Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. The premise of this book drew me in immediately. Unfortunately, the story fell short of my expectations. The storyline felt rushed and the writing choppy.

"Murder on Drake Street" by Ellen Shapiro is a captivating mystery that keeps readers guessing from start to finish. Set against a backdrop of intrigue, the story follows a determined protagonist who dives into the investigation of a shocking murder in her neighborhood. Shapiro skillfully weaves together suspenseful plot twists and rich character development, making it easy to become immersed in the unfolding drama.

The writing is sharp and engaging, with vivid descriptions that bring the setting to life. The cast of characters is well-crafted, each adding layers to the mystery and contributing to the story's tension. As the protagonist navigates personal challenges alongside the investigation, themes of trust, loyalty, and the pursuit of truth emerge, making the narrative resonate on a deeper level.

Overall, "Murder on Drake Street" is an enthralling read for fans of cozy mysteries. With its blend of suspense, relatable characters, and a well-paced plot, it’s sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats, eagerly turning pages until the very last reveal.

This book had a Dick Tracy style, you know, where the investigator Tracy narrated the story. I thought it was too cut and dry, and although it was intriguing, It wasn’t as exciting and engaging as I expected.

This book had an interesting premise which first drew me to it. The writing style just didn't work for me. It felt a bit choppy and the dialogue was a bit unrealistic. This book has potential though.

Maddie is the main character in this PI story. I like her! She has normal drama going on in her life so why she decides to work with her old romance interest defies logic. But she does it anyway. She truly has a personality that lets no lead go without research. So she is looking into why a young woman has died. Wow does she uncover secrets. So interesting. I like the ins and outs of her research and glimpses into her personal life. A good book.

While I enjoy “who done it” murder mystery books, this one was lacking in plot, unfortunately. All of a sudden, the case was wrapped up rather quickly, in an anti-climactic way. I just wish there was more to the plot, honestly. The characters are diverse in personality, which made me want to keep reading!

Whilst I did enjoy the investigation part of the story and I had no idea who the killer was the book fell a little flat for me. It was very slow going, some sentences felt a little off, and the only reason I kept going was to find out who the killer was.

Maddie Landon is a private investigator hired to look into Claire Stevenson’s death. Things quickly become complicated when she ends up working with her former partner from the police force and ex-lover.

Unfortunately, this book was a bit of a struggle to get through. While the author did have some good ideas and I did not suspect who the killer was, the book felt flat due to ineffective prose and dialogue. There were some inconsistencies right off the bat- for example when Maddie thinks “whether Howie was guilty or innocent didn’t matter to my investigation,” when that was actually the whole point of the investigation. The dialogue felt stilted and awkward throughout, and interactions between characters were quite abrupt. Often there were many lines of quotes without identifying who was speaking which made the conversations confusing and hard to keep track of. The author struggled to create a sense of anticipation in the reader, and when the murderer is finally revealed it was disappointingly anticlimactic. Thanks to NetGalley, Ellen Shapiro, and Indies United Publishing House for this book in return for an honest review.

I loved this book. I could not put it down. The story was gripping. I took 10 pages of notes. I loved the characters and the plot and omg the twist!!! 5 star read for sure.

I didn't particularly enjoy this book. It has a sort of interesting story, I thought I had worked out the whodunnit element about halfway through but in the end I didn't figure it out until the final few chapters, so that's good. The ending was quite rushed and lacking in drama / any tension.
Brief spoiler: <spoiler>the way in which Maddie elicited the confession from the killer was ridiculous</spoiler>. Aside from that, I thought the pacing was pretty decent.

I was not a fan of the writing style at all, it almost feels like it was written by AI. There was a lot of really short, simple sentences and stilted dialogue. The book reads a bit like a police statement, and quite repetitive at times (see: every time Maddie is in a room with her boyfriend - awkward banter leading to sex, cut to next scene, they go eat food. Also see: a huge number of the chapters end with questions.). Also quite a lot exposition and over-explaining. And almost every meal is listed in detail for some reason.

Some of the vocabulary used felt a bit odd, for example constantly referring to her parents car accident as an automobile accident? Overuse of some phrases, every single conversation seems to include a character saying 'by the way' or 'one more thing'. Most of the characters lacked any real chemistry and interactions felt very wooden.

Overall, I won't be picking up another of this author's books. However, I feel like there's some interesting ideas here and with some editing it has potential.

What to do when you’re asked for help to investigate the murder of someone you know. This page-turner was filled with complicated relationships and tons of conflicts of interest. I enjoyed this one.

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, revenge, gas lighting, a great who done it, great detective work, and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!