Elizabeth Adams (!) is a young socialite in 1930s New York, but she doesn't want to live the glitzy life her family's wealth affords her. She wants to work and ends up taking a job as a gal Friday, picking up all the odd jobs, at a local newspaper, the Daily Trumpet. That changes when one of the reporters takes her along as a photographer to document a debutante gathering that ends with a murder. Elizabeth begins investigating what may have happened since she doesn't believe Gloria de Witt, an acquaintance of hers and said debutante, was actually the murderer. Elizabeth also begins to go on more photography jobs with the crime reporter and also rubs elbows more and more often with a handsome detective from the other side of town.

I'm a sucker for lady detectives in historical fiction, and this one definitely was enjoyable. I did not know at the time that I requested it from NetGalley a few years ago that I would eventually have a daughter named Elizabeth Adams, so that was a fun surprise for me when I finally pulled this out! Elizabeth was a likable heroine, although her life was almost a little too perfect. Not poor enough to struggle during the Great Depression but also getting away with having a job even though it wasn't really socially acceptable. However, that did allow the author to show us two different worlds in NYC, so I'll allow it. The investigation took a little while to get going, but once it did, there were twists and turns along the way. The one thing that bugged me sometimes was the author was trying a little too hard to show she did her research on the time period and especially the subway stops in New York. She'd throw in a "recent" movie or song so that you really knew when the story was taking place, which was ok. The subway stops were really jarring, though. A character would say something like, "We're going to this place. We'll get on the subway at this stop and take it to this stop because the building is at these cross streets." Nobody has conversations like that. It was very stilted and forced. However, that was just a few sentences in the story, and overall the book was fun and I will definitely be interested to read more from this series. Thanks to NetGalley for the free ebook.

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

Murder, She Reported is a delightful story. I was drawn into the book immediately and I did not wish it to end. Ms. Cochran set the stage for the era with her references to music (Andrew Sisters), books (Gone with the Wind), food, hats, buildings, dances, makeup, clothing, and the slang. It felt like 1938 in bustling Manhattan (great world building). I thought the story to be nicely written with good transitions. Biz Adams is a great character with her intelligence and go-getter attitude. Elizabeth finds herself straddling two worlds. She is a socialite, but she is also a working woman. Her social connections aid her in investigating the crime. Ralph Kaminsky was a fun character. He is a great counterpart to Elizabeth with his rough edges and he has a different outlook from Biz. Murder, She Reported has a steady pace and I enjoyed the authors writing style (conversational). The mystery was complex with misdirection and good clues to aid the reader in solving the whodunit.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review of the story.

The dialog and situations are realistic as describing an era of another time and place.

It's very descriptive but at times wordy - In the news room there are typewriters clicking loudly, you must travel by subway, a cab or walk to crime scenes. - no uber for these characters.

This is a good mystery team -Liz and Kaminski are intelligent and quick to learn from each other - Liz comes from a wordly, moneyed background. Kaminski has life experience. They meet. On common ground with a few struggles to see the other side. Liz ccx and Kaminski have undeniable chemistry.

Murder, She Reported by Peg Cochran is the 1st book in Murder, She Reported mystery series, and it is off to a good start. This book takes place in the 1930's. Socialite Elizabeth Adams does the unthinkable by getting a job at the Daily Trumpet, tired of her family's expectations. This book is my first historical cozy mystery, and I really enjoyed it. I enjoy Ms. Cochran's other series, and so glad I gave this one a try. This book is well developed, full of twists and turns. I recommend this book, and look forward to the next book in the series.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Alibi. Thank you.

This book was absolutely charming. I haven’t read anything by Peg Cochran before, but I am so glad I got my hands on this one.

Elizabeth “Biz” Adams should be content to live out her life like her friends and mother – relaxing on Park Avenue, her only concerns where today’s lunch will be and which handsome man will be escorting her. But it’s 1938, women can have careers, and Biz wants more from life than 3-martini lunches.

Biz gets a job as a gal Friday working for the Daily Trumpet newspaper, and when one of the reporters, Ralph Kaminsky, needs someone to fill in for a sick photographer, she’s finally able to put her photography classes to use and accompany him out on a story.

She wasn’t expecting that story to be covering the debutante ball at the Waldorf, but when one of the guests is murdered, Biz realizes that her worlds colliding has put her in the unique position of being able to maneuver through both.

I loved watching Biz navigate this completely new world. Thanks to her father’s shrewd financial acumen, her family has been less affected by the Depression than most of her peers. This means her life has been very comfortable, but also very sheltered. As she accompanies Kaminsky to various crime scenes, she’s exposed to a side of New York she never even imagined. Even though she wasn’t expecting to spend her days photographing corpses and murder suspects, she quickly realizes she has a great eye for the work. She doesn’t pretend to be unaffected, but she takes it in stride and does the work she needs to. She’s smart, seeing connections and suspects Kaminsky doesn’t, and even the police don’t, thanks in no small part to her ability to seamlessly move through the worlds of the working class and the higher society without making waves in either one.

Even though this takes place in New York, I had to keep reminding myself of that fact. I don’t know what it was, but I kept thinking this was happening in London, and being surprised again when they went to Grand Central Station or some other clearly-New-York location. I don’t know what it was, because Peg Cochran did a great job using New York as a setting. But for some reason, I kept falling back to picturing London again.

There’s a hint of romantic possibility for Biz with Sal Marino, one of the detectives assigned to most of the cases in the book. (Of course he was.) I like Sal and Biz, but I don’t know how they’re going to navigate their different backgrounds enough to be accepted by their families and friends, Elizabeth’s more than Sal’s. As Elizabeth herself notes, Sal Marino is “brash, slightly vulgar, handsome and very cocky”. He’s completely different than the men her parents want her to date, all of whom are well-dressed, have perfect manners, and never have to work or worry about anything in their lives. When one comments that he lost his shirt in a bad investment, he follows it up with a shrug, noting “I’m not worried. My old man will beil me out.” She realizes she has no interest in those men anymore, but that doesn’t mean she can just bring Marino home for dinner.

Overall, this is a great start to a new series. I’ve already ordered the second book, Murder, She Uncovered, which will be out in May. I can’t wait to see what Peg Cochran has in store for Elizabeth and Marino, and to see what further adventures Biz gets up to with Kaminsky.

This was a fun, fast-paced historical mystery. I thought the protagonist was strong and the mystery cleverly done. I’m looking forward to more!

Peg Cochran has done it again, this time going for a historical cozy rather than the food orientated ones I am used to but trust me it certainly doesn't suffer for that! Here we have a young woman who should have followed the usual pattern, become a debutante, get married, have children, live well in New York City, however Elizabeth Adams wants to work and so she has got herself a job at the Daily Trumpet and whilst at the moment she is the Girl Friday, typing up stories and running errands, she hopes for more and then fate steps in. The crime reporter lost a bet and so needs to cover the latest debutante ball at the Waldorf Hotel, he also needs pictures and he can't use a camera and so Elizabeth goes as his photographer, she ends up accidentally taking a rather dramatic photograph of the debutante of the season (one Gloria DeWitt) and it ends up being used as the headline picture after Gloria's stepmother is murdered during the ball.

Now Reporter Ralph Kaminsky and Elizabeth Adams (aka Biz as Ralph thinks Elizabeth is too much of a mouthful) start working together to figure out what happened, oh and to get a few good stories written at the same time along with staying safe.

I received this ARC via Netgalley in return for an honest review. I enjoyed this book immensely and look forward to the next one in the series. The heroine comes from money but doesn't want the high society life of boring cocktail parties, ladies who lunch and shopping mindlessly in 1938 NYC . She gets a job at a NYC paper as a go-fer. Then, as things develop, she's tagged as a photographer to accompany the grizzled old reporter to a murder. As the plot evolves, her two worlds (monied NYC high society and the 'story at any cost' of being a reporter/photographer) collide. Really a good read; the heroine is engaging, as are all of the supporting characters. Her navigation of this dichotomy is very well written and very believable. I recommend this book.

Miss Elizabeth Adams, a young socialite, has taken a job at a local newspaper. It is 1938 in New York City and there aren't very many women working as journalist, but Elizabeth is a talented photographer and starts investigating crime scenes with a fellow reporter, Kaminsky. She learns a lot on these investigations and she meets Marino, a handsome detective as well. There are plenty of twists and turns and Elizabeth receives a lot of credit for solving the murder. I am looking forward to future adventures for Elizabeth and Marino.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC; all opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book before publication. My opinions are my own.

Peg Cochran is a favorite author of mine so I was thrilled to read this new historical mystery. The author certainly did her research of the time and has gifted her readers with this authentic realistic depiction of the time period. The great depression is not a easy subject to write of with authenticity and the author wrote a excellent depiction of the time., the culture of NYC and the hardships people faced. It was a fascinating view of a society woman stepping out of her comfort zone to become a career woman in a time where women with careers were frowned upon in society.

This book is set in 1938 New York City. We meet a young socialite turned newspaper “girl Friday” Elizabeth “Biz” Adams. She wishes to be a career photographer and has a lucky break that propels her career. She works her way navigating through the different hardships of NYC of the time for professional women to find out more about a murder of her fellow socialite’s mother which she is determined to solve on her own.

Cochran writes very realistically about the period during the Great Depression. The characters all add to the story with depth and interest to the reader. Elizabeth is a determined practical person that helps her to succeed. Navigating a man's world and during the depression she never gives up and I like that quality of determination in her as a protagonist of her time period.
The well crafted mystery kept me interested. There are several suspects along the way as the sleuth grew in detail . The ending surprised this avid mystery reader. I look forward to the next in series with great anticipation.
I enjoyed MURDER, SHE REPORTED and highly recommend it for al mystery readers looking for a savvy smart protagonist and interesting historical era. Very well done to the author. Thank you for the ARC.

Another great edition to a delightful new series! Strong female characters, set in the past , and a great mystery to solve, the perfect trifecta.

In 1938 Manhattan 'Society' it would have been unthinkable that a young woman would go out and get a job, but that's precisely what Elizabeth Adams does. Elizabeth loves taking pictures and she hopes someday to see one of her photos gracing the front page. But it's 1938 and a woman in the newspaper office isn't about to do much more than fetch coffee now and then. Until a veteran reporter needs a photographer and Elizabeth is the only one around. The story...? It's time for Society's big 'coming out' party at the Waldorf.

Ralph, the veteran reporter, is impressed that Elizabeth seems to know all the women at the event and can get in to talk to them (he has no idea that Elizabeth is a Society dame) and he tasks her with getting some good photos and any insider information she can gather up.

When Elizabeth hears crying in a bathroom stall she opens the door and accidentally snaps a photo of a friend, capturing her bleary-eyed and with running make-up. She promises not to publish the picture (though of course we all know what's going to happen). When that woman's mother is later discovered murdered and Elizabeth and Ralph have the scoop, beating all the other papers, Elizabeth's photo makes the front page. Feeling guilty for the breach in promise, Elizabeth vows to help her friend find her mother's killer.

I really enjoy a good historical fiction story and the time period here is very appealing to me.

I like seeing a strong female protagonist - particularly for this time period, though I'd go so far as to say she's not strong enough yet. Elizabeth tends to fall into good luck over and over, rather than taking control on her own.

Author Peg Cochran has clearly done some research. And yet ... Cochran has done some research and shares it such that it doesn't really add to the story. It comes across as filler to make sure we know what era we're in because really this doesn't feel like 1938. We only know it because we're told it with the little research snippets dropped in, and most of those snippets are things that could be found with a quick Google search.

This has some potential and I liked the basic character, but I'd like it much better if she were a stronger female character.

For historical mysteries, I'd still prefer the Jake and Laura series by Michael Murphy also published by Alibi a few years ago.

Looking for a good book? Murder, She Reported, by Peg Cochran, is a simple mystery set in the late 1930's with a female protagonist that is sweet, but not particularly engaging.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Murder, She Reported
By Peg Cochran
Alibi
August 2018

Review by Cynthia Chow

In 1938’s wealthy Manhattan community, a proper socialite should only have her name appear in the newspaper when she is born, when she marries, and when she dies. So when twenty-two year-old Elizabeth Adams announces to her family that she intends to be a reporter for the Daily Trumpet, she was prepared for her mother’s histrionics and despair. It’s a bit of a comedown that instead of pursuing the truth and fighting injustice, Elizabeth is instead taking coffee orders and typing out the advice column written by the only other female staff worker. Fate blows her way when the photographer falls ill and Elizabeth happens to be available to help reporter Ralph Kaminsky cover the debut of Gloria DeWitt at the Waldorf.

Elizabeth’s status as a socialite from a prosperous family is a secret she’s kept from the rest of her coworkers, so the trick is going to be how she can very discreetly use her social connections to get them inside information. That becomes crucial when Elizabeth encounters Gloria in the hotel’s bathroom, covered in blood and next to the body of her murdered stepmother. Elizabeth’s family is horrified that she is now association with police officers, even one as handsome as Detective Marino. Those interactions come at a price though, which Elizabeth quickly experiences as she is snubbed by other girls and ignored by her former circle of friends. It seems that Gloria has her own secrets that aren’t exactly upper-crust, and prodded on by the surprising mentor Kaminsky, Elizabeth discovers previously unexplored New York City culture, cuisines, and definitely people.

Elizabeth has already conquered one obstacle, which was surviving polio that left her with a limp that is tiring but mostly unnoticeable. Not so fortunate was her friend Irene, whose more severe disability forces her into more and more desperate and demeaning jobs. The exploration of the social aspects of this society is as fascinating as they are heart-breaking, especially when the novel delves into the fringes of a neglected society. Always looming in the background is the outbreak of war oversees, and readers are all too aware of what lies in the future. Elizabeth proves to be one of the most strong-willed characters in this riveting novel, although she will be challenged by her love for her family and her own need to establish her identity and sense of purpose. Her status and wealth may have sheltered her from the darkest elements of society, but Elizabeth’s belief in justice and fairness has her willing to risk that protection for the truth. This is an undeniably fun start to a charming new series, and seeing such a spunky heroine grown and have her eyes open to a brand new world is a genuine pleasure.

3.5 stars
MURDER, SHE REPORTED by Peg Cochran is a lovely historical cozy mystery set in 1938 New York City. We follow along as young socialite turned newspaper “girl Friday” Elizabeth “Biz” Adams, after getting a break photographing a coming out ball, navigates her way through the various subcultures of NYC of the time to get to the bottom of the murder of her fellow socialite’s mother.

Cochran paints a realistic picture of the era where there is such a huge contrast between the haves and the have nots during the Great Depression. The characters, though a bit clichéd, are well developed and believable. Though initially naïve, Elizabeth possesses a determined spirit and practical nature that helps her to succeed. Seasoned reporter Kaminsky is a nice foil for Elizabeth’s polish. Her society friends are all pretty distasteful and shallow to me, and her childhood friend Irene’s plight is heartbreaking.

The pace is good, and the mystery interesting enough to keep me turning the pages. There are several suspects along the way and a few twists and turns to keep me guessing for a good portion of the story. There are some instances where trivial bits are thrown in, such as nail polish brand and songs playing in the background, that I assume are supposed to lend period authenticity to the tale but instead disrupt the narrative.

I enjoyed MURDER, SHE REPORTED and recommend it to fans of Cochran’s other series and readers looking for a plucky heroine and interesting historical era.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley and voluntarily shared my thoughts here.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Elizabeth is a Park Avenue Princess with a difference. Instead of spending her time doing what the rich and famous do, she has a job. And what a job it is. She is hired to be a girl Friday to the society columnist of a NYC newspaper. She is proud of her job even if it does not challenge her- that is until the night of. Debutante Ball and no photographer to shoot pictures but her. It’s a good thing she is a natural but it is the shot she promised she would not use that becomes her entree into more excitement and adventure than she expected.
Gloria’s stepmother is murdered and Elizabeth accidentally shoots “the money shot”. Some of her associates think she did a bang up job.. Some are threatened by her. Her Society friends snub her after Gloria blackballs her for taking the picture. Despite Elizabeth’s best efforts to keep the two parts of her life separate, they seem doomed to bleed together.
Elizabeth is no lightweight. As a polio survivor, she has resources and a toughness that serves her well. It is impossible not to admire her. She also has a conscience that is often in conflict with her professional instincts. She is a fascinating character. How she straddles between the two worlds makes for compelling reading.
I look forward to reading further stories. I think she has real potential.
I give her five purrs and two paws up.

Murder, She Reported is a fabulous story. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Elizabeth "Biz" Adams, Gal Friday and impromptu photographer for the Daily Trumpet. At a time (1930s) when a wealthy, high-society woman most certainly did not go out and get a job, Elizabeth does just that. Her determination to exercise her independence is refreshing, but not everything is rosy. I'll leave that teaser right there because I wouldn't want to spoil anything for anyone.

The overall story is so much fun, and I enjoyed all the musical references of the time. Elizabeth had a pampered upbringing, but she's not afraid of hard work, even if that means taking incriminating pictures of a society acquaintance and taking pictures of dead bodies. There's no room for queasiness in the life of a newspaper photographer.

With the help of her mentor at the paper, Kaminsky, Elizabeth embarks on a career where her connections and upbringing are a bonus rather than a hindrence. When someone is murdered, thes two don two hats: news reporters and detectives, at a time when flashing a press pass opened doors and provided a front-row seat to all the action, no questions asked.

The characters are quite memorable, even the minor ones, and the plot is both unique and intriguing. For me, the best part of Murder, She Reported is that while Elizabeth comes from money, she is far from perfect. I like that the author has given Elizabeth a lasting limp from Polio, showing that even the wealthy can be devastated by illness. This characterization is real life and believable.

Elizabeth is also caught between two worlds: high society and the working class, allowing her to see the best and the worst of both groups. And a budding attraction to a certain detective who definitely feels the same way adds another fun layer to this story.

The murder mystery is woven throughout, but I must admit that I loved all the photography assignments Kaminsky dragged Elizabeth to because the rapport between these two is delightful. Kaminsky is actually my favorite character!

I hope this will be a series!

This was good, but doesn't really stand out in any way. I liked the setting and the main character. A couple of the supporting characters, like Kaminsky and Irene, were interesting, but the rest were pretty boring and stereotypical.

Enjoyable mystery among the Upper Crust of Manhattan during the 1930's

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery set in Manhattan amongst the upper crust. I thought the characters were well written and the story moved right along. I recived a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion

I really enjoyed this book. A lot of period mysteries are just modern stories in vintage costumes, but Ms. Cochran's research really made the period come alive. The mystery itself has enough twists and turns to keep it interesting, and the characters are relatable and fun. I can't wait for the next book in the series.
Please note this review was done on amazon. Here's the link