This book is the third in a cozy mystery series set in a small Central Pennsylvania town that follows Tallie Graver, a twenty-something divorcée with a somewhat checkered history with friends and neighbors, and even among her sprawling family--most of whom are, alas, also locals.

Beware: copaganda; casual fatphobia; miscarriage.

The story is narrated in first person, past tense, by Tallie herself, and that narrative includes multiple passages referencing events from the previous books, as well as a number of secondary characters introduced then. Unfortunately, most of those events are just referred to rather than recounted in any detail, which means that a reader new to the series is left mostly in the dark, while this story is cluttered with multi-paragraph digressions that contribute little-to-nothing to the what is happening now.

(Tangent: series writers usually have to grapple with how much series context to inclue in any new entry, so as to help new readers understand characters who have been shaped by previous events, while not rehashing everything that's happened so far, so as not to alienate loyal series readers. The tack taken in this book is possibly the worst way to address this dilemma it's been my misfortune to read.)

While we are never told Tallie's age outright (other than her whining how she's a "whole ass adult" a few times), doing basic math from "remember when"-type sentences dropped by a couple of characters, she is 26 or 27 years old in this story. Sadly, she never really behaves like an adult, regardless of her years.

Her father owns the local funeral home, where she and her two older brothers were expected to work and, eventually, to take over management so that their parents could work less or even retire. To escape such a fate, Tallie married a wealthy man as soon as he proposed, leaving town and behaving like quite badly towards all her friends and relatives, only to discover later that he was both cheating on her. Following a hasty divorce, she was left with a not-quite-new luxury car and some clothes (details hazy), which is what forced to return to her hometown, to a small apartment and a part-time gig at the funeral home, while trying to make a go out of cleaning houses--her new way out of the family business.

And it all would be working great if Tallie didn't keep finding dead bodies all over town.

Which brings us to the events of this book.

At first, I found Tallie's voice fairly engaging and down to earth; there's a bit too much detail as she describes how she's cleaning the exterior of the many (many, many) windows of the local historical inn, while musing over her life and the circumstances that brought her there.

Sadly, things start going downhill from the moment she glimpses a dead body in a room as she cleans the last window in the second story. Instead of either staying put at the top and calling the cops, or getting off the ladder and calling the cops, she stops halfway down--still holding a bucket and squeegee, to boot--to call the cops.

This is but the first of the many "what were you thinking?" moments in the novel.

Part of Tallie's history in the town is that she not only keeps finding dead people (this is body number four since her divorce), but that she goes all Nancy Drew every time: not only does she investigate on her own, but against the explicit, and oft repeated, orders of the chief of police.

As well as the explicit wishes of her parents, her siblings, her friends, her extended family and neighbors, and her boyfriend.

Except that this time, because of something-something-previous book-not explained here, the chief of police is on a leave of absence or something, and the man in charge of the local department right now is an out-of-town detective who peremptorily declares that the man in question died of a heart attack--even as both Tallie and at least one of the local cops agree that the corpse's neck looked broken--and threatens to arrest Tallie if she even talks about the incident as murder.

And look, beyond the whole "they brought in a guy from another police department to save money" thing (don't get me started), if you are so smart and determined that the guy died from a broken neck, wouldn't the sensible thing would be to a) wait until the coroner examines the body and finds out that, oh, yes, the neck is hella broken; and b) to ascertain the identity of the deceased before you go around investigating his death?

Not our Tallie, indeed; not only does she get in Hammond's face over and over like a defiant (and very white, very privileged) teenager, she then goes off to investigate a man she hasn't actually met, but who she thinks, maybe, could be the corpse--whom, I'll remind the reader, she only saw from an awkward angle through a window, and didn't quite recognize.

Several members of Tallie's family live in or near town; one of her uncles owns a number of rental properties outright, others have their own businesses, and one is even a cop, so she asks the family grapevine for juice on the presumed victim. When all she gets from every one of them is, "I don't know him, but he's bad news", does she ever follow up with, "if you don't know him, how do you know he's bad news?" Of course not.

Eventually, however, she realizes that she's still not sure the body and this "bad news" person are one and the same, so she calls the "bad news" person's office number, in case he's around; but, since she has been threatened with charges if she investigates the death, she doesn't give her name to the person who answers and explains that no, the guy isn't there. Does she block her number (*67 in the U.S.)? Of course not. So when the same woman calls Tallie after dark one night, and urges her to go to the presumed victim's office to listen to some voicemails, she goes immediately over, alone and without telling anyone else where she's going or why.

It is no wonder everyone in her life treats her like a spoiled teenager. And by everyone, I mean literally everyone but the cop who's threatening her with jail; that one is deadly serious.

Mind you, the way adult relationships are portrayed in this book is generally very twee; apparently when a man around thirty says something that essentially means, "you are stupid, come see if I'm not busy elsewhere when you come to your senses" to a woman perhaps a couple of years his junior, with whom he's in a romantic relationship, all he needs to do by way of apology is bring flowers, chocolate and bling, and it will all be roses thereafter. Addressing what made him talk to her like that? Not a requirement, actually.

Yes, as you can see, there is a lot here that made me twitch.

All of these irritants obscure the fact that Tallie does notice things as she blunders around; a couple of times she and her best friend to a bit of a recap of all they know, but it's never complete or organized in a logical manner, it's more of stream of consciousness repetitions of some facts with wild speculations attached to a few.

More by blind luck than logic, Tallie eventually comes across information that points to the presumed victim's involvement in serious previous crimes, right before she finds a second body, and the story starts moving a bit faster.

Tallie starts being a bit more careful, not only making sure those she trusts know where she is and why, but also making sure there's someone with her most of the time. However, she is also making wild leaps and jumping to unlikely conclusions, so I can't say I was surprised when she "solves the crime" by being wrong and needing rescue; and it doesn't help that the final, correct solution comes entirely out of left field, and the villain is, of course, written as someone with mental illness.

Annoying heroine and a full complement of secondary characters that treat her like a child; lots of repetition and narrative threads that lead nowhere; an all-white, all the time cast; and mysteries that can't be solved by the reader with the information given in the text: not my cuppa.

Deceased and Desist gets a 6.00 out of 10

“Deceased and Desist” by Misty Simon is an enthralling 4-star read that perfectly balances humor, mystery, and the supernatural. Simon's writing style is witty and engaging, making it impossible to put the book down. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and the plot is filled with unexpected twists and turns that keep you guessing until the very end. With the touch of the paranormal and a dash of romance, this cozy mystery is a delightful escape into a world of quirky charming intrigue.

I really loved this thord book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end.

I have come to enjoy this series more and more as I read the books. Tallie has very interesting job choices and her funeral background make her suspicions about the man in bed being dead very real.

A quick and easy cozy mystery. Enjoyed Tallie and her cat and dog interactions. Felt a bit out of it though, as I feel this is a part of a series, but the first one I read. Easy enough to stand alone, but a little confused on references at times. Would be interested in reading more by this author. Would recommend.

Lots of extra shenanigans in this one. Bodies turning up left and right! Such a fun series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily chose to review.

This was a fun, cute cozy mystery! I love the theme throughout, and I will definitely be continuing with the series.

I am a new fan of Misty Simon's after reading this book! Her book was very riveting and kept me on my toes throughout. I loved the characters, even the ones you love to hate, and their development. The story kept me awake at night not wanting to put it down. I can't wait to read more books by this author!

Deceased and Desist is the third book in the Tallie Graver Mystery series by Misty Simon. I have not read the previous books, and I found that I could still follow and enjoy the story. However, I will admit that there were moments that I wished I had more context for character and relationship dynamics.

Most housecleaners don’t do windows, but Tallie Graver loves leaving a pane of glass streak-free and sparkling. After a dirty divorce from a filthy-rich jerk, she's started her own cleaning business to make ends meet. On her latest job, prepping a renovated bed and breakfast for a grand re-opening, she's standing outside on a ladder, wiping off a grimy pane, when she spies a man on a bed through the glass. But the B&B isn't open for business yet—and the man's not sleeping. Her family owns the Graver Funeral Home, so Tallie knows a corpse when she sees one. The victim is a shady building inspector with a reputation for handing out passing grades for a greased palm. With the local police resistant, Tallie launches her own investigation, before she gets a rep as a town crank. But it's going to take more than a squirt bottle and a squeegee to clean up this mess. With the help of her gal pal Gina, Tallie searches for a killer's motive. But she'd better be careful, or it'll be curtains for this window cleaner.

Deceased and Desist is a well paced mystery with plenty of twists and turn. I liked Tallie's character and her willingness to admit her mistakes but still standing up for herself and working toward her own happiness. I thought the investigation that Tallie and Gina undergo was well done and I liked the family and community connections that they used, even if I was not always aware of all the players. There was so many important facts and shady dealings that I admit to being surprised to some of the revelations- and liked that there were several layers of mystery and character development going on. I enjoyed that fact that Tallie and her family seem to be evolving in realistic ways, and that while the mystery was fully solved and all the loose threads tied up, there were enough relationship and character questions pending that I felt like the story was resolved, but I want to keep on reading about their lives. It is a good balance that does not always happen in small town based series.

Deceased and Desist is a solid mystery with a good plot and quirky characters. I am going to try to find the time to read the previous books, and then keep going with this series.

This is the first of the series I have read, though I didn’t find this a detriment. I chose this ARC from NetGalley because the plot sounded interesting and it definitely lived up to it.

In this book, Tallie Graver is thinking about how much she likes cleaning windows as she cleans the windows of a B&B in her town. She looks in the window and sees a dead body, promptly falling off the ladder. When the police get there, they say it’s a heart attack but considering how much Tallie had seen, she doubts this and goes on to investigate. Along the way, we see Tallie dealing with her family, her reputation in the town, her past marriage and incredibly irritating police officers.

I liked the twists and turns of this plot as there weren’t any incredibly obvious clues Tallie was missing and she wasn’t sticking with one suspect against all evidence, both of which I find irritating in cosy mysteries. Tallie’s investigation felt very realistic because part of the clues came from her being lucky or tracking down the right people but others were found by research, especially useful when the victim had such a complicated line of work. And she was needed to work out the mystery due to what was going on with the police.

What I really liked about this was Tallie herself and the other side characters. We saw her family and her best friend, Gina, as well as their opinion on the work she was doing and it was well integrated with the rest of the plot. Tallie had a full life outside of her investigation and the mentions of her past made me really want to read the first two novels in this series.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for the opportunity to read this one. Opinions are my own. I read the first book in this series some time back and while the mystery was pretty good, I found Tallie somewhat off-putting. The same holds true with this one. Tallie was married to a wealthy man, but the marriage goes south and she's left with pretty much nothing. Now she cleans the homes and businesses of the society women she used to hobnob with. In this one she discovers the body of a dead man while cleaning the windows of a new B&B that isn't even open yet. Decent mystery, but heroine I'm not that crazy about. If you've read the others, you'll want to be in for this one and if you haven't, you could do far worse for something to read!

Deceased and Desist
By: Misty Simon
Published By: Kensington Books
Publication Date: November 27, 2018
3 Stars

Tallie Graver, a self-employed housekeeper, was cleaning the windows of a local inn when she spied a dead body in one of the rooms. Tallie was sure the man had been murdered because it was obvious to her (her family operates the local funeral home) that his neck had been broken. Tallie called the police station to report the crime. When the acting police chief, Hammond, arrived he was quick to rule that the man had died from a heart attack. Tallie tried to explain why she disagreed, but Hammond stood firm by his assessment. He not only refused to listen to her, but he also threatened to throw her in jail if she interfered. Tallie decided though that she couldn’t let a murder go unsolved, and she stepped in to investigate herself.

Right from the get-go, I felt like Tallie seemed ready for a fight before the fight even found her. I was a little put off by this. However, after Hammond’s gruff conversation with her, those feelings seemed justified. He neither wanted the police to investigate the death nor did he want Tallie to become involved. Tallie is multifaceted and is not only an amateur sleuth, she is also a best friend, girlfriend, daughter, and housekeeper. All of these roles round out her character. For me, the pressure Tallie received from her dad to join the family business made her very relatable. How many of us haven’t been pressured by a love one to do something, and all we want to say is no, but we don’t want to hurt them?

The author did a good job building this story. In the beginning, Tallie didn’t have much to go on and so her investigation was slow. This seemed realistic to me, as you have to find pieces of the puzzle before you can begin to put it together. Then as she gets more pieces, the momentum begins to build, and the suspense escalates. Even once Tallie (and the reader) thinks she has gotten things figured out, there are pieces that just don’t fit.

Anyone who enjoys strong female leads and amateur sleuths will enjoy this story.

Thanks to Net Galley and Kensington Books for an ARC of this book. #NetGalley #DeceasedAndDesist

This is book 3 in the Tallie Graver series and Tallie is making a go of her house cleaning business. She is cleaning the windows of the local inn getting ready for their grand reopening. After a 6 month close for repairs, she spots a dead body from her ladder and falls trying to call the police. I like Tallie and her friends but the police seems a little off putting and rude in this particular book. Since Tallie also works part time for her family's funeral home she has some major questions about the dead body that police said was a heart attack. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Deceased and Desist by Misty Simon is the third book in the Tallie Graver Mystery series. Tallie is happy to be working for herself as a housecleaner even if her lifestyle is less glamorous than when she was married. She is torn with working part-time at her family's funeral home though. While cleaning windows at a local bed and breakfast, she sees a body in one of the upstairs rooms. When the interim detective appears to be sweeping the suspicious death under the rug, Tallie wonders why and begins her own investigation. I found this book to be just as good or better than the previous two. It can easily stand on its own. My favorite scene was the woman who does a dress rehearsal of her funeral. I could read it again just for that!

The third book in this series felt a bit shorter than the other two, and we got to the action a bit more quickly but this series continues to be one of my favourites. Tallie is clever, funny and smart and has a wonderful cast of supporting characters around her who, even if seeming discouraging of her continual murder investigations, love her and do what they can to help her.

I am already looking forward to book 4!

My first book by this author and I really liked it, it was a bit different read to me as in I have never read a cleaning lady sleuth before so it was quite enjoyable. I liked Tallie she didn’t let anyone stop her from doing what she does best snooping and finding the murder. The author kept me guessing all the way so kudos to her on creating a great mystery.
The only downside is a few of the characters in the story really seems to pick on Tillie and her getting involved with this being the third book this leaves me to wonder if they don’t do it all the time and if they do, this would get my goat.

This being my first book from the series I never found I was missing anything important enough to have to go back and read the first of the series.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books in return for an honest review. Tallie Graver can't catch a break. After divorcing her husband, she's returned home to live above the family funeral parlor and avoid working there for the rest of her life. She's taken on a cleaning service and finds it interesting to be on the other side of the mop from her married life. Unfortunately for her and her best friend, Gina, Tallie keeps finding dead bodies! This time, through the window that she just cleaned, she sees the body of a dead man on a bed in a B&B that isn't open for business yet. When the sheriff refuses to open an investigation, Tallie goes all in to figure out who killed the crooked building inspector. Ms. Simon does her usual great job of character building and description. A fun cosy. While not the first in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Tallie Graver knows change. Going from the heights of Society to cleaning their houses, she’s been able to rebuild her life and find great satisfaction in jobs well done. She has also been a thorn in the side of the local police chief as she “helped” him find murderers. So one can understand her suspicions when said cop asks her to investigate a death that she says was murder but the fellow filling in for the chief, who is on leave, insists was natural causes.
Her job is to find out why the corrupt civil servant was killed but also why the acting head cop is so eager to sweep it under the rug. She must do this without the acting cop knowing she is working at her usual nemesis’ behest and without getting herself thrown into jail or worse.
Oh yes, and she also has to do this while “babysitting” a Saint Bernard puppy whose owner ended up in the hospital. Luckily, Mr. Fleefers, her cat, adopts the pooch. The interactions between the species, human, feline, and canine adds to the charm of the story. The fact is Tallie is a great heroine. She has learned and grown from her comeuppance into a heroine with depth and character. Like most cozy heroines, she can be stubborn but she is never dumb. In fact, she is a smart cookie.
I have enjoyed this series and this book is no exception. I give it five purrs and two paws up.

This is a good series. Another good installment and I look forward to the next. It was a quick read and I would recommend it to others.

You can find this review and all of my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com

Tallie Graver has settled back into her life of being the help, and she's enjoying it to no end. She especially loves doing windows. So while she's out at the local inn cleaning the windows in preparation for the grand re-opening this coming weekend, she spots a man in one of the upstairs rooms, even though there's not meant to be anyone there yet. At first she thinks nothing of it, until the window gets a bit cleaner and she realises that 1. he hasn't blinked the whole time, and 2. his neck is at an extremely odd angle. Just as she notices this, she sees the bedroom door close as someone walks out. Once again she's landed herself a dead body, one that she really didn't want. This throws her into a mystery of epic proportions, along with a stand in police chief who really does not like her one bit. With no one believing her that it was murder, instead preferring to buy into the dodgy coroner's report about it being death by heart attack, she is determined to prove to everyone that she was right, as well as find the killer and make her little town safe once more.

This was a really fast paced cosy mystery, and I absolutely loved it. Tallie is a really likeable character, even though she comes across as incredibly naive at times, like with Burton's hand signals. I especially rolled my eyes at her daftness when Burton mentions that Tallie took sign language when she was in primary school. But other than that, I really enjoyed her character. And I wish I enjoyed washing windows as much as she does!

This is actually the third book in the Tallie Graver Mystery series, and I haven't read the previous two, but you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm going to be looking for them now! I really enjoyed the fast paced mystery, it was such an easy and engrossing read that I had no problems sitting down and plowing through this book in a day.

The mystery was well thought out, and I actually had no sure idea on whodunit, I had a couple of inklings, but I didn't have it worked out until right before the big reveal. Anyone who has read any of my previous reviews knows that I love a mystery that I don't have worked out within the first third of the book, it's never as fun as when you're finding out things when the characters are.

The writing was lovely and had a great flow to it. Simon's ability at writing distinctly different characters is fantastic and there's not one character I can pick fault with. I loved and hated them all as they were, and wouldn't have changed a thing.

I'm eager to see whether Tallie takes up her father's offer on joining the mortuary full time and as a partner. And I cannot wait to see how her cat and new dog's relationship blossoms. I found it saw adorable that her cat, who hates nearly everyone but Gina, really connected with Peanut. It had definite "aww" factor and made me smile.

If you want a quick and easy read with a satisfying story line and likeable characters, then I definitely suggest you check out this book.

Unfortunately there's honestly not much more for me to say about it, other than it was an enjoyable cosy mystery :)