This is the second of Cox’s books featuring Theo Bogart, a recent transplant from England who has moved to San Francisco to avoid a family tragedy and scandal that will not go away.
She now owns Aromas, which sells scented soaps and shampoos, But she is still concerned that her secrets are about to become public. When the neighbor she suspects is about to reveal her true identity is murdered, Theo decides to investigate in order to protect herself and her family.
This book is filled with quirky characters and has an unusual title. The title of the first book is “The Man on the Washing Machine,” so there’s a theme here. I do think reading the first book would have helped me know the players a bit better.

This was. DNF for me. There were too many references to book one that I was unaware about until I did some googl research. Honestly the book sounds very interesting and the plot is awesome. I need to go back and read book one to understand book two a bit more.

In this sequel to The Man in the Washing Machine, our heroine, Theo, is once again a lot of fun and her small neighborhood community of lovable and less lovable characters in San Francisco is once again my favorite aspect of the book. Her grandfather and his friends play an interesting role in this one, too. This was a very fast and enjoyable read, and it was fun to hang out with people who aren't having to take precautions and social distance in a pandemic. I look forward to future books in the series. (https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2077632906, also on Amazon.)

Longer, more nuanced review on GR: I was offered a copy of this by the publisher, and since I'd enjoyed the first volume of the series I was happy to accept. I would say it's probably a better read if you've finished the first book more recently than I had, because I spent the first half wondering how well I was supposed to remember the secondary characters, though they do establish themselves well enough for this to stand on its own. The heroine, Theo, is once again a lot of fun and her interactions with her small neighborhood community in San Francisco are once again my favorite part of the book. Her grandfather and his friends play an interesting role in this one, too. As for the plot ... well, it's creative, but I'm not really a big mystery reader and I figured out who it was really early. And I'll confess I was a bit annoyed when the heroine at one key point was pretty stupid even after she had her suspicions. Over all, though, this was a very fast and enjoyable read, and it was fun to hang out with people who aren't having to take precautions and social distance in a pandemic. I look forward to future books in the series. Disclaimer: I'm also Facebook friends with the author and I'll hope she'll forgive me for the four stars. On Goodreads I save the five stars for books I really do consider "amazing," not just really likeable. (less) (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3593788015?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1)

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC of Susan Cox’s The Man in the Microwave Oven. This is actually book 2 in the Theo Bogart Mysteries series, and it was so good I’m definitely going to read the first book. So in this book, you miss some of the back story of how Theo Bogart (who’s a woman, btw) ended up fleeing London with her extremely wealthy grandfather to live in San Francisco running a cute shop. But not reading the first book didn’t hinder the storyline of a couple of murders in her neighborhood that directly affected her family. Yada yada yada... Cold War spies, suspicious priests, a dead annoying neighbor. All in all, I’m glad this is a series because I’d like to hang out with Theo and her friends some more and solve more murders.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / The Man in the Microwave Oven by Susan Cox / Pages: 304 / Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers

This book was not what I expected. I will not publicly post a review.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

The Man In The Microwave Oven by Susan Cox

This story is a quirky mystery featuring San Francisco’s transplant, Theo Bogart. Fleeing from a murder and a family tragedy in her native England, Theo Bogart changed her name and built an undercover life vin a close knit San Francisco town. She didn’t expect to find friendships there. She didn’t know if she should have revealed the truth.

This is a somewhat complicated cozy mystery. It has many characters, some loved and some unruly. Too much description at times. You have to really focus while you are reading this book to keep all the characters sorted out. You learn traits about England and some from San FRancisco.

What a delightful cozy mystery. Theo Bogart has made a life for herself in San Francisco after leaving England due to a family tragedy. It seems like this gets covered in the first novel, but enough was hinted throughout that it was fine to be read as a standalone. Great setting, atmospheric San Fran neighborhood, quirky cast of characters and some dead bodies turning up. Theo, with the help of some of her friends, scurries around San Fran trying to solve the murders, from decrepit buildings to a strip club, all while running her small business and keeping an eye on the neighborhood. I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it to mystery lovers. It's a little more colorful and gory than a traditional cozy mystery but it has some of those characteristics. Can't wait to go back and read the first installment.

My husband hates the word “plopped.” I feel the same about “quirky” a ubiquitous word used in describing many, many cozies. But sometimes “quirky” (just like “plopped”) actually applies. In the case of Susan Cox’s Theo Bogart mysteries. I was surprised at almost every turn, and delightfully so, by the array of characters and situations presented by this obviously talented new writer. Quirky does apply.

This is book two in this series, the first one winning the Minotaur/Mystery Writers of America First Crime novel award, and it’s been a long time coming. The first novel, The Man on the Washing Machine, was published in 2015. Theophania Bogart is a poor little rich girl. She’s fled a terrible family tragedy back home in England, and landed in San Francisco, where she’s established a comfortable new life for herself.

She’s part of a small neighborhood within the city, and she’s a small business owner. Her store, “Aromas” sells high class soaps and lotions, and her best buddy, Nat, owns a coffee shop “The Coffee” down the street. The neighborhood is in a battle with a woman who wants to destroy their – yes, quirky – neighborhood with a tower of fancy condos. No one likes her. When Theo discovers her dead in her car one morning, she’s drawn into the investigation, as the woman’s death seems to touch many elements of her own life.

This sounds like a pretty standard cozy set-up, really, down to the adorable, classy English grandfather who has followed Theo to San Francisco. When a man who appears to be a Russian priest shows up in Theo’s shop looking for her grandfather shortly after the murder, and Theo reaches out to her grandfather, only to be told they must meet in person and not discuss this over the phone, the plot really becomes tricky.

Cox ties together a number of elements in this original and surprising narrative. She creates a cozy universe for her character – but it’s San Francisco, so her universe includes a homeless man, a priest running a day shelter, her gay coffee shop owning sidekick, and an assortment of neighbors as well as her employees. One of them is a computer whiz (and hacker) and one is getting through high school on his own despite the best efforts of his negligent father.

Then there’s Theo’s boyfriend, who is off at law school but who appears halfway through the book, stirring up all kinds of conflicting emotions for her. Her new friends don’t know about the notorious tragedy she’s fled from (spelled out, again, about halfway through) and she’s reluctant to expose her past and be tracked down by the world’s paparazzi.

Her grandfather turns out to have a surprising past of his own which reveals itself throughout the novel, which ties into the mystery. The mystery includes some body parts found in the microwave at the coffee shop, a disappearing homeless man, spies, Russian priests, an orphanage, and a main character who is finding herself through solving crimes. That last is the only actual traditional cozy element. Cox has more in common with, again, quirky writers like David Handler, Lawrence Block (in Bernie Rhodenbarr mode) or E.J. Copperman than she does with the traditional cozy universe. As a twist, her dog is cranky and there’s no cat to be seen anywhere (except for feral city cats).

As I read I was captivated, surprised, puzzled, delighted and all around beguiled by this book. I loved the characters, I loved the setting, I loved Theo and wanted to know more about her. I was impressed with the plotting which seems like a mish mash of elements until the talented Cox at last draws the threads together at the end. Clues were provided for the astute reader throughout, and I caught some, but not all, of them. What a great reading experience, one I hope will be repeated with another book sooner rather than later.

The first book in the Theo Bogart series, THE MAN ON THE WASHING MACHINE, was published in 2015, so this second one has been a long time coming. I had wondered if Susan Cox had given up on the series, but the acknowledgements in the second book mention a manuscript being stolen by a cat burglar and a necessity to start the book over, hence the delay. I am left wondering if this is truth or the continuation of a tongue-in-cheek mystery.

In either case, Susan Cox has a sense of humor that shines through even the darkest scenes in her mostly cozy Theo Bogart series. This time around, Theo has taken her role in her San Francisco community’s board seriously when she finds a much-despised condo developer dead in her Tesla on the side of the road. At the same time that she is appalled at the death, she is stymied as she attempts to determine whether the electric car is actually still running, providing comic relief. The developer, a lawyer by trade, had been threatening to blackmail Theo about her background, so Theo takes her death as an opportunity to retrieve the file being kept in the law office. Thus begins a mad-cap romp through San Francisco as she is chased by the killer and as more eccentric characters are introduced.

We learn more about her background and her grandfather than was revealed in book one, but Cox does not waste time going through the events of the first book, so for a fuller experience, I would recommend reading WASHING MACHINE before MICROWAVE OVEN. Nonetheless, THE MAN IN THE MICROWAVE OVEN can be read as a standalone. There is a great deal of quirkiness in this book, including a group of semi-retired spies, an obscure Ukrainian orphanage, a reclusive homeless man, a threatening priest, and as one might expect from a San Francisco location, a stereotypical gay coffee-shop owner.

Taking the two books as a whole, Theo is fairly well fleshed out. However, the majority of the characters in MICROWAVE OVEN do not rise above the level of caricature. That said, they are highly entertaining and their roles in Theo’s escapade move it along at a quick pace. There is an overall light tone to this book, in spite of several murders both realized and attempted. This book, and the series in general, is a lot of fun, providing a much-appreciated escape from reality.

This was an interesting mystery read. It was a little on the gory side, there was some language, contained a detailed strip club scene, and gay men googling over each other, but overall it was an ok story. I liked the main character, Theo. She was spunky, mysterious, and very observant. I also liked her grandfather, who used to be a spy, and his group of friends. They added a bit of quirkiness to the mix but worked great as a team. There were lots of suspects and motives to pick from. I was pretty certain who the killer was and the reason why they had to get Katrina out of the way but wasn't sure of the connection between Katrina and the other victim, the man in the microwave oven. At first, the story moved really slow, but it started to pick up after the grandfather introduces Theo to his spy friends. This is the second book of the series, but I read it as a stand-alone and it was fine to read it as such. I would recommend this book to die-hard mystery fans.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ebook. I did read the first book, The Man on the Washing Machine, which introduced and gave added depth to some of the characters in this book. It is helpful to have read that book but probably not absolutely necessary. I did enjoy this book but somewhat less than the first one. The ending is slightly ridiculous but no spoilers so I can’t explain. There is a bit of a cliff hanger at the end so I will likely read book three.

Theo Bogart has a mystery in her background.

In the beginning, Theo is dealing with an awful person who ends up being murdered and Theo finds the body.

Somehow I missed the debut mystery by Susan Cox, The Man on the Washing Machine and almost missed this one. It didn't take me long to remedy that. First, I had no trouble reading them out of order. Enough information was supplied about Theo's situation to let me enjoy The Man in the Microwave Oven. Theo has a major life secret and it's getting harder and harder to keep it secret. She has changed her name, bought an apartment building using a shell company and has opened Aromas where she sells essential oils, soaps and related bath items. Part of her secret is that she is wealthy and famous back home in England but tragedy struck her family and caused her to run to San Fransisco and a new life. That life should be good but there is one serious fly in the ointment. Real estate is very, very expensive and a most unpleasant neighborhood lawyer is trying to do a deal to build condos, threatening the local vibe. The woman knows how to find info on people so she can use it against them. She has a file on Theo and some of her friends. Was any of that the reason the woman is found dead in her Tesla at 5am not far from Theo's shop? Did one of Theo's neighbors bash her head in? When her employee, Davie and her grandfather are arrested for murder, Theo has to find the killer. There are more than a few things about her past and that of her grandfather that the police inspector doesn't know and Theo would like to keep it that way.
The first thing that hooked me was the pace of the writing and Theo's voice. It's smooth and kept me totally immersed in the story. The vivid setting of San Fransisco was a big plus. The mystery itself was very well crafted and had me guessing wrong more than once. I hope there will be future mysteries for Theo to solve and more information about her past. I'm holding a spot on my TBR list for them.
My thanks to the publisher, Minotaur Books and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

An entertaining and well written cozy mystery. Great plot and quirky characters. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

A charming and quirky mystery with a cozy atmosphere and colorful characters.

This was a lovely and quick read for cozy mystery lovers. I enjoyed the familial cast of characters in their San Francisco neighborhood and there were so many highlights of human decency and reminders to care for those around you. As an avid mystery reader, I found it well played out, but not a hugely shocking reveal at the end. The finale also came on a bit quickly, but I realize the focus here was more on environment and characters than suspense.

Overall, a quick and fun read that’s easy to pick up even if you missed the first one!

Second in a series set in San Francisco, Theo Bogart moved there from England to escape the press hounding her after the death of her parents. Reinventing herself, including the name, she originally meant to only stay a few months, but now a year later she’s adopted a dog, bought a building, started a business, made good friends and sits on the homeowners association. After a run in with the neighborhood nasty woman, Theo finds her dead the next morning in her car. With many suspects, Theo enlists the help of her grandfather and friend Nat.
A good cozy mystery, and I’m already looking forward to the third book

I gave this book 3.5 stars!

This title makes me giggle in itself because it is so unique. This series can’t be ignored because the titles and covers are so good. This series is a perfect blend of action, mystery, and entertainment. A lighter mystery that doesn’t require too much thinking.

The Man in the Microwave Oven is the second book of the series and it definitely picks up where book one, The Man on the Washing Machine, left off. My only complaint about the second book is I don’t think it can act as a standalone. There are so many characters and references to the first book that don’t include an explanation. I know that’s the point of a series, but I personally prefer an explanation to book one’s references!

This story is fast-paced with a lot of important moving parts that ends up tying together really well. It’s quirky and humorous that kept me on my feet.

But one of my favorite things about this series is that it takes place in San Francisco. After living there for three years, I enjoyed all the local references and knew exactly where the characters were at all times.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy series, this is for you.

Big thank you to Net Galley, Minotaur Books, and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

The Man in the Microwave Oven by Susan Cox 4 stars

This is the next book in a series featuring Theo Bogart. I'll confess I didn't read the first book, The Man on the Washing Machine, but I read an excerpt of this book in Cozy Case Files Volume 10 and had to ask for an ARC. The main character, Theo Bogart, runs a store (Aromas) in San Francisco. She has a lot of quirky neighbors and is a representative of the local neighborhood association. She happens to stumble on two dead bodies during the course of this book and has to solve the mystery because her grandfather ends up as a suspect for one of the murders.

I really enjoyed this book over a period of several evenings and laughed at a few of the scenes. The author got the color and character of the City By the Bay spot on. In fact, the city of San Francisco could be called an additional character. There is a mystery surrounding Theo and the author sets things up that even if you haven't read the first book, you are not lost. I look forward to the next book in this series and seeing Theo hit the next part of her life - co-habitation.

Thank you Netgalley and St, Martin's Press for this ARC.

The Man in the Microwave Oven is a fast-paced mystery set in San Francisco. The main character is Theo Bogart, a woman who fled London after her parents died suddenly and is living under an assumed name. Her backstory is explained somewhat in the book, so, even though I haven’t read the first book in this series, I got the gist of things pretty easily. Theo (short for Theophania) is the owner of a store that sells upscale soaps, shampoos, lotions and things of that sort. She is active in her neighborhood association. Her neighborhood is threatened by a planned condominium development and that provides the backdrop for this story. The story gets kind of convoluted with references to an orphanage in Ukraine, but it all works out in the end, of course. I’d call it a cozy mystery, in that Theo is trying to get to the bottom of a crime and she’s an amateur, but this is not your typical cozy mystery setup. Trouble seems to find her, as this is not the first crime she’s been involved in, in just the short amount of time she’s lived in this San Francisco neighborhood.

I enjoyed the many neighborhood characters and Theo’s grandfather and his “friends.” The lyrics of Dire Straits song about a microwave oven became an ear worm while I read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is the second book in the series. I felt I need to go back and read the first to truly understand the characters full story. Theo Bogart who has moved to San Francisco from England to get away from a troubled past. As she is settling in and deciding how much to share of her past life she finds a body in her Tesla. This is my first time reading a Susan Cox novel and it won’t be my last. The title alone catches your attention!
#TheManintheMicrowaveOven #NetGalley