A good book. Well written with great characters and a good plot. The storyline flows and the mystery is enjoyable. I highly recommend.,

This is a very powerful thriller /mystery that kept me reading until early morning. I loved it and highly recommend it to all that enjoy a good mystery. The writing is excellent and I look forward to further books by this author in the future.
I received a ARC and my opinions are my own. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for this excellent read.
This is the story of Maggie, a recent widow. She is struggling since her husband died in every way. She works as a a bartender at a bar that many VFW vets frequent. She is friends with many and used to dealing with the regulars. When one turns up murdered, the police only have one suspect and that is Maggie. She is determined to fight for her life and begins to investigate on her own. Maggie does not like the cops and does not trust them. They gave up looking for her husbands killer and are less interested in the truth then they are closing both cases.

I love her character as a protagonist for this series. Maggie is smart, savvy and determined to beat the cops. She proves her abilities as a investigator. She determines quite a labyrinth of clues and that is why I was unable to put this book down. It has a great ending which made it all the more enjoyable. Very well done writing and a excellent plot. This is a book to savor and read when you are not interrupted. I loved it.

I highly recommend this first in series and look forward to the next in series. What a fun read !

“Last Call” by Paula Matter opens with a confession by the main character, Maggie Lewis that sets the tone for the rest of the book:

“Refusing a ride back to the VFW was maybe the stupidest thing I’d done that morning. But, if Bobby Lee thought I was riding in the back seat of his police cruiser twice in one day… All of this— the murder, my arrest— may have started at work two nights ago”

Thus, we find Maggie, in debt, short on cash, working as a grumpy bartender at the local VFW. On a typical Friday night, the usual “aging” veterans spend their time annoying each other and drinking beer. They play tricks on each other, and one member takes extensive notes to keep track of who is there who is not, and who pays. The scene plays out day after day, week after week until one of the VFW members turns up dead, the note taker. The police collect evidence, review alarm code access to the VFW hall, look for suspects, and finally settle on one.

“Maggie, I need to take you down to the station for questioning in the murder of Jack Hoffman.”

That search for answers turns up more questions, and along the way unearths past military, PTSD, and hometown secrets.

Matter created a genuine sense of place and community in small town North DeSoto, Florida. The town and the VFW provide the framework for the characters. The story would not be the same if it were set somewhere else. The characters guide readers through the search for answers. There is crime, but without gruesome descriptions and as a plus, there are laughs along the way to the end.

I was given a copy of “Last Call” from Paula Matter, Midnight Ink, and NetGalley. I enjoyed reading and laughing along the way. It is an enjoyable book to read, and in small town Florida, there is always pie.

Maggie's trying to keep it together after the murder of her husband when Jack, one of the regular patrons at the VFW bar where she works is also murdered- and she's a prime suspect. Never mind that she shouldn't be, but that's how it is and of course she has to investigate on her own. Wait- she has the help of Michael, who has moved into the other side of her duplex with his daughter. This is squarely in the middle of the amateur detective genre (but not a cozy) but it's a good start to what I suspect will be a series. It's not a particularly complicated mystery but it was an engaging read. Thanks to net galley for the ARC.

Last Call by Paula Matter is the first book in Maggie Lewis Mystery and I sincerely hope it will be a long standing series.
Maggie is a widow and a bartender in Florida VFW, just living her life and trying to scrape by when she is falsely accused of killing a veteran, a long time patron of hers. Deciding not to be beaten, Maggie decides to fight back and investigate. She also enlists help of her new tenant who just happens to be a former police officer waiting to get his PI licence. With his guidance and support she asks some unpopular guestions and steps on toes of dangerous killer and his cohorsts.
I liked the fact that it is nicely paced, easing into the mystery, getting familiar with the main character and her life. I have never read a mystrery in this setting and must say I enjoyed it. I delighted in the fact that despite her unfortunate financial and romantic situation she has friends, some old and some new who are rooting for her. Especially liked a possible spark of romance and new beginning with Michael. The story is well written and it has a clever plot. Characters are well developed with some funny moments.
Highly recommended.

This was an enjoyable and well-written drama that quickly became a page-turner as I had to know what else can befall our heroine and what happens throughout the story takes her on a journey of self-discovery and I like how the author showcased the road less traveled. The mystery was nicely done and kept me on my toes as the author intended with all the suspects who worked with Maggie and clues that hid a few secrets that were a stronger motive to the crime. And it was Maggie’s determined pursuit and with help from friends, in particular, Michael and Brenda, that helped in the apprehension of a killer hiding in plain sight. From Maggie to Michael to Brenda to Gussie and even to Bobby Lee, all played pivotal roles that enhanced how well this story was being told. From the small-town atmosphere, to the engaging dialogue and to a comfortable tone, this was a satisfying tale worth reading over and over and I look forward to the new adventures awaiting Maggie and her friends.

Maggie Lewis works as a bartender at VFW in North Desoto. The bar in this small town is always busy with same old people who love to hang out from the time the bar opens until it closes. She is a middle-aged woman who lost her husband by murder. She has been working so hard almost every night, and a death of Jack Hoffman, one of the veterans at VFW, happens on her very much needed night off from work.

The next morning when she comes into the bar, soon she realizes her bosses are trying to frame her for Jack’s murder. Her scrunchie (a kind of hair tie) was the only thing that was found from Jack’s track where he was supposedly murdered, and someone has used her code to get into the bar around 3 in the morning. She is forced to put in the situation where she has to figure out who is behind Jack’s murder or else she is the one going to prison.

Although I enjoyed this story, I felt like it needed much elevation. It was a good amateur sleuth story, but there were not many twists in it. After Jack’s murder, I was expecting something more to happen because it felt like there were too many pages left to just read about how she solves this murder. Unfortunately, nothing really big happened after that.

The main question of this story is the fine line between secrets and lies. Is not telling all about yourself a lie or a secret? It’s a very good question to discuss. We all pick and choose what we say and what we don’t say regardless of if there is an intention of hiding. In order for Maggie to find out what was really going on at the bar, and what was the motive for the murder, she starts digging in every person’s, the ones who were present at the night, personal life. Sure enough, she uncovers the real relationships between those people and secrets each one of them have kept to themselves.

I enjoyed the personal aspect of Maggie’s life as a middle-aged widower who struggles to keep up with her life financially and emotionally. She is haunted by her husband’s murder and bounded to the job that forces her to overwork but underpays. But at the end of the story, she realizes changes are necessary. She needs to break her shell and jump into a new opportunity. It felt like this murder investigation made Maggie a more open-minded, happier, and better person.

All in all, I enjoyed this book, but I was expecting little more twists to the story.

I started off really into this book and I enjoyed the bar setting. The author did a great job introducing the characters. However, I got bored around 35% in it. I really wanted to love this book but I started to get annoyed by Maggie and I felt it was too repetive.
It was me and just not my type of book and no hard feelings to the author who worked hard to write it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my ARC.

Maggie Lewis, 46, is widowed and owns the duplex she leases half of to new P.I. Michael Bradley and his 9 yo daughter Chris. Maggie's bartender job at North DeSoto FL VFW is in jeopardy when she is framed for the murder of patron Jack Hoffman. Relying on Michael's help to clear her name and find justice for Jack stirs up parts of Maggie's emotions that she had shut down.

Maggie grows from a surly, unhappy widow to a gentler person with an interest in those around her.

Looking forward to the next installment as Maggie learns to cook at Sally's diner.

I began this book and am trying to finish reading it but I am rapidly losing interest. The book was listed as being humorous but I am not really finding it very funny and the characters are too cliched for my taste. I am finding this book rather boring and will probably not keep reading it.

Maggie must prove she is not a murderer.

Bartender Maggie at a Florida VFW is a suspect in a murder when a Korean war vet is found murdered in the parking lot of the club. She and her neighbour, Michael, set out to clear her name and find the real killer and why Jack Hoffman was killed.

This is not the first murder in the small town. Maggie’s own husband was killed in their home just two years before and his murderer has never been found. It is no wonder Maggie has no faith in the local sheriff and must investigate herself.

This book was ok but nothing special, a bit of a pot boiler. The story has been done many times before and the why and who was obvious from the third chapter.

Even though they mention the death of Maggie’s husband that part of the story is still ongoing, as is the possible treasure somewhere in her house. Other parts are also not fully explained and it all seemed a little rushed and jumbled in places.

I never found out what VFW stands for; the crime scenes were a little sketchy and only the guilty parties looked guilty and had something to hide so no suspense either.

All a little wishy-washy I am afraid and a good book to perhaps to read on a wet Sunday, while the washing is in the dryer, but not a huge thriller.

Shesat

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

This is really an enjoyable book. When we read the detective-theme mystery book, we usually come to the conclusion after the character does. But with this book, we are guided and find the conclusion almost the same time as the character does.

There is no gruesome, too-descriptive crime scene, but there is detailed investigation we can read through. We get to know the other character the same time Maggie, the main lead, get to know them.

The sprinkle of romance and women friendship are also a good combination for the theme!

At the end of the book, you will yourself satisfied from a very good read.

Thanks #netgalley and midnight ink for providing the arc