RIVER CITY DEAD by Nancy West begins the Aggie Mundeen Mysteries with Aggie being slightly age-obsessed with romance with her SATX police detective. She’s quirky and the slapstick comedy flows. She’s a pretty good detective though so they are on top of this murder case. A quick cozy read that will have you chortling regularly that I recommend.

This story is well written and the mystery sends Aggie off in several directions. Sam includes Aggie in this investigation just in order to keep here safe. I enjoyed Aggie not focusing on her age so much ad she actually makes an excellent detective.

I usually love this author and this series but for some reason, I just couldn't get into this particular novel. To me, it dragged on too long and didn't go anywhere. I love the setting and I like the main character but this one just wasn't for me.

A cozy mystery at its very best! I absolutely enjoyed getting caught up in the mystery and loved getting to know these unforgettable characters. Such a great story!!

Aggie Mundeen is planning her first rendezvous with the love of her life, SAPD Detective Sam Vanderhoven. He's gotten them a suite at a San Antonio River Walk hotel during Fiesta Week when everything will be festive, noisy and fun. The only problem is there's a dead body in the suite they were supposed to have, and there's not another one available in the entire city. So Aggie and Sam, who's involved in the case now, have to make do in separate cubbyholes until the case is solved.

While Sam wants Aggie to go home, there's a problem: Aggie knew the dead woman, Monica - she was the ex-daughter-in-law of her friend and neighbor Grace, and she'd recently had lunch with her. In Aggie's mind, that makes her just as involved as Sam even if he doesn't think so. So when Aggie meets and befriends members of a dance troupe who are performing during the fiesta, she finds out they all knew the dead girl too, and she refuses to leave but tells him she'll stay out of his way and share any information she discovers with him.

While Aggie is able to do so to some extent, she still manages to investigate on her own without telling Sam, and while Aggie's doing her best to trust Sam it seems she doesn't trust him enough to share everything, which could be the real stumbling block in their relationship. If Aggie doesn't figure her things out soon, her budding romance with Sam might also be dead...

I loved this latest installment in the Aggie Mundeen Mysteries. In this book, the fourth in the series, she's less age-obsessed and more concerned with making things work between her and Sam. Unfortunately for her, it's a bit difficult when what started as a lovely weekend ends abruptly when one finds a dead body in their suite.

Aggie is very good at asking questions without people becoming suspicious of her motives, and when she thinks someone just might be, she's smart enough to change the subject. She's also able to think quickly and come up with plans on the spur of the moment - as Aggie herself says, she's spontaneous; and that makes her likable and rather endearing to both Sam and readers.

We are seeing Aggie slowly learning that in order to be trusted, you must first trust in return, and Sam, poor saintly man, deals with it admirably (although I think a lot of this comes from the fact that he's a homicide detective and he wouldn't be a very good one if he didn't have patience).

When we finally find out the identity of the murderer it comes as a surprise, which it should be, and makes it an even more entertaining read than we would have thought. This latest installment is the best yet in my opinion, Aggie and Sam are perfect foils for each other (even if they don't quite yet realize it) and I look forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.

This is the third book in the Aggie Mundeen mystery series. This is a delightful series. The protagonist Aggie is smart , independent and very comical. Her pencent for solving crimes is legendary .
. The setting in this next in series is spring at the San Antonio river walk area that is described beautifully by the author. Aggie is visiting with her detective boyfriend for a romantic trip when a murder occurs. of someone they knew. The sleuth begins and unfortunately for Aggie, the romance ends before it has a chance to begin.
. As she pursues clues the river walk is front and center which is fun to read about. The characters are well crafted and described perfectly as each enters into the story. The sleuth will keep even the most avid mystery reader guessing to the end. All in All a very enjoyable read. I look forward to the next in series. Thank you for the advance reading copy that did not influence my review. Cross posted.

It pains me to say that I didn't like this, but I didn't. I can see that other people have liked it, but it just didn't work for me. Maybe it was because I hadn't read the other books in the series, but I didn't warm to the characters, who seemed quite erratic and irrational at times - with Aggie straying into Too Stupid to Live territory in places. The dialogue didn't always flow and desciptions sometimes felt like an info-dump from the author's research . There were a few other occasions where the details that were picked out felt weird and where the emphasis on certain things felt laboured and obvious. And maybe it's because I'm a Brit, but the Fabulous Femmes group just didn't work for me - it didn't bear any relation to any groups that I've ever come across.

As I've said, I'm clearly an outlier in this, so it obviously works for other people, it just wasn't for me. Which is a shame because I like the novels that Henery Press puts out as a rule. Never mind

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Sam and Aggie had a grand plan for some time alone in San Antonio during Fiesta Week but there is just one small problem, there is a dead woman in their hotel suite. They hadn’t checked in yet but there are no more rooms to be found and Sam has been called back to work to investigate the case. He knows he is not going to be able to keep Aggie from butting her way into the investigation and she has a pretty good record for solving previous murders so he rather than fight her he embraces her help. Of course, she does nothing in moderation so he may be saving her yet again. This man has the patience of a saint.

I liked Aggie more in this book than any of the others. She wasn’t so immersed in the staying and looking young frame of mind as in past books. Of course, it was there a little bit, but now that her relationship with Sam is moving in a positive direction it is not consuming her life the way it was in previous stories. Even her column, “Stay Young with Aggie,” fan letters were requesting more relationship advice instead of ways to look and act younger.

In addition to the core characters we meet a whole new group of people, the Fabulous Femmes and their significant others. In fact, the dead woman is part of their group, making them all suspects. These ladies and their men are very unique. The men all have a military background and the woman love to party. I liked the way the accepted Aggie right into their group. Aggie has a way about her that people open up and tell her things that they probably wouldn’t share with anyone else. Sam knows this and encourages her to use it to help him.

This story is well written and the mystery sends Aggie off in several directions. She really has great observation techniques and hones in to important details.

The main thing this author does though is fill this story with so much humor and absolutely funny moments. A scene in a bookstore was hilarious.

If you like your mysteries full of comedy and quirky characters, look no further than Nancy G. West. They are sure to put a smile on your face.

Aggie and Sam do have trouble getting together. Their vacation on the San Antonio River Walk is no vacation. I have visited the River Walk. I wish I had read this book first. Lots of interesting information along with the mystery. Nice addition to the series.

This is a great book; this is the fourth book in the Aggie Mundeen Mystery series written by Nancy West. Advice columnist Aggie Mundeen and SAPD Detective Sam Vanderhoven plan their first rendezvous at a San Antonio River Walk hotel during Fiesta Week—sumptuous sights, sounds, and festivities in the middle of America’s Venice. A vacation from crime and a reset for their tumultuous relationship. But murder descends on the Casa Prima Hotel. Disturbing revelations surface about the Fabulous Femmes, Aggie’s new friends holding a convention. Evil emerges at parties in La Villita. Calamity plagues Aggie’s debut dance performance at the Arneson River Theater, the celebration skewed by carousing, crazies, and corpses.This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. This book will keep you reading long into the night. If you are looking for a great book, then you need to read this book. I am looking forward to reading the next book by this great author. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

River City Dead is the first book I've read in this series.
I was immediately hooked from the beginning.
Aggie Mundeen is a fun character and I found her to be very believable.
It's Fiesta Week in San Antonio and Aggie and her boyfriend Detective Sam are planning a weekend getaway.
Unfortunately, things don't go as planned and when a questionable death interrupts their weekend, Aggie decides to do a bit investigating on her own.
It seems a particular group of women are being targeted and Aggie is determined to uncover the truth.
Will her investigation interfere with her relationship with Detective Sam?
Be sure to grab your copy of this exciting book.

This was a fun cozy mystery that was set on the Riverwalk in San Antonio. It was like taking a vacation while reading a mystery. I love the Riverwalk and have been there several times.

This mystery took place during Fiesta. Aggie's friends are holding a convention and Sam is there as a detective because there has been a murder in the penthouse. Aggie wants so bad to help Sam, but she knows Sam hates for her to get involved. Of course, Aggie can't help it, she just wants to help.

A fun, entertaining read where yes, Aggie does seem to go against Sam's wishes, but the murder does get solved. This is a great series with fun characters. Aggie always seems to get in trouble, but she does always get her man (or woman).

Huge thanks to Henery Press for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

West is one of the best cozy mystery writers and always among my favorites.

Prepare yourself for the adventure to begin when you open the book. Humor mixes with murder when Sam and Aggie try to take a few days off.

By this time, Detective Sam Vanderhoven is resigned to the fact that as much as he wants to protect his darling, girlfriend Aggie, who meddles in newspaper advice as well as murdurous affairs, he is better to include her front the start when their planned weekend get-away goes wrong, than let her entangle herself trying to find answers without being noticed by the authorities.
(Spoiler alert, she still tries to do things her own way.)

Aggie has body issues, but not enough to shy away from becoming one of the revelers, including a group of Fabulous Femmes, gathered to enjoy Fiesta Week, and who may know more than they are willing to share when one of their own is found dead.

The descriptive writing is wonderful and the way we are included in the thought processes of those investigating delights a true cozy fan. I enjoyed the history I learned.

The only thing that I disliked about this book was when characters younger than 50 years old (much younger) considered themselves to be middle-aged. Possibly seasoned, mature, maybe but not what I think of as middle aged!

It is Fiesta time in San Antonio and Aggie and Sam have planned a getaway to reconnect and stabilize their relationship. The getaway is supposed to remove them from the day-to-day routine and get them out of the line of crime solving, if only for a few days. Staying at the hotel is a group of women known as the Fabulous Femmes. When one of the Fabulous Femmes is found murdered in her penthouse suite, all thoughts of Sam and Aggie's rendezvous are pushed to the back burner. As Sam and Aggie work together (mostly) to solve the crime, another woman is murdered in the hotel. In order to put the pieces together that Aggie has found, she must go against Sam and puts her life, and the life of the Fabulous Femmes theater group that she's part of, in danger.

River City Dead takes the reader all over the place as both Sam and Aggie try to figure out why Fiesta guests are being murdered. Since the bodies have no trauma, the investigation also includes how the murders are being carried out. As it has been in the previous books in the series, there are different threads to the craziness that don't seem to be connected. As the book progresses, all of a sudden something will happen or something will be said and everything falls into place.

Aggie is really good at fleshing out ideas, possible motives, and those who may be involved.
Aggie's inability to not put herself in danger is a plot point that was starting to get old but really rounds itself out in River City Dead. She still put herself and the Fatal Femmes in danger in this book but I liked how the author wrote the scene. Aggie's decision was spontaneous and written very well. Aggie doesn't really recognize the impact of her decision until later in a conversation with Sam. The impact of her decision on a personal level in regards to Sam also slams into her because she knows he's mad. There is a lot of growth in Aggie's character in that last little bit of the story.

I enjoyed the plot and continued character development and world building. We were reminded of the important back story information in just the right dosage - not too much, not too little. The book is a quick and easy read that will keep the reader engaged from for the first page. There is humor, sadness, suspense, and tragedy - a little something for everyone who loves a good cozy mystery.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book.

River City Dead by Nancy G West is book four in the Aggie Mundeen Mystery series. Aggie and her boyfriend, police detective Sam, have planned a getaway during Fiesta week in San Antonio. The plans come crashing down when a body is discovered in their hotel penthouse suite. Aggie pushing aside Sam's warnings and tries to solve the crime herself. I have not read any of the prior books but did not feel lost. However, I felt the book was average at best. The mystery was okay, but the writing felt choppy and not at all smooth. I could never connect to the characters and found Aggie to be a bit annoying. At times I wondered what Sam saw in her, which is not good as she was the "star" of the book. The book is fine if you are looking for something extra light. I do not list it as one of my preferred series though.

I love this step back in time almost 20 years to share in the life of Aggie Mundeen. Aggie is bright and resourceful, and anxious to find her niche in her world. She has a weekend getaway planned with her boyfriend Sam, a San Antonio Police Department Homicide Detective which very early on is frustrated by a murder in the hotel suite where they were scheduled to stay. The cast of characters is marvelous, and the mystery is well executed and engrossing. Always a highlight of the series is the advice Aggie gives in her newspaper column. I just hope there is consistently more Abbie to come!

This is the 4th book in a wonderful cozy series (Aggie Mundeen Mystery). Aggie and Sam are finally getting together for a weekend getaway during San Antonio Fiesta week. When Sam gets to the hotel to check in they find a dead body in their suite. The hotel is also taken over by the the Fabulous Femmes, a philanthropic group that likes to party. Murder has a way of interfering in the best laid plans and Sam and Aggie must improvise before she ends up dead in the river. You don't need to read the previous books to enjoy the mystery but it's nice to have background in Sam and Aggie's romance.

When a dead body interrupts a planned getaway, Aggie gets involved which may or may not hinder her relationship with the detective. What I liked best about this book was the interactions and exploits that awaited Aggie as she investigated this murder, despite being warned away from it. As this is my first time reading this series, the subplot was very interesting and gave me a better insight into Aggie and what she does. I like the writing style and the ease in how the story flowed from chapter to chapter. The narrative was visually deliberate in letting me see what was happening through the characters’ eyes and putting me in the middle of all the action. The mystery was well done and I had a good time figuring out who the killer was with all the clues planted for me to follow. This was a good read and I can’t wait for more adventures with Aggie and her friends.

The writing didn't flow naturally for me, the characters one dimensional and the plot plodding