Thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review. Sorry it took me so long to review!

Too Many Crooks Spoil the Plot is the first book in the Ditie Brown series by Sarah Osbourne. It was an ok read. The main character is a pediatrician so she’s not dumb but she could use more of a backbone where her friends and family are concerned.

The mystery in this was ok but I will warn you it’s way more violent then any other cozy mystery I’ve read!

This is the first book in the Ditie Brown mystery series.. This book was engaging from the beginning. Ditie, otherwise known as Dr. Mabel Aphrodite Brown, is a pediatrician in Atlanta, living on her family's farm.

Ditie's childhood friend Ellie comes to her asking for a favor - Ellie needed to take care of some things and hoped Ditie would babysit her two children. Ellie is murdered on this outing, and Ditie is left with the children and a murderer to catch.

It's clear that Ellie was involved in some shady business, and that there are bad men looking for something they believe Ellie left behind.

This story was full of wonderful characters who you really imagine you could know in real life. I thought the story was great and I look forward to more in this series to come.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries.

The preface: Pediatrician Mabel (Aphrodite) Brown offers to babysit Ellie's children. However, but when Ellie turns up dead, Mabel decides that she has a murder to solve. This read was just meh for me. It seemed repetitive.

The characters just keep repeating the same actions over and over again while they are having the same conversations about how they are feeling almost every time they talk.. The stories pace was very slow which seemed to make the book longer than it's 244 pages. If detective Garrett had focused more on his job of finding the killer, and less time on Dittie and their maybe relationship he would have made less mistakes.

I received an arc of this book from netgalley for my review.

Pediatrician Mabel Aphrodite Brown offers to babysit Ellie's children but when Ellie turns up dead, Mabel has a murder to solve.

Ok, so I didn't like this - too many quirky characters, the overarching plot is actually quite sad and all the developments in the mystery plot and with characters happen at such breakneck speed that it's dizzying. Not one for me.

TOO MANY CROOKS SPOIL THE PLOT is an excellent beginning to the new Ditie Brown Mystery series. Author Sarah Osborne has created a a strong protagonist in Mable Aphrodite "Ditie" Brown. I had emotional ups and downs most of the book, and on the edge of my seat during the last several chapters. I wouldn't say it is a cozy so much as a mystery with cozy aspects. It's a lot deeper at times because of a tragedy that effects two children. That being said, I enjoyed the story and I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

NEW COZY SERIES!!!!! *cracks knuckles*

Dive on in, folks!!!!

Dr Brown is a pediatrician working at a refugee clinic in Atlanta. She is obviously a caring person drawn to a career that she is meant for. She is asked to babysit her friend's children and her friend gets murdered.

Who did it?

Why would somebody do it?

So many thrilling twists and turns that keeps a reader guessing and it's done so well. Each character is crafted wonderfully and I can not wait for more from Dr Brown.

ARC received from NetGalley for review

What an aptly named book and a great start to a new cozy series! I really enjoyed this book and the plethora of suspects! I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

I am always on the lookout for a new mystery or series. Too Many Crooks Spoil the Plot by Sarah Osbourne is a fast-moving, intriguing mystery that has some very likable characters, a few to dislike, and a few from which to run.

Ditie(short for Aphrodite), Lurlene, and Jason and Lucie are arguably some of the most likable. Ditie is a pediatrician who finds herself suddenly in charge of her friend’s children. Jason and Lucie are adorable, childlike and adult-like by turns, making one’s heart ache and eyes overflow. Lurlene pretends to be French in a cute way and also helps with childcare.

Mason and Dan give the ladies in the book some romance. My complaint would be that Mason never really romances Ditie, he just acts “settled” that she is for him.

The author does a great job of providing plenty of twists and turns in this mystery until my head was reeling with suspect possibilities. I found it hard to figure out who was really behind the murders.

One thing I didn’t care for was a spate of bad language thrown in towards the middle. Maybe to keep the book from getting a PG rating? I would personally prefer the PG rating. One of the tenets of a cozy used to be “no bad language.”

The recipes at the back were quite reasonable, even for someone who considers herself a non-cook. Yum!

I will be checking out the next book, to see how the series progresses. If you like children, police business, and cozies, you may want to check it out this series, also.

Too Many Crooks Spoil the Plot by Sarah Osborne is the first book in the Ditie Brown Mystery series. Ditie (short for Aphroditie) is a pediatrician in Atlanta. She does not hesitate to take in a flighty friend's children for a few days. When her friend is murdered, Ditie finds herself guardian of the two children who seem to be sought by the their mother's murderer. This book was full of action with more excitement than a normal cozy mystery. The characters were strong, and the mystery had me guessing until the end. If you like thrillers but want to skip all of the gore, this is a wonderful book!

Princess Fuzzypants here: It took a while for this book to hook me but hook me it did. I would not call it a slow build. Almost off the mark Ditie is confronted with the murder of a long time friend and the guardianship of her two children. The deceased mother was not terribly reliable so the young daughter has had to assume the role of parent to her younger brother and is precociously mature. Ditie, who is accomplished, feels like a square peg in a round hole and perhaps that is why she is drawn to oddball and needy people.
Once the reader gets to know her and her friends better they will like her strength and her abilities.. She is feisty but kind and loyal to a fault. It stands her well in her growing relationships with both the kids and the detective who first informs her of her friend’s demise. It would be impossible not to be drawn into the loose “family” of the detective, his amazing mother, his associate, her other friend and of course, the children. Unfortunately all of them are drawn into a deadly battle with the killer as they try to unravel the mystery of murder and deceit. It is hard to tell who is the bad guy and who is the good guy.
Add to Ditie’s problems the return of the cad who unceremoniously dumped her after med school with nary a look back. He wants to reconnect but while her feelings are still raw and uncertain, she has no time for his shenanigans. That is okay since I had lots of time for Ditie and her crew. It had just enough tension and suspense to keep the reader guessing.
I give it five purrs and two paws up.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Pediatrician Mabel Aphrodite Brown – Ditie – who spends her life saving kids. She works at a refugee clinic and sees kids with everything from malnutrition to abusing “uncles”. She comes to care a lot about these children in just the few minutes she spends with them. She has no kids of her own and would make a wonderful mom. She is stunned when her friend, Ellie Winston shows up at her door asking her to watch her kids, Lucie and Jason for a few days while she straightens out some things. Ditie quickly agrees but is worried about what kind of scheme her friend is caught up in.

When the police call informing Ditie her friend is dead she feels like she has to do something. Her friend Lurleen has been helping with the kids and they may now be in danger. She will do anything to protect Lucie and Jason. Which may mean moving out of her home and taking time off from work. This mom thing is much harder than she thought. Who knew she would be wrapped up in whatever got Ellie killed?

I really enjoyed this story! Mabel Aphrodite Brown is a strong woman but she doesn’t take off trying to solve everything herself. Detective Mason Garrett is assigned the case. He is the one who notifies Ditie of Ellie’s death. He is the one that comes to talk to the kids and Ditie to get their statements. He becomes invested in their lives right away, and there may just be a little spark between Mason and Ditie. He brings in a hunky P.I. to watch over Ditie, Lurleen, and the kids when he can’t be there. Later we meet Mason’s mom, a retired police officer. Together they all work to solve the case. It was refreshing to watch it all play out, even with the bumps the powers that be put in the road.

Sarah Osbourne gave us such wonderful characters. We learn some of their backstories, some of which may not be entirely truthful in Lureen’s case, while enjoying getting to know them in the present. They have tons of room to grow. I was immediately engaged and wanted to know all of them better. The children, Lucie and Jason have had a hard life, Lucie more mature than her actual 9 years. She was responsible for 5-year-old Jason even when their mother was still alive. My heart broke for them. I can’t wait to see them hopefully develop more natural relationships as they grow.

In addition to these characters, Ms. Osboune gives us one heck of a mystery. So many people seem to be involved, one that was very surprising. Some great red herring diversions kept me guessing. It had some really suspenseful moments and some of the subject matter was a little grittier than in traditional cozy mysteries. The author tempered this with the right about of romance and humor.

I did find myself very emotional about the children in this story. Not just Lucie and Jason but the ones seen at the refugee clinic. With the way, children are now being taken away from their parents at the Mexican border and put in cages, and people seeking asylum being arrested instead of helped, Ditie has a very relevant job. While the story takes place in Georgia there are still families there that need help and I love that Mabel Aphrodite Brown is dedicated to just that.

This series is off to a super start!

This was a fun book. I'm looking forward to the next one and plan on buying a copy for my mom. It was a quick read.

This was such a good start for a brand new series! And it was well-titled too because there were definitely a LOT of crooks in this story, or at least suspects!

Ditie Brown was a pediatrician working at a refugee children's clinic in Atlanta, GA when her childhood friend Ellie asked her to watch her own two kids for a few days. When Ellie ended up murdered, Ditie knew she had to protect these kids. With the help of her best friend Lurleen and her new detective friend, Mason, Ditie had to keep moving the kids around to keep them safe and that made them all wonder just what sort of possible corporate espionage was going on at Sandler Soda. After three total deaths and Mason being removed from the case, it was looking more and more complicated. Ditie was wondering where in this puzzle did her brother Charlie fit in.

Everything eventually came together and got explained very satisfactorily at the end. I always like reading about what happens to some of the minor characters. I especially was happy to see Dan, the private investigator/ex-cop and Lurleen hitting it off as well as Mason and Ditie growing closer.

This book had the excitement I remember from thrillers but none of the creepy factor. It was fun and funny in some parts. Lurleen was such a character! Who wouldn't want a best friend like her? She was great with the kids and loyal to a fault, which at one point Ditie was hoping wouldn't also get her killed or hurt. Lurleen is one of my new favorite best friends in a series.

Mason's mom, Eddie was awesome too. I really hope we get to see more of her in future books, ahem I think she makes fabulous mother-in-law material ;) I love that she was an ex-cop and a sharpshooter as well. When Mason suggested staying at her house with the kids, he knew it would be safe as Fort Knox with his mom on watch. The two kids, Lucie (8) and Jason (4) were actually pretty nice kids and weren't written as annoying brats or anything. Lucie was used to protecting her brother since they'd had a rough life with Ellie as their mom. (She was good to them but she had questionable friends.)

I really liked that this book, despite being set in Atlanta, GA, still had that small town feel to it. People didn't necessarily know everyone else's business but the main characters were like a small family.

I never saw the killer coming at all, what a surprise! There were some great red herrings and plot twists. I enjoyed reading the sneak preview chapter at the end for the next book. There were also some of the yummy recipes that were made throughout the book since Lucie loved to cook and so did Ditie and Eddie.

Too Many Crooks Spoil the Plot by Sarah Osborne is the 1st book in A Ditie Brown Mystery series. ( I love the unique names in this series)
Dr. Mabel, Ditie, Brown is a pediatrician. When Ditie's dear childhood friend asked her to take care of her two kids for a couple of day she does but soon finds out the children's mother is murdered. Ditie vows to find the murderer.
I really enjoyed this book. it was a interesting departure from the usual cozy . I have never read about a pediatrician protagonist before and this is proven to be a promising series. The sleuth was full of twist and turns and the reveal was a surprise. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I recommended this book for mystery lovers.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked Mabel and enjoyed that she had a job that was unusual to cozy mysteries. I liked seeing how Mabel figured out how to handle the kids and solve the mystery. I highly recommend this book and look forward to other books in the series

What a fun mystery! I enjoyed this introduction to Aphrodite "Ditie" Brown, and I'll be looking for more books in this series from Sarah Osborne in the future.

I will say that this walked a fine line as a cozy - Lurleen was the only real quirky character in the lineup, the police actually took Ditie seriously, and it didn't really give a sense that she was searching for the perpetrator on her own.

That said, the author has plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing and plenty of tension and a bit of danger. Ditie is a truly engaging character, and I loved the attraction forming with Detective Garrett - which, in future books, well could lead to a "stay out of the investigation, Ditie" situation, and lend itself more to a cozy. Lurleen is an equally fascinating character and I hope future books reveal more of her story because she is a hoot (but with depth). The story truly draws you in - this was a fast read for me as I couldn't put it down.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book. All opinions are my own!

A good book. I enjoyed the interaction between the children and the adults the most. The plot was interesting and there were indeed too many crooks to keep straight. #TooManyCrooksSpoilThePlot #NetGalley

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

Never have I been so enamored with a first book in a cozy mystery series! Too Many Crooks Spoil the Plot just hit the spot for me. Right from the beginning I was immersed in the story telling, the plot, the characters. It seemed that the writing style was also a bit different than the general population of cozy mysteries that I have read recently and that really hit the spot for me. Even the cover art grabbed me…an orange and white cat, cinnamon buns and tulips (some having fallen down). Just the right mix! I even enjoyed some of the character’s odd names (Lurleen or Aphrodite’s nickname of Ditie) …. which is unusual for me.

As the title alludes to… there were many crooks in this cozy mystery. The story begins when an old friend (Ellie – Eleanor is her full name), whom she had not seen in over two years, comes to Aphrodite’s (Ditie for short) house to “Chat a bit” – which is Eleanor speak for “I have a problem.” Ellie asks if her kids could stay just a few days with Ditie. Without hesitation, Ditie says:

“Of course”. “But why do you need me to do that?”

Ellie fidgeted. “There’s just something I have to do. And I can’t do it with the kids in tow. I need know they’re safe.”

“Safe?” Now I started to fidget. “Ellie, what are you up to this time?”

“Don’t press me, Ditie. You’re the only one I can turn to. The only person I know I can trust. The only person I’d leave my children with. Lucie talks about you all the time. When will she get to see her Aunt Di?”

Ellie found another of my soft spots – a kid who likes me.

When Ditie agrees so readily, I knew that something bad is going to happen to Ellie…. During the first night the kids are with Ditie, while they are fast asleep, Ditie gets a call (NOT from Ellie like she expects) but from a Detective Mason Garrett. Well sure enough…a murder has occurred and the victim is Ellie. Without further ado, Ditie takes it upon herself (and on behalf of Ellie’s newly orphaned children – Lucie and Jason) to figure out by who’s hand Ellie died and why!

As it turns out, Ellie’s is not the only murder to have taken place (or will take place as the story progresses). And as Ditie gets closer to the truth, it seems that these murders may be connected. Ditie seeks help from her bestie, Lurleen, in looking after the kids. Lurleen talks with a French accent, even though she has never been to France or Quebec for that matter. I loved it…. c’est bon, n’est-ce pas? I loved the smattering of French throughout the book.

As the investigation continues into Ellie’s death, Detective Garrett insists that Ditie and the kids are in danger. So the fun begins! Ditie, Lucie, Jason, Lurlee, Hermione (the dog) and Majestic (the cat) relocate, and relocate. The first new home is that of Tommy (Ditie’s brother). When Ditie was organizing the contents of her brother’s pantry to make dinner, then deciding she would have to go out to get supplies I got the strangest feeling. We do know that Ellie has a past with Tommy (Aphrodite’s brother) – so how does he play into all of this? Time will tell ☺.

As the story continues, many more suspects become evident. And then more deaths. Trying to keep the “gang” safe while he investigates the murder Detective Mason takes them to his mother’s home (she is a retired police officer). Mason even brings in a PI friend (Danny Devalle) to keep an eye on the gang. The sparks fly between Lurleen and Danny … oh la la!

The emotions that were so evident with Jason, trying to process that his mother was never coming back was so hard to read about, I was so sad for Jason. The writing of these emotions were far above what I have encountered in other cozy mysteries – and just one of many reasons why I loved this book.

There are many storylines that could be addressed in future books in this series …but the one that I am most interested in is learning more about Lurleen. Often her past was alluded to but never expounded upon. Can’t wait to read about her past because whatever happened, it has made one interesting lady! And I can’t wait to see how the relationship between Ditie and Mason plays out. And of course, will the kids get to stay with Ditie in the long run?

With such an auspicious beginning to a new series, I cannot wait to see what Sarah Osborne has in store for book 2 of the ‘A Ditie Brown Mystery’ series.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*