Board to Death is the first book in the Board Game Shop Series by C.J. Connor. Set in Utah, readers are introduced to Ben Rosencrantz as he tries to figure out what’s next in life after returning home to assist his father in the board game shop Ben grew up in.

Board to Death is a quick, easy read. Perfect for curling up and reading over a weekend! The biggest issue I had with the book was the inconsistent timeline. I mean that you are led to believe the book opens early in the week (Tuesday-Thursday). After the murder happens, you learn it’s a Friday. There are a few other times in the book where you think it’s one day when it’s another. But it doesn’t take away from the story.

There is LGBTQ2A+ representation in the book. Ben is a recently divored gay man, who finds himself drawn to the owner of the flower shop. One character is mentioned with they/them pronouns. And there is a f|f relationship as well. There is also a discussion throughout the book about growing up queer in Utah.

I loved the setting of a board game store because board games are a passion I picked up over the pandemic. There are several games mentioned in the story; they range from old-school (i.e. Monopoly) to recent favorites (i.e. Gloomhaven). Connor even introduces readers to one of their favorite games called Nertz, and rules are included in the back of the book.

In his previous life, Ben was an English professor with a concentration in fantasy novels. As such, there are multiple references to C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. While neither author (or their works are) are ones I’ve enjoyed, it’s still fun to see such references.

Board to Death is a fun read, and I am looking forward to reading more by C.J. Connor!

A nice start to a new series! Ben has moved home to help his dad, who is struggling with a nasty medical situation He's running his dad's board game shop too- a big switch from being a professor. And then there's a murder! This is a cozy so you know the victim- in this case a sleazy dealer named Clive- has more than a few enemies. But who and why? And what's with the cash? Ben and his friend Ezra (ahem, romantic interest) find themselves investigating, I liked this for the characters as well as the Salt Lake setting, And the sense of humor. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, A good read,

I wanted to like this book, I really did, and maybe I just wasn't in a good mood when I read it, but it seemed disjointed. Ben had NO motive for trying to find the killer. He passed out when he noticed that they guy had been stabbed, so he wasn't a realistic suspect. The whole issue of the money made no sense to me, and the reveal of the killer was just bizarre. Ben was whiny and weak, and the whole storyline was a little depressing.

Board to Death is a quirky cozy mystery, featuring the nerdy and queer Professor Ben Rosencrantz and his family’s board game shop. The absurd mystery is surrounded by fun geeky references, peculiar characters, and a vivid Salt Lake City setting. I loved the added touch of being queer and non-mormon in the midst of Utah, as well as the budding relationship between Ben and his flower-shop neighbor. Overall, this quick read was a lot of fun, and will absolutely satisfy any cozy mystery craving.

After his marriage breaks up, Ben returns home to the Salt Lake City area to look after his father, and to revive the board game shop owned by his family for years. When a local collector offers a rare first-edition game, Ben turns him down – and then becomes suspect #1 when the man turns up dead the very next day. Convinced that the police aren’t looking anywhere else for the killer, and determined to clear his name, Ben and his new friend Ezra launch their own investigation into the murder.

This is what I hope will be the first book in a new cozy series, because I liked it a lot. I visited Salt Lake City years ago, so can imagine the general area – and unless attitudes have changed considerably since then, how difficult it must be to be a gay man there. Despite what seemed to me like quite a few gay stereotypes, I liked Ben and his determination to help his father without being overbearing, to keep the shop afloat and to start life over again. I liked many of the other characters as well, and the way they supported Ben and his father, even when things looked especially grim.

The murder victim here was not a popular man, so there were plenty of suspects to consider, each with a similar motive. There were so many, and so many red herrings along the way, that I gave up trying to figure out whodunnit, and just went along with Ben and Ezra’s investigation. I was surprised when the killer was revealed, but given the character, the motive made sense.

If this is to be the first book in a series, I look forward to reading the next book, and hope we readers don’t have to wait long for its release.

Cozy authors generally need to find a setting for their stories. This is the first time that I have seen a cozy set in a game shop and I loved the idea. I also like the pun in this book’s title.

Ben, the protagonist of this Salt Lake City based story, had been a married English professor. He is now divorced and has taken over the running of his father’s shop. It is quite a change.

Someone who tried to sell Ben a rare board game (was it counterfeit?) is murdered and Ben needs to clear his name. Cozy readers can trust that he will do so. How suspicious will the investigator be?

Another aspect of this book centers on Ben’s attraction to Ezra. Will the two be able to make a go of it?

I liked that there were discussion questions at the end of the story. There was also info on how to play a card game called Nertz.

Read this one for the romance or the light mystery. I imagine that it is the first in a series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

BOARD TO DEATH is the first book in the brand-new Board Game Shop Mystery series by CJ Connor. The premise is terrific, with a family-owned board game shop that not only sells games but hosts board game nights. But protagonist Ben Rosencrantz isn’t quite the amateur sleuth I would have hoped for. His character is a bit too “damsel in distress” in every setback or stressful situation. Instead, his friend and love-interest, flower shop owner Ezra McCaslin, is more of the leading character. That said, I absolutely loved their interaction, whether it was while they were searching for a killer, or getting to know each other in a sweet, could this be romance type of way. I have high hopes that Ben is finding his inner strengths and will take the lead in future books.

The mystery itself is straightforward, with humor added to lighten the story. There were several suspects to consider and a solid plot with clues scattered about for the reader to follow. There were fun mentions of games that helped Ben and Ezra investigate, bringing back childhood memories. I was also intrigued by the premise of collectible board games collectors might spend tens of thousands of dollars on and the way the author wove it into the story was excellent. All in all, this was a good start to the series and I hope future books bring stronger character growth, particularly with Ben.

Cozy mysteries are one of my favourite genres when I want a bit of intrigue but also just a good ol' time. This particular book had me feeling so seen with it's nerdy references and overall geeky vibe. I loved the way the main character interacted with the world and conversed with the people around him...I also will never say no to an a-dork-able LGBTQ romance...

So many of the moments in the novel were sweet enough to have me kicking my feet in the air. CJ Connor is definitely an author I will follow in the future and I really hope I get to stay in this literary world!

So the premise is that Ben comes back home to Salt Lake City when he finds out his dad is ill. He comes back to help run his dad’s board game store. Ben is also recently divorced and looking for a fresh start. There are lots of nerdy references, both in board games and books. Ben is approached by a man called Clive who has a really rare and valuable board game. He is selling it for much cheaper than it should cost, but that raises red flags and Ben gets suspicious and doesn’t buy it. Later that day, Clive shows up on the store’s front porch, a knife in his chest, and dies. Ben and the florist next door were together when this happened, and police officers take their statements. (Which likely included their ROCK-SOLID ALIBI.)

With this being a mystery, I was looking out for clues and couldn’t help noticing many inconsistencies, the main one people the timeline. It was his birthday, and it was almost his birthday. It was Tuesday but now it was Friday. There were also inconsistencies in other timelines like when a youth minister that he hasn’t seen in “25 years” but then in the next breath says he knew him when he was in high school. Because they make a big deal about his being his 30th birthday, we know that it is more likely been 15 years. I lost a lot of trust in the author (even though what it really needed was a good editor) This might have been addressed for the final version, but I’m reviewing what I received.

So the whole reason Ben (and his romantic interest Ezra) decide they have to solve the crime is because the alternative makes Ben look guilty. Nevermind they were together at the time of the crime therefore ALIBI. The police even say, you’re not trained for this. Just stay out of our way. He’s like yeah, sure…Okay but just one more thing. Let me go talk to someone I suspect of murder. If this had been a statement on how innocent people can sometimes get railroaded for circumstantial evidence, okay but that’s not what this was about. It was just a plot engine.

The romance also felt off. Sometimes Ben would feel tired or weak and Ezra would just swoop in and take care of him as if they were long-term partners, intuiting what each other need. And other times they were wondering if the other person even liked them romantically. Like, do you want to give us a well-worn deep relationship or the new fizzy excitement of a new crush? Pick one please. It was mixed messaging. For example:

After the murder, they use mini figurines from board games to try to re-enact the crime. Ezra says, “put the knife figurine next to him. Sort of in between his arm and stomach.” I did so. He gave me a thumbs-up. Thank you Ben. Really helps me visualize." Ben responds with, “anything for you. I mean…” and tried to think of a clarification that would make that sound less suggestive of feelings.

The writing did sometimes make me laugh. In attempting to play a bluffing game, he tries to think of a happy place. He envisions, “[His dog] she basked in the sun while I attempted to read Dune. I loved attempting to read Dune. It was so much easier to accomplish than actually finishing it.” (I related to that!)

At the end when confronting the killer they say, “Well, just so you know, I’m fine with that (meaning Ezra and Ben being gay) That’s not why I’m threatening you with a knife. I’m very much an ally.” Then he responds “That’s good, because a homophobic murderer is the last thing we need right now.” That interaction did get a snort laugh out of me.

Overall, I can’t recommend this book. I thought I’d love it, and in concept I do, but the execution just didn’t really happen. If you’re a person who just likes the ride, and don’t care about plausibility, then you might enjoy this. Unfortunately, plausibility is a deal-breaker for me.

Again, if you’re interested, it’ll be published on August 22nd.

I'd like to set the scene by saying that I read most of this book in one day. Which is today. It's the end of July and, while the rest of the world is roasting, we are having a rainy, somewhat chilly day here in Rochester. To be honest, it's the perfect day to read a cozy mystery.

Board to Death is a solid, if somewhat predictable, mystery set in Salt Lake City. Our protagonist, Ben, is a gay man who has returned home after getting divorced and quitting his job as a professor. Ben's father owns and operates a board game store, and is sick. Ben is struggling to run the store and take care of his father. And then, on Ben's 30th birthday, a man is murdered outside the store.

I enjoy cozies for the world-building and the characters as much as the mystery. This book leans into the world-building aspect more. The solution to the mystery was pretty obvious to me. The fun was in Ben and Ezra spending time together trying to figure out whodunnit. I liked the gentle build of the relationship. I liked that there wasn't an emphasis on Mormonism. I liked that Ben didn't have to go searching for a queer community- he was already part of one.

I went back and forth between 3 and 4 stars for this review. I give the book a very solid 3.5 stars, so I am going to round up.

I would be interested in reading more books in the series. I'd love to see the author dive a little deeper into the board game aspect. Hint hint.

The first in a new cozy mystery series centers around Ben, who after his divorce, has moved back to Salt Lake City and is helping his dad out running his family’s board game store. A shady buyer/seller comes in offering to sell Ben a rare board game. Ben passes, but soon finds himself under suspicion when that same dealer dies on his doorstep.

As a debut/start of a series, I thought it was pretty solid book. There were some things that prevented me from loving it. I do think pacing was up and down. Sometimes fast, sometimes slower. I also thought the whodunit was obvious, but I read a lot so maybe it’s just me! Finally, and spoiler ahead, so stop reading if you don’t want a character thing spoiled: Ben and his love interest Ezra say I love you in this book?? It felt so early on in them knowing each other but also part of the journey in the cozy is often getting the love story built up along the way. That said, I will definitely read the next one to see how that is!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

I did not finish this book, but I will provide feedback about the part I read and explain why it didn't work for me!
This book has a very cozy feeling, and the game store/cafe setting was really pleasant and comfortable. The pace was pretty slow and leisurely, and that's okay because it's a cozy mystery! It was a queer story, which is always nice. The reason I couldn't get through this was the constant pop culture references. It was packed with them to the point that I couldn't focus on the story anymore.
Thank you for the ARC, and I will probably still include this book on recommendation lists because it's not bad, just didn't work for my personal taste.

3.5⭐️

I received this as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so funny, just the right amount of irreverent & real. I could empathize easily with Ben after a bad breakup.

This slightly steamier than the average cozy mystery, but it's still fade-to-black.

I look forward to the rest of the series!

Board to Death by CJ Connor, first in a new cozy series, was really hard for me to give a rating to. I enjoyed most things about it, except the main character, which, obviously, is a huge part of the book!

Let me tell you all the good before I get into the one not so good. This cozy (or quozy, aka queer cozy) has a very diverse cast of characters which is a wonderful change of pace. While I do enjoy classic cozies, in my opinion, the world needs a lot more diversity. All of the characters are well developed. The dynamic between Ben and his father (who has a terminal illness) is very believable. Combine this with a cast of oddball people and a very sweet love interest, and it has the beginnings of a good series.

Besides wanting to check out this cozy for the representation of the queer community, I also really liked the premise of a game shop being where it centers around, since I’m a huge geek and enjoy games and pop culture. The nods to games like Clue and the movie, Labyrinth, were wonderful. I’m hoping the next book gives us even more.
One small thing, that really doesn’t affect the story at all, but really stuck out to me was when Ben and Ezra went to Salty Con… Ben is broke, Cons are expensive…

The mystery was fine, and I really did like that they didn’t go over the suspects/clues repeatedly. I felt that it was about the right amount. The final reveal didn’t have the panache that other series are known for, but that was okay too. If I’m looking for something really gripping, I’ll read a thriller.

Now to Ben, he was sweet and seemed to be a good person. But, I could not handle how he was continually fainting, exhausted, and crying. While all of these are legit things for anyone to do it’s just not what I look for in a main character solving a murder. I want the lead to have more guts. Ezra was able to counter this a bit, but I really hope Ben is able to find more faith in his abilities in future books.

The premise to this book sounded really promising. A man who runs a small board game shop has to solve a murder that surrounds a rare edition of a board game. Along the way he finds love and a home in his town. While I enjoyed the book, the vibes felt a little off. I was hoping for it to be cozier, but it just felt a little too sad and anxiety ridden. I was also unfortunately unable to enjoy most of the characters. The mystery itself was interesting at times, but a little predictable and far-fetched.

Overall, this was a cute, cozy mystery that could be easily read in one sitting (preferably while drinking a cup of tea).

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

CJ Connor debuts with their queer cozy mystery, Board to Death. Former professor of literature Ben has moved back home to Salt Lake City after his divorce to help his father run the family board game shop. When death shows up on their doorstep, Ben teams up with the attractive neighborhood florist, Ezra, to try and puzzle out the murderer.

I will first and foremost acknowledge that I tend to be of two minds about cozies. I, in theory, like them very much. However, I do tend to struggle when the pacing leans toward moseying, which was the case for Board to Death. This is a feature not a bug, but it simply is a feature I am disinclined to enjoy very much. Combined with the tidy and anticlimactic wrap-up at the end rather than any huge twist or clever rounding up of clues, and I am simply whelmed. Neither under nor over, but whelmed.

Connor does present lovely queer main characters in the adorkable pair of Ezra and Ben. Their coming together to solve the mystery was sweet and awkward and wholesome. Note that there is a spice level of basically zero and utterly vanilla. Which is lovely, if that's what you're after. If you are looking for more, this is not your book.

I was pleased to have the opportunity to read this book early and wish Connor all the success on this and future releases.

Ben Rosencrantz is back in Salt Lake City after a divorce from his husband and leaving his job as an English professor in Seattle. He's caregiver for his father who has developed late onset muscular dystrophy and trying to keep his father's board game shop solvent.

When a guy comes to try to sell him a rare game, Ben refuses. But when the guy if found stabbed to death outside the shop, Ben needs to solve the mystery of who wanted Clive Newton dead and who is trying to frame Ben for the crime.

Ben is assisted by new friend flower shop owner Ezra. And Ben needs the help. He's shy and suffers from social anxiety. Also, he's an English professor and board game player, not a detective of any kind.

This was an engaging story with interesting characters. I liked the setting of Salt Lake City and the way an openly gay man deals with his less-than-tolerant hometown. I also liked the introduction to gamer culture.

I’ve read many cosy mysteries set in all kinds of shops but this is the first time I’ve come across one for a board game shop, so I was hoping this would be a good start to a new series. Unfortunately it didn’t really work for me.

Ben Rosencrantz has left his divorce form his husband Shane and his job as a college English professor to return to his home in Salt Lake City. His father has a degenerative disease and Ben wants to help him get his ailing board game shop business back on track. As well as selling a comprehensive selection of board games, the shop has a café with an excellent barista and rents tables to groups who want to meet to play board games.

The local business owners also meet regularly in the evening at the shop to share issues and play a mass solitaire-type game called Nertz. After one such meeting, Ben is packing up with Ezra, the cute florist, when someone hammers on the door. When he opens it a man with a knife in his chest falls across the doorway and bleeds to death.

The man is Clive, an unpleasant man who is known for his shady dealings and had earlier tried to sell Ben a game he claimed was vintage and much sought after by collectors. Now Ben is worried that the police think he stabbed Clive so he and Ezra decide they need to do some amateur sleuthing to find out who really killed Clive.

I wanted to like this book more because the premise is so good. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t warm to Ben. He is such a sensitive wimp, always crying and feeling faint and always exhausted (it could be he has undiagnosed depression). Growing up gay in Utah was hard for him and he’s taking his recent divorce very hard, but how he ever stood up to teaching college students is hard to see. He also doesn’t seem to have any good ideas about how to get the shop back on its feet, which was disappointing. Ezra is a more likeable character, fortunately with a bit more spine, and helps Ben in his sleuthing. Their romance is very sweet but it’s hard to see much of a future for Ben as an amateur sleuth unless he finds a way to become more resilient..

3.25 stars

Quirky debut cozy (or quozy since the main character is gay) featuring Ben Rosencrantz, who has fled Seattle and a college teaching position to return to his small town roots and come to the aid of his ailing father and his board game store. It's nice to have some diversity in the cozy world and Ben and his insecurities have a certain hapless appeal.

Ben is charming but annoying as a main character. He is plenty smart and witty, and tries to help his father even though his elder is cranky and unappreciative much of the time. Ben is still smarting from a divorce from his husband and his total change in life circumstances when a dead body turns up on the doorstep.

Unnerving, yes, but Ben is kind of a frail flower -- he frequently bursts into tears, has trembling fits, etc. Luckily he has a new friend - with the possibility of more - in the next door florist Ezra. Together he and Ezra try to puzzle out the solution to the murder. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review. I found the MC to be bumbling to the point of exhaustion and inability to understand the progress of the story. I generally love cozy mysteries but this series is just not for me. Thank you for the opportunity and your consideration in granting me this title; this is not a decision I take lightly.