Really entertaining first book in what I hope will be a series! Tallie has picked herself up and moved on after her divorce, working as a house cleaner and dealing with her issues. The last thing she expects is to find one of her clients (and former social contact) murdered and herself a suspect because the creepy chief of police is holding a grudge. Of course, given the genre, you know she's going to untangle the mystery and clear herself. I expected more about the funeral home business (maybe in a subsequent book) but that's ok because this is a well constructed, well written fast read with a good new character in Tallie. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Thumbs up!

Tallulah Graver never wanted to go into the family business of running the Graver Funeral Home. Instead Tallie choose to marry a wealthy man and was living rather well until her marriage fell apart. Picking herself up after the divorce Tallie found in order to avoid the family business and still pay her bills she took a job cleaning the homes of the same wealthy people that she once called friends.

Things were going well and Tallie was adjusting to being downgraded to the hired help until the day she walks into a friends shop and finds a woman tied up and her ex laying unconscious. Then to make matters worse for Tallie as she returns to her job of cleaning she finds a body in the closet of the home she’s working. Tallie finds herself right in the middle of everything and needs to find out just how all these events connect before the danger finds her next.

Cremains of the Day by Misty Simon is the first book in the new cozy Tallie Graver Mystery series. With the creepy hearse on the cover this one seemed to be one that would be perfect for a Halloween read. But that would lead to my only real complaint with this new series, the cover is a bit misleading as the family funeral home barely plays any part in the story as Tallie is spending the majority of the book cleaning instead. I just felt it could have been played up a bit more to give this series a nice unique spin.

As for the rest of this story it was a solid beginning to a new cozy series. There were plenty of suspicious activities and shadiness to keep a reader guessing. Tallie was also a strong lead to follow with her hard working ethic and determination to continue onward despite her circumstances. I will certainly be interested in seeing what is in store for the series next and whether the author syncs up the use of the funeral home in more than just a nice cover to draw readers into the series.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Tallulah (or Tallie) Graver has just gotten divorced. Although her finances are pretty bad following the break-up, she is glad to be rid of her wealthy, pompous, jerk of a husband. She's embarrassed about her behavior while she was married to him, so she's trying to rebuild friendships and put her life back together. Putting her pride aside, she starts cleaning houses for some of the wealthy residents of her hometown, and also helps out at her family's funeral home. Just as the hometown gossip about her is dying down and her life seems to be improving, there is a bit of a fracas. Her ex-husband is found in an alley way after being tazed in the unmentionables. The town police chief immediately suspects her because she is Waldo's ex-wife. Tallie soon discovers another member of her former social circle murdered. Suddenly the entire situation is more dangerous than just her jerk ex being shocked in the jumblies. Tallie decides to do some sleuthing to prove that she had nothing to do with the attack, the murder, or any criminal activity. Can she discover the truth before someone else is dead on a slab at Gravers Funeral Home?

This cozy mystery is a bit PG-13. There are a lot of jokes about the ex-husband's privates. It never gets crude or inappropriate, but it is a bit of adult humor. Also there are a few minor curse words...readers who are offended by any cursing (even if it's minor) might want to pass this one by. I wasn't offended. Most of what she said is probably pretty close to the quips I would make if I found out my ex had been tazed in the balls.....once I was able to stop laughing.

The mystery moved along at a good pace, and the story line was interesting. I would have liked a bit more background on the town/location and a bit more action at the family funeral business....but it wasn't really necessary to the plot. For the most part I liked the characters. I think the wealthy snobs Tallie was forced to clean house for were a bit overdone at times....almost stereotype upper class twits. The ex husband was a royal ass....but the character needed to be a total jerk as part of the plot. I did feel like hopping into the story a few times just to punch him. What a jerk! :) There were plenty of suspects and some unexpected twists and turns before the end. All in all, a nice start to a new cozy series.

The next book in the series, Grounds for Remorse, will be coming out soon.

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Cremains of the Day is the debut book in Misty Simon’s Tallie Graver Mystery series. The mystery is interesting, the characters developed, and there’s some humor mixed in, however, there is more adult language than usually found in cozies.

Tallulah ‘Tallie’ Graver is recently divorced from Walden ‘Waldo’ Phillips III, who is a wealthy investment banker. She didn’t fare well during the settlement process and is working part-time cleaning the houses of wealthy people she used to socialize with, and begrudgingly working in the family business, the Graver Funeral Home, and living in an apartment above the funeral home. Things aren’t going well for Tallie. First, she discovers her best friend, Gina Laudermilch’s, diner, Bean There, Done That, is broken into with Gina’s cousin, Katie Mitchner, tied up, and Waldo in the back alley. At first, she thought Waldo was deceased, but when she saw his chest move, she rushed to him and found a weak pulse. It turns out that someone took a Taser to his manhood. He says he can’t identify his attacker and Tallie appears to be the prime suspect. Tallie cleaned Darla Hackersham’s house the next morning, but forgot her vacuum and had to go back to retrieve it before going to her next cleaning job. As she was leaving, she saw a closet door ajar and when she went to investigate, found Darla inside with a butcher knife sticking out of her chest. A person from her past, Max Bennett, shows up warning her that she’s in danger and saying he wants to protect and help her. She believes Chief of Police, James Burton, doesn’t like her and has it in for her and she’s determined to prove her innocence.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Synopsis:

There's no reverse on the hearse . . .

For Tallulah Graver, marrying wealthy Waldo Phillips seemed like the best way out of the family business, the Graver Funeral Home. But when her marriage falls apart and Tallie is left with next to nothing, she turns to cleaning houses to make ends meet. As humbling as it is to tidy the mansions of the snobby socialites she used to call friends, at least she doesn't have to be around dead bodies. Until . . .

She discovers one of her employers lying in a closet with a knife sticking out of her chest. This unpleasant shock seems to be part of a web of weird experiences: Tallie's friend Gina's shop is broken into, her ex is stun-gunned where it hurts the most, and now she's receiving flowers from the dead woman. Granted the deliveryman is handsome, but seriously, that's enough to cast a pall over anyone's day. Now Tallie needs to dig deep to clean up this mess--before she finds herself in a grave situation. (Goodreads)

Review:

I thought Tallie was a strong smart woman who is not afraid of making her own way in the world. After her marriage to wealthy Waldo falls apart she knows that she cannot rely on anyone but herself to find true happiness. Marrying for money is not the way to go, which she found out the hard way. When she finds a dead body, she feels like she has to figure out the killer before she gets sent to jail for a crime she did not commit.

The characters are well developed and well rounded. I liked the interaction between Tallie and her family. I also liked the relationship between her and Max, an old friend from her youth. Their relationship led to some very funny moments. The cast of secondary characters added a lot to the story.

I felt that the writing style was a little choppy and did not flow as smoothly as it could have. That is only my opinion and others may not agree with me. There is a little more harsher language in this book than is normally in a cozy, but it is in no way offensive. To me it just made the book seem more realistic.

I thought the author did a great job with the mystery in this book. There were enough twists and turn, suspects to consider and clues to sift through that it was not an easy one to solve.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. It is a good start to a new series and I am looking forward to reading more books in this series.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This series is off to a great start. Seeing the cover and the title led me to think this would be a series set in a funeral home but such was not the case. Tallie Graver's family runs the funeral home and wants her to join them in the funeral business. Problem is, Tallie got married to escape the family business only to have it end in divorce, have her move back to the funeral home to live 'over the shop' and, to make ends meet, she has to clean the very homes owned by the people she used to call friends when she was married. Despite it all, she has kept her sense of humor and determination. Trouble finds her when one of her clients falls at her feet, stabbed with a knife. And that is just the beginning for Tallie. Of course she investigates but she isn't over the top in her efforts to figure out who done it. I enjoyed her friends and her family and though I would have liked to know more of her backstory with her ex, I think that will follow in future mysteries. It would be nice, too, if the funeral home were to have a more important role going forward. I will be looking forward to the next book to see how that is developed.

I loved this book! Please see my review through the link, below.

This series debut had a very very* slow start for me. I couldn’t get into it at first, and I think it was because of the author’s writing style—huge paragraphs of text. Once I got passed the first chapter and got used to the writing style, I really enjoyed it!

Tallie, the main character, had a really strong voice, and she came off as really likable. She was independent, spunky, stubborn and really funny! The secondary characters were also very fun and entertaining as well. They all kept me laughing.

The mystery was fun. I liked how exciting and engrossing it was, but certain things didn’t make sense to me at the end. But even so, things did wrap up rather nicely and the bad guy was very unpredictable.

Overall, a good start to a new series! The characters were entertaining, the mystery was twisty and the humor level was laugh-out-loud funny. I had a blast reading this book, and I’ll definitely be picking up the next one.

This was a great start to a new series. It had a very unique setting, interesting characters, and a great mystery.

Great start to a new series. Tallie Graver has moved back into the top floor of her family's funeral home after divorcing her mistake of an ex-husband. Her family really wants her to join the family business but she has no interest. She is now cleaning houses of her former rich friends to make ends meet. When she starts stumbling on bodies and clues, it is all she can do to try to point the police chief in the right direction, which is not her as a prime suspect.

Although looking at the book and reading the description you would think the funeral home would be central to the storyline, it isn't. Tallie's cleaning business takes more of the story. This was a nice start to a new series though, it introduced you to the main characters and plotted out their relationships while still solving a mystery.

I was given an eARC by the publisher through NetGalley.

This is the first in a new series and I think it was a pretty good start. The mystery was very well done, with enough twists and misdirects to keep me guessing right till the end. I also found the characters themselves to be relatable. My disappointment lies with the lack of a sense of place to they story. Most cozies center around a business and a definable geographical location. I thought this book had neither. The cover led me to believe this cozy centered in a funeral home, which it didn't, the MC just lives above one. There are several references to the MC wanting to own a tea shop and the story line will definitely benefit from that. But what it also needs is a geographic location. There was one quick mention of only being able to use outdoor pools four months of the year and another of being close to D.C. Other than that I had no grounding while reading the story. So, a really great start to a series - just really seems to need some roots.

This first entry into the Tallie Graver mystery series is a hoot. After Tallie (Tallulah) Graver divorces her rich husband Waldo, she finds herself cleaning houses for those she once counted as "friends." It's better than it sounds, though, because her other option is working for the family business - a funeral home - and that's one thing she refuses to do. That begins to look like the better of the two options, however, when she finds one of her employers with a knife sticking out of her chest and dumped in a hall closet. The sheriff isn't a fan of hers, and Tallie feels likes she needs to find the killer before she takes the fall. Add in a dose of embezzlement, assault, and a handsome flower-delivery man, and Tallie's world is turned upside down.

This is one of the more humorous cozies I have read in a while. I found myself chuckling and smiling throughout. It as all the requisite cozy pieces, too: small-town living, likeable characters, and a main character who doesn't WANT to get pulled into the investigation, but is compelled to. I look forward to reading Ms. Simon's next book, Grounds for Remorse.

Cremains of the Day by Misty Simon is the first book in a new cozy series and I thought it was a great start.

The protagnoist is Tallie Graver a divorced woman in her late 20's who married a rich man who turned out to be a creep. Tallie is strong, smart and determined to make it on her own. She got very little from her divorce but she has turned herself around after acting like a snobby witch while married. Ms. Simon did an admirable job of introducing this small town and the characters in great detail without bogging down the pacing of the story. There were plenty of twists and turns as Tallie tried to figure out who "did it" as she searched for clues, ducked the Sheriff who had put her at the top of the suspect list, and weeded through gossip. Max Bennet was a character of note as he was at first suspicious but then revealed as an IRS agent on the trail of her ex-husband's tax fraud. All of this kept me turning the pages so that I finished this book in an afternoon. I definitely want to read the next one in this series.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.

I thought that this was a fun and nicely paced cozy mystery and a great start to a new series.
I liked the fact that it took place in a mortuary, I thought that made it original and creative.
I would like to read the next book in the series.

This book was everything I needed it to be! I mean, a book set in a funeral home?? Of course that in and of itself was going to make me yearn to read it!
I love that there is absolutely no paranormal aspect to this book at all, and it definitely didn't need it. I could not get over how delightfully unique this story was. The main characters fall from money because of divorce, having to clean houses of former wealthy friends to make ends meet, working at her family's funeral home, and throw in murder and you have everything needed for a well written story.
This book had a refreshingly different storyline which was a breath of fresh air. I love how different the setting was from anything I have read lately. The characters were great, I love the complex yet humorous relationships that the author wove.
This was a spectacular start to a new series that I cannot wait for more of.

Cremains of the Day by Misty Simon is a well told story. As a first in a new series, it didn't have the awkwardness that some firsts do.
It wasn't overwhelmed with information, the story flowed smoothly and made sense from beginning to end.
Tallulah Graver was a rich, spoiled wife. Now she is divorced, not rich and certainly not spoiled. Cleaning houses for some of her past friends isn't her dream, but it's enough to get by.
Unfortunately for Tallie, stumbling over a client isn't her dream either, especially when it lands her in the middle of a murder investigation.
What does Darla have in common with Tallie's ex Waldo?
As Tallie becomes determined to find the truth, the secrets begin to unravel, leaving Tallie in the middle of tax evasion, embezzlement and so much more.
Is Max really on her side or is he leading her to a deadly confession?

This author weaves an interesting tale and she portrayed Max with just enough charm to leave me guessing about his intentions until the very end.

Cremains of the Day releases on October 31 by Kensington Books.

I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

I was hesitant to start this book due to the funeral parlor family business, but I was surprised to find that it was not featured as predominately as I thought it would be. Lots twists, turns, and secrets to keep the reader guessing.

Although this book had twists, secrets and kept me guessing I was disappointed. From the cover and blurb, I was led to think the family business (the funeral home) would be featured prominently which it was not.
All in all, it was a good whodunit however; I feel it was misrepresented.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Cremains of the Day is a good start to a brand new cozy mystery series. Misty Simon is a talented author and this is clearly shown through her writing style and storytelling abilities. I enjoyed her characters- especially our sleuth, Tallulah Graver. She's a fun piece of work and her ability to overcome such adversary in her life post divorce is commendable. The mystery was also very good- I couldn't figure out "who-dun-it" until the very end. However, I wish Tallulah's family funeral parlor was used more in the story. From looking at the cover and the title, one would think the story would revolve around or at least be a bit more tuned into her families business but it wasn't. The main conflict of the story had almost nothing to do with it making me feel a bit let down. In all honestly, having a funeral home as a setting would be really unique in terms of the books that are out there in the genre. So this part bummed me out. Other than that, I will certainly be looking for the next one in the series because I did like this one.