A fun cozy mystery, A Genuine Fix has well-developed characters and easy to follow story.

The story finds Allie as the prime suspect in the murder of a guy who stood her up the night of her high school senior prom. If that's not enough she is trying to run the family business while at the same time preparing for her best friend's wedding.

I highly recommend this book.

Allie who runs the family business becomes a suspect when her prom date that stood her up is killed and dumped next to a pile of mulch of the park named after her father, Walter Cobb. Allie finds the body this sets off a fun easy to read romp through this small town. I just have to mention that I have fallen in love with Ursula. She is such a lovely little diva cat that I hope to read more about in future books.

A Genuine Fix by J.C. Kenney is the second book of the cozy Allie Cobb Mystery series. As with most cozy series each book in this series contains it’s own mystery that is solved by the end so each can be read and understood as a standalone. However, some character development happens that carries over book to book for those that follow from the beginning.

Readers met Allie Cobb in the first book who was definitely her father’s daughter as she followed his footsteps into a career as a literary agent. Fresh out of college and trying to make a name for herself Allie chose to begin her career in the big city of New York. However, Allie’s father had taken ill and passed on so she returned to her hometown of Rushing Creek in southern Indiana to attend the funeral and close out her father’s business but then decided to stay.

Now Allie has settled back in to Rushing Creek and running the family literary business and has reconnected with her best friend just in time to plan a wedding. Allie has also started her own relationship and volunteered for the park planning committee so the last thing on her mind is solving another murder but when a guy from high school who had stood her up is killed suddenly Allie becomes a suspect because of their past in the small town.

I have to admit that the biggest appeal to this series for me is that it was set in my home state of Indiana and I always find it fun when places I’m familiar with are mentioned. However, I found after getting into this series that I actually enjoyed the characters too and it is good for a few laughs while sorting through suspects which I always enjoy. After finishing book two I would give this one 3 1/2 stars and still continue onto book three to see what else is in store.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

A Genuine Fix is the second book in the Allie Cobb Mystery series. Allie is happy to be running her father's literary agency. She has jumped into her new life full force. Her past comes back to haunt her when the body of a high school prom date who stood her up is found. She investigates to clear her name. The investigating techniques of the police force are questionable at best. This follows all of the usual cozy mystery paths, and fans of the genre will find it enjoyable.

This is the second book in the Allie Cobb Mysteries series. It starts off quick and keeps the pace throughout the book. This is a easy and funny read. I enjoyed it and look forward to the next book in this series.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele

A Genuine Fix is the sophomore follow up to J.C. Kennedy’s A Literal Mess. The close knit small town feel and enjoyable characters shine here making for a fun, breezy read.

Allie is settling into life back in her hometown and in running her father’s literary agency. Also on her plate is overseeing the construction of a park honoring her father’s memory. At her weekly progress check in, she discovers the body of Georgie Alonso at the park site. She quickly finds herself at the top of the suspect list due to her unpleasant past with Georgie.

I have to admit that I find the premise of Allie being the prime suspect because she was stood up at prom years ago absurd. This is the weakest of motives at its best, but for her to move away only to seek her revenge upon her return is just plain silly, and this hampered my enjoyment of the story a bit. That said, the mystery is full of suspects with more added to the list with every exposed clue. The culprit did come as a somewhat of a surprise; I must have missed a clue early on. The story moves along at a quick pace and is light reading. I really like the small town setting and that everyone is connected in some way. For instance, the police chief is Allie’s former brother-in-law. The tightly knit community feels authentic.

I do like Allie. She is engaging, smart and level headed, and her occupation is interesting and not your average cozy sleuth’s job. Her family members, not without their own issues, provide a nice backdrop to the tale. The supporting characters are congenial and fairly well developed.

Overall, A Genuine Fix is entertaining, and a good representation of the cozy genre. Recommended to avid cozy fans.

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

A book full of wonderful characters and a terrific small town. The mystery was challenging and the plot intriguing, I recommend for any mystery fan.

A Genuine Fix is the typical cosy mystery where the protagonist gets herself into trouble and in general do some sleuthing. It doesn't stand out from the rest, but I liked the descriptions in the book as well as the cat and the literary agent theme.

Literary agent Allie finds a body in her small town, then begins to investigate the murder, all while her wedding is approaching. This was a typical cozy mystery with all the interesting characters and a protagonist getting herself into trouble. I read it a few weeks ago and am having a hard time remembering anything unique about the book. It was a fun read, but not outstanding.

We have here a small town with lovable characters and a protagonist with an interesting job that she does not make light of and gives us the whole picture. This is the second book in a cozy series and although it might have been a bonus if I read the first book, I felt like I had enough background with all the good-natured jabs that everyone gave each other. Allie Cobb is the local hero because she singlehandedly solved the case in the previous one and there seems to have been a lot of action involved! She has close friends and has a meaningful relationship with family. The quirky part is her cat who likes being walked like a dog and probably solves the case before her owner does. Straight off the bat, death makes its way into the tale and unfortunately, Allie is a suspect.

Now the reasoning behind the suspicions may seem a little far-fetched and the entire case seemed a little forced to me but I loved the narration. I liked the interaction between all the people we are introduced to, the chain of events that constantly circle back to our leading lady. The cat made colourful scenarios very interesting. I would recommend this book to people who are used to this genre because it does a good job of entertaining.

I really loved the first book of this series because of its very down-to-earth writing style. This book seemed to veer a bit more into cliched writing, however, and I found myself wishing for fewer similes and metaphors, and for better ones that actually fit the situations they were used to describe. I do love the characters and it was fun to dig deeper into the politics of the town and into the dynamics of Allie's family. I also appreciate that there is some Catholic representation in the book, as Allie's mom attends Mass and objects to cohabitation before marriage, but I did wish for a bit more interesting nuance to her faith aside from just disapproving of sinful behaviors and going to church. I do plan to stick with the series in the hopes that the next book is more like the first.

After the death of her father and her return home from living in New York, Allie has taken over her father's literary agency and things are going well. She has a best seller and one headed that way plus more in the works. Her brother is getting ready to tie the knot with her best friend and soon there will be a local park constructed and named in honor of her late father and his best selling author, to be named the Winchester-Cobb Memorial park. Because Allie is heading the committee, she makes a weekly visit to the site to make sure things are running smoothly. When she goes to the park she takes the opportunity to take her cat, Ursi, for a walk. Something is amiss when they arrive - a dump truck is not supposed to be there and a large pile of mulch has been deposited in the spot that is set aside for the gazebo. Before Allie can investigate, Ursi beats her to it and uncovers a finger. Unfortunately it is still attached to the body of the jerk who stood her up for the high school prom. All too soon the suspect list grows - with Allie taking first place. Time to find the real killer and clear her name.
While the Chief of Police wants her behind bars, her former brother-in-law, on the police force, believes her and is willing to accept her help finding the killer. More than one other person had reason to bump off the victim, way beyond a high school heart break. The kind of motive that looks like lots of money could be at the bottom of the crime. The killer is trying to frame Allie and she isn't the kind to stay in the background, helping with wedding plans and running her business. If the killer isn't caught, forget attending the wedding and close up her business - she will be behind bars.
When I read the second in a new series I always worry that it might turn out to be suffering from a 'sophomore slump' and the second will not measure up to the enjoyment of the first. Not so in this series - both books are winners with the twists and turns I expect and the needed red herrings, too. I have no hesitation to add the next in the series, A Mysterious Mix-up, coming out 1/7/2020.
My thanks to the publisher, Lyrical Underground and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Allie has found another body, with an assist by her cat Ursi . . . the guy who ditched her years ago on prom night . . . yup, dead under a pile of mulch in the park Allie is in charge of that will be a memorial to her dad and the author he championed. First on the scene, first on the suspect list. What Allie knows is that she wouldn’t give Georgie Alonso the time of day let alone kill him. She also knows he had a lot of skeletons in his closet and she is focused on shaking all of them to find the killer and throw the book at them.

Ellie a.k.a the Kickboxing Crusader is a fun character. She is getting comfortable back home in Indiana and taking over her father’s business. I love the traditions she has started when sells a book and when the books are published. It shows so much about how invested she is in her authors. In this installment, she is also in charge of keeping the construction of Winchester-Cobb Memorial Park and be sure is it ready for the grand opening. It was during her weekly progress checks that the body is discovered.

Mr. Kenney has written a complicated mystery. The police are having trouble solving it and so is Allie. She had a preliminary list of suspects but each clue she uncovers switches up that list and brings new suspects to light. With her ex-brother-in-law as the Chief of Police, he goes to great lengths to show she could have not committed the crime but that doesn’t stop her from poking and prodding to find the killer. As we moved toward the ending the pace of the story really ratchets up. The killer reveal was so entertaining and the takedown was something that I had never seen in a cozy mystery.

I love the literary agent theme and Allie carrying on in the family business. I really enjoy that the series is set in Indiana and that all the residents feel genuine. There is a real community feel. Kenney sets a scene very well and gives readers a great bird’s eye view. He mixes the real-life and the mystery plotlines nicely.

This story was a Perfect Escape for me and I highly recommend adding it to your summer reading lists. It can be read on its own but treat yourself and read both to learn the story of Allie coming back to Indiana.

I actually broke my record of coming in at the eighth book in a series and started with Book One this time. Intrigued by Allie Cobb returning home for her father's funeral and staying to take over his literary agency in small-town Indiana, the premise looked promising and I requested Book Two.

Unlike Book One, which followed all the normal cozy doctrines and managed to make a sensible and interesting premise into a well-plotted and envisioned scenario, Book Two falls trips over the line and dissolves into disbelief.

There are positive activities running in the background; Allie helping her friend prepare her wedding, becoming involved in local politics, chairing a park project whose land was donated by her friend, and growing her father's agency. She is settling into an apartment above a bookstore. She and her boyfriend are trying to get her kitty and his golden retriever to learn to tolerate each other and in the meantime, her relationship with him continues to grow, albeit slowly. I liked that coming from New York she doesn't own a car and rides her bicycle for transportation and she walks her cat on a leash, although that is not entirely new.

But you must believe the police would suspect the woman could now kill over being stood up for a high school prom--fifteen years ago. Of course, it would be she who discovers the body under a pile of mulch on the park property and is immediately assumed the primary suspect by the police chief, who really doesn't bother looking much further. Allie will have to prove she is not a killer. She begins offering leads and ideas to the police chief and he begins to share what they have. (uh huh)

It is not a barn burner, evolving at cozy pace, and throws in a couple red herrings. Overall, I was disappointed in this second offering and still shuddering over the "strength test." There is only so much you can accept. 2.5/5 rounded to 3.

This has quickly become one of my new favorite cozy series.. Its a fresh series with a endearing protagonist and I love this second in series as much as the first in series. I highly recommend this series for all who enjoy cozy mysteries.
Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own,
A Genuine Fix by J.C. Kenney is the second An Allie Cobb Mystery. Allie Cobb has a tortoiseshell cat, Ursula (Ursi for short) who is a great addition to this series. Part of the adorable progression of the second in series is if Ursi can get along with her boyfriend. Allie runs a literary agency and is loved by the town and her friends.

Allie is is out walking with her cat to check the progress of the Winchester-Cobb Memorial Park of which she is in charge of building. Allie notices unloaded mulch and Ursi uncovers a hand sticking up from a dead body. She is very distressed to find out that the victim is known to her, a high school nemesis. Allie is next moment fighting for her life as she is suspect number one due to her contentious history with the victim. Allie enlists the help of her close friends to help clear her name and soon suspects abound and the clues are falling into place. Her friend and local townspeople are determined to clear her name and help her by jumping into the investigation much to the chagrin of the police .

J.C. Kenney has a talent for descriptions that place the reader in this charming small town amid the endearing characters A Genuine Fix is a fun read for all cozy lovers, with a well crafted sleuth, a adorable cat, and a fun savvy smart protagonist I look forward to the next in series .

A Genuine Fix: An Allie Cobb Mystery
By J.C. Kenney
Lyrical Underground
July 2019

Review by Cynthia Chow

Having fled to New York City as soon as she finished high school, Allie Cobb never dreamed that she would find living back in her hometown of Rushing Creek, Indiana so satisfying. It’s a nearly perfect life, and after taking over her late father’s literary agency Allie now has an apartment she adores, a best-selling novel on her client list, and surrounded by friends and family. Love is also in the air, with Allie’s long distance relationship with Brent Richardson working out surprisingly well while her own brother is marrying her best friend Sloane. Assigned to chair the committed that oversee the construction of a park being built to honor the fathers of both Allie and Sloane, Allie is the one who discovers a mis-delivered truckload of mulch on the site. Far worse is that underneath the dirt is the body of Georgie Alonso, the man who once stood her up and humiliated her at their high school senior prom.

While hostility from high school shouldn’t rank high on the list of motives for murder, in a town of just over 3000, reputations last forever and pressure from the mayor calls for an immediate arrest of the culprit. As gossip spreads implicating her in Georgie’s death, Allie fears the harm a scandal could do to the burgeoning Cobb Literary Agency. Disregarding warnings from her police chief ex-brother-in-law, Allie doesn’t hesitate to conduct her own investigation as she break-and-enters, questions suspects, and fills in her Keep-Allie-Out-of-Jail notebook with suspects, alibis, and motives. Already considered a bit unique due to the cat she walks on a leash and recently have lived in the Big City, Allie’s minor celebrity status as a murder solver again places her in the limelight as she delves into local politics and discovers that nearly everyone she thought she knew well has been hiding secrets.

Allie impulsively – at times recklessly – acts to save the legacy built by her father. While Allie believes that a lifetime of being bullied by other children has made the natural introvert reluctant to trust or be vulnerable, now that she’s back home she has surrounded herself with a loyal group of friends. Her default to distrust and be suspicious does aid her when she queries those with reason to have wanted Georgie dead, as he was a man who cost jobs for some and financial damaged others. Readers will relate to Allie and her siblings’ concern about their widowed mother, and their bond is only strengthened through their worries. Allie herself is a literary agent aspiring writers would adore; she’s loyal, supportive, and always advocating on their behalf. These descriptions of the writing business, along with fun wedding planning details, ensure for mystery that is as entertaining as it is suspenseful.

Princess Fuzzypants here: I enjoyed the first book of the series. Allie is an interesting woman, surrounded by a cast of engaging family and friends and feline. The mystery was good and I looked forward to this second outing. It did not disappoint that is until towards the end in the final chase down of the villain. I don’t want to give away the plot but in the midst of solving a murder, using her smarts and skills, Allie does something so dumb it almost made me throw the book down. Almost.
Somehow the author manages to take an episode that would suit a Keystone Kops chase and turns it into something that works. Usually when a character makes a bone headed move, they lose me. I stuck with it and was rewarded by a decent ending. It was a close call. The fact that there were lots of good suspects and the villain seemed to have been redeemed throughout the story certainly helped. . I did not twig one second before Allie. It was an enjoyable read but for that one tiny hiccup.
Still it is worth four purrs and two paws up for a great recovery.

Allie Cobb is at it again in this 2nd installment in this series. Allie has moved into her own apartment above a bookstore and is working as a literary agent as well as the chair of the committee overseeing the new park in honor of her Father and his best friend and author Thornwell (Sloane's Father). Thornwell was murdered in the first book and Allie is the one who found the killer and she has been nicknamed the kickbox crusader. She is not comfortable with the attention and nickname and on one of her walks to check on the new park her cat Ursi they find the dead body of Georgie Alonso. Allie becomes the prime suspect and of course that makes her search out the real killer. Georgie was a real low life and there are plenty of suspects. I liked how Allie ultimately put in all together but surprised who the killer was and and Allie once again puts her life on the line to catch the culprit. Like the small town and her family. Like how her brother Luke and sister Rachel get together to compare notes on how her Mother is doing after the death of their Father and Mom knows exactly what they are doing. Looking forward to the next installment.

J.C. Kenney has crafted a masterpiece of misdirection with this second outing for Allie Cobb.

Allie has transferred back to her home town of Rushing Creek and has managed to get an apartment at a seriously cheap rent (you need to read the book to find out how!), the Cobb Literary Agency is starting to find its feet again under Allie's management and everything seems to be going great ..... until she goes to check on how the new park, that her best friend Sloane has donated, is coming along - only to find the delivery of mulch they were expecting is in the wrong area, what is worse is there is a body underneath the mulch, and then it appears that the main person who would want them dead is Allie herself!

Now with the incumbent mayor breathing down the police chief's neck to get a quick result Allie, her siblings Luke and Rachel, her Mam and Sloan (oh and of course Brent her boyfriend and we can't forget the amazing Ursi the cat!) need to figure out who wanted the deceased ... well dead! otherwise Allie will be running her business from behind bars (and orange is soooo not her colour!)

Allie's now running her father's literary agency and feeling good about it. Right up until Georgie Alonso is found dead. Everyone in town knows how much she resented him and she believes she is the prime suspect. Though told to stay out of it, she's determined to find someone or more with as good a motive for murder as her. Only digging up secrets can be hazardous.

This is an interesting story line, with the murder and Allie's investigation intertwined with the other aspects of Allie's busy life and small town politics. Her business as a literary agent adds a unique perspective, though, at least this time, there's not a direct connection with the murder. The reader is provided with background information on the relationships in Allie's family, the odd relationship with the Police Chief, and the town. This is the second in the Allie Cobb Mysteries and can be read as a stand alone. A cozy mystery for sure, with no profanity or graphic sex or violence.


FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.