Dead Tired, Kat Ailes’ follow-up to The Expectant Detectives is just as fun and enjoyable as its predecessor. In this story, Alice and the friends she made in the small rural community she and her boyfriend Joe moved to are now mothers to babies instead of expecting them. I found all the pregnancy vibes so funny in the first book that I wondered if Ailes could keep up the level of funny with very small children instead and spoiler alert, the answer is yes. Alice’s ding dong dog Helen is back for additional comic relief. These are more slow burn mystery with a heavier focus on funny and the relationships between the women. For as ditzy as Alice is most of the time (another layer of funny) she also can be surprisingly observant and pick up clues that may seem unconnected to the reader. I felt like the motive of one and the execution of the other was clever. I’ve really enjoyed the first two books and I’m really looking forward to the next adventure, and murder, Ailes has for these women. Will she set it when the children are in their terrible twos? I can already imagine a fresh round of childhood disasters to deal with.

The second novel in The Expectant Detectives is here, Dead Tired, and spoiler - it's great! Alice, Poppy, Hen and Ailsa are back with all their babies in tow. And surprise, Ailsa had twins, which I loved being a mama to twins also! This time around the mums and babes are having a picnic in the woods when along comes some naked protestors, Leila and Raven! They share that the area they are in will soon be demolished for a site for wind fans. The ladies end up joining their protest on a whim which included being chained up overnight to the trees. 24 hours off baby duty sounded like a good plan at the time. However they are jolted awake the next morning to Poppy screaming, as someone has gotten strangled. Now the story is off and running. A great cozy mystery with lots of twists and turns around every corner. I absolutely loved this one and it's great getting to know the characters more. Move over Helen, (woof), Alice is now my fav!! Her character is so funny and blunt; I was cracking up constantly. While this story revolves around a murder, I loved that it showed an honest look at motherhood, the sweetness but also the challenges, especially during the first year or so. Also found family and community is heavy with this group of ladies. Kat Ailes is getting her stride and I can't wait to read more from her in the future! Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the gifted copies in exchange for an honest review.

As with Expectant Detectives, I really loved the characters and their relationships with each other. Their dialogue was witty and entertaining. Also similar to the first book, I wasn't impressed with the mystery part of the plot. I was entertained overall, but it wasn't a page turner for me. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

From the first page to the finale, I was immediately pulled into the world that is Alice and her friends. And once again, they get involved in another murder investigation and this time the stakes are higher. I love the camaraderie of the women and the role they have in this drama. The mystery was nicely done with secrets abounding left to be uncovered. When I thought I was on the right trail, the author changed directions which benefited the story being told. It was fun watching all the pieces fall into place and after all was said and done, only one person was left standing, the killer. Overall, this was a delightfully charming sequel and I look forward to more adventures with Alice and her friends.

Dead Tired is the second book in The Expectant Detectives series.

What a cozy mystery series, who would have thought maternity leave for the ladies would result in being witness to another murder in the small little countryside village they live. They certainly didn't however, they find themselves investigating the murder while learning the ins and outs of motherhood.

My favourite gal pal pack is back and well, understandably exhausted. I think I enjoyed Dead Tired more than I enjoyed The Expectant Detectives. Kat Ailes writes very realistic characters and situations which makes it even more so entertaining. The good and the bad of new friendships as well as motherhood mixed so well. It was such a fun and interesting read; I hope this series continues.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and Netgalley for this ARC.

Expected Pub date: June 4, 2024.

Alice is back. The fantastic saga of "The Expectant Detectives" has churned out another little gem. A year has passed, and Alice, now a new mother, begins to suffer from small motherhood problems: little sleep, naughty children and the need to relax. We face another homocide and the gag is back too!
Now they have to deal with the eco-activists.
I found the writing improved compared to the first book, on the other hand the characters are always fun.
As for the plot, however, the story is new, but the modus operandi is still the same as the first book, unfortunately this is a characteristic of books defined as cozy mystery, you already know what awaits you, there are no big twists.
Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press - Minotaur Books for giving me this copy, in exchange for an honest review.

I read this one and the first one in less than a week. Great cozy mystery with unlikely detectives. I liked this one a lot more than the first. I can't wait to see where the rest of this series goes!

Title: Dead Tired

Although the book had witty,self-deprecating humor and double murder, the odd friendships formed due to common interests or areas, like babies or a sidewalk, did not appeal to me. They added a weird dynamic that made me dislike the main character even more. However, the writer's style was topnotch - very fluid, and at times, rambling, though comical. The humorous side stories became awkward and page filler, causing me to take breaks to refocus or skim over pages. A little restraint would have helped me like it more. It felt like bringing all your weapons to a fight but not being able to use any because your hands are full.

Kat Ailes has the ability to make me laugh incredibly hard, while also building suspense and mystery in unexpected ways. Dead Tired was a delight, just as The Expectant Detectives was.

Alice is a hilarious, relatable protagonist. I love the way her mind works. Hen, Ailsa, and Poppy are the best sidekicks. I appreciate how distinct their personalities are, they feel like full characters. Just as in book 1, the partners were great supporting characters, and did not detract from the main group of women. Helen and Ronnie, the dogs, added a huge amount of humor!

On top of the mystery, this book dealt with motherhood and postpartum. I was moved by the perspective on postpartum depression and the loss of bodily autonomy in motherhood.

I felt that this mystery was slightly less compelling than the first one (the lack of family connection to Alice made this one have different stakes). However, it was creative, emotional, and kept me guessing. The environmental activism angle was interesting and raised valid questions to consider.

All in all, this was an incredible sequel. I am obsessed with this series.

This was the sequel to Expectant Detectives. We were reunited with our favorite gal pals (and our favorite dog Helen) from Penton. Some things have changed though. They’ve all had their babies and almost a year has passed since they solved the murder and the mystery surrounded Penton.

What hasn’t changed? The fact that these ladies are somehow wrapped up in another murder and playing detective again, much to Jane’s dismay.

This book was weird for sure. Mixing motherhood and murders will never feel normal, but as a mom myself this book hit home for me in so many ways, one of my favorite quotes was “I’d never realized before parenting that tiredness was an emotion”. I really hope this isn’t the end for these ladies!

Book Title: Dead Tired
Series: The Expectant Detectives Book #2
Author: Kat Ailes
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press- Minotaur Books
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pub Date: June 4, 2024
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Pages: 336

This story is Book #2 “The Expectant Detectives” series. The first was entitle [book: The Expectant detectives] featuring - you guested it~ a group of soon-to-be moms-who bonded in a prenatal group and of course turn into-detectives solving mysteries.

This story takes place a year later and expectant moms Ailsa, Poppy, Hen and Alice are sleep-deprived new moms experiencing an intense year of first time parenting.
Sure enough they are once again entangled in another murder in the quiet village in the Cotswolds.
Our new moms and toddlers are on picnic in a Cotswold meadow, when they meet a pair of naked environmentalists, who are protesting the wind farm that will destroy the meadow as well as the 500 year old chestnut trees.,
They decide to attend an Earth Force meeting out of curiosity. Alice, Poppy and Ailsa end up agreeing to be chained to the ancient chestnut trees to prevent their being plowing down.

The is no doubt that Alice is a delightful, character as well as an amateur detective having to deal with a laughing baby at a funeral.
I love a good cozy mystery and the amateur sleuths typically follow a formula however this group is different.
This is definitely a light enjoyable read.
I believe you will also be looking forward for what is next with moms and their toddlers.

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press - Minotaur Books for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 4, 2024.

Alice and Alisa are taking the babies and their respective dogs for a walk through a meadow when they come across two naked people walking through the meadow. Raven and Leila are part of Earthforce, a group of protestors trying to stop a company from demolishing a grove of trees deep within the meadow. Alice and Alisa decide to join a protest and get chained to tree as part of a peaceful protest, however, when Leila is found dead the next morning, Alice and her friends once again find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation.

This is the second book I’ve read by the author and I do like her writing style. Each of the Mom characters are unique voices and I even enjoy the antics of Helen, Alice’s dog. You can visualize the chaos a young toddler and rambunctious dog create. The murder mystery is engaging and I figured out close to when the author revealed who the murder was which is a plus. Overall, this is an enjoyable mystery with fun characters.

“Dead Tired” was a good sequel. Alice and her friends are adjusting to motherhood, some more successfully than others. However, they cannot keep from becoming involved in another murder investigation. On a picnic with the kids and dogs, they come across a naked man and woman (Raven and Leila) who are protesting a local green energy company (Aether) which plans to bulldoze a copse of ancient trees to build a wind farm. The women, other than Hen, who works for Aether, attend an Earth Force meeting and then participate in the protest to save the copse, which involves chaining themselves to the trees. The next morning Leila turns up dead, having been strangled by an unknown assailant while chained to a tree.

Who was the killer? Raven (the boyfriend), Sam (Raven’s brother, who does not get along with Leila), Owen Myers, the founder of Aether, or someone else? The investigation reveals that Leila was not the person everyone thought she was. There are also numerous other secrets involving various other characters.

There are lots of humorous moments, especially involving Alice, her son Jack, and their crazy dog Helen.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this book! I read the first one in this series when it was originally available on NetGalley. If you're looking for a book that is easy to read, has a pretty good mystery that I didn't figure out before it was revealed, and that has relatable characters, then this might be the book for you. This would make a great beach read, similar to the first book in the series.

The moms are back! Now that they have all given birth, a new phase of craziness begins and of course, it involves murder. This is the second book in the series, and does standalone, but read the first also if you want to know more about the characters.

This is a clever mystery where the detective are new moms and, it's a story that will keep readers guessing. It's humorous, but there's also a depth to the characters and storyline. The English countryside backdrop adds to this charming tale of friendship. While it's second in the series, it can be read as a standalone novel.

It’s very rare for me to like a sequel more than the first book but boy did I like this one. The characters felt more fleshed out, more like real people, and the mystery kept me guessing until the very end. If there is a third book I’ll definitely be reading it!

Alice and her three friends Hen, Alisa and Poppy are picnicking with their babies when approached
by a naked couple, Raven and Leila. The couple are protesting the destruction of a copse of ancient
trees for a wind farm by green energy company Aether. When Alice, Alisa and Poppy participate in
a protest, Leila turns up dead. While the three investigate who had reason to kill Leila, they also
need to exercise care as Aether is Hen's employer. The more they find out about who Leila was,
the more questions arise.
#DeadTired #MinotaurBooks #NetGalley

I liked the first book in this series, The Expectant Detectives, and this was a solid follow-up. This is set in the same general area in the English countryside, with the same main characters from the first book, though now they are mothers at the end of their year of maternity leave rather than antenatal classmates. The setup is somewhat similar to the first one, in that main character Alice and her friends Poppy, Ailsa, and Hen get pulled pretty quickly into a murder, completely by chance. Instead of the murder being connected to a commune (as it was in the first book), this one is connected to a group of green eco-warrior activists, but otherwise there are a lot of similar elements - small town politics, amateur detectoring (as they call it), and lots of antics from Helen (Alice's slightly unhinged dog). The big difference this time is that there are also now one year olds in tow. I liked that Ailes doesn't shy away from the realities of parenting a young child - major sleep deprivation, postpartum mental health issues, childcare struggles, mastitis, and more. Overall, another fun English village mystery - if you liked the first book in the series, you'll like this one, too.

I loved the characters in Dead Tired, and laughed out loud in parts. This is brilliant. Thank you for a good book.