All That Glitters Isn't Old is the 3rd Whit and Whiskers cozy mystery by Gabby Allan. Released 25th July 2023 by Kensington Books, it's 256 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.

This is a fun light series which combines rom-com and cozy mystery. It's not -overly- heavy on the former, and readers who usually avoid romance altogether in their cozy reads won't be overwhelmed here, but there is significant rom-com content (fun and lighthearted). The mystery is well constructed and the dialogue is solid.

It's got an island paradise setting, with summer vibes and nice mystery; a perfect escapist read for a cold dark winter afternoon. It would make a good selection for public library acquisition, or for fans of island rom-com mysteries. With three books in the ongoing series, it would also be a good choice for a weekend binge/buddy read.

Four stars.

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

This was such an entertaining read! I loved Goldy and think she is my favorite character.
Many thanks to Kensington and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I'm on the fence because I'm wondering if there's not too many cozy mystery heroine who are not able to say no to any relatives or senior. Sometimes I would like to shout "Please, grow a spine and be more assertive"
This is what happens at the beginning of this cozy. I love this series and the characters but this time it was a bit too much.
The mystery takes a bit to start and when it started I was hooked and turning pages.
3.5 upped to 4
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Princess Fuzzypants here: Sometimes a book has loads of elements that make it entertaining but it ends up getting bogged down in parts because it is not quite sure where it wants to go. This one has a heroine whose ego on occasion gets in her way. But she seems incapable of saying no to her grandmother who is beyond demanding. She is a bully. And she is also hell bent on proving her former boyfriend, with whom she shares some deep secrets, is innocent of killing his boyfriend. Enter the woman to whom he had been betrothed before he asked Goldy’s, the grandmother,, help in getting him off the island where he could live the gay life he wanted. Lots of potential but it gets a bit muddy.

When the story finds its footing and turns into a whodunit and a treasure hunt, it sheds the superfluous and turns into a good solid mystery with some unexpected twists before the end. There is a truly lovely bit with Whitney, our heroine, and a little octopus. Again, an unexpected bit of business but utterly charming. Whit does solve the mysteries and even gets recognition for her efforts. So from a so-so start, it packed a punch by the end. Four purrs and one paw up.

Clever and humorous cozy mystery with great characters and an intriguing storyline with plenty of twists and turns. I enjoyed it very much.

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

All that Glitters Isn’t Gold: A Whit and Whiskers Mystery
By Gabby Allen
Kensington
August 2023

Review by Cynthia Chow

Whitney Dagner wasn’t enthusiastic about attending the funeral for Therese Milner, who had become a recluse before Whit was even born. But Whit’s grandmother (never call her that, by the way) Goldy insisted that they attend, as she had once been close to the family and even dated one of the sons. Whit’s grandfather Pops is adamant about not attending, and she begins to suspect why after seeing the very affectionate reunion between Goldy and Darren Milner. At least Whit doesn’t miss out on seeing the literal car crash of a funeral, with the completely delusional Elsie Jacobs driving through the tent and knocking over the coffin. Believing that only the matriarch of the family kept them apart for 50 years, Elsie has arrived to resume the arranged engagement between herself and Darren until Goldy swept him away.

That’s the story told on Santa Catalina Island, but in truth Darren’s affections leaned in an entirely different direction. He has returned with his current boyfriend Jericho, and they plan to debut a documentary that they filmed about the island at the local theater. Just before the premiere though, Jericho’s body is found and it definitely does not look like an accident. Police station commander Captain Ray Pablano arrives and immediately warns Whit to not (again) get involved, and for once she is happy to comply. At least that’s until Goldy demands that they investigate and protect Darren, whom she adores as much as she did decades ago. Whit doesn’t share the same blindness towards his possible motives though, and it’s going to be a rather uncomfortable investigation as she dodges Captain Pablano’s admonishments and Goldy’s unwavering loyalties. Things only become more complicated when a theft is committed and Jericho’s identity comes into question, making this a far more complicated adventure than Whit expected.

This third in the series is a romp as Goldy takes command of the case and forcefully guides Whit into directions that lead anywhere away from her old friend. Pops is more than a little cranky to have Darren back in their lives, and his attitude matches that of Whit’s grumpy Whiskers. At least Whit has her bestie police secretary Maribel Hernandez as a friendly source, though her ambitions to move further in her career could be jeopardized if she continues to defy Captain Pablano’s directives. These delightful characters banter back and forth while Whit inserts herself into places she has no business going, delving into generations of Santa Catalina Island locals. Goldy raised Whit after she was essentially abandoned by her own parents, so it’s easy to understand how Whit is completely unable to resist her grandmother’s wishes. It also explains Whit’s complicated relationship with her boyfriend Felix Ramirez, a police scuba diver. Red herrings and multiple motives ensure for a surprising and unexpected ending, but one that is sure to please dedicated mystery fans. This is a fun and very funny entry by the author, who also writes under the name Misty Simon and can always be relied upon for snappy dialogue and spunky lead characters.

Thank you Kensington and NetGalley for the eARC of All That Glitters Isn't Old! All opinions in this review are my own.

I always look forward to reading a Whit and Whiskers mystery in the summer! All That Glitters Isn't Old was a solid addition to the series. The third installment starts off action-packed but does slow down until speeding up again in the final third or so. I feel like this mystery required more background explanation than the previous two because of Goldie's history with Darren. There was definitely more than enough drama surrounding Darren and I liked how Whit was always never quite sure about him.

If you like cozy mysteries with humor and drama, you need check out the Whit and Whiskers series!

cozy-mystery, situational-humor, verbal-humor, small-business, small-town, relationships, relatives, friendship, frustration, amateur-sleuth, local-gossip, local-law-enforcement, lol-humor, island-life, family, family-drama, family-dynamics, family-history, investigation, pet-cat, unputdownable, relationship-issues, lifestyle-issues*****

The past comes back in the graveyard and murder comes along for the ride.
Whitney escaped the corporate life and returned to her zany family/boat tour business/gift shop/creation of puzzles and treasure maps on Catalina Island. She's also tiptoeing through a relationship with an old crush who is now a part time SCUBA diver for the police while running his own diving business.
Grandma Goldy is a real hoot, and she's not the only one! The publisher's blurb is a pretty good hook, but the laughs are nonstop! Lots of misdirection, plot twists, red herrings, and humor that kept me turning pages! Loved it!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

So happy to be back in Catalina with Whit, Whiskers and the rest of the gang! In the third installment of Gabby Allen’s Whit and Whiskers Mystery series we follow the ever hilarious Goldy when she becomes ensnared in a murderous scandal with her old flame. Secrets are uncovered, lines are crossed and the island may never be the same!

All that Glitters Isn’t Gold is equal parts humorous and mysterious with a pinch of romance - and it was so good!! I absolutely love this series and can’t wait to see what happens next!

Thank you to Kensington Books for the advanced copy!

This series is a winner! The story is clever and engaging with quirky characters and great twists and turns to keep readers guessing.

Take a trip to Santa Catalina for a delightful visit. A clever, convoluted cozy mystery. It kept me guessing and surprised. Engaging characters. Fun to revisit them and discover new ones. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

That Goldy just cracks me up! Whit was up and running as soon as the book started as far as riding herd on her outspoken grandma who’d feed me to the fishes if she heard me refer to her as a grandma lol. Pops, Whit’s grandpa’s probably my fave character. He sure loves his Goldy and despite some disagreements they had during the course of the book, all was well in their world again.

I don’t know that I ever liked Darren’s character mainly because I felt I couldn’t trust him, which was just how Whit felt too. But I definitely didn’t like Elsie since she wouldn’t leave poor Darren alone and be what he really was, not what she wanted him to be. The showdown was really cool and backup was there just when it was needed. Whit was getting a nice surprise from all this as well. This book releases next week on July 25, 2023.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Kensington Cozies via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

I’m a huge cozy fan and highly recommend this book for other cozy lovers! This is the third book in the series, it needs to be read in order as the characters develop throughout. The characters are quirky, the setting is interesting and the storyline is fun!

Honestly, not my favorite book. I wanted to like these characters but Goldy and Whit came off a bit irritating and condescending. The scene with the police force being on her side was a bit of a stretch, I think. That being said, it was a very interesting book and the plot was unique. The rest of the book was enjoyable.

Whitney's grandmother Goldy helped Darren keep a secret for years- she dated him while knowing that he is gay. Now, though, he's out, proud, and with Jericho, who is killed at the theater where Darren's new documentary about Catalina is to be shown. Wait- back up- Darren is in town for his mother's funeral and Elsi, the woman he was supposed to marry turns up and causes, to put it mildly, a problem. Goldy knows Darren didn't kill Jericho and gets Whit to investigate, despite her promise to Felix, her LEO boyfriend that she won't. Know that Goldy is keeping even more from her family and this makes it tough for Whit, who, btw, also has to deal with Whiskers the cat being a pain. It's classic cozy territory in a terrific setting. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I read and enjoyed the first two books in the series - this would be fine as a standalone. Looking forward to the next one.

All That Glitters Isn't Old is the third book in the Whit and Whiskers Mystery series by Gabby Allan.

I really love this series and the unique premise. I have read the first two books in the series and couldn't wait for this third book!

Whitney Dagner works in the family business and sells odds and ends in Dame of the Sea. Her brother does tours around Catalina Island on the family's glass bottom boat. I absolutely love the glass bottom boat! It is so cool; the author does such a great job with her descriptions I feel like I am on that boat!

I love all the characters in this book. Whitney's grandmother Goldy can be quite pushy and poor Whitney. Goldy is eccentric at best, and definitely unique. She adds so much to the story, one of those love to hate characters.

The story starts with a car accident that leads to a multiple mystery. Goldy pushes Whiteny to investigate, and she can't say no to her.

I loved so many elements in this story, the caves, the smuggling and all the twists!

A well written cozy mystery with well fleshed out characters and a perfectly paced mystery.

Highly recommend this book and all the books in this series.

All That Glitters Isn’t Old
(Whit & Whiskers 3)
Gabby Allen


Gabby Allen is the pseudonym of Misty Simon. She has written Much Ado About Nauticaling, and Something Fishy This Way Comes in the Whit & Whiskers mystery series.


Avalon Bay is on Catalina Island off the coast of California. Whitney Dagner recently moved back home and started a new life away from her high-powered job. She runs Dame of the Sea. a trinket shop. Today she has to close down to accompany Goldy to a funeral. Therese Milner is Goldy’s ex-fiance Darren’s mother. Turns out they weren’t really in a relationship he was gay and running from an arranged marriage. At the graveside, Goldy and Darren see each other for the first time in years. Darren’s brought his new boyfriend to the funeral. The funeral is almost finished when who else shows up… the woman he ran from! Elsie uses her car to run over Therese’s burial site, flipping over the casket and releasing the body!

Felix Ramirez, her boyfriend is a private and police scuba diver instructor. He takes Whit out after the aborted funeral, to see some new sights. While exploring Whit comes upon a cave filled with debris, the broken crates have a weird logo.

Whit has trouble telling Goldy no and this gets her into much trouble, including being a guest at a funeral, a murderous theater premier, and investigating a murder for a man she doesn’t particularly like!


This book was a solid mystery with enough surprises and turns to keep me quickly flipping pages. While, there are plenty of both caring and funny moments, to keep it a cozy rather than a thriller. I became annoyed with the way Goldy treated her family. This detracted from the story for me. Because while I understood the obligation that Whitney feels to Goldy & Thomas Dagner, her grandparents, and even Nick, her brother. I do think her Goldy abuses this and her apology just didn’t cut it for me.

3.5***







Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.
#Netgalley #AllThatGlittersIsn’tOld #Whit&Whiskers #GabbyAllen #cozy

All is not well on Catalina Island. Goldy and Pops are at odds over Goldy's friend who returned for his mother's funeral. Then the funeral was crashed, literally. However, that becomes secondary after a questionable death.

This story took off after a slow start and developed into a complex mystery with many twists and turns and some great surprises. Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are mine.

This book straddles both rom-com and cozy mystery as it is really some of both. No matter, it's certainly a fun read.

Description:
When she’s not piloting a glass bottom boat, showing the sights to tourists, Whit sells seashells by the seashore—among many other sea and sand souvenirs—to help keep her family shop, Nautically Yours, afloat. It’s a far cry from her corporate climbing ladder life in Los Angeles, but Whit and her frisky feline, Whiskers, love calling Catalina home and being close to family. Especially Whit’s grandmother Goldy, a fun and feisty senior who always marched to the beat of a different drum.

In her youth, Goldy was an item with a Catalina catch named Darren. But it was actually a ruse to fool Darren’s parents who wouldn’t have accepted his preference for men. Eventually, he left the island and chose the life—and life-partner—he wanted for himself. Back in town for his mother’s funeral, Darren takes the opportunity to heal his open wounds, and settle some scores.

In a surprise to the residents, Darren produced a documentary about the history of Catalina, and has arranged a premiere screening in the local theater. But his film career is cut short when his partner’s dead body is discovered the night before the opening. Rumors swirl about Darren’s past, along with his partner’s—and the things they’ve done—giving a lot of folks a lot of motives. Now, it’s up to Whit and her boyfriend policeman to catch a killer, and uncover just how much Grandma Goldy knows about the back door deals tied to Darren’s past . . .

My Thoughts:
The grandmother, Goldy, was the character I enjoyed most. She is quite a character. Domineering, yet quite respected, and everyone seemed to jump and try to do whatever she asked - no matter how strange. Whit is the one who is the investigator and she seemed to have good instincts and a dedictaion to her community. She followed clues relentlessly. I wasn't sure whether Darren was a good guy or bad during most of the book - Goldy seemed to defend him totally and she seemed sure he was good and couldn't be the murderer.

I recommend this to anyone who likes a fun mystery with a little romance and good banter. Thanks to Kensington Books through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on July 25, 2023.

Octopus? I've heard of swimming with the dolphins but with....octopuses? Octopi? Actually, both are correct. I looked it up. Her boyfriend Felix sure takes her on some interesting outings.

As for the mystery. You've heard of wedding crashing. How about funeral crashing? It begins with a car careening through mourners at a funeral to literally crash into the casket and knock it off it's pedestal. Yikes. Whit didn't even want to be there, not really knowing the deceased, but what a rude introduction to her grandmother Goldy's former friend Darren. The driver, Elsie, seems to be there because she didn't want to waste a second reclaiming her old crush, Darren, never mind he's actually gay and there with his boyfriend Jericho, who later plummets to his death from the catwalk in the theater. She's acting unhinged, so could she be the killer?

That's just the beginning but here are some teasers. What don't we know about Darren's past? Turns out, lots. Bottom line, past secrets meet present. Why is Goldy so insistent Whitney investigate but isn't sharing the full back story? Will this derail Goldy and Pops/Thomas's long marriage? What will Whit name the octopus? Does Whiskers the cat more or less run Whitney's life? Cat owners, you know the answer to that one. And, oh, is Whitney going to lose her roommate to a better job when Maribel passes that last test to be a police officer? And, hmm, why is Whit carrying that postcard around? This one has multiple layers, for sure.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks - #KensingtonCozies for letting me tag along on this bit of a roller coaster ride. Gabby Allan was a new author to me but I'll definitely be back to see what Whit has has decided to do next about her own questions with the able assistance of boyfriend Felix.