Book 2 in a charming mystery series starring first pregnant women and now new moms.

Being a new mom is murder.

Alice and her friends are reeling from new motherhood, it is certainly not glamorous but they still find time for one another after they bonded following their mystery solving days during prenatal class. They plan a relaxing picnic but are interrupted by two protestors who introduce them to an ecogroup. Before she knows it, Alice is chained to a tree with her friends and enjoying a bit of time away from her one year old Jack. But when a leader of the group is murdered the moms find themselves quickly involved in a twisted mystery with plenty of culprits and few clues.

Join Alice and her absolutely hilarious look on life. You won't regret it! Ailes has created a great mystery that could stand on it's own but it is so much bigger and brighter with Alice and her friends (and horrid Helen the dog) navigating it!
Stmartinspress #deadtired #katailes

This book was so good. I loved the continued Ustinov of characters from the first book in series but found this one had better and quicker flow to it. I like how the author includes little realistic details like struggles that parenthood brings into your life as a mother and your relationship. Th whodunnit portion had me shocked by the result as I was assuming several other scenarios.

withholding review due to the SMP boycott. will not post about this anywhere either until this is resolved. thank you.

At this point, I think I'm more invested in the dog than any of the other characters. I think I also preferred the first novel to this one, however, the mystery was interesting.. it was just that these characters are falling flat for me. I don't really feel like there was that much character growth from our main character Alice whose child has been born. I love a good cozy mystery series, but perhaps I need to accept that this one just isn't for me.

If you want to do a spin off series where the dog solves mysteries instead, I am interested!

She’s back! Helen, the Legally Blonde of dogdom, has her own series! Well, so does her delightful, no longer pregnant, fur-parent Alice. And Helen has a little face that she can lick peanut butter off — one year old Jack. This is the second “Expectant Detectives” novel, the first taking place while Alice was 38 weeks pregnant as a murder occurred while she and her fellow mums were in a childbirth class. The mums, Ailsa, Poppy, Hen and Alice, banded together to solve the murder mystery. It’s now a year later and everyone is burdened by an intense year of first time parenting.

During a picnic in a Cotswold meadow, the young mums meet a pair of naked environmentalists, who are protesting the wind farm that will destroy the meadow, along with a 500 year old copse of chestnut trees. Hen doesn’t say much, since she’s the PA to the CEO of the corporation responsible. Alice is initially confused, asking “aren’t wind farms good for the environment?” but the two nude people insist it’s “greenwashing” — something that promises more environmental benefits that it delivers. Without Hen (who needs her job), the other three decide to attend an Earth Force meeting out of curiosity. Alice, Poppy and Ailsa go a step further: agreeing to be chained to the ancient trees to prevent their plowing down. It’s quite uncomfortable, made more uncomfortable by the fact that one of the chained up tree huggers (an original nude person) is murdered overnight.

Alice is such a delightful, funny and charming main character. She’s a reluctant detective, too — having to deal with a laughing baby at a funeral or Helen becoming a swamp creature makes her adorably different from other cozy sleuths. Her friends are also experiencing the same challenges, although Ailsa has it doubled with twins and only Hen is not on maternity leave. The author has constructed another wonderful mystery with a great cast of characters. 5 stars! Definitely waiting for the toddler installment next!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO No eye colors are mentioned at all.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO A meadow and a copse of chestnut trees are part of the plot.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is a light hearted cozy mystery that involves stay at home moms or moms on maternity leave.
Alice finds herself involved in a murder investigation of a local protester, and soon she finds herself wrapped up in a lot of secrets, and she knows she needs to act fast.
I haven't been able to connect to any of the characters, but this is still a fun cozy mystery series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.