Member Reviews
Amelia Prentice stumbles over a dead body in the last place she would expect to find one, a library. When it becomes obvious that Amelia is a suspect, Amelia’s life is thrown into chaos. One of her friends is thrown overboard, a school nurse is attached, and Amelia is carjacked. Can Amelia prove her innocense before things get worse?
This is a great first book in a new cozy mystery series. The book is well-written with well-developed characters. The characters have great interactions between them. The mystery is full of red-herrings with a touch of humor and romance. I look forward to more in this series.
I voluntarily agreed to read a copy of this book supplied by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced by anyone.
This delightful book was fun to read from beginning to end. The characters are well-written, each one different from any other. And they were believable characters. The storyline was great, as well. I truly enjoyed this book. I have never read anything by this author, E.E. Kennedy, but I will again. Since this is book 1 in a series, I can look forward to more. I highly recommend this cozy mystery to anyone who likes them. It is well worth your time.
This was a murder story that had a very unique and distinctive style. The characters were down to earth and relatable. The plot was well thought out and flowed easily. Enjoyed the book immensely.
A great murder mystery. The plot has many twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. I recommend this book if you like a good whodunnit. I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.
It’s a bad day for school teacher Amelia Prentice when she trips over a dead body in the public library’s copy room. Even worse when she discovers she is the prime murder suspect. She has no choice but to start snooping around herself when it seems the police have a shortage of other suspects.
The police may be stymied, but as Amelia combs the small town in New York’s Adirondack region that has been her home all her life, she finds that there is no end to the possibilities for a murderer, or murderess.
Could it be the young delinquent who is always turning up in the wrong places at the right time?
Or, the school nurse who could be dispensing drugs along with TLC to the local school children?
How about that eager real estate lady who considers breaking and entering a normal part of her sales tactics?
Or, following the money, the Millionaire from Montreal, who just might be financing any number of nefarious activities?
Amelia’s investigation heats up when her best friend falls overboard from a Lake Champaign ferry and nearly drowns. Was it really an accident? Could it be that Amelia, herself, had been meant to be the victim?
And could it be that the only clue is a message in pig latin?
Throw in a romance or two and you have a quirky, cozy mystery that is well-written and a delight to read. Although classified as inspirational fiction, that is more because of its tone than its content. The Christian aspects of the novel are light and natural, and not obtrusive.
Irregardless of Murder is Book 1 it the Miss Prentice Cozy Mystery Series. The author grew up in the far northern region of New York State and makes the wintry area an integral part of her book. Five stars for this one!
I should have loved Irregardless of Murder. I read huge volumes of cozy mysteries. Like the MC, I’m a grammar nerd who is annoyed by misusage like irregardless. While sadly the book is only a low 3 stars for me, normal readers will probably like it more, assuming they like the genre.
The mystery itself is good, although I don’t like a death scene prologue. The main character is likable. The pacing is appropriate and we get straight into things. The mystery is a puzzle and we’re offered a good balance of straight clues and things that lead us astray. The sleuth doesn’t act like an idiot and her level of involvement is reasonable, not pushing the limits of my disbelief in any way.
Religion is noninvasive–simply a character who happens to be Christian. It never lectures or sermonizes to the reader. This means the book has appeal to readers who just want a good cozy.
However, the writing, especially early on, isn’t up to modern standards and could be tightened, deepened, and improved extensively. The average reader probably won’t be annoyed by it like I was. But at the same time, they may not feel as drawn into the story as they could be with a wee bit more editing. Once you get further into the story, things smooth out and you get drawn into it.
If you like cozies and aren’t annoyed by a death scene prologue (it doesn’t give away whodunnit but there are elements I’d rather have learned with the sleuth), I’m sure you’ll find this a solid candidate for your reading enjoyment.
If a cleaner read is important to you, this book checks even more boxes. It has no sex scenes. I don’t recall any profanity. The main character is Christian and she goes to church and sings in the choir.
Don’t let my picky nature color your selection unless I hit on points that annoy you, too. Also note that I have read an Advance Reader Copy, so some of what annoyed me may have received further editing and be modified in the final version.
While I’m aware my tastes don’t align perfectly with the reading public, I feel my reviews have most value if I’m honest about how they impact me. This way readers can better determine how likely the book is to work for them, especially when considering how I may have reviewed other books they’ve read.
Oh I liked this one! It seemed the teacher went about her normal life and the murder fell into her everyday and changed the direction her life was headed. I liked reading about the area and the people in it. I liked the pace of the book and how it was written. The grammar corrections made me smile...so like my teacher Mother! The little side relationships were interesting and added to the overall story. I did not catch on to the guilty party but was not really trying to figure it out. I liked this book a lot!
A great cozy little mystery. Excellent characters and storyline that kept me hooked until the very end.
A well written mystery that will keep you guessing until the end. I really enjoyed reading this book. Thank you BooksGoSocial via NetGalley for the free copy of this book.
What a great discovery! This is a very good cozy mystery, full of lovely characters and with a great plot.
I loved the characters, the style of writing and the setting.
The mystery was good, no plot hole, and kept hooked till the last page.
I look forward to reading the next instalment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC