Back home again in Indiana and what a delightful place to be. Allie has her hands full with the latest murder in her small town. Nice pacing and several heart-warming moments. A few nail biters, too. A charming series that never fails to please.

A Mysterious Mix-Up earns 5/5 Overdue Notices...Engaging Fun!

This is the third book, and my first, in J.C. Kenney’s Allie Cobb Mystery series, so I’m always concerned I’ll start at a disadvantaged...no need to worry here! Kenney’s writing style developed well the background and character connections to keep me quickly engaged. Allie Cobb, a literary agent, is a unique occupation to highlight, and putting her in the middle of a murder investigation was very entertaining. Allie had started her career in New York, but a family tragedy brought her back home to Indiana where she decided to stay and take over her father’s agency; she is now enjoying success which included being an active participant at the national book conference. But, returning home with lots to do, trouble again pops up when childhood mentor and the town’s beloved librarian, Vicky Napier, is found on the eve of her retirement...dead. The “why” is not immediately evident, but motives are exposed within the victim’s circle of friends, co-workers, and acquaintances including Allie’s boyfriend who was set as Vicky’s replacement. The drama moves at a steady pace with entertaining twists and a satisfying, although not entirely unexpected, solution that had Allie in nail-biting peril. Beyond the crime and investigation, Kenney includes engaging side issues that make this series one I plan to revisit: dynamics of a small town, ins and outs of running a small business, friendships, friends and family including a couple of fur friends, and a fascinating connection with law enforcement being an ex-brother-in-law. Great cozy fans should not miss!

A Mysterious Mix Up by J.C. Kenney is the 3rd book in the Allie Cobb Mystery series, and another great addition. Allie Cobb is now running the family's literary agency that her father started. Allie returns from a book confrence, excited to be home. Until Allie finds her role model, the town libraian, close to death on the library floor. Why would anyone want to poison Vicky Napier, when she is ready to retire? Allie is determined to find out. I really enjoyed this book, and read it in one day it was so good. So many twists and turns. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. I highly recommend this cozy mystery book and the whole series.
I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing. Thank you.

J C Kenney has done it again, another engaging story starring Ursula the Calico Cat (oh and her servant Allie Cobb!)

Allie has been away at a book conference back in New York, and she is glad to be able to get back to her apartment in Rushing Creek and to see Ursi and her house/pet sitter aka her boyfriend Brent and his dog Sammy, when she has unwound from the conference and the travel Brent lets her know that Mrs Napier, the head librarian, is planning on retiring to Florida and she is recommending that he, Brent, applies for the job! Allie is sad that she will be leaving (but is happy with the idea that Brent could be permanently around!), the following day they head to the library to give Vicky Napier some cookies only to discover her dying in the break room with a volunteer kneeling beside her!

Now Allie is determined to find out who would kill a librarian and why, at the same time try and find an intern for her expanding business, oh and try not to get checked out by a killer!

A Mysterious Mix Up by J.C. Kenney is the third 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’s business has really begun to do well so she begins the process of looking for an assistant to help her out. After returning from a book conference she also finds out that her boyfriend will be getting a job in Rushing Creek at the local library when Allie’s her longtime role model retires. However, before it’s announced Vicky is found murdered which then puts Brent at the top of the suspect list for being in line for her job.

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. I’ve also found after getting into this series that I actually enjoy the characters too and it is good for a few laughs while sorting through suspects which I always enjoy. However, again in this series the victim is someone well liked which I think brings down the tone a bit when it’s not a “bad” guy so in the end I would give this one 3 1/2 stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

New from Lyrical Press https://www.facebook.com/LyricalPressInc/ is the 3rd installment in the literary series, “An Allie Cobb Mystery,” and possibly the best one yet, A Mysterious Mix Up.

Allie is always getting herself in the middle of a murder investigation. Sometimes she is also the main suspect. In this literary series, amateur sleuth and literary agent Allie Cobb is once again skirting danger and worrying her friends and family. For the most part, Allie is a very likable character, as are all of the repeating individuals throughout this series, but she has a nasty habit of getting herself involved and hurt as a result of her inability to let the police do their job. Great if you are a suspect, not so great if you are her boyfriend, mother, or other friends and family members.

This time Allie’s childhood hero, the local librarian, is murdered for no apparent reason. She vows to get justice. The suspects are few, and the motives are a bit thin in this third book in this literary series. Unfortunately, I was able to figure out who the guilty party was almost from the first chapter. But other readers may not catch on to who the killer is until midway through the book. That said, the fact that I figured out who killed Allie’s hero immediately did not detract from the great storytelling or the enjoyment of the read.

From start to finish, A Mysterious Mix Up is a fast-paced, easy read. The characters are delightful, and the victim sympathetic. The relationships between Allie, her boyfriend, and her family members are becoming stronger, and readers will love having Brent, Allie’s boyfriend, around a lot more. This is one of my favorite literary series,’ and I am happy to recommend this book along with the other two for readers who like quick reads and characters with oodles of personality.

ARC provided by Kensington via NetGalley

Allie Cobb is shocked to learn that Rushing Creek's librarian and her mentor Vicky Napier is abruptly retiring and moving to Florida to be with her sister. Allie and her boyfriend Brent go to give Vicky their best wishes and end up finding the librarian dead on the library floor. Vicky was much beloved by the town but there were some toxic people in her life, including obsessive handyman Porter Rasmussen and wood carver Ozzy who felt that Vicky had ripped him off on a contract. Brent, who’s in the running to take over as town librarian also becomes one of the suspects for the police. Determined to avenge Vicky's murder and clear Brent's name, Allie is willing to risk her life again to get justice. The book title refers to a mix-up in delivery that is the key motive to Vicky's murder.

This was another enjoyable read in the Allie Cobb mystery series. I received an eARC from Netgalley and Kensington/Lyrical Underground with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

I love this series and I loved this instalment that I read as fast as I could.
It was great to meet again the likeable and fleshed out cast of characters and I was happy for the developments in their life. Ursi is becoming one of my favourite cozy mystery pets.
The setting is lovely and I always think I'd like to spend my holidays there.
The mystery was solid, full of twists and turns, and the solution came as a surprise.
I think this is an excellent series and can't wait to read the next instalment.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I really enjoyed this book. The main character is easy to like and has a great sense of humor.
When the death of a favorite librarian strikes her quaint hometown, Allie Cobb soon becomes involved in the investigation.
When Allie begins unraveling the truth, secrets are revealed and she finds herself face to face with the murderer.
This book is well told and full of surprises.
I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books, in return for an honest review. While the third book in this series, it is easily read as a standalone. Allie Cobb runs a literary agent business in her hometown in Indiana. Returning from a conference, she’s both excited and dismayed to learn her beloved mentor and town librarian, Vicky Napier, is retiring (the dismaying part) and Allie’s boyfriend, Brent, is being recommended to replace her (the exciting part), as his current job requires him to travel all over the state. When Allie goes to the library to see Vicky, she finds her dead, with the library handyman standing over her body. Allie is fairly certain that he didn’t kill Vicky. While Allie doesn’t intend to investigate the mystery, she finds clues and people that draw her into solving the case. A fun sub-plot is Allie seeking an intern for her business and the various candidates who apply. The author does a good job with character development and clearly writing each character so you always know who’s involved. The small town setting works well, as ‘everyone knows everyone’, or so they think. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Returning home from a trip, literary agent Allie Cobb finds out that Mrs. Napier, the librarian at Rushing Creek Library is retiring and plans to move to Florida. Eager to speak with Mrs. Napier the next morning, Allie arrives at the library early and finds Porter, a local handyman, standing over the librarian’s dead body.

With the whole town shocked at the murder of the beloved librarian rumors begin regarding motives and suspects. Allie becomes determined to find her heroine’s killer even thought her former brother-in-law and police chief Matt Robertson warns her off. Suspects include Porter, the man who found her; Gary Napier, her ex-husband; and Ozzy Metcalf, an artist with a major complaint, to name a few.

However, motives shift when Allie, tasked with packing up Mrs. Napier’s office, finds several small packets of marijuana stashed in secret locations around the office. Naturally this leads the investigation in a different direction.

J. C. Kenney is a master of misdirection using red herrings to the hilt. Again the author concocts a captivating mystery, includes the charming community of established characters and surprises with an unexpected conclusion.

Who poisoned Vicky? Allie is certain it wasn't her boyfriend Brent and she's pretty sure it wasn't Porter either. Allie has always seen Vicky as a mentor. Her impending retirement from the Rushing Creek library meant that Brent might take over. Porter, she now knows, always yearned after Vicky. So who? People liked her- or so Allie thought. Cozy readers know there's always more to the story and Allie works her way through a suspect list. She's also got her own business to run and you might have a chuckle over her effort to find an intern. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

A solid cozy with all the expected elements.
I didn’t enjoy this as much as the previous books in the series.

This is the 3rd installment in the Allie Cobb mystery series and does stand well alone although I have read the previous two books. Allie is just returning from a conference in New York and is excited to return home to Indiana and home to her cat Ursi and her boyfriend Brent and his dog Sammy. When Allie returns he mentions that Allie’s beloved librarian Vicky Napier is planning to retire and recommend Brent as her replacement. She is devastated as Vicky was a role model of hers growing up although she is happy about Brent getting a position in town which would really help their relationship as Brent is currently in and out of town as he is installing genealogy software all over the state of Indiana. Allie decides to go to the library the next morning to congratulate Vicky and instead finds her dead in the breakroom with Porter (handyman and crushing on Vicky)standing over her body. Porter is a prime suspect as is Brent as he would benefit from her death (although I found this a little weak as he knew she was retiring). Brent and Allie both help out at the library and Allie tries to stay out of the way of the investigation but that does not work too well. I found the book a little slow in parts with the ending being very exciting and tragic. I love Allie’s support crew and Sloane’s advice of letting go of the anger and to have forgiveness was a nice touch. Will be interesting to see how Allie’s new intern Calypso plays into future mysteries. Good mystery and recommend.

As I've read one of the previous books in this series, I couldn't resist this one. It has some really great characters, the dynamics between them can be entertaining at times, as well as a fun and engaging plot. It does have some red herrings as well, which made it a more interesting read.

A Mysterious Mix Up
(Allie Cobb Mystery #3)
by J.C. Kenney
Kindle Edition
Expected publication: January 7th 2020 by Lyrical Press

Murder hits the stacks when literary agent Allie Cobb investigates a fatality in the local library . . .

Allie Cobb returns home from a book conference armed with hugs for her cat and her boyfriend, and dreams of a long, hot bath. She’s also getting ready to take the plunge by hiring an intern for her expanding literary agency. But it’s one for the books when Allie finds the town’s librarian—and her longtime role model—seconds away from death on the library floor.

Who would want to poison Vicky Napier—one of Rushing Creek’s most beloved citizens—on the eve of her retirement? But it seems there were toxic people in her life, like the handyman with an obsessive crush, and a wood carver with a hair-trigger temper. The list of suspects includes Allie’s boyfriend, Brent, who’s in the running to take over as town librarian. Avenging her friend’s murder could be a trap as she goes up against a killer determined to write Allie’s epitaph.

***

4.5 stars

Allie finds her personal mentor and long time librarian nearly dead with a man hovering over her. Turns out she was poisoned by some tea she drank that is traced back to this same man's garden. Allie is almost sure he wouldn't have killed the woman and she makes it her personal mission to find the killer.

I really liked the dynamic of the police chief being her sister's ex and someone she grew up with. It make the sleuthing seem a bit easier since he was so understanding, most of the time. Some of these characters really resonated with me and I look forward to digging into the previous books in this series.

Considering how simple and straightforward the death seemed, the author was able to pull every ounce of drama out of the situation. I applaud that. Great book. If you love a good cozy mystery, definitely check this one out!

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

J.C Kenney
A Mysterious Mix Up.
I have enjoyed this third book with Allie and co.
Good mystery, love the family closeness.
Plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing.
Never saw that coming what a surprise!
Looking forward in reading the next in this series.
Many thanks to Lyrical Underground and NetGalley for advance copy for my honest review.

I wanted to like this book, and there were parts of it I did like, but Allie just came off as unlikeable for nearly the whole book. Snapping at her boyfriend, acting arrogant and bitchy...I couldn't relate to her. The story was interesting and the mystery was good and I was surprised by the killer. But I couldn't take any more of Allie by the end of the book. I loved the first book, and was a little bothered by Allie in the second book, and I was hoping in this book she would grow up a little, but she comes off as a spoiled, petulant baby in this third book.

A MYSTERIOUS MIX UP by J.C. Kenney is the third book in Allie Cobb cozy mystery series. The novel takes place in Indiana. It worked as a stand-alone novel for me, but I believe reading the previous books would likely add to a reader’s enjoyment of the novel. I rated this one 3.5 stars and rounded up to 4 stars.

In this story, Allie Cobb returns home from a book conference and is looking forward to time with her cat Ursula (Ursi), her boyfriend Brent and his dog Sammy. Brent managers the installation of genealogy departments in libraries around the state and volunteers at the local library as well. The librarian, Vicky Napier, has been Allie’s mentor since she was in school. Allie and Brent find Vicky almost dead on the library floor. Who would want to kill her when she is ready for retirement? Allie feels she has to find the culprit, especially when Brent is on the police suspect list. While trying to solve the case, she is also looking for an intern to help her in her literary agency and finds time to visit friends and family.

The writing is appealing and entertaining. Allie feels three-dimensional and has clear goals with believable motivations. The secondary characters were well-rounded and enhanced the story. There are several red herrings, but I did determine the real culprit ahead of the book reveal. Several themes are explored in this book including murder, the difficulties of running a small business, small town dynamics, friendship, family, and much more.

I enjoyed this well-written novel and recommend this series to those that enjoy cozy mysteries that include small towns and pets. This is the first novel that I have read by this author, and I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

Thanks to Kensington Books / Lyrical Underground and J.C. Kenney for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

I received a free copy of A MYSTERIOUS MIX UP (Book 3 of the Allie Cobb Mysteries) by J.C. Kenney in exchange for an honest review. Life is going well for Allie Cobb; she has a devoted boyfriend, a loving cat, and a flourishing publishing business. Allie is disappointed and saddened finds out that her long-time role model and personal hero Vicky Napier has abruptly decided to retire from her position as head librarian and is rushing to sell her house and move to Florida. However, Allie quickly decides to be happy for her friend and celebrate her retirement. When Allie shows up early to the library to surprise her Ms. Napier with some sweet treats, Allie discovers Ms. Napier has retired even earlier than expected; someone has murdered her. Though the evidence seems to weigh heavily towards the guilt of one individual, something bothers Allie about that scenario. Determined to avenge her friend, Allie embarks on a mission to find the real killer.

I enjoyed this book and like the series. I recommend this book to fans of J.C. Kenney, to fans of the series, and to those who enjoy cozy mysteries featuring small town life, books, and libraries.

#AMysteriousMixUp #NetGalley