Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

I did not realize this book was part of series. But I found you can read it as a standalone. It has made me go back and look at the other books in the series.

When Bailey receives a strange text, she is pulled into a murder mystery that she works to solve.

Its interesting to watch her follow and try to solve the mystery.

This was a quick read. A fun mystery in small town Pike, WI. A twist of events kept me guessing and a little love story mixed in!

i had no idea this was part of a series but i still knew what was going on. I just found out when i looked at more by the author. I will be reading the first part of the series.

This was a great read, loved the writing style and Bailey and Dom were a great pair. As Bailey is getting weird messages about a private mystery she needs to solve. As her and Dom work together its great as it unfolds the longer you read the story. Great read!

This book keeps you engaged and trying to solve the mystery the great part of the story.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review. Loved it.

When Bailey receives a strange text, she is pulled into a murder mystery that she works to solve. While this story is part of a series, it can work as a standalone. The pacing wasn’t what I’d hope it would be. At times I did not feel engaged and was hoping for more. I’m sure this book will be great for some.

When Dom agrees to leave Las Vegas and house sit for his best friend Kaden in Pike, Wisconsin. I want to scream runaway as fast as you can. But of course Dom, just like Kaden from the last book in the series, is drawn to a smart and beautiful Wisconsin woman. The cold weather must make them irresistible. Bailey is a beloved caregiver and an amateur sleuth so of course she lives in Pike. Once she connects with Dom will they stay to solve the crime or leave for warmer weather? I know what I would do.

4.5: As soon as I read the first page of this book I couldn’t get my mind off of it. I was extremely excited to read it and be engulfed in the mystery. It didn’t take long for me to realize that this was actually the most recent (fifth book) in an ongoing series so if you’re going to read it I definitely recommend reading the rest of the books because I was extremely confused by the call backs to the previous books. Even though I do believe that it can easily be read as a standalone, when the characters or narrator make call backs to the books before you’re left wondering what happened in those books. With that being said it is on my for not doing my research before requesting the arc and realizing that this is indeed apart of a series and honestly reading this book before the rest made me extremely curious to know what happened in this books and want to read those to get answers.

I really enjoyed this book, it was a quick and easy read. I could hardly put it down and unlike most mystery books I read I did not guess how the ending would go, not even at the very end. I of course had theories but none of them were even close to what happened at the ending which only made me even more excited to get to the end and figure out what happens. The writing was great, the author knew how to keep the reader engaged but I will say it switches from characters a few times and those switches could have been a bit cleaner so that the reader is blindsided from someone else’s pov.

The two main characters were definitely likable. I really liked the romance between them but it happened pretty fast, it felt like the whole story happened within barely a few days and they were already talking about spending their futures together. This book also had a bit of spice in it that I honestly don’t think it needed, it took away from the mystery. I love a mystery with a good romance subplot, but I don’t think the spice was needed and was a waste of a few pages. I also think that Baileys character contradicted herself a lot, one minute she comes off as strong and independent and the next she’s belittling herself and I just wasn’t a fan of it I understand that people have insecurities but I don’t like it in books when the FMC constantly says how boring or unattractive they are compared to the MMC.

I received this ARC through NetGalley and definitely recommend picking this book up if it seems like something you would be interested in reading!

I went into this one blind. Not sure what I expected, but that wasn't it lol

The idea of the book was great, as were certain elements. The twists were there, I just wasn't connected to the story enough to not them.

So many twists and turns with Bailey and dom going back and forth between who they think was killing and following her. I really had no idea where it was going to end and enjoyed all the authors put into the story to throw us off. Love the little bit of romance that went on with Bailey and dom but still sticking mostly with the mystery aspect. This was a book I read in one sitting because I just needed to know who did it, I would recommend this to book clubs and friends.

Do I have you attention, Bailey?
Welcome to the Murder Club.
Your first case begins today.

Bailey is living her life in Pike, Wisconsin, where small town living is fairly predictable, until a coworker convinces Bailey to join an online murder club. Everything is going well until she starts getting messages trying to get her to join a private club. After deciding to delete her account, events in Bailey's life takes a turn. The man she was interested in at her best friend's wedding comes back to Pike, she starts getting text messages from a possible stalker, and one of the residents at the nursing home Bailey works at, Nellie, passes away. Unfortunately, Nellie's son starts accusing Bailey of killing his mother after she changed her will only a few days before her death. These events start a series of murders that Bailey will have to solve to find out who the stalker is behind the text messages.

When I first started reading The Murder Club, I was not aware that this was book #5 in the Pike, Wisconsin series. However, this could be read as a standalone. The author does a great job of describing past events and other characters related to the other books in the series. I liked the investigation of the murder and trying to figure out if it was the same person that was stalking Bailey. I was surprised to figure out the identity of the killer and the connections between the series of murders were believable. I also enjoyed the romance between Dom and Bailey, but I did find the romance between the two a little too fast paced for my liking.

Overall, The Murder Club is a fast-paced murder/thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what is going to happen next.

The Murder Club comes out on February 20th.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to review The Murder Club. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It is always a treat to return to Pike - and this visit does not let us down! Action, adventure, romance, suspense, and a surprise villain are what you can expect from this great story. I love reading Ms. Ivy and can not wait for the next book to come out!

Bailey is being set up. The Murder Club started out as a way to overcome boredom. Now it’s turned deadly.

“Lia calls you ‘her bundle of sunshine.’ What could be more special than bringing happiness to others?”

Dom came back to Pike Wisconsin for Bailey.

This story was so twisted. Just when you think you have everything figured out another twist comes up. This series just keeps getting more wild and crazy.

This is part of a series? Who knew?
The Murder Club by Alexandra Ivy is just okay. I was hoping for more cold-case solving. If Pike, Wisconsin has such a murderous past why are we not attempting to solve a cold case? I didn't understand the point of the online club if our main character didn't lean on anyone in the group to help her solve a crime so close to home. The connection just wasn’t for me. On to the next one!

The author had me at the premise to this book. I have read some of Alexandra’s paranormals but have never read a Pike story even though I have a few on my kindle. Turns out giving it a read was a good choice.
There are so many threads in this story that our heroine is forced to follow to regain some normalcy in here life. Her caring personality and medical knowledge unwittingly pitted her against a very dangerous and maniacal person. There is no shortage of sick people in this story all dancing to the puppet master’s toon that only he could hear. Bailey becomes involved in the “Murder Club” out of boredom and her involvement serves as a cautionary tale on how quickly you can be pulled into something dangerous on the net.
I loved Dom because while he was the typical alpha male, he was not the type to beat his chest and then go solve things for the little woman. He knew she was in danger and wanted to protect her but did not smother. There relationship was adorable and pretty hot. The line in the story where he said his relationship was an empty shell until her just proved how well suited they were. I suspect her life was the same.
I always give a shout out the dogs in the story and I agree with the author they give unconditional love.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and waffled on the rating. It was a skosh to long in places and those places got a little dry. I may have glossed over the dry passages because I had been sucked into the story and needed to understand who ran the Murder Club.

Pike, Wisconsin has a reputation that won’t attract any new residents or businesses. Serial killers seem to be the town’s claim to fame. The recent untimely deaths of elderly local women might not be from natural causes. Bailey is a nurse working at a small nursing home whose owners primary concern is profit. An unexpected inheritance puts Bailey on the wrong side of a twisted plot. Her involvement in an online murder solving club turns into a threat much closer to home. Bailey briefly met an out of town handsome and interesting man at her best friend’s wedding. He comes back to Pike house sitting and sparks fly. Bailey seems to have a creepy stalker and be in danger. Her cousin is the understaffed, overworked sheriff trying to stay on top of escalating crime. The twisted plot takes many turns and had me throwing out theories faster than I could pick the perpetrator.
Although this is part of a series it is easily read on it’s own. I’ve read them all because I really enjoy the setting and characters the author portrays. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy of “The Murder Club” Pike, Wisconsin #5, by Alexandria Ivy, Kensington Publishing, expected publication Feb. 20,2024. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without any compensation.

Who doesn’t love a good murder mystery? When Bailey is invited to join the murder club she thinks why not nothing else to do, but when things start getting weird she decides to quit, then she starts getting mysterious text messages. Dom comes to Pike to house sit for his best friend, but he also intends to find the beautiful woman he spent time with at his friends wedding. Does he get more then her bargained for? Another great read from another of my favorite authors.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

Pike Wisconsin is a small town that seems quiet, although it has had serial killers in the past. So when nurse Bailey is talked into joining an online group that tries to solve cold cases, she attracts the attention of a real serial killer who then want to play a game one on one. When Dom, who was the best man at her friend’s wedding shows up to stay at the mutual friends’ home for a while, they meet up again just as Bailey starts getting the texts to play the murder game and a patient in the nursing home she works at dies. When the grandson discovers Bailey is in her grandmother’s will and a ring has been stolen, Bailey is put on unpaid leave and left feeling that people will believe she was negligent or worse in her care of the deceased woman.
As Dom and Bailey work together to figure out whether a series of deaths are accidental or murders, and how they are related, the person texting Bailey becomes upset that she playing the game only with him, becomes a danger to Bailey. The ending was a complete surprise.

I liked how Dom and Bailey fit together, along with their dogs. Bailey was a true sweetheart; I just didn’t understand why she wasn’t living a fuller life. Dom was a bit over protective, but did realize Bailey was intelligent, had a mind of her own, and respected her for that.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing an eARC of the novel. This is my honest review of The Murder Club, to be published February 20, 2024.

This book kept me on my toes and entertained while trying to solve these murder mysteries, yes spoiler there’s more than one murder. It was a very quick read and I was able to finish it in a couple of days. I wouldn’t say it was the best murder mystery I’ve ever read, but there were enough surprises to keep me reading. I definitely think this book is work giving a shot.

The Murder Club by Alexandra Ivy is my very first NetGalley review! In order to be thorough, I read the entire Pike, Wisconsin series. Book 5, "The Murder Club" was spectacular. I enjoyed the entire series but "The Murder Club" was my absolute favorite of all five books. Characters from Book 3 and Book 4 reappeared, along with exploration and development of characters you wanted to know more about from Book 4, specifically Bailey and Dom. Bailey and Dom are riveting as they work together to investigate the mysterious deaths that are yet again plaguing Pike, Wisconsin. You immediately find yourself emotionally attached and devastated at the thought they could be the targets of the person that created the Murder Club...

The twists and turns throughout this book were impressive. Alexandra Ivy did a stellar job of weaving the plot so you thought you knew who was to blame, until you changed your mind. To say I was surprised at the end of the book is an understatement. It took me almost a month to read the whole series, I finished "The Murder Club" in just over 24 hours. Highly recommend!

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

What fun, going back to Pike, Wisconsin - the small town with all the murders!

This time, it is Bailey who has started getting weird text messages about solving a private mystery. Good thing that Dom has come back to Pike to see Bailey as this is a very confusing mystery that doesn't make much sense until the end when all the threads are coming together and you see the whole picture.

I love the action and drama as along the way, Bailey and Dom try to figure out who is behind the murders and stop them before more people are killed.

They are great together and loved every action packed scene as I went through the story!

The Murder Club
by Alexandra Ivy
Pub Date: FEb 20, 2024
Kensington
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Investigating cold cases online from the safety of home is a harmless diversion for many true crime fans. But for one woman, it becomes a deadly game that’s all too real…
Maybe I wasn't in the right mode but this book didn't do it for me.
3 stars