Fantastic cozy mystery, lovable characters, great story lines, etc. Highly recommend to all mystery lovers,

This is my favorite series being from Arizona and knowing locations and such it made it more enjoyable. I have recommended this series to family and friends and even seen author in person

Combine 2 retired cops turned Private Investigators, their bookkeeper who happens to be engaged to one of them, her mother and eccentric aunt, the mother's friends and neighbors in an Arizona retirement community, a murder, horse theft and immigrant smuggling along the U.S./Mexico border and you have a very unique mystery novel - Saddled Up 4 Murder the latest in J. C. Eaton's Booked 4 Murder Mystery Series.

Within this book, the author tackles a number of social issues as well as providing an intriguing mystery that is engaging and provides a number of plot twists, motives, suspects and subplots that leaves the reader guessing until the end. This book also provides a very unique final revelation scene that involves all the primary characters as well as a variety of law enforcement personnel and agencies. I found this book highly entertaining and informative and look forward to more books in this series.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing and am voluntarily leaving this review

Sophie Kimball rides again! Phee is one of my favorite characters and Steadman; her Mom’s/Harriet’s dog; is my favorite neurotic little cozy companion! The hijinks of this crew will keep you in stitches, as once again Phee is beseeched by her mother Harriet, and the book club ladies, to solve the mysterious death of the Deli Witch before club member Louise is hauled off to jail or worse, it negatively affects the Bye Bye Birdie event and Harriet’s chance to appear on Sonoran Living. One interesting fact to note about Sophie Kimball mysteries is that there are always two mysteries taking place, the dire peril as perceived by Harriet and the more legitimate case being investigated by Williams Investigations by Marshall Gregory (Phee’s fiancé) and Nate Williams. This time to Williams Investigations team is on the hunt for horse thieves and apparently that crime falls under jurisdiction of the agricultural department, go figure! The (usually) local mystery that Phee takes on often involves information gathering in the most unusual places, such as the dog park in the wee hours of the morning, and talking to the most unusual of people such as a group of Wiccan’s courtesy of her Aunt Ina. Thank goodness for Dunkin Donuts coffee for the early morning sleuthing and places like the Angry Crab Shack for decompressing with a friend while munching on lobster crostini (my choice for inspired cozy/food pairing). This series is highly entertaining and will keep you enthralled on each page as you literally laugh out loud and shake your head, much like Phee.

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Phee Kimball has been roped into investigating another murder. The town grump has been killed at the library. She was in the stairwell to the bell tower. Now the tower is a crime scene Phee's mother is worried they won't be able to have a festival to see off all the snowbirds. And what her mother wants, her mother gets.

This is a fun story with lots of quirky characters. Animals that could drive a person crazy as well. Phee must deal with her mother, her mother's dog, and her mother's book club friends. She worries about the older women and the animals and tries to keep everything under control.

I love stories in set in small communities and with animals. This fits both items on my check list. The characters are fun and quirky. The book is easy to read but kept my attention. I kept trying to guess who was the murderer and who was stealing the horses. I would read another book in this series.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

There are a few things I know for sure when I pick up a cozy mystery from this series. First, there will be many opportunities to laugh. A lot. Especially at the antics of Phee’s mother Harriet and her neurotic dog, Streetman. Others are that the mystery will be more complex than anticipated, and no matter who I think the bad guy is, plot twists will prove me wrong. These things hold true in Saddled Up 4 Murder, set in one of Arizona’s active adult cities, Sun City West.

Phee moved to the Phoenix area a couple years ago and now works for Nate, a detective she worked with in the Mankato, Minnesota police department. He opened a PI firm in Glendale. Her fiancé, Marshall, is also from the Mankato PD, and is now Nate’s partner. Phee is the bookkeeper/ accountant, as she had been in Mankato, and the self-described queen of snooping around.

Harriet and her friends have a book club called Booked 4 Murder. Somehow, people get murdered around Harriet and her friends and Phee gets dragged into the middle of them. Sometimes she genuinely wants to protect her mother, and other times she is guilted into snooping around. The sheriff’s department sometimes hires Nate and Marshall’s firm to consult when their manpower isn’t sufficient, so they – and most people around Phee – are well acquainted with Harriet and Streetman.

Nate and Marshall have been hired by the owner of a five-star dude ranch to find who stole three of his trail horses. As they talk with the rancher’s neighbors, they learn that others have also had trail horses disappear. Soon they are tracking horses from around the state.

Harriet called Phee regarding the murder of Billie, nicknamed the deli-witch. She was a crabby woman who worked at the deli counter of a local grocery store. Harriet’s friend Lucinda regularly did doctor-advised stair exercises, going up and down the stairs of the library bell tower. One morning Billie pushed Lucinda out of the way as she blew up the stairs to do her exercises. After Lucinda went into the library, Billie was found dead at the bottom of the stairs. Exams prove that Billie had not fallen by accident. An altercation had sent her to the bottom. Lucinda was not a suspect in Billie’s death. She is afraid to stay alone, however, after being pushed in front of a line of cars, thinking the killer saw her and wants to silence her.

Harriet also wants the killer found, and not just for her friend’s peace of mind. The annual Bye Bye Birdie event, in which they celebrate the winter visitors going home, is imminent. Harriet and two friends will make announcements from the bell tower. A local TV show, Sonoran Living, will be there to film a balloon release from the bell tower, and Harriet wants her moment on the air. If the bell tower remains closed, Harriet won’t be on TV. Since Phee has helped solve other murders, she wants Phee to get involved again. While Nate and Marshall are meeting with people around the state whose trail horses have been stolen, Phee is trying to solve a murder.

I love how well the characters have been developed throughout the series; I can almost hear and see Harriet and her book club friends. Despite being closer to Harriet’s age than Phee’s, I have much empathy for what she goes through to keep peace with her mother. Even those who are in this mystery only are defined with excellence. One of my favorite lines is about Billie, who “didn’t ruffle people’s feathers, she plucked them out one by one.”

Billie made many enemies since moving to Sun City West, due in part to her rudeness to the deli customers. Phee has many leads to follow, from former co-workers to the people in the Boomers’ Club and each activity group Billie was part of. Phee even went to a festival where wicca covens were celebrating beltane. There were many LOL moments before the bad guys were caught, but the resolution had some huge surprises and was completely satisfactory. While some of the occurrences were a bit far-fetched, this mystery is a delightful escape in the Southwest desert, and I highly recommend it!

Phee's mother was a pain, but their love was a tight bond. She found herself roped into investigating a murder hampering her mother’s scene. It was a somewhat hilarious, intriguing cozy. Phee’s mother and elderly friends' lives were a beehive of activities daily, and with the murder, it has become even busier.

Saddled Up 4 Murder

by J.C. Eaton

Sophie (Phee) Kimball is an accountant for Williams Investigations in Glendale, Arizona. She often finds herself unofficially in the middle of murder investigations at the urging (make that insistence) of her mother and her mother’s friends who all live in the popular retirement area of Sun City West. As usual, Phee’s trying to work around the seniors, and their involvement in her investigation is always a source of humor.

In Saddled Up 4 Murder, there are dual mystery threads. Billie, a very unpleasant deli worker, is murdered. Sophie needs to find the perpetrator before one of the elderly ladies who was in the area at the time of the murder is attacked to silence her. Also, and very importantly, the Bye, Bye Birdie Festival is coming up soon when the full-time residents say farewell to the snowbirds. They have a deadline for purchasing balloons for the event and Phee’s mother wants it to be such a success that she gets interviewed on TV. None of this can happen if the crime scene remains cordoned off with yellow tape. The other thread is a string of horses being stolen. Nate, the owner of the detective agency and Marshall, Phee’s fiancé, are hired to track down the horse thieves. It is a hard job given the large area of rugged land they need to cover. In addition, there is no clear motive as these are not expensive race or breeding horses; they come from ranches all over Arizona.

At first I was a little irritated by the amount of time spent in the book on the lack of cellular connectivity and the trouble it causes. Upon further thought, having lived in the West for over 30 years (i.e. since before there were cell phones), I realized that their connection problems were actually very realistic and, in this case, pertinent to the plot. So often I see shows where the main characters are out in the middle of nowhere and have cell phone service. Even in 2022, that is not a realistic scenario.

As always with a J.C. Eaton cozy, the mystery is solid, the descriptions are on target, the characters come alive, and both the situations and dialogue are funny. No Sophie Kimball mystery would be complete without Phee’s mother’s dog, Streetman. The little Chiweenie plays a major role in this book! So, put on your cowboy hat and boots and saddle up for a fun, western cozy mystery.

I would like to extend my thanks to NetGalley and to Beyond the Page Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: 1. #9 in the Sophie Kimball Mystery Series, but could be read as a standalone.
2. Only found in this book in the series, there is a large gathering of several Wiccan covens which is depicted as a fun, family festival. I was uncomfortable with the involvement of the occult. In the book their role and actions are only positive, but I found that to be a deceptive and naive viewpoint. I hope this is an isolated inclusion of a Wiccan event, and I don’t expect this theme to appear in future books in the series.

Publication: March 15, 2022—Beyond the Page Publishing

Memorable Lines:

“What about the field rep from the Department of Agriculture?” “About as useful as a toad on an iceberg.”

“Did you say finagling? Don’t you mean breaking and entering? Good grief! That’s the most preposterous thing you’ve come up with. Compared to that, the other two plans look like masterpieces.”

…people who hide important items sometimes stick them in their freezers. The exception being my mother. There was a no room under those layers of frozen dinners, cookies that had passed their expiration dates, boxes of matzo that had crossed the Red Sea with Moses, and ice cream that had crystalized.

I have enjoyed this series for several years although I have not read all the entries. Although Phee and her entourage went out of town, the usual gang still appeared in the story.
The round up at the end was funny as was the final conclusion in the epilogue. I hope the next book will be the wedding.

I love this series and Streetman stills the show in this book! When he rounds bits that guy I was laughing so hard!!! Another fun book in this series!!

I have to admit, this wasn't my favorite cozy.
I thought the "deli-witch" thing was a little absurd and the way things came together a bit far fetched.
I know we're talking about cozies here, but it just didn't ring true enough for me.

While I like the MC, Phee, I found some of the other characters a little over-the-top and irritating.
I really didn't understand the whole bit about her not liking her mother's dog much.
While I wasn't fond of the whole "amorous pursuits" of his, I think the illustration of him on the cover is adorable.
I also thought his battle with the Roomba was one of the book's redeeming moments.

I wasn't enthused by the retirement community setting.
This may be because I'm 24, and my experiences with retirement homes are connected to a lot of painful memories, although I guess this was supposed to be more like The Villages or something than the facilities I've spent a lot of time around.
I did like the Beltane setting. I thought that was a pleasant and interesting touch.
I did *not* like some of the remarks here and there about immigration, though I might be reading too far into that.

I'm also very curious to know what the "4" in all the titles is about. I'm still not sure about that.

This is the first instalment I read from this series, and it was easy to follow. Loved the characters and the cozy mystery plot. Funny, entertaining and relaxing read.

What a fun read!

At Bagels 'n More, Phee is listening to her mom and her book club ladies discuss the deli-witch. A mean woman by the name of Billie C, who spreads her ill-temper beyond the supermarket deli. Louise's encounters with her involve force.

Phee's fiance and boss are called in to investigate horse thievery, which pulls them out of town. When Phee gets notified by her mom, that the deli-witch is dead and someone saw Louise leaving the tower right before Billie was found. With pressure from her mother, who is worried about her big moment being ruined if the killer isn't caught, Phee finds herself doing some sleuthing of her own.

I was intrigued by Phee's Aunt Ina who seemed like a free spirit. I laughed about the Roomba and Streetman incident that would be a rude awakening! Streetman deserved his cowboy attire after his heroic endeavor. I enjoyed knowing what Phee was thinking in her head with her quips added in. Good mystery with some humor!

I received an ARC from NetGalley via Beyond The Page Publishing and I voluntarily reviewed this book.

Saddled Up 4 Murder was just the book I needed to get me out of a reading slump. It was hilariously funny there were so many parts that had me laughing out loud. Also being from the Phoenix area I love how the author stayed true to Sun City West and the surrounding cities. I even discovered there was a street named after my dog Meekers. I'm particularly found of Steetman who's cover photo looks like my other dog Vinny. I'm going to have to go back and read the other books in the series because if they are half as good as this one I'm truly missing out.

This is my first time reading a Sophie Kimball mystery and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The writing was enjoyable and the story kept me enthralled the whole way through. The way that Phee converses with her mother and the rest of the characters kept me entertained and I wanted to know what happens next.

The whole way through I was coming up with new theories about what could have happened before finally getting to the end.

All in all it was a great book and I am now going to read more of the Sophie Kimball series.

Thankyou to NetGalley and Beyond The Page Publishing for this advance copy in return for an honest review.

With a killer on the loose and horse thieves plaguing the area, it’s up to Sophie “Phee” Kimball to corral the clues and bring an outlaw to justice . . .

Spring is in the air as Sun City West gears up for its annual Bye Bye Birdie festivities, when residents bid a fond farewell to the snowbirds and happily reclaim the town for themselves. But planning comes to a screeching halt when the town curmudgeon plummets to her death from the library bell tower and sheriff’s deputies suspect foul play. With the celebration on hold—and Phee’s mother worried that she won’t get her moment in the spotlight on a local TV show slated to cover the event—Phee is thrust into the role of sleuth once again to find the killer.

As Phee soon discovers, there’s no love lost between the town and the unfortunate victim, and with the clock ticking and virtually everyone a potential suspect, she’s got her work cut out for her. Then a passel of horseflesh goes missing, and Phee starts to think the two crimes might be connected. With the town on edge and high noon approaching, she’ll have to wrangle with a band of daring desperados and lasso a lawbreaker who’s dead set on sending her to boot hill

This is my first time reading this series. I really enjoyed it. Phee is a bookkeeper for a private investigation firm, where her boyfriend is an investigator, is coerced by her mother into investigating the murder of a woman known as the Deli-witch. .Phee's boyfriend and his partner are investigating another crime out of town so Phee is on her own. I loved the banter between Phee and Alberta the office manager. My only complaint is Phee's mother she is ridiculous.

My third in this series although it is the ninth instalment, Sophie Kimball (aka Phee), an accountant/bookkeeper working for a private investigative agency, Williams Investigations, makes a great amateur sleuth. Its approaching Spring and preparations for the annual Bye Bye Birdie festivities, an event that marks the departure north and east for the "snowbirds", are underway. Phee gets herself involved when the town's "deli-witch", Billie C, falls from the bell tower. But did she fall or was she pushed? And what about the stolen horses?

Set in Sun City West, Arizona, Saddled Up 4 Murder was well-crafted, swift-paced, witty and thoroughly entertaining. The mystery was very engaging and I was kept guessing in this lively yarn of surprises. There are quite a few instalments for me to catch up on and I can’t wait to visit Phee and her mum's little dog, called Streetman, in Sun City again. There might even be a wedding in the offing - who knows? Very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. Lots of plot twists and plenty of red herrings. I had to keep changing my mind on who I thought the murderer really was. In the end, it ended up being the person that I had originally thought. However, I enjoyed all of the rigamarole getting to that conclusion. You never knew from which moment to the next where it was going.

This was my first book out of this series, and it definitely kept my attention enough to want to check out the other previous books. Sophie was a very likeable character and I think I would enjoy her boyfriend a lot more once I get to see him more in books. So, I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book.

I loved the story. It is something original that you don't think about as much anymore as you used to have to in the past. I mean, who knew that people still stole horses? Sophie's mom and aunt were great. They had so much character that it was hard not to like them, even though it seemed like they got on Sophie's nerves from time to time. I really liked them a lot. Especially Streetman. I am a sucker for animals in general. Especially dachshunds.

Just a fun time all around to be had by anyone who reads this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves mysteries and adventures.

Thanks to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for the ability to read this book. All opinions are honest and are mine alone.