A fun, cozy murder mystery with a powerhouse pop-star (think Beyoncé, Taylor, Gaga…), her ambitious fiancé, her missing troublemaker sister, and a whole host of various hangers-on. And our gal Liv Spyers, photographer by day, amateur sleuth by night with her actual (secret) law enforcement boyfriend by her side. While it at times felt a little slow or disconnected, the writing is snappy and the hijinks entertaining. Looking forward to any and all future books in this series :)

The second installment of the series A Snapshot of NYC mystery - cozy mystery following Liv Spyers, a photographer who gets assigned to a mega superstar singer / actress Bisa. While on her assignment, Liv witnesses a possible murder - the assignment just got super interesting. This was a fast paced, easy ready with enjoyable characters and tons of sleuthing. Being a secret sleuth myself - I loved everything about this book. I loved the location setting of NYC and loved Liv and Harry together, another bad *ss international crime buster. It is a definite recommended read - a story I really enjoyed.

Where is Anna? Was the sister of Bisa, the pop star murdered? Liv doesn't know but she does believe she saw Anna go over the side of a bridge. Liv's been hired to photograph a big weekend for Bisa but things go sideways almost immediately, While she's happy to have the job she's also a little wary but her crime solving skills see her through. At the same time, her romantic interest Harry is dealing with an art thief. This is the second in a series- fine as a standalone- which is charming in some ways (I like Liv's grandparents) and too busy in others. That said, it's a page turner. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Our intrepid event photographer Liv Spyers finds herself on the most exciting job of her career. Liv has been hired to photograph the mega three day promo of Bisa's big screen debut and the Grammy winners' kickoff to her new tour. In the midst of all this, Bisa's sister, Anna, arrives to add some family drama.

Liv sees Anna fall off a bridge (she took a photo) and her body removed by someone in a boat but no one seems concerned. Liv investigates, could Bisa have had something to do with it?

This second Liv Spyer mystery is a fun, entertaing, quick read. The characters are well done. I love Liv's grandparents, who she lives with. They have such a loving relationship. Liv's boyfriend, Harry, an agent with the International Art Crimes Unit helps her even though he is working on a case of his own. I can't wait to see what Liv gets involved in next!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Kensington Books, for an ARC. The review is my own.

Mugshots of Manhattan is a wonderful second book in this delightful series, which features a young portrait photographer in NYC as an amateur sleuth. Liv fills in for the injured Regina (a well-known photographer she has worked with before), as the personal photographer for a whirlwind weekend - pop-up concerts, parties and a movie premiere - with a musical superstar, Bisa, who has just finished making a movie set in NYC and is ready to release some new songs. Bisa made me think of Beyonce, or maybe Taylor Swift or Ariana Grande, and their amazing fans. A lot of the action takes place on Roosevelt Island, which is a unique spot in the city, an island between Manhattan and Queens. Once again, Liv winds up using her sharp observational skills in an investigation. This time it’s the disappearance of Bisa’s sister, who Liv sees suddenly leave a party on a Citibike e-bike. The behind-the-scenes stuff of what it takes to put on a huge concert was very interesting, including rehearsals with intricate choreography. Bisa has an extensive and very loyal entourage, but can she trust every one of them?

There’s also an interesting subplot involving Liv’s boyfriend, Harry, whose actual job is not what he tells people.

Once again, we have terrific scenes with Liv’s grandparents, as well as Liv’s friend Maria, although I would have loved more of those. We also get a lot of NYC color, which is always fun.

While this is the second book in the series, I think it works well as a standalone. Of course, you lose some of the backstory of the characters, but it would be just fine on its own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Cozies for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Utterly delightful and I think I like it even more than the first book. All the characters have their own personalities, but everyone is an adult, doesn’t do dumb things, and are all so supportive of each other. I do wish, and I very rarely say this, that the book was just a tad longer. Maybe just one more chapter to give me more info on everything? Cannot wait for book 3!

An enjoyable read with a likable main character. I didn’t read the first book in this series, but it worked as a standalone. Harry was also very lovable like Liv. The story has twists and turns and an ending that was unpredictable!

A photographer who solves murders on the side?

Photographer - Liv is a photographer who has her own studio but also works with another company for special events

Singer - for this job, she has been hired to take pictures for Bisa; a singer turned actress with 3 days of concerts and a movie premier to attend

Sister - Bisa’s sister unexpectedly shows up, wreaks a little bit of havoc, and then winds up missing. Liv also suspects she might be unalive.

Why? - Who would want her dead and why?

This is the second book in this series, A Snapshot of NYC and thank you to Kensington for sending me this book so I can continue to live in Liv’s world. As always the characters are so fun and the singer, Bisa, reminds me a lot of Taylor swift in that there is a lot of mania and concerts happening. Plus everyone seems to love her. Liv is good at observing what is going on around here. My only criticism might be that we do not get to see a few of the side characters as much as in the first book, and they are really fun as well.

Second in a series (of which I didn’t read the first), Mugshots in Manhattan was entertaining. I felt it was a slow start, and sometimes I wasn’t sure if the author even knew who the murderer was. But I liked the main character Liv and enjoyed the story.

The second Snapshot of NYC Mystery finds photographer Liz getting a job for pop culture sensation Bisa. Things go sideways though when Bisa’s sister ends up murdered.

I think it took too long to get to the murder. There were also a lot of characters related to Bisa thrown at readers really early on that I had trouble keeping track. It picks up a bit more once the crime has been committed but for a cozy, that is a little slow.

Liv Spyers, photographer to the NYC elite, is at it again in Mugshots of Manhattan. Hired to capture a behind-the-scenes photo diary of a pop star/film star, Liv has an all-access pass to murder. I especially enjoyed seeing all the glitter of stardom from the other side of the lens, the found-family vs blood-family conflict, and the Janet Evanovich-esque art heist side plot. The murder investigation had several surprising twists and a fantastic set of suspects, and was neatly resolved. A+ all around!

I loved the first book in the Picture Perfect Cozy Mystery series by Christin Brecher (Photo Finished) and was absolutely delighted that Mugshots of Manhattan (the second book in the series) is even more fun, if that's possible! Mugshots of Manhattan can be read as a standalone but I HIGHLY recommend that you read Photo Finished too!

Mugshots of Manhattan by Christin Brecher is such a fun read! I have long been a fan both of cozy mysteries and modern thrillers. This book is a unique combination of the two genres. I highly recommend it to readers of both genres. You’ll be in for a rare treat. The setting and plot only make it better. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Setting the Scene: Rising star photographer Liv Spyers scores a plum assignment as the solo official photographer for rock icon Bisa and her movie premier extravaganza in NYC. As thrilled as she is with this assignment, she quickly learns that there are many secrets among Bisa's inner circle, including her sister, Anna, requiring more than photography skills to maneuver. When Liv witnesses what she thinks is a murder, things become increasingly strange and dangerous. She is thrilled to have her boyfriend, Harry, by her side; but he has a case of his own to resolve, one involving his art thief nemesis. Together they have their work cut out for them.

What I Thought: I loved the first book in this series, but this book exceeded my expectations. Ms. Brecher uses words on a page like a photographer uses angles, light, and shadows. It goes beyond being well written with well developed characters, as it weaves together several intriguing mysteries without skimping on the fun and excitement, all at a New York pace with lots of Hollywood fake. Liv's camera provides her a unique perspective of the world around her that Christin Brecher skillfully translates to the reader in word pictures. For instance, Bisa's rehearsal is described so well that when the choreographer says, "Okay, people, let's take it from the top," the musical strains from the scene from White Christmas ran through my mind. This is an energetic, entertaining read. Get ready to enjoy another romp through NYC with Liv and Harry.

loved reading cosy mystery : i love books that are set in New York, Manhattan and this one hit all the right chords - fast-paced and every interesting!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an advance copy of this book in return for my honest opinions.

It was a fantastic read.. I could not put this book down it was so good!! I need a physical copy like yesterday!! I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. Glad I gave it a chance!

Enjoyable cosy with a likeable main character. I received this as an advance copy from the author via NetGalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

note to editors some grammatical and spelling errors p15 she was a bit older than i… should be me.
"Not clustered with the media over there that your …. " Should be ‘you’re’ as in you are, not the possessive .
And maybe i am being picky but…...grammatically ‘everything isn’t always about me’ is totally incorrect. It means nothing is about her when she means 'not everything' is about me. The qualifier ‘not’ belongs to ‘everything’. It does not belong to always.

3.5 ⭐️

I don't read them all that often, but sometimes I'm just in the mood for a good cozy. Mugshots of Manhattan fits that bill. As other reviews have stated, and I was unaware of, this is the second book in a series. This reads as a stand-alone, and you won't be left lost as to what's going, or inundated with recaps of the previous book.

This was an entertaining, easy read, and an all around fun whodunit. The characters are likeable, and the plot well-done, though a little convoluted. My only complaint being that it was just too over the top for my tastes. There was just so much going on. I like campy (think Agatha Raisin) but also based more in the realm of believable situations. Still, I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fun, cozy whodunit stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

A fun. fast-paced book that is second in the series but can definitely be read as a stand-alone. When Liv gets a job photographing a hot pop star Bisa she inadvertently witnesses the murder of her troublesome sister Anna. There are plenty of people who stand to benefit from Anna's death. Liv and Harry team up to investigate at the request of Bisa, while Harry is trying to to find an art thief who has been able to escape every trap he's set for him. Between Anna's murder and the Cardinal they have their hands full.
This is a fun, very Hollywood like book that is set in NYC. A great read!

I loved this book! I was hesitant at first, as I’m not usually someone for a cozy mystery. The characters of Liv and Harry were so lovable. They’re both slightly goofy, but so fun to follow and easy to feel invested in. The story had turns that I didn’t expect and I couldn’t have predicted this ending.

photographer, photographs, threats, murder, family-drama, family-dynamics, famous-persons, family, romantic, amateur-sleuth, FBI, cozy-mystery, NYC, art-crimes, situational-humor, witty, suspense*****

Welcome to the high stress world of celebrity NYC. Liv Spyer is a photographer for her friend's agency and her boyfriend Harry is an Art Crimes Investigator for a government agency. Things are not optimal for either of them at the moment. Harry's quarry is a real chameleon, and Liv's assignment is becoming more unpleasant by the day. Especially when she observes the murder of the megastar's sister, can't prove it, no one wants the cops involved, and she is threatened. But Harry believes her and things change. The publisher's blurb is exceptional, so no need to repeat or do spoilers. Great read with engaging characters, unusual twists, and awesome red herrings.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Kensington Books/Kensington Cozies via NetGalley. Thank you!