Dressed Up 4 Murder by J. C. Eaton is the 6th book in the Sophie Kimball Mystery series, and another fun read. Sophie, “Phee” Kimball has moved in with boyfriend private detective boyfriend, Marshall, and things are going well. When Phees mom, Harriet, dog sniffs out a dead body, the mystery begins. Harriet is also showing her dog, Streetman, in the Precious Pooches Holiday Extravaganza. I love this series, this book made me laugh out loud, it was so funny. Once 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 funny cozy mysteries, which are my favorite, I strongly recommend this book/series, you won't be disappointed. 
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Dressed Up 4 Murder is the sixth book in J.C. Eaton’s (the husband and wife writing team of Ann I. Goldfarb and James E. Clapp) Sophie Kimball Mystery series and is a well-written, steady paced and humorous whodunit, with well-developed and likable (and often quirky) characters. This is a fast and fun read with lots of suspects, twists and turns, and red herrings to keep the reader engaged and guessing. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading fun, well-crafted cozy mysteries.

Sophie ‘Phee’ Kimball is a divorced, middle-aged mother of an adult daughter, who moved from Mankato, Minnesota to Peoria, Arizona. She’s the bookkeeper for her friend’s, Nate Williams, private investigation firm. Nate was a Mankato PD detective and brought in another Mankato PD investigator, Marshall Gregory. Unknown to each other, Phee and Marshall were attracted to each other, and now that he’s relocated to Arizona, they’ve been pursuing a relationship and are moving in together. Phee’s mother, Harriet Plunkett, lives in a retirement community in Sun City West, Arizona with her Chiweenie (chihuahua-dachshund), Streetman. Harriet, who entered Streetman in the Precious Pooches Holiday Extravaganza, is determined he will outshine the other competitors, and her friend, Shirley Johnson, who is a talented seamstress, makes elaborate costumes for him. While Phee is visiting with her mother, Streetman makes it known that he wants to go outside. Once outside, he heads directly to the neighbor’s patio, tugs at a tarp that is covering their grill and finds a body. The victim, who was poisoned, is identified as Cameron Tully, a seafood distributor. The sheriff’s department, which is stretched thin, is baffled by the case, and they hire Williams Investigations to help with the investigation. People tend to open up to Phee, so she helps Nate and Marshall track down the killer.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

J.C. Eaton's latest addition to the PI cozy “Sophie Kimball Mystery” series, Dressed Up 4 Murder from Kensington Books will transport readers into the world of obsessive dog owners. Phee has begun to think her mother has lost her mind where her Streetman is concerned, and she may not be wrong. No matter what, this book will delight animal lovers, and at the same time, terrify them.

This PI cozy gives readers a glance at a world that most think of as exciting and adventurous but, in reality, is mostly paperwork and tedium. And the dog competition business is the one that has all the action and excitement, not to mention the backstabbing and danger!

Phee and company are wonderfully charming characters that get more complex and lifelike with each new addition to the series. Working at a PI firm as an accountant shouldn’t involve getting involved in a murder investigation, but somehow, Phee keeps finding herself smack in the middle of one every time a body shows up. This time her mom finds the body, and Phee and the firm end up unmasking a very unexpected killer.

There are plenty of red herrings, twists and turns, action, and animal antics that will keep readers laughing and glued to their seats until the last page is turned. Phee and friends solve the murder and catch the bad guy in this enthralling PI cozy. I am happy to recommend Dressed Up 4 Murder and the entire series.

It’s the holiday season in Sun City West, the retirement community where most of the action in this series takes place. It starts with Halloween, moves rapidly to Thanksgiving and finishes off with Christmas.

What better way to celebrate the season than dressing up your dog to be a contestant in the Precious Pooches Holiday Extravaganza costume contest? At least, that is what Sophie Kimball (know to most as Phee) finds that is her mother’s way of celebrating the holidays.

Streeman, the dog in question, throws everything for a loop when he finds a dead body in the backyard of the house just behind his owner’s. Phee is brought in to investigate even though she is just an accountant at a private detective agency. That doesn’t make a bit of difference to her mother who insists Phee must have some investigative skills that rubbed off in the course of her work.

Phee, along with the detectives at the agency (including her main squeeze), are on the case. It gets bigger by leaps and bounds and the whodunnit is interesting and was not something that I had guessed though the clues were in place.

I must admit, the costumes of the dogs and the attitudes of their owners were what had me laughing throughout the book.

I’ve read this series from the beginning and will be looking forward to reading more in the future. This book can be read stand-alone but I highly suggest started from book 1 and reading forward to understand how the characters and the story line have progressed to the point where this book begins.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

Sophie is visiting her mother when Streetman finds a body under the neighbors grill. The book covers months worth of time as the mystery is pretty convoluted. The murderer isn’t who you think and there are several other people who are guilty of side issues that arise in the book.
The name of the book is due to a doggie dress up extraganza that occurs before Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Harriet is slightly annoying in this book.
Sophie and Marshall move in together.
This book will appeal to lovers of dogs who don’t mind dressing up dogs. The mystery is well done.
Take another visit to Sun City West.

I adored this book. Dressed Up 4 Murder' was hysterically funny, with delightful characters and a multi-layered mystery. There were so many twists and turns that I had convinced myself several times of the guilt of different characters. The relationship between Phee and Marshall is well done and Phee's interactions with her mom are exactly the right humorous tone. I can't wait for more!

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

I laughed a lot and found this read engrossing and entertaining.
It's a good story, great to meet again the cast of characters and read about the antics of Streetman.
The mystery was solid but I found the solution somehow rushed even if it didn't diminished my enjoyment of the story.
Can't wait to read the next instalment.
Recommended.
Many thanks Kensington Books and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I love this series. It takes place just upstate from where I currently live. I love the characters, the temperament of her mother’s friends, and the writing.

This story centers around events leading up to the St Patrick Day’s parade. There is a killer out there targeting pets and their owners that are participating in the contests to get their pet as the parade star.

The dialog is witty, Phee has a good head on her shoulders and can keep her mother’s friends at bay. I enjoy the interaction and the character development. As always, well-plotted and well-written.


I look forward to more antics in Sun City, AZ and the budding relationship of Phee and Marshall.

I was given an Advanced Reader’s Copy by Netgalley and the publisher and am not required to leave a positive review.

Did a contest for pets in costume lead to murder? That's a distinct possibility in this latest installment in a fun cozy series. Phee, newly living with her sweetie Marshall, finds herself investigating Cameron's murder at the behest of her mom, Harriet, who becomes really concerned when another competitor is also poisoned (but doesn't die). As usual, the dead man had more than few enemies but what about the others in the contest? As always, Phee, Harriett, and Harriett's friends in her senior living community are a hoot (without going over the top) and Marshall is a patient, good guy. You know, don't you, that Phee and company will work this one out and that Streetman, Harriet's dog, is going to do well in the contest. Doesn't matter because it's a good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Fans will enjoy it and if you haven't read the earlier ones- give this a try.

First in the series I’ve read. Jazzi helped Gaff by being there to comfort those who were connected to the murdered people. Enjoyed large family dynamics and double wedding. Plan to find previous novels and add to my must read list.

I'm in "book" love with this series! Every book I think it can't get better - and it does. In this latest adventure, Phee is trying to solve a murder, adjust to her new living status with Marshall, keep her mother and the ladies book club & characters from Sun West out of trouble and make sure Streetman, the opinionated chiweenie, gets a fair chance to win a holiday costume contest.

A fast-paced mystery with "red herrings" galore, this book has it all. Aside from the mystery, I love the relationship between Phee and her mother, residents of the senior living development and her office "family". I enjoyed the interaction between Phee, Marshall, Nate and the seniors in solving the crime. The background story of Streetman's costume contest is hilarious!

A keep you guessing mystery with heart and humor you'll love!

I received an ARC from NetGalley for a fair and honest review of this book.

4.5 Stars

This is the sixth book in the Sophie Kimball mystery series by J.C. Eaton.

What a hoot this was! Sophie’s mother, Harriett and her little doggie Streetman find a dead body underneath the grill at her neighbor’s house. The neighbors are snowbirds and currently out of town. Harriett is keeping an eye on their house for them. She pulls her daughter in to investigate so she can focus on her dog show priorities. Her goal is to win the trifecta of dog shows so she and Streetman can win a sweet prize.

It was funny reading this at times. Ironic funny. The cops and Phee would have the clue right in hand and then would discard the idea, move to a different theory and then later come back with a “DOH!” look on their faces.

The extremes to which Phee’s mother is so obsessed with her dog says a lot about why Phee keeps trying to distance herself from her mother and the book club girls.

The mystery in this is multi-layered and was sometimes a bit of a mind bender trying to figure out which aspect of the investigation they were trying to solve.

I enjoyed the heck out of this and look forward to other books in this series!

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

It is always so much fun to dive into this series! I always know it's going to be filled with some great laugh out loud moments!

The holidays have arrived at Sun City West and they are having a pet contest for each month from October to Christmas and of course Phee's mother is entering Streetman! I just adore that ornery dog...lol.

Phee is over at her mother's listening to everything that is going to be happening with the pet palooza contest and Streetman keeps acting like he wants to outside, finally they let him out and he heads straight for the neighbors tarped grill. He knew something was under that tarp and it happened to have been a body.

Phee is more than happy to let the detectives do their thing and figure who murdered the man, but then a woman from the dog park is poisoned too but not fatally and her mother offers up Phee's services. Since the PI firm has gotten involved anyway Phee decided to try and figure out some things. There seems to be a lot of motives for why the man was murdered but they are having a hard time trying to pinpoint a killer.

I think this is the first cozy that I have ever had where they didn't figure things out within a week or two. This one went all the way through till after Christmas. I am sure that is so we could get Streetman in all his contest glory but it seemed a bit stretched out at times. I had most of it  figured out by there was still some things that I didn't but the author sure where throwing me for a loop trying to guess things. :)

As always all the characters in this story where great! I am glad that Phee and Marshal are taking steps in their relationship by getting place together and that he really is good with humoring her mother. The others at Sun City West where just as fun as always too, I think they are probably some of my favorite seniors.

So I am going to nitpick here. My one gripe would be that the cover doesn't go with the story, well technically it goes with the epilogue, but still that is just a chapter. I think the cover should have Streetman in either his dracula, acorn or mouse king costumes since it has more to do with those holidays than a short section about St. Patrick's day. Like I said nitpicking and I think the cover would have been even cuter with Streetman in a dracula outfit! Though it's still cute. :)

If you love your cozies with lots of humor then you will love this series and you need to try it as it's one of my favorites so highly recommend!

Phee and her mother Harriet are ready to make you laugh out loud in this newest addition to the series, Dressed Up 4 Murder.
Harriet is determined to enter her favorite pooch Streetman in the Precious Pooches Holiday Extravaganza costume events. Unfortunately for Phee, a simple visit with her mother leads to a disastrous discovery when Streetman discovers a body under the neighbors gas grill.
Between preparing for the costume events, and worried that there is a serial killer in her neighborhood, Harriet is going full tilt, which drives Phee crazy. Phee and her significant other, Marshall, soon begin to dig in, searching for clues while attending the costume contests.

This book had several laugh out loud moments, but I did miss the normal shenanigans Harriet gets involved in.
Be sure to grab your copy on February 25, 2020.
#DressedUp4Murder #NetGalley

I really like the interactions between the characters. We have less interactions with the minor characters (book club ladies), but more between Phee and Marshall. I still enjoy the setting as I have some familiarity with that area of Arizona. Either Phee's mother has toned down a little or I have gotten used to her.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

IN this latest installment of the Booked 4 murder club, Phee happens to be with her mother when the dog finds a body. This leads to her involvement in solving the murder. The agency where she works gets brought in to help as well. Interspersed throughout the story we get hilarious clips about the adventures of her retired mother and the dog, Streetman. There are costume contests involving the dogs and drama about winning. I did feel that by the end of the book, the mystery had been drawn out too long. Perhaps that made it more realistic of a timeframe, but it dragged a bit towards the end. The conclusion had lots of action however, and the perpetrator is not an obvious choice. I do like reading about the area since I have family there and am familiar with lots of the places mentioned.

This is a fun book. The animals in it are so cute. The pet parades are really something else. I really liked the way the relationships and characters are portrayed. The mysteries were plentiful with lots of twists and turns, and I liked that it took time to solve everything not like a tv show where in a couple of days everything is fixed. I would definitely read the next book in the series. #DressedUp4Murder #NetGalley

Having read only one other in this series, it seems like this book was missing a bit in the fun that adds so much to a story. I hope the author brings the mom and senior center back into future books more.

The 6th installment in this series and it does seem to lack some of the fun loving antics from Phee’s Mother and at her senior center. Phee’s mother’s dog Streetman is entered in a doggie costume contest (Precious Pooches Doggie Extravaganza) and when Phee is visiting he finds a dead body under a grill. The body is a seafood distributor who ingested a poison and also had a dog entered in the contest. The police hire Phee and Marshall’s firm so she is helping her Mom while getting paid and the joy of watching all these doggie costume contests. When another contestant’s owner is also poisoned but lives you begin to wonder what is up with this contest. There are other options in the victims life that offers clues as well. This was good but I have to say I missed Aunt Ina (who appears later in the book) antics and many of the other seniors. Still a solid installment but I like the zany antics of Harriet (Phee’s Mom) and her friends. 3.5 stars to 4 stars

2 stars only because I didn't have the heart to give this book the one star it truly deserves.
Dressed Up 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton starts off so well with crazy deluded dog Streetman finding a dead man on a neighbors porch under a grill. Unfortunately, the rest of the book was predictable and a tad boring.

The whole story felt a bit rushed. It seems with some series, the author eventually starts assuming the fun parts of his books are no longer needed and begins to neglect needed details or fun parts of the series. For example, the book club members barely made an appearance, there were no hilarious book club meetings, Phee's mom is relatively normal and her crazy Aunt Ina didn’t show up until 64% into the book. I thoroughly enjoyed those plot points in prior books and I missed it in this book. The ending of the book came abruptly and was a complete letdown and absolutely ridiculous.
I am really disappointed in this book. I loved all the other books in this series but this one. I am starting to rethink reading this author. The last two books I have read of his, this one and the last one in his Allie Cobb series were lackluster at best. It is quite disappointing.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. The views given are my own.