A fun, readable and entertaining murder mystery with some surprising plot twists. I have a feeling this would appeal to many cozy crime readers.

How have I not reviewed this great book yet?! I read it years ago and loved it - witty, great writing.

A brilliant debut with tons of personality and humor! Dayna and her friends try to solve a murder without adding themselves to the body count, and of course, things don't go as planned. Love the Hollywood setting, and the terrific characters. Garrett is a talent worth watching.

I adore a good mystery, it’s really my favorite genre, but I don’t read it all the time since it’s also often a very white genre. So, I’m thrilled to have found another book for my #DiverseDetectives shelf! I’m working on putting a list together on my blog, as a resource.

The amateur sleuth in Hollywood Homicide is the retired Black actress Dayna Anderson. Trying to keep her parents from losing their house, she decides to solve a local hit-and-run case for the reward money.

The main character is really the biggest draw for me, even though I can’t relate at all to her fascination with shopping and such, but she really came alive. Being worried about bills and taking care of her parents and being close with her friends made her a likeable heroine. That and Dayna is just super fun, her running commentary is hilarious. I had a great time reading about her somewhat disastrous start to sleuthing, accusing people left and right, but eventually figuring things out. It took me till nearly the end to figure out whodunnit, so the mystery was set up well.

The story is not just set in Hollywood, it also reads like a detective show. I think the author also wrote for tv, and it shows in the style and pacing. So someone should really get on this! And please add a Dayna voice-over!

Did you know Hollywood Homicide recently won an Agatha award? The first time a woman of color writer has won in ages and it’ so wonderful a Black mystery writer won! Also, I’m happy that this is going to be a series now, with book two, Hollywood Ending, coming out August 8th.


Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the storyline and how fast paced it was. It was humorous too and such a good read for a leisurely bank holiday

The thing is, if a book takes me over three months to finish, it's probably not the most exciting book ever.

This book is focused on Dayna, a retired/failed actress living in LA. She's flat broke, which means there is no money to help her parents out when they're about to be foreclosed on their house, up until she witnesses a hit and run and finds out there is $15,000 for anyone who can lead the police to the perpetrator. There were so many twists and turns of the plot that you wondered how Dayna could keep track of them all, let alone the reader. I liked how LA and celebrity culture was used in the story, including both famous and non-famous people.

While the plot and writing were a little slow, the real strength of the book were the characters. I found Dayna absolutely charming and I loved her friends, Sienna and Emme being involved in various kooky and strange ways in her investigation. One of my favourite scenes was near the end of the book where the three of them (and Emme's sister) were confronting who they think to the killer.

I wouldn't put this down as my favourite book of the year, but I did enjoy the characters and am interested enough to check out the sequel one day.

I'm not usually one for mystery books, but this was a fun read! It had great voice, humor, and the characters were engaging. Looking forward to the sequel!

What a charming gem of a novel! 'Hollywood Homicide' was a fast-paced, entertaining debut. Garrett pulls her reader into the hectic life of an actress-turned-detective and develops an intriguing tale of murder and mystery along the way. Looking forward to learning more about Dayna!

When I started reading Kellye Garrett’s Hollywood Homicide (Midnight Ink) I hoped it was going to be a PI-style mystery. Mmm, it didn’t turn out that way. It bordered more on the cozy sub-genre which is not my thing.

Kellye Garrett can write a good story and she’s funny as hell – can I say hell in a cozy review? Throughout Hollywood Homicide Garrett dropped one-liners with the skill of a veteran stand-up comedian, the jokes never felt forced and fit right in with the story.

Though the characters were fleshed out and believable, I did have difficulty relating this cast of twenty-something Hollywood hanger-ons. Probably just me. If you like cozy mysteries and would like to see the kids from New Girl solve a murder, please don’t take my review to heart at all. Instead, check out the reviews at Bibliophile Reviews and BOLO Books.

If you’re looking for a mystery novel that’s campy and funny as all get out, be sure to check out Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett. Based in Hollywood, Dayna is an out of work actress, broke as joke while also trying to help her parents financially. After witnessing a murder and seeing a billboard offering reward money for said murder, Dayna and her Hollywood crew of misfits set out to solve the crime.
I enjoyed this book. I can’t say enough how funny this book is. When I thought I knew who the killer was, I was wrong! This book kept me guessing on the identity of the killer, which is what I want in a good mystery! All in all, this book is a good time.

This was a fun and easy book to read.

Dayna is a young black actress who is pushing the boundaries of a size 10 and has seen her work as an actress dry up because she is a bit too much on the large side for hollywood standards. She is sleeping in her friends shoe cupboard as she is broke and is on the verge of going home but on a drive home she spots a billboard offering a $15,000 reward for tips on solving the murder of a young girl called Haley. It turns out that Dayna knew Haley and may of seen the murderer fleeing in his car. Dayna sets out to solve the crime, rings the tip line so much the woman on the phone refuses to speak to her and accuses everyone under the sun except for the real killer.

There is also a romantic subplot weaved into the story with Daynas best friend who is a sucessful actor.

Lots of fun and a lighthearted read, would read the sequel.

Characters are well-rounded, real and they have relatable flaws! One of those escape into reading books at its best!

This book was a fun read. The sleuth, Dayna Day was very likable as were her sidekicks. The mystery itself was average. I figured who the killer was about half way through. However, I did find the murder and the motive to be plausible. I'll definitively be on the lookout for book two.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2100793421

This isn't you typical mystery book . It is a light hearted fun read with a good dose of mystery thrown in . Welcome to Dayna Anderson's world . After seeing a deadly hit and run . She decides to solve the mystery for the reward money . She is helping her parents out . Everything is going along great . She is trying to remember the car and then it starts to build into a full fledged investigation. That takes her to the hottest spots in Hollywood its all great until someone tries to kill her . Will she survive and will she find out who did it . 
     This book had it all , there were twists and turns a mystery and some romance mixed in . Dayna is like most of the women in Hollywood . She has had some success in commercials and now she is working at temp jobs . She is a go getter and will do all to help out her friends and family . She is a strong character and is so fun loving she will get it done when needed .  Her friends are varied everyone from Sienna the fashionista to  Emma the computer hacker to her partner Aurbrey Adams , and ex cop who rides a bike and wears an orange reflective suit 
   The story is a fast fun read that will keep you reading until there are no pages left to turn . This a cute twist on the cozy mystery story . The author likes to throw out red herrings , where you think you have it figured out and bam you are wrong . Which I really enjoy .  Can't wait to see what the next book is like by this author .

There is nothing more satisfying to a reader than picking up a novel and being pleasantly surprised by how good it is. That’s how I felt reading “Hollywood Homicide.” Kellye Garrett has written a clever mystery with an appealing protagonist and supporting cast, all while spoofing the Hollywood lifestyle in a satirical yet joyous manner.
Our protagonist, Dayna Anderson, is a retired semi-famous, black actress known for the commercials she starred in. After her gig was cancelled and not dealing well with rejection, she decides to shun Hollywood and find a “real” job. Broke and needing to help her parents financially, she spots a billboard depicting a crime victim and offering a generous award for any tips leading to the assailant. Dayna takes it upon herself to investigate the murder, determined to get the reward. All this leads up to the adventure of Dayna’s life, filled with enough drama to fill an entire season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
Kellye Garrett has written one of the most interesting protagonists in a long time, but better than that, is her supportive cast. Dayna’s friends, Sienna, Emme, and Omaryi are loveable, laughable characters you wish were your friends. “Hollywood Homicide” is satire at its finest, and a compelling murder mystery with the best ensemble cast I’ve read in a long time. I didn’t want it to end, and it left me hoping for another to follow.
Whether you are into hard-boiled crime stories, thrillers, or cozies, I recommend you pick up “Hollywood Homicide.” Kellye Garrett’s writing and Dayna Anderson and friends will become your guilty pleasure.

Reviewed by J.M. LeDuc, author of “Painted Beauty,” published by Suspense Publishing, an imprint of Suspense Magazine

Disclaimer: I was given Hollywood Homicide, book 1 for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I really, really wanted to love this book, but Hollywood Homicide just didn’t do it for me. Kellye Garrett made me love the characters, and love to hate the suspects, but the investigation itself was my least favourite part of the book. As this is the focal point of the series, you can see how my not enjoying it could be a problem… By the third almost-killer, I was ready for the investigation to be over and to read more about Dayna and her friends’ lives. Maybe mystery books are just not my thing, maybe you’ll have better luck than I did… Either way, I don’t see myself picking up the next book in Detective by Day series whenever it releases. With all of the above in mind, I absolutely loved the last scene! (Especially those fine two lines.) You’ll just have to read it to find out what I’m referring to!

Do I recommend this book? 50/50.
Will I be reading the rest of the series? No.

I good start to a new mystery series. What better setting than the infamous Hollywood! The characters were a little hard to keep track of but I'm not sure why. I kept mixing up a few of the women but worked it out all in the end. The main character was very "real" even though she had an acting background and wasn't as vain as her famous friends so that made her more relateable. I definitely would like to read the next book and see where it goes.

A fun cozy mystery read! i enjoyed the premise of the story which led to a interesting and wide ranging sleuth. The protagonist is smart, funny and engaging. I enjoyed the background location of LA after growing up in LA . The author perfectly blends in the location with the mystery. This book has it all, humor, mystery and great characters. A winning read. i look forward to the next book by this author.

I really, really wanted to like this more. I love the idea, I love the set up, I loved the heroine and her back ground. Problem was that as I read the book, she came across (to me at least) as too stupid to live and a more than a little annoying. I did enjoy a lot of what was going on though - so I'd definitely come back and read more in this series once it's settled in a bit more.