I am grateful for the opportunity to read #CrimefortheBooks by Kate Young, provided by #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks.
I was drawn in by the beautiful cover, bookish title, and intriguing description. However, once I started reading my interest quickly waned.
I found the first four chapters to be disjointed, and by the end of the fourth chapter (10% according to Kindle), I had lost all interest in progressing. The characters didn't draw me in, nor did the setting descriptions or dialogue. Once I put down the book, I couldn't force myself to pick it up again. Perhaps it is because I hadn't read any of the previous books in the series.
Ultimately, I decided to put this one in the did not finish pile.

I will leave a review on Amazon and B&N on Oct 11th

Crime For the Books is the third book in the Jane Doe Book Club series, and as the previous books in the series this is a very enjoyable read. We reconnect with Lyla and the members of her book club; things get interesting quickly as the read the book. As a unexpected murder takes place, we see Lyla and her friends at times doubting each other. Lots of twists and turns to this mystery, which I definitely would recommend to others.

Thanks to Kate Young, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an advance review copy. The opinion expressed here are all my own.

During a murder mystery Halloween party event, Lyla Moody and her book club the Jane Does discover a true crime. The Jane Does believe the main suspect is innocent, but two additional murders make solving truly difficult. Lyla decides to lay a trap that could entrap her.
Crime For The Books includes plenty of references to Agatha Christie, which I enjoyed. The strong female leads also kept my attention, and I genuinely like Lyla as a person. The author also includes life advice like “It’s your life, and you should be able to live it however you see fit without guilt and pressure from others.”
The plot is sometimes unclear and choppy, though. It feels brusque in places. And the story line is not riveting enough to make me want to read the book in one sitting or miss sleep to read.
Note: contains domestic abuse.
Favorite quote: “I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely, miserable, racked with sorrow; but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.”

My third book in this series and so far I have enjoyed them all.

In Crime for the Books the Jane Doe Book Club are hosting a Halloween party based on an Agatha Christie book. For this they stage a pretend murder which unfortunately turns into the real thing. One of the Club's members, Rosa, is suspected of being the murderer so Lyla Moody and her club turn into super sleuths to try and discover the real guilty party. There is a very dramatic finale using Rosa as bait!

This was a good read with an interesting mystery, some good characters, a sprinkling of literary references and an excellent outcome. Recommended.

This is the series that you should be ready! A cozy mystery with a strong investigative female who isn't just an amateur sleuth, but an actual private investigator who ends up collaborating with the police department. Excellent characters that are well developed and so realistic that you just want to be one of them rather than just read about them. In this book, one of their own is being dragged through the muck and it's up to Lyla and crew to dig to find the truth before they lose her completely. The characters are strong, independent women and men who are good at their jobs, have strong friendships and relationships even when they don't quite work out. While it is a wonderful cozy mystery series, I would say that it is a bit more in tune with realism than most and makes this series the one you should be reading. I absolutely cannot wait to read what comes next for Lyla and her band of friends!

The 3rd Jane Doe Book Club Mystery is a clever cozy that relies on red herrings and the unexpected history of one of the main characters. Kate Young spins a riveting tale that involves the Jane Doe members in major sleuthing activities as they try to ferret out the real killer.

It was a treat meeting back up with Lyla, the Jane Does and the folks of Sweet Mountain, Georgia. Young has given us a cast of well written characters that are incredibly likeable, especially Lyla’s Gran, who’s hilarious. The mystery perfectly balances the red herrings and clues that will keep you guessing to the end. Plus the Agatha Christie homage was a great addition and totally added to the Halloween/Fall vibes. This is the third book in the Jane Doe Book Club Mystery series, so get caught up with books one & two, On Borrowed Crime & Reading Between the Crimes. I very much enjoy this series and can’t wait for the next!

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change

Lyla Moody is a PI in training at her uncle's business, Moody Investigations. She is also a member of the Jane Does Book Club, who read a different book each week and then meet to discuss it. But this evening the club is hosting a Halloween party based on Agatha Christie's A Murder Is Announced, and it's themed right down to costumes from the 1950s. When the lights go out, Lyla hears four shots, not three, and when they come on again, she spies Patricia Richardson dying from a gunshot wound. She'd seen Patricia threaten her cousin Elaine Morgan earlier, with a gun in her hand. But now -- this death is definitely a real murder, and the person who is running the investigation is Rosa Landry, because her boss is on his honeymoon.

But all is not what it seems, not even in Lyla's personal life. And she has to decide how to solve the murder and keep Rosa out of harm's way, especially when it's apparent she's targeted as a future victim. Using Rosa as bait, she only hopes she'll be able to save her life -- and maybe her own, too...

This is the third book in the series, and unfortunately, it didn't resonate with me at all. I didn't really care for Lyla this time out; she seemed harder and not as bright as in the last two books. I also didn't understand where the marriage of Courtney and Quinn came in when they weren't even dating in the last book. How much time did we lose between the two, and why wasn't this explained?

There were just too many characters this time around, and I have a hard time believing that the police will involve a civilian in their 'stings.' Nothing like getting sued by the family if something goes wrong. Although the involvement of Rosa was a nice touch, she too seemed a bit timid for a police officer, and never really managed to take charge of her investigation.

Then there is Lyla's personal life which made me say 'what???' I have known many law enforcement officials who are married to each other and have good lives in their careers and raising children. You don't have to choose between the two. Maybe she should just stop dating cops if all the cops are so close-minded as to relationships (Lyla too). Also, most PIs run under the wire; it's where they can do their best work. They don't put themselves out there so everyone can say: "Hey! There goes George, he's the private investigator on this case!" Lyla seems to want everyone to know she's a PI. Why? Is it a badge of honor? (FYI, PIs can't carry or wear badges. It's against the law -- not that she's done this yet. Just sayin')

But then the plot got confusing. There were too many threads and it took too long to put them together, and even if you did, there was still something else going on. By the time I got to the end I really didn't care anymore. I absolutely loved the first two books in this series, but this one was definitely missing something, and when it ended, I was left feeling there should have been more.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for graciously allowing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a cozy mystery, part of the Jane Doe Book Club Mystery series, book 3. I've not read the other two in the series, however I don't think that matters for the storyline.

The story started off a bit slow, and I spent the first half of the book kind of wondering where it was going. It did pick up pace the send half though, and I really did enjoy the surprise ending.

I received a free copy of CRIME FOR THE BOOKS (Book 3 of the Jane Doe Book Club Mysteries) by Kate Young in exchange for an honest review. I liked the book and enjoy the series. It's rather nervy for a murderer to announce the time and place of their next kill. It's even worse when the killer co-opts community events being hosted by the local book club. Lyla Moody and the Jane Doe Book Club will have to take back control of their public events and thwart the vile actor.

#CrimefortheBooks #NetGalley

I liked the first book in the series, LOVED the second book and am (unfortunately) back to a like again. I loved Lyla's progression to a capable/strong private investigator in the second book. Fortunately, that is still here. She is growing in her skills and is not a frivolous/flighty main character (which can so often happen in cozy mysteries).

What I didn't enjoy with this book was that it felt disjointed to me. For example, (location 1572) "Yes, I had technically ended it with him and I'd made it official". What? I really did not recall reading a break up conversation between Lyla and Brad...I know she had people telling her stories, but that isn't the same as a conversation. That conversation happened chapters after this line. Several other times, I had to book mark pages and go searching past chapters, I felt situations or recollections seemed to come out of left field.

The second thing for me was the fact I had to use my kindle dictionary several times. I'm all for learning new words, however (for example) Rosa saying "puerile gossip" did not seem to fit the character. Although, they are a book club so they may have a robust vocabulary.

This just didn't seem to be as tightly edited as book no. 2 and that was disappointing for me.

3 stars as I really do like the series and hope book 4 will come back strong.

Narrator: Lyla Moody
Supporting characters: Titular Jane Doe Book club: Mel, Amelia, Rosa and Lyla, Lyla's grandmother Daisy, Lyla's uninteresting boyfriend whose name I have literally already forgotten
Theme: Halloween, books/book clubs, Agatha Christie
Location: Sweet Mountain, Georgia
Sub-location: Magnolia Manor
Recipes: No :<
Animals: None
Series #: Jane Doe Book Club Mystery #3
Mystery Notes: Twists! Turns! Even a red-herring! Honestly there was some good tension
Copaganda/police involvement: POLICE MISCONDUCT AND HOW IT IMPACTS A COMMUNITY????? Okay look I'm not expecting a lot from a cozy mystery and I did not get a lot BUT the fact that it's here at all is iNCREDIBLE. Rosa is also a cop and a main character, which :/
Notes on the puns of the title: I enjoy the double-pun of a crime in books and also a crime in like, the police books.

Four stars for touching on the idea of police misconduct and the honestly good tension. No recipes tho :/, which brings it down to 3.5 stars but I'm rounding up for NetGalley/Goodreads so it doesn't really matter.

No recipes.

Interesting cozy mystery with likeable characters and a mystery that kept me guessing. I love the idea of a Halloween party with an Agatha Christie theme.

Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

Lyla and her book club host a Halloween Party with an Agatha Christie theme. Unfortunately, the night takes a turn when someone drops dead, and the local B&B owner is accused of murder. Then two more murders are predicted! Lyla and her group of friends set out to find the killer. Luckily, they have Agatha Christie on their side!

This book was so much fun! The characters were so fun to read. I didn't want to put the book down!

Halloween is on its way, which is the perfect time for Lyla Moody and her Jane Doe book club friends to hold a themed party, while Sweet Mountain's Magnolia Manor is the ideal location. The owner of the beautiful bespoke B&B, Elaine Morgan, is also Lyla's client at Cousins Investigative Services and is delighted to offer her home's use as a thank you for the help she had received.

As the party is based around the classic Agatha Christie novel A Murder is Announced no one is surprised when the lights flicker, they are plunged into darkness, and shots are fired. When the lights go back up however there are two guests on the floor and one of them is about to breathe their last. With the local police chief on his honeymoon, Sergeant Landry is taking the lead on a serious investigation for the first time, but something is up with Rosa and her decision making is compromised. A second death makes some things a little clearer but others far more complicated and when it becomes apparent others are still in danger Lyla and her friends know they need to up their game if a further tragedy is to be averted.

In this third Jane Doe story friendships and relationships are quite strongly set but there are changes happening. The four friends have strong personalities and putting them alongside Lyla's very excitable Gran, and the police chief's slightly neurotic new wife means there's never a dull moment even when they aren't in the middle of investigating an unexplained death together.

I thoroughly enjoyed this as I have the previous two books. Hopefully there will be more to come from Lyla and her companions and if there is I will definitely be right at the front of the queue.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own opinion. This is a great book which I am happy to recommend .

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

I truly love this series, it's so good and when you start the book, you get sucked into it straight away and you can hardly put it down! "Crime for the Books" is the third installment in the series.
Lyla Moody and the ladies of the Jane Doe Bookclub are hosting a Halloween Party, with Agatha Christie’s A Murder is Announced as it's theme. But when the lights turn back on after the staged murder scene and a real body is discovered everything spirals out of control.

Since the victim is an estranged relative of Elaine Morgan, all suspicion falls on her in a rushed case by police officer Rosa Landry, who also happens to be a member of the Jane Doe Bookclub. Lyla and all the other members just know it was not Elaine who did it and also don't understand why Rosa is going into this case so blindly...

I love the characters in this series loads, they are so very well written, but this storyline was also amazing!!! I had no idea who did it, let alone why! I got tossed around so much with my suspicions and I was betting on the wrong horse. But what a great installment this one is!!!

This was the first book I read from this author, and I loved it!! This is the third book in this series, but you can read it as a standalone just as I did. I didn't feel lost or that I missed something major.

This book has a slow to start but it had great character building. Definetly recommend.

It was sad to witness another disappointing move, in the romance department, from Lyla. I’m glad the men who were once involved with her found that life was too short to waste when there was no future in the relationship. This cozy checked all the boxes for me in the intrigue, captivity, and excitement department. It was a delightfully entertaining read.

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!

This book is wonderful! The characters and mystery were done very well. I loved the idea of a Halloween party inspired by Agatha Christie's A Murder is Announced. I'm a fan of her work, and enjoyed the nod to it. This book is my introduction to the series. I will definitely check out the other entries in this series.

My thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGallery for a digital copy of this book for my review!