Carpet Diem: A Tallie Graver Mystery
By Misty Simon
Kensington
October 2019

Review by Cynthia Chow

Tallie Graver may have left behind her life as a Desperate Housewife to her ex-and-now-late-husband Walden Phillips III, but that doesn’t mean that she can avoid uncomfortable reminders and awkward interactions. Unpleasant even when Tallie was married to high society’s “Waldo,” Present Prescott’s obnoxiousness kicks into high gear now that her new cleaning company is in competition to win a contract for his aunt. Tillie is forced out of contention when her hard work at the mansion is sabotaged and she is fired by the condescending owner, the imperious and unforgiving Mrs. Petrovski. A humiliated Tallie stormed out of the mansion without her equipment, and upon returning she that discovers that more than just her vacuum has been tossed in the dumpster. Wrapped in a rug is the body of Audra McNeal, the owner of the competing cleaning company and whom Tallie considered to be a new friend. It’s why Tallie is so determined to discover who murdered the successful young businesswoman, especially when the police seem so quick to make an arrest. And while some may call her a nosey parker – with Police Chief Burton doing a lot of eye rolling and pinching of his nose – Tallie honestly only wants to see justice done as a concerned citizen.

Of course, another possible factor is Tallie being at a loss at what to do next in her life, since mostly she only knows that she doesn’t want to be a full-time employee in her family’s funeral business. Being a cleaner was only a temporary measure, but her dream of owning a tea store is still not thought through or practical. For now, Tallie prefers to focus on finding the person responsible for strangling Audra, a woman who may not be as innocent as Tallie thought.

Readers never meet the self-involved, social-climbing trophy wife who was Tallie Phillips, as Tallie Graver came back to her Pennsylvania hometown with her tail between her legs and having a lot of crow to eat. Tallie is still impulsive, intrusive, and overly confident in her investigative skills, but it’s always with the best of intent. Her relationship with the extraordinarily patient Taxinator Max Bennett is going surprisingly strong, although his accounting job in D.C. is stressing Tallie out over whether or not one of them will have to permanently move. Tallie’s spunk, hilarious inner dialogue, and acknowledgement over just how “extra” she can be make her eminently likable and such a delight. A mysterious hidden room, financial shenanigans, and the division between social hierarchies are compelling elements in this dynamic and fast-moving mystery. Readers will be entertained as Tallie bounces between funeral services, cleaning mansions, and driving hearses. Who knew the business of death could be so much fun?

Princess Fuzzypants here: Tallie Graver’s cleaning business is booming, her love life is going well and she is up for a big contract that could mean more growth. That is unless one of her nemesis from her days in the Social Register does not torpedo her chances with his aunt for the contract. He not only doesn’t want to help her, he is determined to see the contract goes to her competitor. When said competitor ends up dead in a dumpster the contract goes to Tallie. While she is not a suspect and the police are asking for her help this time, she still has serious reservations about the jobs.
It turns out none of the parties are who they professed to be and there is a lot more dirt underneath than what is there to be cleaned up in the houses. Betrayal is the name of the game and Tallie is an innocent with these pros. Luckily she has a fantastic team and a great guy and a ton of support. Things are going to get very dicey and she will need all the help she can get.
This is a great series as we watch Tallie reinvent herself from the useless and shallow Socialite to a successful and decent business woman. The road has been anything but easy. In spite of the challenges, Tallie realizes she is in a much better place and likes herself and her life much better than when she was one of the beautiful people. The supporting characters add much to the stories and her involvement in police matters is handled in a believable and satisfying manner. It makes for a good mystery and an enjoyable read.
Five purrs and two paws up.

Tallie Graver is at it again in this 4th installment of this mystery series. Max (her boyfriend who lives in DC) is in town and they are on the town to see a play (which she won tickets for) when she runs into Preston a member of her ex-husbands uppity circle who never liked Tallie. He is rude and condescending, however, Tallie needs to play nice as his Aunt is currently bidding out the cleaning for her mansion and a couple of other properties she is selling. Audra who is new to town and someone Tallie thinks she can be friends with and is the other cleaner bidding on the jobs. Tallie was given access to take pictures but since she is at the play she sends one of her employees but the pictures don't come thru. So the next day Tallie and Audra are basically in a clean-off for the job and Tallie is doing a great job when she sees cobwebs and runs out to get her feather duster. When she returns the room in shambles and Preston is there with his Aunt and Tallie is sent packing. Furious that she lost due to sabotage she returns to the mansion to get her cleaning supplies and vacuum. The vacuum has been thrown in the dumpster and when Tallie is inside the dumpster she finds the body of Audra rolled up in carpet. Just as she is calling the police someone comes to take the dumpster and she has to stop them. Burton (the chief of police) and her cousin Matt arrive on the scene and they tell Tallie to butt out of the investigation. Max is assigned a job nearby and will be with Tallie for the next month so she does not want to investigate but she was beginning to think of Audra as a friend and wants justice for her. Burton and his team are overworked and understaffed so she does some sleuthing while she is helping out at the funeral home etc. She finds out Audra has been bad mouthing her around town and trying to steal her clients and it appears she has some connection to Preston as well. This was a good solid cozy and I do like Tallie and her friends. Her sleuthing this time really was not outrageous and she was sharing all her info with Burton. Looking forward to the next in this series. Definitely recommend.

This is such a fun series and this installment did not disappoint. Tallie is such a strong character and is one of my favorite heroines. The mystery of the murder kept me guessing until the end.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Just one more chapter and I will go to bed......and I didn't take my own advice. I kept on reading way past my bed time. I have read the previous three books in this series and I should know better than to limit my reading time that way. Tallie is one of my favorite characters. She is divorced and her life style has gone from high society to making a new start in the house cleaning business. Now, in the fourth mystery Tallie gets mixed up in, her life is progressing pretty well. Her business is doing well, she has a very nice boyfriend and she is thinking of starting another business. She gets along with her family who own the Graver Funeral Home. Living over the shop and driving a hearse part time helps with the expenses. Now the chance comes to bid on a big cleaning contract for the Astercomb mansion and there are only two in competition for the job. The other woman vying for the gig is Audra and Tallie likes her - until she realizes that the playing field isn't level and Audra is the winner. The 'contest' was for each woman to clean a room and then be judged on the results. Tallie leaves in haste, leaving her tools behind so she has to return for them. She sure didn't think she'd find Audra dead and rolled up in a carpet, tossed in the dumpster.
One thing leads to another as Tallie sets out to find out who would want such a nice person dead...but was Audra as nice as Tallie thought? Not at all and, joining with Burton, the chief of police, she starts investigating. Fortunately her boyfriend Max is back in town and he lends a hand to her search for the killer. Family and friends all add their help in one way or the other. They are people I would love to hang out with.
Each book in the series stands alone but if they are read in order Tallie's recovery from her divorce and the reinventing of herself has more impact. As for the mystery, the clues are there as are the twists and red herrings. I guessed wrong.

Carpet Diem by Misty Simon is the 4th book in A Tallie Graver Mystery series, and another great addition. Tallulah, Tallie, Graver returned home to the family business the Garver Funeral Home, but she also owns a cleaning business. Tallie is busy trying to get a major cleaning contract, in order to win it she has to beat out another cleaner in a one room clean off. When Tallie returns to the home for her equipment, she finds her competitor, Audra, dead in a dumpster. Determined to get to the bottom of how and why she was killer, Tallie starts sluthing. I started this book, I could not stop reading it until I was done. Not only is this book an exciting mystery but also very refreshing and a quick read. If you love fun cozy mysteries, which are my favorite, I recommend this book and the whole series. 

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing. Thank you.

Cleaning Up Corpses
This book is fourth in a series and the first that I have read. This story stands alone well with enough information given so the new reader is not lost. This book was interesting enough for me to want to go back and read the prior books in the series. This tale just flew past! The plot is fun, detailed and surprising. I would not have guessed that ending. It is a cozy mystery with a sweet romance included. I love that the main family is not dysfunctional, just normal. I also enjoy having a strong woman protagonist who is not superwoman, just a normal gal. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

This is the 4th Tallie Graver Mystery by author Misty Simon. I enjoy this series and have read it since the beginning. I recommend this cozy series for your reading enjoyment. This is a fun series that is written very smart with well crafted sleuths and likable charcters I enjoy knowing about. I love the protagnist Tallie who is smart, hard working and has a great sense of humor.
Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the ARC. My review opinions are my own.

Tallie Garver has a cleaning business that has taken her a while to get off the ground. She dislikes her regular job which is working at her families funeral home and wants to go full time with her own business. I appreciate how the author portrays her as hard working and dedicated to her business. In this book Tallie has decided to go against her rival cleaning company run by her nemesis Audra. Audra is always one step ahead of Tallie with jobs and Tallie wants to beat her out for a job at a fancy mansion. When she finds Audra dead she realizes that Audra has secrets and she needs to investigate to determine the truth behind her murder. Soon Audra's past is proving to Tallie that her nemesis was not a nice person and many may have wanted her dead for various reasons some shocking to Tallie. When she runs up against the true killer she may be in terrible danger herself !

This was a fun addition to this series. I loved the well crafted sleuth that kept me guessing throughout. Tallie is a fun humorous personality .. The supporting charcters are likable and add depth to the series and fun. I look forward to the next in series.

Carpet Diem by Misty Simon is the fourth installment in A Tallie Graver Mystery series.

Ms. Simon has managed to create a likable, fun and completely relatable heroine. Tallie is an average woman fallen on hard times after her divorce and she has opened up cleaning service while somehow managing to stumble on dead bodies.

In this particular book, Tallie is doing good, she is even competing for a very lucrative cleaning job, she is surrounded by her loving family and friend and even her love life is blossoming.
Unfortunately something always happens to ruin the bliss. She finds the body of her competitor rolled up in a carpet. Even though she has won the job, she simply can't let go. She need to find out what really happened to the new woman in town, who after looking into doesn't appear to be so squeaky clean after all.

I like this series as it is completely realistic. Both main and side characters are likable yet fun and engaging. I appreciate the natural progression of relationships between the characters.
Mystery is well crafted with enough red herrings to try to deceive the readers. The book is steady paced and it has a nice flow.
Easy to read and highly entertaining it is the perfect choice for cozy readers.

Tallie's worked hard to get where she is after her divorce. She works part time for her family's funeral home but more importantly, she's got her own cleaning business. She thinks she's made a friend in Audra, who is a competitor but who's also been nice to her. Regrettably, she not only loses a job thanks to a rotten friend of her loathsome ex, she also (yikes) finds Audra's body. Working with Burton, the police chief, and her band of merry friends and family (including her boyfriend Max), Tallie untangles the mystery of Audra and finds the villain. It turns out that Audra wasn't nice to everyone so there's more than one suspect. I admit to being a fan of this series, partly because of the humor. You'll be fine with it as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A plucky heroine and good plot make this classic cozy a fun read.

Carpet Diem ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️by Misty Simon

My first read by this author. Ms Simon has a quirky sent of humor which reflects in her writings. I find this very enjoyable and entertaining.

Tallie Graver the heroine of the story is not afraid of friendly competition in her business enterprise. However, when murder is committed she puts on her detective cap to explore the events. I found myself strung along cause I could not figure out the murderer. Hats off to Ms Simon for her subterfuge.

A good read.

I loved the laugh out loud moments of being inside of Tallie's head, she is delightful. This is the first book I have read by Misty Simon and I'm going to get the rest of the A Tallie Graver Mystery series. Tallie lives above the funeral home her family owns and continues to drive a hearse while running a cleaning business. All of the characters were engaging, even the sinister ones. There were twists and turns to the mystery, the family interactions were wonderful and the romance had just the right touch. I enthusiastically recommend 'Carpet Diem'.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This is a charming and fun series. Our protagonist is either cleaning homes or driving a hearse. Not a typical career. A clever and entertaining cozy mystery. Kept me guessing.

Tallie Graver runs a cleaning business in town and solves mysteries in her spare time. When she is up against a friend for a big job cleaning a bnch of old houses the owner is looking to sell, she and her rival each need to clean a room in the old Astercromb mansion to see who will win the business. Quickly Tallie realizes the cards have been stacked against her and the owner tells her that she has lost the opportunity. Fuming, Tallie leaves the house and her tools behind.

Going back to the mansion later to pick up her tools, Tallie looks out the window and spots her vacuum in the trash bin that was brought to the site. Climbing in to retrieve her vacuum, Tallie finds a hand and recognizes the manicure as that of her rival. Promising that she will be a concerned citizen and not a vigilante, Tallie can’t help but get herself involved in solving the murder. But will Tallie figure it out or be the next victim?

This fun series is set in Central Pennsylvania and is a typical small town. Looking forward to seeing what the future holds for Tallie and Max.

Cozy mysteries are a great addiction for me. CARPET DIEM is the fourth book in the Tallie Graver Mystery series. I enjoy the combination of humor, romance, and most importantly mystery in this series. Simon continues to feed my addiction.

“Carpet Diem” is the 4th entry in the “Tallie Graver Mysteries” by Misty Simon. Even though this is the first book I have read in the series I was able to follow along easily so it can be read as a standalone. I really enjoyed it and practically read in one sitting and have since purchased the other books in the series.

Live and let dust . . .

Now that Tallie Graver’s cleaning business is starting to shine, she’s ready to go squeegee to squeegee against Audra McNeal for a major contract at the Astercromb mansion. Tallie’s not afraid of a little friendly competition from the new cleaner in town. In fact, Tallie likes Audra, though she wonders how her glamorous rival manages to clean house and maintain her fancy manicure. Tallie has her rubber-gloves full staying one step ahead of her nemesis. Until she finds a well-polished hand poking out of a rolled-up carpet, rendering her competition . . . dead.

Though it lands Tallie the big job, there’s nothing tidy about Audra’s death. So
between polishing and scrubbing, Tallie’s determined to find the killer. Hopefully the police chief doesn’t mind her cluttering up his investigation with the filthy dealings she discovers. Turns out Audra was not as squeaky clean as she appeared. And confronting her killer could bring Tallie to a very foul end indeed . . .

The mystery is interesting and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. The story moves at a steady pace, and I had a hard time putting it down.

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Reader Copy from the publisher and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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

This was a cracking good mystery! I appreciated the characters and the mystery.
I'm looking forward to reading this series from the beginning.

Carpet Diem is a good mystery with great characters and storyline. I enjoyed the characters and I hope to read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
Carpet Diem is the 4th installment of the Tallie Graver Mystery Series & I have been lucky enough to have read all the books in the series. Once again, I thought it was a fun and well written cozy mystery with a lot of great characters.
I can’t wait to read the next book in the series, Varnished Without A Trace.

Tallie Graver is settling into her life as part cleaner, part boss, and part-time helper at her father's funeral home. But she's not sure what she wants to be when she "grows up." Should she become a private investigator? Because she keeps finding herself in the middle of murders and mysteries, much to the annoyance of the local police force and the concern of her boyfriend.

This was a fast-paced, easy read. Tallie comes off as having a bit of an anger management issue at the beginning but eventually she's a likable character. There's a good cast of characters, although not enough non-sleuthing interaction with them and the town.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC!

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