situational-humor, twins, Oregon, local-law-enforcement, new-series, first-in-series, friends, friendship, family, family-dynamics, amateur-sleuth, librarian, senior-sleuths, infidelity, murder, investigations, cozy-fiction, verbal-humor*****

A totally fun cozy murder mystery with nods to the more serious detailed sort. This is the kind that is a real stressbuster after a technically detailed day or frustrating week. There's the twin granddaughters who are polar opposites in the reality spectrum, the loose lips regarding the investigation, and just Alice herself. This story is great tongue-in-cheek fun and I totally enjoyed it!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Kensington Publishing | Kensington Cozies via NetGalley. Thank you!
#AlicePepperLonelyHeartsAndPuzzleClubMysteriesBk1

This was an absolutely great first entry!
Alice Pepper didn’t expect to be working at this point in her life. But yet here she is, divorced, still working, and struggling to stay afloat. But the one thing she has is more valuable than anything, that’s her group of long time BFFs. The women who are always there for her and vice versa. There’s nothing that a good bottle of wine and natter can’t solve.

When one of the gang, Ruby, it’s suspected in her husband‘s murder, Alice decides that a murder really isn’t much different than solving a puzzle, but she has an act for. Solving a puzzle doesn’t mean the person behind the puzzle will come after her next. Can Alice clear Ruby? More importantly, can Alice survive the process of clearing Ruby’s name?

I absolutely love this the view entry in this new cozy mystery series. Loved. It! I really enjoy Alice as a character, and her networker friends are a great addition and complement to the protagonist. This story moved at a good pace and kept my attention the entire time. I will be back for more in this series.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this wonderful book. This book is about Alice and Ruby, two women in their prime, who are solving a murder. Alice is a librarian in the small town of West Hazel, Oregon and Rose is her best friend whose husband was found murdered. Alice has decided to help her friend Rose and her granddaughter Officer Madison Denham to solve the case. I loved these wonderful characters and look forward to their next book.

Alice Pepper is divorced, financially limited, estranged from her only daughter, and pushing seventy, but she enjoys her life. With dear friends and family, a satisfying job as a librarian, and a passion for puzzles, she has a good time. Then the violent death of a close friend's husband turns everything upside down. Alice, together with her merry band of female friends and relatives, delves into local politics and juicy secrets -- but will she be able to solve the murder before the killer silences her?

The characters are fun and likeable, the story is fast-paced but gentle, if not entirely plausible, and the book is an enjoyable introduction to what should turn out to be a great series.

It's crazy how a murder mystery can wind up being a warm, fuzzy story about women and friendship. Roz Noonan's character, Alice, is someone I'd love to call a friend and neighbor. All the women in this story are so lovely, and I enjoyed being in their circle for a fast-paced read.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book, which will be published on July 23.

Alice Pepper, a lady of a certain age, had hoped to be retired by now, but unfortunately a divorce, mortgage, and redundancy threats mean that's not happening any time soon. What has happened is murder, a best friend under suspicion, and a desperate need to help. It's not something Alice has got any experience of but that shouldn't matter, should it?

Starting a new cosy series has the potential to be a little risky and sadly I found this storyline with its unprofessional approach to crime scene protocols and easy access to confidential information unrealistic. The apparently empathetic Alice, her family and friends, weren't, for me, likeable at all and I struggled to finish this.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Kensington Publishing, but the opinions expressed are my own. This, unfortunately, isn't a book I can recommend.

I knew it....but I also didn't expect that!

Puzzle Me a Murder by Roz Noonan is a cozy mystery you do not want to miss.: Our main character is Alice, a librarian with a knack for puzzles. although Alice enjoys puzzles, I don't think she ever imagined she would have to unpuzzle a murder but here we are. The story starts with us finding out that Ruby, Alice's best friend, caught her husband, George, cheating on her right before he was murdered. Ruby of course is the primary suspect, but that doesn't last long. Alices started her investigation to prove her friend's innocence but continued because things just got a little bit more juicy. The more Alice dug around the more she learned about her best friend's late husband- and let me tell you he was not a saint. It was a fun story to read, filled with twists and turns. I have to say it was obvious who the killer was, however, the details were next level.

A few things that rubbed me the wrong way were that Alice was very flippant with sharing information with, well everyone. I mean come on it's a small town, maybe keep it on the down low that you're investigating a murder. I also wasn't a fan of the fact that Alice's granddaughter, who is an officer on the case, shared so much information with her grandmother. There were a few typos that were in the copy but they didn't take away from the book.

Overall it was a great read and I'm looking forward to reading more by Roz Noonan.


Thank you to Roz Noonan, Kensington and NetGalley for the digital ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Engaging and entertaining, a good cozy mystery. I question some of the background/research = most libraries are not under the control of the town mayor, but are independent tax entities with their own board; incorporating in Delaware does not provide tax benefits; etc Definitely could have used better editing.

This was a nice fun cozy mystery with a solid inter generational group of friends. I had fun reading it, even though there were outlandish things, like the police letting a whole group into an active crime scene. But fun to read!

I really enjoy thrillers! So fun to read along and guess theories.
It was a good puzzle. I enjoyed the backstories too

"I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

When I saw this book was a murder mystery taking place in the Pacific Northwest, I knew it was a book I wanted to read!

I thought this one was quite fun and appreciated characters that were a little older.

Looking forward to seeing what else this authors writes.

Alice's best friend, Ruby, catches her husband cheating, and he is subsequently found murdered. Ruby becomes the prime suspect and Alice starts an investigation into the murder to clear Ruby's name.

I found the book slow moving and too dialogue heavy - I prefer stories told with more narrative. I also found it odd that Alice's granddaughter, who's a cop and was investigating the murder, was sharing information on the investigation with Alice. It didn't seem realistic given that such information is usually confidential.

I love a puzzle and I love a good murder so this book was the perfect combination for me. I loved the characters overall and it made the book easy and enjoyable to read.

This was well written with likeable, realistic characters. This is a good addition to books in the genre featuring 50+ characters.

This is an endearing cozy mystery about a woman in her sixties helping a friend who is the top suspect in a murder. The book starts off in such a perfect way. I loved the strength of Alice and how determined she was to aid her friend. I also loved the element of her being older and a Librarian because it explains why she was so quite witted. I found it very refreshing that she was not as young as majority of the cozy book characters. I definitely adore Alice Pepper. I hope Roz Noonan publishes more soon!

Puzzle Me a Murder by Roz Noonan is a delightful cozy mystery that is rhe first in a new series: An Alice Pepper Lonely Hearts and Puzzle Club Mystery.

I have to say I am just loving West Hazel, Oregon. A perfect setting to what is starting out to be a great cozy mystery series. Alice is a great MC and amateur sleuth and I also really enjoyed the fact that she is “seasoned” vs early/mid 20s. I can relate to her more than some of the younger main characters.

I liked the ensemble cast, location, and the murder/mystery. Plenty of suspects and it kept me interested and engaged.

I really liked this one and am looking forward to the next book.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Kensington Publishing | Kensington Cozies for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 7/23/24.

I really enjoyed reading #PuzzleMeaMurder #NetGalley.
It was a fun introduction to a new to me author, and I loved meeting Alice & Ruby, and the other characters in this story.
Ruby is apalled to catch her husband cheating, she was ready to kill him, so when he really is found dead, Ruby is the prime suspect, the police feel it's an open and shut case.
Alice knows a lot about her best friend, but she knows she's not a murderer.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.