I know - not the best reason but I just couldn't resist this title because of the title!! That said "stumbling over corpses" in the blurb is a bit of an exaggeration. It involves Fran and Ken Stein who are private investigators and specialise in finding birth parents for adoptees. The fact that they "lost" their "parents" when they were very young is irrelevant honest... Someone asks them to find their father via finding a rare ukulele - weird but that's not the only weird thing about this story!

The story follows their investigation into this case and other "things that happen" while they are doing that. Fran is the narrator and I quickly came to love the style of her inner dialogues often about her brother. Ken definitely eats Kit Kats the wrong way as far as she is concerned... Their investigation becomes complicated by events which do include the odd body.

To call Fran and Ken a little unusual would be something of an understatement. They are both rather tall and quite strong. Personally I think people should find out exactly why they are different for themselves. This is not a long book but that has the advantage that the pace is quite easily sustained. I guess I wouldn't have minded a bit more narrative however it makes for a crisp story. Equally, for me, there's a rather nice ending which leaves the option for another book. If that arrives I will be as close to the front of the queue for it as I can manage.

This is laugh out loud funny at times, quite edgy at others. There is an interesting/unusual crime story and Fran and Ken's back story is good. It takes some doing to combine crime, a dash of fantasy and humour well however Mr Copperman caries it off for me. This may well appeal to fans of Caimh McDonnell's Dublin Trilogy. Slightly more obscure maybe would be the Sam Ireland Mysteries Series by Jay Stringer; neither of these have the fantasy element but the tongue in cheek crime styles have something in common to me.

I simply adore E.J. Copperman's books. The writing is always top notch and the story line and characters never fail to pull me in. This was so good!!
I just reviewed Ukulele of Death by E. J. Copperman. #UkuleleofDeath #NetGalley
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With an orphaned brother and sister team working as a PI team who helps adoptees find their birth parents. In this inaugural entry, they’re asked to help find a father with only an instrument as the clue. They’re falling over bodies and getting messages regarding their own parents all while trying to solve the case they’re working on. It seems this one is going to be a two for, as Fran and Ken are going to learn more about their own origins as well.

I’ve been a fan of this author’s Guest House Mystery series and really missed it once it ended…but then a few more series came out and each one has been read by yours truly. This one has a great take on the name…Fran and Ken Stein (Frankenstein)…and explains why I love the humor so much. Being a Jersey gal, we have a snarky sense of humor and I love this stuff! Looking forward to seeing where this one goes with the next entry.

E. J. Copperman has created quite a few interesting protagonists in his multiple mystery series, but I think the first Fran and Ken Stein Mystery has the most . . . unusual . . . main characters. Siblings Fran and Ken have their own private detective agency, and their investigative skills complement each other. They have chosen to specialize in finding clients' biological parents because they lost their own mother and father at an early age. It's also worth mentioning that both are very good-looking, very tall, and capable of physical confrontation when necessary. But what really sets them apart is that while they appear human and are definitely not robots, they had been created rather than born.

Their latest client asks them to find a very rare ukulele because she thinks it will lead to her own missing father. But the twisty case quickly involves Fran and Ken in secret identities, cryptic clues, high-stakes auctions, kidnapping, and murders. And it becomes more and more obvious that their scientist parents' research might have dangerous consequences, even years after their fatal automobile accident.

I loved the often-sarcastic, snarky voice of Fran, the appealing narrator, and her reluctance to engage in a budding romance with a local cop. Sure, the reader is called on for the willing suspension of disbelief regarding the siblings' origin, but it's an engaging story with memorable characters who will surely have more to investigate about their own family if there is a second entry in the series.

My thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

first of all, i want to start by saying that i love the 'frank and ken stein' name sounding like frankenstein - i am such a sucker for things like that. i enjoyed this book a lot and it was not what i was expecting at all. i honestly had no idea how a case about a missing ukulele could be so interesting but it really was! this book had SO many twists and turns (i felt as though i was riding a rollercoaster!).

thank you so much E.J. Copperman for allowing me to read this book. i enjoyed it a lot!