A Fatal Fumble by Nancy Basile is a great sequel to Roadside Homicide which was the first in a cozy mystery series and I found it just as good and has great characters, storyline and representation of LGBT as well as Plus-Size. I really enjoyed this sequel and cannot wait to read more from this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
🏈 cozy mysteries ❤️
🏈 small town setting
🏈 quirky characters

Robin Pearce returns to her hometown of River Sutton for the high school’s 100th anniversary celebration. As she is enjoying a football games with all her old friends, she stumbles across the body of her childhood best friend turned nemesis Kim Dawson!! It has to be the (soon-to-be ex)husband right?? It’s always the husband!

The best part about cozy mysteries to me are the eccentric and quirky small town characters that you just can’t help but love; and this book was no exception. I really liked the majority of the characters and I was just hoping that one of them wouldn’t end up being the murderer 🤪
This one was a little less “cozy” than the cozy mysteries I’m usually used to and I loved it. It wasn’t a happy go lucky murder story, this murderer wanted the MC too! There were elements of action and surprise in this one as well, and it definitely added some fun to the mystery.
I absolutely love a small town fair setting! It’s always been my dream to live in a small town like this with fairs and events and costume contests and a place where everyone knows everyone… Unfortunately it’s not possible for my in my normal life so I have to stick to books to get that scenery that I am craving. I would do anything to get lost in my small town’s corn maze 🤪
I did not see the ending coming, and that’s my #1 thing I appreciate about a mystery. I don’t want to be able to see the end coming, so I get a shocking and enjoyable read.

this book is everything i wanted from a cozy mystery! small town, spooky happenings and some interesting characters. i haven't read any other Nancy Basile novels so i wasn't aware of any previous plots but you pick up enough clues to get by and it's not a huge deal. i really enjoyed the end chase sequence but i'm not sure about the twist, as i had forgotten about the character that is the killer, this could be more on my part but i felt like we didn't focus enough on all the potentials within the town and the final killer gets a little shoved into the background.

overall, a lovely little cozy mystery!

A big thank you to Net Galley, Nancy Basile, and the publisher for my advanced e-copy of “A Fatal Fumble” by Nancy Basile. A cozy small town romance mystery. While Robin returns to her hometown for a huge football celebration, she soon becomes entangled in a murder case as she finds her friend dead under the bleachers. Will Robin clear her name and be able to crack the case?

A Fatal Fumble is the second novel in the River Sutton Country Cozy Mysteries serie. We follow Robin Pearce as she yet again stumbles upon a dead body while taking a shortcut. This time it's more personal than ever, as the victim is her childhood friend and since she was the one that found the body, Robin herself is a suspect. It was fun seeing everything unfold, though I guessed pretty early who was the killer.

I'm bummed because on NetGalley it's listed as LGBTQIAP+ but it's for side characters (who I adore)

A Fatal Fumble is the second River Sutton cozy mystery by Nancy Basile. Released 16th Jan 2022, it's 211 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The first book in the series, Roadside Homicide, is also currently available on KU. There's a novella with the same main character which is available on the author's website as well.

This is a fun and engaging small town cozy set in West Virginia. Web traffic analyst Robin is back home visiting her family in Sutton River for the weekend festivities surrounding her high school's 100th anniversary homecoming game and parade. She runs into lots of familiar faces from her past and not all of them stir up happy memories. Despite her promises after her last amateur sleuthing escapades, she's soon up to her neck in a new murder investigation.

There's a very central romance element with the local handsome law enforcement officer, naturally. I liked that Robin wasn't helpless or prone to swooning helplessly. She does make a few questionable decisions, but overall, not as bad as many (most?) cozies. Ms. Basile is an adept author and I never found my interest waning, although there were a few eye-rollingly silly moments. The denouement and resolution weren't overly surprising, but they were satisfying. Although it's the second book in the series, it works perfectly well as a standalone.

Writers are always told to write what they know, and it's abundantly clear that the author is intimately familiar with small town West Virginia life. The various homecoming parades, main-street decorations, and all the food (and gossip) are true to life and add a lot of verisimilitude. It's a cozy, so there's not a lot of on page violence or graphic descriptions, and no overt sexual content. The MC's sister is in a stable marriage with a woman, but the author doesn't make a huge production over it. The language is squeaky clean. Definitely safe for reading on a commute or at work.

Four stars. Well done, and I look forward to more from this series. Cozy mystery comfort food.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

A Fatal Fumble by Nancy Basile

Web traffic analyst Robin Pearce returns home to River Sutton, West Virginia, for her town's high school's 100th homecoming celebration. A weekend of football, corn mazes, food, and fall fun is planned. And being a true homecoming, Robin runs into multiple old classmates at the football game. But unfortunately, shortly after a tense conversation, she finds the body of her former frenemy, Kim, dead behind the bleachers. As the prime suspect, Robin must use her cyber skills to prove her own innocence and possibly save her own life.

I didn’t realize it but, This is the second book in Basile's River Sutton Country Cozy Mysteries series, but it works fine as a stand-alone and is a quick and easy read that will get you in the mood for all the fall fun.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author Nancy Basile for the opportunity to review this book!! It was so good!

A Fatal Fumble by Natalie Basile

Thank you Netgallery for a copy for an unbiased review.

This was my 1st foray into Natalie Basile's work, and although works perfectly fine as a stand-alone, it is in fact book 2 of a series. I will now be reading book 1 & the novella!

This book isn't overly complicated in the plotline and I found it a quick easy read, but the storytelling is solid. Sometimes books that are as easy to read as this fall down by not holding my attention. This one didn't fall into that trap.

Robin was certainly interesting, Jenn her sister engaging. The small quaint town feel was evident from the opening page. It was a cozy read, albeit as a murder mystery.

It was nice too to have the story also not suppress or devalue a woman, but have them accepted as an equal to work out what had happened. It's a good mystery and overall I will say it is 4/5 stars 🌟 It was a close decision on 5, but it didn't quite have the stand put wow factor I look for when doing that. Others could justifiably give 5 though. I'd certainly recommend the series.

In short: Robin returns to her hometown of River Sutton, WV for the big 100th homecoming celebration. She’s having a good time catching up with old friends & made amends with one after a long feud. Unfortunately, she soon finds her friend dead under the bleachers and becomes the prime suspect.

What to expect:
🏈Strong sense of place. Descriptions that make the WV setting come to life & captured small town life perfectly.
🏈Robin is a great sleuther (especially as a computer analyst) and actually works closely with the Sheriff instead of against or evading them like is common in many cozies.
🏈All the fall vibes from football to pumpkins.

Final thoughts: I loved this book! I have read the previous 2 in the series (a novella and then book 1) and it just keeps getting better. Robin is one of my favorite sleuthers. She’s smart, independent and has great relationships with her family. I really enjoy reading how her and Sheriff Payne work together to solve the case. I look forward to the next installment and really hope Robin follows her Dad’s request and moves home.

Attending the 100th anniversary of her high school, Robin Pearce returns to River Sutton, WV for a weekend full of fall activities. When an old classmate turns up dead and Robin is at the top of the suspect list, she uses her skills to find the real killer. Descriptions of small town life are vivid and spot on! Great character building. Good mystery! Thanks #netgalley and #VictoryEditingNetGalleryCoop for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Nancy Basile, I feel so lucky we found each other! I was traveling to Deep Creek, MD, craving a weekend away to curl up and read a cozy mystery and BOOM! Enter Nancy, who tells me all about her cozy mystery series! A Fatal Fumble is the second book in the Cozy Mystery in Small Town in the Country. While the books could be read out of order, I don't recommend it. Robin has returned home for the 100th anniversary of her high school. Her sister is making a comeback on the football field during the half-time show, and good looking Sheriff Payne has his old letterman jacket on. Robin even runs into her old friend, who she makes up with after a long-time feud, and even finds out she's about to divorce her no good husband. Sadly, her friend never gets to see that happen, because Robin stumbles across her dead body under the bleachers. Once again it's up to Robin to help piece together what's going on in Sutton's River.

What I like about this series is that it takes place in West Virginia and makes mention to my hometown, Pittsburgh and the Steelers. So from the beginning, I latched onto the familiarity of the places mentioned. I also liked the dynamics Robin has with her family. They felt real. Above all, what I enjoyed most was that Sheriff Payne treats Robin as a valuable asset instead of dismissing her and trying to sideline her like I see often happen in amateur female sleuthing series. There is a lot less of the macho male nonsense and a great deal more female empowerment and equality represented in Nancy Basile's books. If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, I highly recommend reading this series. The books are short and a quick read. I read both in a weekend along with a few other novels.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Nancy Basile for giving me this opportunity to review both books. Nancy is so approachable on Instagram. We've exchanged quite a few messages about our love for The 'Burgh!

A Fatal Fumble by Nancy Basile

Web traffic analyst Robin Pearce returns home to River Sutton, West Virginia, for her town's high school's 100th homecoming celebration. A weekend of football, corn mazes, food, and fall fun is planned. And being a true homecoming, Robin runs into multiple old classmates at the football game. But unfortunately, shortly after a tense conversation, she finds the body of her former frenemy, Kim, dead behind the bleachers. As the prime suspect, Robin must use her cyber skills to prove her own innocence and possibly save her own life.

It's set in a quaint town as fall begins, with all the festivities this town celebrates, including pumpkin chucking! Which sounds like a fun and messy time! But as with all small towns in cozies, there are secrets to be uncovered. Robin is a likable sleuth and has a bit of a romance brewing with the local sheriff. I enjoyed the cute banter between Robin and her sister Jenn. This is the second book in Basile's River Sutton Country Cozy Mysteries series, but it works fine as a stand-alone and is a quick and easy read that will get you in the mood for all the fall fun.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author Nancy Basile for the opportunity to review this book.