If you're a fan of cozy mysteries, then, it's an absolute gem that deserves every one of its five stars. With its charming small-town setting, and during characters, and intriguing whodunit, this book is the perfect blend of suspense and comfort. The author’s storytelling prowess shines through as they skillfully weave together clues, red herrings, and surprising twists, keeping readers engaged and guessing until the satisfying reveal period from the delightful amateur sleuth to the quirky supporting cast, each character feels like a beloved friend, adding depth and warmth to the narrative. With its cozy atmosphere clever plot and satisfying resolution, the book title, is a must-read for anyone seeking A delightful escape into the world of cozy mysteries.

This is a new series using characters from other series by this author. This book is funny and had me laughing at the silly antics of the characters. The murder didn't seem to be the forefront of this book, but I didn't mind. Cat and Gilley are fun together and I can't wait for the next book.

Great little mystery/thriller. Nothing to graphic or scary here. Just a well written story with some twists and turns. Great if you want a lighter mystery.

First off, I enjoy the Abby Cooper series very much. This spin-off was not my favorite. There is no charm or warmth in the characters and I don't like Kat.

My thoughts

Would I recommend it? Yes

Would I read more of this series? Yes, in fact I have book 2 to read and after reading this I can wait to get to it.

Would I read more by this author? Yes

This my read of this author and I do have to say even though I haven't read anything else by her after reading this I can't wait to read read her other stuff, I loved the characters, loved the craziness that Cat and her friend Gilley got into and I also liked how there was a character with ties to the LGTB community in it,One of the main things I loved was that even though Cat  was highly successful, and smart, she was also funny and sassy.And the reason I loved  Gilley,  was his sense of humort hat was out of this world , he just has a way to say something and your smiling .
All the characters are human and believable.Another thing I liked about it was that for a cozy mystery it also touched up on a hard topic that you don't see in cozy mysteries and that's bulling or even suicide ,which was brought up and talked about. As for the two new guys in Cats life where there's a problem I can't decode which one I would love to see her with . With that said I want to thank NetGalley for letting me read and review it , and I can't wait to read the next book to the series .

A wonderful spin-off from her other series. This one has Cat (Catherine) and her sidekick Gil (Gilley) living in the Hamptons. Learning to live her live without her cheating ex-husband, and after selling her successful business, she is trying to find a new direction. When her mean and evil neighbor Heather gets murdered, she is the one the hunky Detective Steve Shepherd looks at first. Luckily she has Gil to help, and the chase is on. Sherlock and Watson never made me chuckle this much. Highly recommend and look forward to the next in the series. Good author, good book, good series starter.

Great start to a new series starring Abby's sister from the Psychic Eye series and Gilley from the Ghost Hunter series. It's great seeing Gilley more confident and interesting to learn more about Cat and her life. Another fast-paced, nail-biting mystery with great, believable characters that makes me excited for the next book!

5 Stars

This is the first book in the Life Coach Mystery series by Victoria Laurie.

I have to say I loved everything about this. There was the strong-willed female lead, the quirky best friend, the mysterious stranger who you don’t know is good or evil and the detective who is a bit of a curmudgeon but has a heart of gold under his badge.

I am not sure why I have not picked up a Victoria Laurie book before. I have a few in my physical paperback/hardbound collection but I think they are from her P-Eye series. There are a lot of references to characters from her other series throughout but it doesn’t detract from the overall message.

I love the AI enhanced she-shed with the digital butler Sebastian who calls Cat Lady Catherine. That comes in quite handy when you need a reliable alibi.

Cat and Detective Steve Shephard get off to a rough start but I like how the entire relationship unfolded. I think it will help to make a stronger bond in the future.

The victim, Heather Holland was not a nice lady at all. I did not have one ounce of sympathy for her when she ended up dead after her dinner party. However, I thought it interesting none the less since I knew a gal in high school with the same name. But she was not dastardly like this character was, thank goodness.

There will be lots to work with as the series progresses and I look forward to all the fun and adventure awaiting us! Book two can’t come soon enough!

If you love a good cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

I loved this book! I have read other series by this author and have always been entertained by her stories and characters. The key to any book for me is the character connection I get from the beginning. Especially one of the first in a series types. Ms Laurie does that with Catherine in this book. I really look forward to what is to come here.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

It was a quick, fun read. It checked all of the boxes I look for in a cozy. I hadn’t read anything by this author prior to this and will look for more now.

I've always liked Victoria Laurie's books, and it was great to see a new one. This is a spinoff of the Abby Cooper mysteries starring her sister Cat. It had interesting characters, a well-written plot, and easy to read style. I highly recommend this book and the others that this author has written.
Technically this is a cozy, but it's completely different than the typical cozy mystery in a good way.

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The first book in the Cat Cooper Mystery series by Victoria Laurie is Coached to Death. Apparently Cat is the main character from another series which I have not read. Perhaps that made this particular book hard for me to get into. Cat is divorced and living in the Hamptons where she has decided to become a life coach. Things are going okay except in regards to her neighbor Heather who dislikes Cat. After a particularly bad encounter with Heather who winds up dead, Cat is the only suspect. She and her best friend Gilley are determined to prove her innocence. I really, really wanted to like this book. I even overlooked the snide shots at people with religious convictions. In the end the problem was Cat. In her previous life she was supposedly a very successful business owner. In this book she whines and throws temper tantrums (hissy fits for those in the south) that would make a toddler jealous. Heather was fa from perfect, but no one should ever be rooting for the main character to wind up in jail!

This first in a new series features Cat Cooper trying to launch her life coaching business in East Hampton where she recently moved. She has her bedtime Gilley staying in her guest house and her AI, Sebastian to keep her company. As Cat begins to enter the social scene, she is arrested for the murder of a nasty neighbor. As the plot develops and Cat meets more people in her new town, she finds out why she was blamed for the homicide of the notorious neighbor who has a history of bullying and being cruel to people. There is so much action in this book, I was sad when it ended. I enjoyed the friendship between Cat and Gilley, I wish I had a friend by my side like that. And the dynamics between Cat and the Sheriff are hysterical and add to the chemistry between them. I cannot wait for book #2.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for sending me an ARC to preview.

Coached to Death
By Victoria Laurie
Kensington
2019

Review by Cynthia Chow

In this debut series by the author of the Psychic Eye and Ghost Hunter mystery series, sidekicks finally get their moment to take center stage. The sister of psychic FBI consultant Abby Cooper, Catherine Cooper is using her share of the fifty-million-dollar sale of her marketing firm to set up a new business as a life coach in the new building she just purchased and is renovating (her louse of an ex conveniently filed for divorce just in time to take his half). She is assisted in this by Gilley Gillespie, whom she last met involving some crime-solving shenanigans with his business partner, professional ghost hunter M.J. Holliday. In an act displaying her usual self-confidence and refusal to be bullied, Cat attends a luncheon hosted by her nemesis Heather Holland, the new neighbor who has basically declared war on “Chez Cat” by filling endless complaints and slowing down all the renovations. When it becomes clear that Heather’s invitation was a nefarious plan to humiliate Cat, the aspiring life coach refuses to be cowed and instead very loudly declares war upon the Mean Girl. While admirable, it’s an act Cat will come to regret the following morning, when Detective Shepherd from the East Hampton Police Department knocks on her door accusing her of bashing in Heather’s head with a punchbowl.

A high-powered attorney quickly gets Cat out of the hoosegow, but he warns that neither the police nor the DA are about to let her stray far out of their sights. So while she may not have the psychic intuitive powers of her sister, Cat believes that her intuition and the experience that made her a successful businesswoman will be more than enough to help her track down a killer. After all, she also has the aid of a stress-eating Gilley, who has countless times served as a somewhat unwilling Number Two while MJ solved paranormal crimes. Cat manages to track down Heather’s many, many enemies while also juggling her new Cat’s Coaching Corner business rescuing a trainwreck of a client. Cat’s well-intentioned advice to Listen, Learn, Lend hilariously leads to Emma Kirkland becomes homeless, jobless, and carless, but the determined Cat is not about to let her client down. Add in an attractive mysterious renter, a sexy but suspicious cop, and even a possible assassin and you have an extraordinarily entertaining romp that defies expectations.

Who would have thought that these two side characters who often tested the patience of the heroines of the Ghost Hunter and Psychic Eye mysteries would prove to be so appealing when teamed together? Away from the paranormal element that had the ghost-phobic Gilley often acting like a very dramatic scaredy-cat, here he proves to be a standout when hacking social media accounts and wielding his trademark barbs and sharp wit. Cat’s not about to let a murder accusation stomp down her dream of becoming Oprah with her own books and talk shows, and with her possibly delusional optimism and relentless drive she proves to be an unstoppable amateur sleuth. That could also be because the Gail to her Oprah is just as impulsive and brash when investigating, and without anyone to hit the brakes Gilley and Cat are just so much fun. The more danger and incriminating acts they commit, the more entertaining they become in what is sure to be yet another winning series from this outstanding author.

Princess Fuzzypants here: When an author says her characters are likely to go places where angels would fear to tread, knowing my dislike of heroines who act stupidly, I approached this book with some apprehension. Silly me. Yes, Cat and Gilley do get themselves into some strange situations but it never crosses the line where the reader might wonder why they didn’t make the Darwin Award.
In fact, I loved the book. It was fun and kept me guessing. The characters were very smart but approachable and very human. Cat is a self made woman. Divorced from her husband yet still rich from the sale of the company she founded in spite of him taking half in the settlement. She moves to the Hamptons but instead of being welcomed, she finds herself the target of a vindictive woman who takes great pains to humiliate Cat.
Cat eventually gets tired of being the victim and very publicly warns the woman she has met her match. So when the woman is murdered the same day, it is no wonder Cat is very high on the suspect list. In fact, in the middle of a romantic date, she is arrested by a local cop again in a very public way. All, however, is not all it seems.
Cat and Gilley get help from some unexpected allies and do eventually figure out what is going on. It is not easy since what seems obvious at first is entirely wrong but not before she crosses path with a deadly assassin. It is fast paced and entertaining and at the end, I was longing for more.
Five purrs and two paws up.

4/5 stars

Ahh, I loved returning to this author's world with a brand new series featuring Cat and Gilley! For those that don't know, Cat is the sister to Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye and Gilley was the techy assistant to M.J. Holliday from the Ghost Hunter mysteries. You don't have to read either series before this story. However, if you find you love these two main characters, then I highly recommend you find time to dive into both series one day.

<u>Characters</u>
Cat and Gilley are back and just as entertaining as always! These two were my favorite side characters from the old series. Cat is the impulsive, strong willed business woman and Gilley is the plucky, drama queen, techy amateur sleuth. Both make horrible or dangerous decisions at time and I can't wait to see what trouble they get into next. I really liked the addition of Detective Shepherd, Sunny and reappearance of Maks. However, I feel like this series might be setting up a love triangle for the recently divorced Cat and I'm still not sure if I like it. I'm normally not a triangle trope fan, but I'll definitely wait and see what happens.

<u>Pacing & Points of View</u>
The overall pacing for this story was good and I loved how everything flowed smoothly.

<u>Overall</u>
Overall I really liked this story. It's hard to believe this is the first in a series! Everything fit together nicely and Cat and Gilley were the perfect mystery solving pair. Any future books are bound to be filled with hilarious mystery solving adventures just like this one. I will definitely be reading and looking forward to the rest of the series!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Kensington publishing for allowing me the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Coached to Death by Victoria Laurie - Catherine (Cat) Cooper settles into the Hampton’s after splitting from her husband. She had to sell her business and takes quite a loss. She needs to start over and has to deal with her nasty neighbor who winds up dead with Cat as the main suspect. Cat needs to find the killer to avoid jail before a certain detective slaps her behind bars. I enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful and moved along quickly. I wasn’t happy with the ending as it was sort of a cliff hanger. Without spoilers, not all wraps up but good story otherwise.

This is the first book of Victoria Laurie that I have read.
Cleverly plotted, fun read I couldn’t put it down.
I loved the humour and entertainment especially Gilley ,I laughed at the antics that Cat and Gilley got up to .
A lot of twists throughout, never saw that ending coming.
Definitely look forward for the next book, hope it’s not to long.
Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for my advance copy.

This was an interesting read. There were elements of the story I didn’t love and and elements I did. It seemed a little “more” then a typical cozy mystery to me for whatever reason. The mystery was good and I liked the characters as well as the humor sprinkled throughout. It definitely leaves some some of the mystery open and I look forward to having those things revealed in later books hopefully. All in all, the book was enjoyable and I will give more books in this series a try,

I received this book from NetGalley and was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

COACHED TO DEATH is the first book in the Cat Cooper cozy mystery series by Victoria Laurie. This new series combines two supporting characters from two other series. Cat Cooper is the sister of the female protagonist from the Psychic Eye Mysteries series, and Gilley Gillespie is the former colleague of the female protagonist in the Ghost Hunter Mysteries series. I’m a fan of both of those series, but I think Gilley has a better chemistry with Cat than he did with the main characters in the Ghost Hunter Mysteries. The better dynamic may have something to do with the fact that Gilley doesn’t have any extrasensory perceptive abilities - unlike the people he worked with before - whereas he and Cat are more on the same level. This series starts out being every bit entertaining as Victoria Laurie’s other series, but it seems to have more elements of a classic cozy mystery series.

Catherine “Cat” Cooper is a successful businesswoman, mother, divorcee, and a woman embarking on a new business venture as a life coach. The irony of Cat being a life coach when her life takes a turn toward the chaotic will not be lost on readers. However, as her life gets a lot more complicated, Cat still tries to help people and not whine and forever wallow in self-pity when she’s fingered as a suspect in a murder investigation. Heather Holland is the incredibly shallow, mean-spirited, and vindictive murder victim. Finding the true murderer proves challenging because of how many people Heather touched with her toxicity. Gilley and Cat make a good team and complement each other well. Cat delves into this investigation initially because she appears to be the only suspect, and so her sleuthing makes sense. I like Cat as an amateur sleuth because I like her as a person, but also because she seems very self-aware about her capabilities. Detective Steve Shepherd grew on me as this story progressed, and the author did a great job of giving his character depth and presenting him as a future sleuthing pal for this team.

COACHED TO DEATH is the first in what promises to be a classic and captivating cozy mystery series with great characters. This book does present several intriguing puzzles for the characters and the readers to unravel, but I also laughed a lot while reading COACHED TO DEATH. I always like a hint of romance in a mystery novel, and Victoria Laurie provides two possible romantic prospects for Cat. I look forward to the next Cat Cooper mystery.