Reviews say Reading Between the Crimes by Kate Young is Perfect for fans of Ellery Adams and Kate Carlisle and I agree! This is the second entry into the Jane Doe book series and it was an enjoyable read. I would say this is just a tiny bit more intense than other cozy mysteries but if you're a wimp like me, it won't keep you at night. It was dramatic and fun.

While I wanted to enjoy this cozy mystery, there was too much telling and not showing going on within the first few chapters for me to immerse myself fully into the story. Although, I enjoyed the author's dialogue and her vivid descriptions, the telling as well as massive info-dumps couldn't keep me reading past Chapter 4. Despite the fact that this book wasn't for me, I can see other people enjoying it.

A cozy mystery set in Georgia, this is the second of a series. Lyla is a private investigator who works for her Uncle. When a dead body is found in her mother’s house during a charity event, Lyla becomes involved along with the rest of the Jane Doe mystery book club. The main suspect is the dead man’s wife who was part of the book club. It was a decent mystery but the start was a bit slow. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Riveted is the only way to describe my last two days of reading. I could not put this down, even while I brushed my teeth, I needed to know what was going to happen next. Lyla Moody is no stranger to mystery, she works for her private detective Uncle, is part of murder mystery book group called The Jane Does, and solved a case or two. This time instead of the murder winding up on her doorstep, it takes place in her parents’ library. If you aren’t hooked yet, add a dash of Southern hospitality, some steel magnolia qualities, and the unquenchable urge to right the wrong. Emotions run high and family history will be dug up no matter how improper Lyla’s Mother considers it or how much Uncle Calvin tries to avoid it. Suspects seemed obvious but that was only part of the story, and what a convoluted and wild story it turned out to be. Find a comfortable place to read and hold on because this is going to be a wild read/ride!

What a fun cozy mystery that is full of character, sass, and southern ladies that are determined to solve the crime and defend their friend, against all evidence.
I loved how much this novel leaned into the small town, southern culture, while also making Lyla an independent, hard working, and modern woman.
And that ending! I had some of the pieces but not all, and I certainly hadn’t put it all together by the end, marking this book as having one of the hallmarks of a good mystery - a surprising ending.
I need to go back and read book one now, and I sure hope that Lyla and the Jane Doe Book Club show up for another book in the series!

This novel took a bit of time to get into, but the concept of a reading group always interests me. I did not read the first one in this series, so this was my first introduction to the characters. It certainly had its twists and turns, although it was not really what I expected after reading the description, and it took me a long time to get into it. Not sure if I will continue with the series.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Although it took a little while, I was drawn into this book and found it very hard to put down. I found the characters interesting and I liked the range of ages of the characters.

The mystery was well-crafted with just enough twists and turns. I may have to read the first one in the series!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I enjoyed this one quite a lot. It held up well as a standalone. It was well written and well paced. The plot was interesting and kept me guessing. I actually thought that this story was darker than I am used to in my cozy mysteries (not a complaint, just an observation). The characters were likable overall, and the ending was satisfactory. That said, I felt like the ending was a little rushed and it left us with some loose ends. Overall though, I will definitely keep my eyes peeled for the next book in this series.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

2.5 rounded to 3⭐️

A fun cozy mystery series, this one definitely has some of the most memorable characters! I LOVE the Granny in this one, she is so funny (and there is one part that has me laughing so hard!)

This book definitely did not end how I expected (not a bad thing at all!), however I did find it was longer than it needed to be and didn’t hold my attention as well as the first one. I do like that the main character is a PI, so she actually has some resources at her disposal, and this one has a more personal twist to it!

All in all it was fun! Pick it up and see what you think!

Thank you to Netgalley, Kate Young, and Crooked Lane Books for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!!!

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught!

OMG, this book had me googled-eyed to its pages, wowee it was good. Hoodwinked, betrayed, and out-think, this book sure had it all. What a tangled web of lies and deceit, but Lyla didn’t allow herself to lose hope concerning the truth and her family. She vowed they would conquer through it all, and by gosh, what a toss-up it was. It was intriguing, and I don’t mind saying gripping, thrilling, exciting, captivating, and downright all-out entertaining.

This is the second in a cozy mystery series but read fine on its own. Lyla is again our sleuth. She is not supposed to be so amateur this time as she is now employed by her uncle in his investigations business. When a guest is found murdered at her parents' home during one of her mother's fundraisers, Lyla is on the case.

This mystery has a great deal of family history involved. Some of it has to do with the motive for the murder but much of it seems to be there for Lyla to discover. I am not sure I understand all of the outcome and the reasons behind the complex plan that included the murder.

I do like the idea of a reading group that concentrates on mysteries and then gets involved in solving them. And I like the quirky grandma character, arriving at the book discussion meeting with helmet hair. A good mystery if you pay particular attention to all the family history being revealed bit by bit.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Reading Between the Crimes is the second book in the Jane Doe Book Club Mystery series. I personally had not read the previous book in the series and while there were moments where I certainly did get the impression that perhaps references were made to something that was from that first book, it in no way impacted my understanding or enjoyment of this story.

When I picked up this book, I actually expected it to be much more Halloween centered after reading the description. Had that been the reason I'd picked it out (and not just picked it out at the time that I did), I might have found myself just a bit disappointed, as there was really no reference to the holiday at all that I recalled--- perhaps just one reference to the month? Not a huge deal to me, but it certainly was a little different that what I was expecting. Still, I did find it to be a rather entertaining cozy mystery filled with loads of secrets and a houseful of quirky characters and suspects to get to know.

Because I do primarily read and review Christian read, I will say that this would certainly not fall into that category. As a cozy mystery, it was an overall clean read, but did have some language throughout. I didn't think it was overkill, but certainly more than I do typically tend to prefer in the books I read personally. Still, an enjoyable read nonetheless and one that fans of cozy mysteries are sure to want to check out.

**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

I enjoyed the first one in this series so much that I was excited to read this one. Unfortunately, I found this one very slow and it didn't hold my interest nearly as much. I loved Lyla as the strong, sensible PI-in-training, and her cast of supporting characters. The story itself took so long to get going and the real action doesn't happen until the last 5% of the book which left me struggling to get there. There are several references made to Agatha Christie and her novel, Crooked House. I'm not a fan of her work so maybe that's where the issue was. Still, I will try the next one to see if maybe this particular one just wasn't for me.

This is the first book by Kate Young that I have read and I really enjoyed it.
👉All the twists and turns kept me guessing what would come next. Probably why I read it in just one sitting!
👉I could really relate to the characters and had fun following along on their adventure.
👉Adding in the bit about their food delicacies helped me enjoy it even more as I am a foody for sure.
👉I really liked that this did not have to be read in any special order. I easily followed it without having to read book one in the series.
👉All in all, this was a excellent cozy mystery and I am going to get book one and three to read right now!

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the chance to provide a honest review!

I read the first book of this series and was curious about a couple of aspects of story arcs that were hinted about in the book.
In the first book, we were introduced to the lead protagonist, a woman trying to make a life for herself against all her mother's efforts to make her a more genteel woman. She works in her uncle's PI agency and is also absorbed in helping her now-boyfriend solve more 'Jane Doe' cases. The latter part does not show up in this instalment since she has a lot more to worry herself about.
The core plot at the centre of the story is a little deeper and darker than I imagined and expected it to be. It is not an issue per se, but the tone of the rest of the book and the characters themselves talk in such a way that it was unexpected. I liked the unfolding of the events and the twists that were incorporated within the narrative.
The writing continues to be similar to the previous one, and the interaction between characters makes this work. I am not sure I will be continuing with the series, though, since I am not awed by the future possibilities of what these characters will experience.
I would recommend it to followers of the genre since it does contain something different.
I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

This is a great installment in the Jane Doe Book Club Series. The writing was wonderful and well paced. The setting and characters were delightful, and I cannot wait for the next book!

If I thought book one of this series was fantastic, book two just blew it completely out of the water!
Although (to me), this was a little darker than the typical cozy mystery, each page drew me further into a tangled web of murder, investigation, family, and deceit. The references to a classic whodunit by the queen of mystery herself, Agatha Christie, has me adding yet another title to my TBR list. The characters are well written, with a depth that only grows as the tale unfolds. And that ending? Nope- did not see that coming at all, which I count as an earmark of a wonderful mystery. Once again I find myself eagerly awaiting the next book in this amazing series!

At the beginning of the second chapter the book club started to discuss their current read -- Agatha Christie's Crooked House. Somehow it was still on my ever-expanding TBR so I immediately grabbed a copy and read with great delight so as to not have the book club spoil anything for me.

I am ridiculously glad that I did.

You could, I suppose, read one without the other. I wouldn't, though. Crooked House ties heavily into Reading Between the Crimes. Even if it didn't, why would you not take the excuse to read another book? I am more than okay with any excuse to read more -- especially when the "more" involved is Agatha Christie.
....
On the surface, the Jane Doe Book Club series might look and sound like a typical cozy. I knew not far into the first one that this is definitely not the case. It's cozy and suspense and psychological thriller all mish-mashed together ... kind of like the crooked house. I loved the first book -- On Borrowed Crime. The main character in the series is Lyla Moody. Lyla works for her private investigator uncle, has an ex-boyfriend who happens to be the Chief of Police, a current boyfriend who happens to be a Special Agent, a tight-knit group of friends who are also fans of mystery books and true-crime tales, and gets caught up under a very similiar dark "whodunnit" cloud when the husband of book club member and dear friend, Harper, is found murdered in the library of Lyla's family home.

There are many similarities between this case and the case in Crooked House, so Lyla (and her friends) use the book as a sort of guide to help them help Harper. Hence, my whole read them both (with Agatha first) plea. It's for your own good. And, again, why would you not take the excuse to read another book?

"Reading Between the Crimes" by Kate Young is a great take on the cozy mystery genre. I enjoyed this second entry in the author's series.