. I look forward to book three.

Maggie Mcdonald is back with her organizing ways. Having settled into her new town she has started her organization business. Her client is Professor Lincoln Sinclair. Everything is going as planned until they find the body of the Professor's fiance. As Maggie tries to figure out what happened she is entangled with people who don't want her involved. Will she find the killer before anybody else gets hurt?

In an Oyster Shell - Another great installment in this Cozy Mystery series.

The Pearls - I said this in the first book and I'll say it again. The concept of Maggie being an organizer is still unique to me. I like that she now has reestablished her business. It'll make for a great story for books to come.

The Mystery was multi-faceted. There was not a dull moment in this book. There were several storylines going on at once, without being confusing.

The quirky characters are back and better than ever. The friends that Maggie has made in this town add a fun element to the story. With some new faces, the cast of characters were really entertaining.

The Sand - It was a good book.

I had not read the previous book in this series and was able to follow along just fine.
This is one of those cozy reads where a whole community of personalities comes together to solve the crime. As they should this time, because the victim is one of their own.

I had a difficult time deciding who was my favorite character in this book. Each is well rounded and has something special bout them. On the surface it is about understanding how Sarah came to be dead in a puddle of water in her fiance's house, discovered the morning after a bad storm. Why was she there to begin with? As the book draws us in and the story unfolds, we realize how little we may know about the people we call friends. Who is to blame?

We are offered tips at the beginning of each chapter regarding home and time organization.
This storyline also deals with timely and sensitive social issues.
How this book differed from some others was how closely the official police worked with the amateur sleuths, albeit behind the back of the inept detective in charge of the case.

I enjoyed the book and will go back and read the first bbook in the series.

The perfect mystery! This book has the perfect blend of a curmudgeon detective, a whip smart protagonist and great supporting characters. I loved the fresh fast paced writing . Our protagonists business is professional organizer which is interesting. and fun. I loved this book and highly recommend it.

What a great, fast paced mystery. I really liked Maggie McDonald, and it was heartbreaking when murder touched the lives of her friends Linc and Sarah. Linc embodies the absent-minded professor moniker, so it's no surprise when Maggie tries to help find out what really happened to Sarah in the old Victorian she is helping Linc organize. There is a lot going on in Orchard View, but not so much that it's confusing. The additional storyline about the community garden and the people it helped flowed together with the main mystery. The secondary characters have nicely defined characteristics. And I liked the organizing tips Maggie shared at the beginning of each chapter. I felt much less unorganized in my own life, as some of them were things I already do!

Maggie is a fascinating, enjoyable character who would make a great friend to have if she were a real person. She likes to keep things organized and ordered and could teach me a lot. :)

All of the characters are well-developed, and you can see growth in the core group from the first book. I look forward to seeing the friendships grow and evolve in future stories. The various settings are described so vividly that you feel as if you are right there with the characters.

The mystery kept me guessing through the entire book...I was blaming the wrong person for about 80% of the story!

**I received a copy of this book with no expectation of a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.**

I have to admit that I have a bit of an “acquisition” problem when it comes to books, makeup and clothes, so I jumped at the chance to read and review Scheduled to Death, the second Maggie McDonald Mystery by Mary Feliz, hoping to pick up some organizational tips while enjoying a cozy mystery. Colorful characters and a fairly good mystery kept me reading from start to finish. While this is a book which can be read and enjoyed on its own, I recommend reading the first book in the series, An Address to Die For, for a better connection with the primary characters.

Ms. Feliz does a good job introducing readers to her main character, Maggie McDonald, a professional organizer, at the start of this story. Hired to organize Stanford Professor Lincoln Sinclair’s Victorian home and office, Maggie quickly finds herself involved in solving a murder. Something she’s had a little bit of experience with in the past. I liked Maggie’s character right from the start; she’s smart, dependable and really cares about her family and her friends. She’s also a great judge of character.

The secondary characters are well developed and I especially enjoyed getting to know Maggie’s husband Max better along with Detectives Paolo Bianchi and Jason Mueller, who manages to provide help while out on a medical leave. Drawn into solving the mystery of who killed Lincoln Sinclair’s fiancée, Maggie and a group of her friends, are force to deal with a strange garden manager, foster children, graduate students and college professors while uncovering secrets and working around an incompetent cop placed in their path. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing about the killer’s identity and the reason behind the murder.

Will Maggie be able to figure out who killed Lincoln’s fiancée? Will her business be helped or hindered by her involvement in the investigation? And will Maggie be able to manage her business, her family and a murder investigation at the same time? You’ll have to read Scheduled to Death to find out, I enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next book in the series, Dead Storage, when it comes out.

Scheduled to Death: A Maggie McDonald Mystery
By Mary Feliz
Lyrical Underground
January 2017

Review by Cynthia Chow

As a Certified Professional Organizer, Maggie McDonald considers organizing to be her superpower. Her compulsive need to be agreeable and help out whenever possible is challenging her struggling new business though, and that never becomes more apparent than with her newest Orchard View client. Linc Sinclair is a genius Stanford professor up for a Nobel Prize, but his hoarder-like tendencies make clearing out his Victorian home before a realtor’s showcase a massive challenge. It becomes even more insurmountable when Maggie and her best friend Tess discover the body of Linc’s fiancé electrocuted to death in his bathtub. Maggie had become close friends with school librarian Sarah Palmer, so when the Acting Detective -“Detective Awful” - immediately focuses on the absent-minded professor as his suspect, it’s impossible for Maggie to remain on the sidelines.

A training accident and broken leg has friendly Detective Jason Mueller unfortunately sitting out the investigation while the cliché of an obnoxious, donut-swilling cop refuses to look further than his own target. This means that Maggie feels she has no choice but to investigate and discover who had reason to want either Sarah or Linc out of the picture. The Professor’s neighboring community garden is run by the Orchard View Plotters Garden Club, and their president is not shy about her opinions on the land use and more than a little protective about her volunteers. Tensions are running high as well among the academia, with some residents wanting to cut out librarians from the schools and competitive researchers at Stanford University making the laboratories equally fraught.

Each chapter begins with suggestions from the Notebook of Maggie’s Organizing Services, and these range from practical advice on organizing socks to more philosophical tips on talking to teenagers. Maggie’s skills at compartmentalizing and scheduling aid in her investigation, as does her ability to cope with rather difficult personalities. What Maggie does struggle with is her continual need to solve everyone else’s problems, often at a cost to herself. Balancing her life as a businesswoman, wife, and mother of two adolescent boys is never easy, but her humor, good friends, and supportive family are often enough to see her through. Several complex plots are examined, with the solutions being completely unexpected but sadly plausible. A relatable heroine who gains confidence in both her skills as a mother, professional organizer, and an investigator is extremely enjoyable to follow, ensuring that readers will look forward to more of Maggie’s organizing adventures.

This is the second in a series about a home organizer, Maggie, in a small town in CA. She manages to stumble across murders and gets caught up in solving the crime.

I love all the tips at the beginning of each chapter on organization, some are very useful and I need to put a few of them into practice.

I love the cast of characters and they all play a significant role in progressing the story line. There is a new character in this book (pretty sure this book only), a incompetent police detective named George Apsel. They have given him a most appropriate nickname of detective awful because he is truly awful and does not care about solving the crime. Heck, he can't even get Maggie's name right. He is filling in for Jason (another police detective) that broke his leg and is laid up...but we still get to see him some in this book.

The mystery itself was not easy to figure out...I think I suspected the killer just because he seemed suspicious but there was not anything I could put my finger on. The reason for the killings was a bit surprising to me, but it made some sense if you understand where the killer was coming from (not that it is justifiable!).

Outside of the main story line there was a minor line about a couple of homeless young women. I liked how Maggie and a few others gained their trust and helped them out. There were some surprises regarding these two women that just made it more intriguing and interesting.

I really enjoy this series and can't wait to read more.

This is the first book I've read in this series. One of the thing I liked best about it was that - unlike some profession-based cozies I've read - Maggie McDonald's profession is like a well oiled machine in the background instead of taking center stage. I also liked the fact that I didn't need to have read the previous book(s) to understand the characters or the plot of this book. As a retired academic, I found the portrayal of Linc Sinclair's life spot on! Maggie and her friends and family were so appealing I want to see what they do next. I'm really glad the publisher and NetGalley gave me the chance to read SCHEDULED TO DEATH!

Mary Feliz's Scheduled to Death is book two in the Maggie McDonald Mystery series. Maggie picks up a high profile client with hopes of boosting her organizing business. Professor Sinclair is a brilliant scientist who is hopeless at organizing his home. Things take a turn for the worse when Sinclair's fiancee is found dead on his laboratory floor. With "Detective Awful" on the case, Maggie feels she must solve the murder before Professor Sinclair ends up in jail. The characters are engaging, and the mystery kept me hooked until the end. The side stories easily fit into the plot of the book. I look forward to reading more in this series!

In Scheduled To Death, the second book in the Maggie McDonald Mystery series, author Mary Feliz weaves an intriguing cozy mystery tale that easily draws the reader into following the trials and tribulations of professional organizer Maggie McDonald's latest amateur sleuth adventures. Maggie has been hired by Stanford Professor Lincoln Sinclair to organize his old Victorian home that he is selling, and when she walks through the house, she finds his fiancee, school librarian Sarah Palmer, dead on the floor of his home laboratory.

Rich in detail and vivid descriptions, the story takes place in the small town of Orchard View, California, in the hills above Silicon Valley. This captivating and fast-paced whodunit tale has enough quirky characters, witty humor, drama, a growing list of suspects, intriguing twists and turns, and conspiracy theories that will keep you guessing.

This entertaining cozy mystery tale will keep you engaged as you turn the pages following along with Maggie's latest investigative adventure. You can't help but get caught up in the drama and calamity that ensues as she tries to solve the murder while trying to get her fledgling business Simply Itself Organizing Services started. Maggie's story unfolds with a wonderful balance of comedy, drama, suspense, and intriguing twists and turns that easily kept me guessing, and left me wanting more.

Scheduled To Death is an entertaining cozy murder mystery that will engage you to join in the crazy adventures and trials and tribulations that occur, while providing you with an intriguing mystery to solve.

RATING: 4 STARS

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2017/01/scheduled-to-death-by-mary-feliz-book.html

This is the second novel in the Maggie McDonald mystery series and after the whammy of the first in the series I was hoping this book would be just as good as the first, and let me tell you, this book didn’t dissapoint! This series just keeps getting better and better. Once again I read long into the night to finish the book in one setting because I just couldn’t get enough! This mystery had a ton of twists and turns to keep me guessing right up to the very end, but as I said before, the real stars of this series are the characters. Each character was written with such care and love that they really jump from the page and they, like the books, just keeping getting better. I can’t wait to dive back into Maggie’s world in the next book, Dead Storage, scheduled for July 2017! And if you haven’t read the first book in the series, Address to Die For, what are you waiting for? Go one-click these two now and get reading!