Dead Tired is the second installment in The Expectant Detectives mystery series and it is just as entertaining as the first book!

If you’re new to this series, the first book featured a group of soon-to-be-moms who become amateur sleuths when someone is murdered in the building where they were all taking maternity classes together. In Dead Tired, we’re back with the same characters, who are now first time moms, and murder has once again intruded on their already exhausting lives.

I’m loving this series so much. Alice and her silly dog Helen never fail to crack me up with their antics, and I constantly chuckle at the fact that Alice originally moved from London to the Cotswold because she wanted to raise her family in a peaceful environment. Who knew the English countryside would be so murdery?

The murder mystery is well crafted and fast paced, with just enough twists and turns to keep things interesting, while still allowing plenty of time for us to enjoy the wonderful friendships between this group of new moms.

Kitty Kelly narrates both audiobooks in the series and she is a delight, beautifully capturing both the suspense and the humor that is the heart of the story.

I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries and books with Finlay Donovan vibes.

it is appropriate that I am posting about a book called Dead Tired. It is the sequel to the Expectant Detectives book that I just loved. Now the women are no longer pregnant, they all have babies. But they found themselves in the middle of a murder scene once again. These books are just plain fun. These women are hilarious and snarky. Their thought process is all a bit too realistic, with all of their honesty on bodily functions, lack of sleep, annoyance at the world and their own insecurities. And the mystery adds a punch to the British dry humor.

It was mostly a 4 star cozy mystery except for some character choices that really annoyed me. As to the actual murder mystery it was a lot of fun! Always a weird way to describe murder, but the varied characters, setting, and new mom shenanigans were very entertaining. Alice is adorably incompetent but genuine, mostly just along for the ride as her friends drag her into participating in activities. And the various ways all the new mom’s are handling parenthood makes for great reading.

What brought the fun down though, for me, was the way the women completely disregarded Hen’s position at work. No spoilers but it’s entirely shitty. And Ailsa is just too much here. I just want to slap her and the way she judges everyone. It really brought the whole experience down.

Helen is still amazing.

Overall, though, I still enjoyed it, if not as much as book one. Definitely interested to see what could possibly happen in book three and how these women will get themselves in trouble and then out of it again.

I enjoyed the first book in this series a lot, but this one was just okay for me. I can't even put my finger on exactly what, but it just didn't spark the joy in me the first one did.

It was cute and worth finishing, but didn't love it.

Many thanks to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio for an ALC and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This series brings a delightfully fun and fresh take on a cozy mystery. The sleuthing team is a group of moms with one year olds. They became unlikely friends last year when they met in their birthing class and had to solve a murder in which they all were suspects (Read Expectant Detectives!!!!). The group of women are a blast to follow in their motherhood journey and as they enmesh themselves in mysteries. Alice shared some REAL thoughts on parenting and breast feeding in this book and I am 100% here for sharing more of the raw moments openly. I’m excited to follow along in the future as the babies grow and the moms get into more trouble in solving cases!

I read the first in the series but I ADORED the audio for Dead Tired! This book is out now so grab your copy!! Thank you MacMillan Audio for the gifted audio!

MOTHERHOOD MYSTERY and MIRTH

"Dead Tired", the follow up to the hit Kat Ailes cozy mystery, "The Expectant Detectives, is just as funny as the first. The expected children from the first novel are now all about one year old and the mothers do their best to handle the responsibility. Some better than others. Kat Alles has created a satisfying mystery. but it takes the back set to all the humor of motherhood with toddlers and the meyhem of owning a very stupid rambunctious dog. Having had both children and a big dog similar to the one in the book, I can attest that she has the humour in said life spot on. I alternated between the audiobook
and ebook and enjoyed both formats. Kitty Kelly's once again voiced these women and her narration is a sheer delight. Any cozy mystery reader who is also a mom will love these books. i can't wait for more of the series.

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted copy of the ALC.

Summary: All the moms from the first book, Expectant Detectives, are back in this book now with all their kids about to turn 1. Alice wants nothing more than to catch up on some sleep, so when she finds out about the eco-protest she willingly goes along to be chained to a tree all night kid-free. Everything is great until the next morning when, of course, one of their fellow protestors has been found strangled. Alice and her friends naturally become entangled in the case and try to improve their excellent crime-solving record to 2-2.

Thoughts: After reading the first book in this series, I immediately jumped at the chance to read book 2!! I love laughing through mysteries because it takes some of the tense moments out for me and it's easier for me to read. The humor in this book is so spot on, especially for fellow moms because I can relate to so much of Alice's grumblings while being a new mother. I love her group of fellow moms who have created quite the routine for themselves now that they're children are with them. They each have such great gifts to offer while solving the crimes that they are a perfect team. This book makes me want a group of friends to do life with just like Alice has found, just maybe a little less murdery. I highly suggest listening to the audio of this one because Kitty Kelly does a phenomenal job of bringing these characters to life. If you need a good book that will help you laugh out loud, look no further than this series. (Note, this could be read stand-alone, however, I think it would be best to read the books in order.) Also, super excited for the hint of a Book 3!!

“Sometimes there just isn’t enough cake in the world to overcome the sheer embarrassment that is life, but I was giving it a good try.”

This is a fun follow-up to The Expectant Detectives. Alice is just as much of a hot mess as ever, but still very relatable. I liked seeing her stretch out of her comfort zone for the sakes of her friends and family. Alice tries. It’s the best she can do, and I love her for it. I liked the different perspectives on green energy and what it means to care about the planet. The mystery itself was interesting and kept me guessing. There were a few small plot holes but overall, it was a fun read.

First of all, thank you for the opportunity to give this book a listed. It certainly wasn't what I expected but it was a refreshingly different than what I usually choose. First of I I really enjoyed the narrator. Love listening to the British way of saying things, like nappy's :-) The interaction of all the mom's with their babies gave me a chuckle as that is exactly how babies can be. A nice easy listen with humor splashed throughout.

I enjoyed this one. I read the first book so it was nice to have all the girls back so long the mystery. Helen the dog always provides some laugh out loud moments! I enjoyed the mentions of struggles of motherhood but it not being the center of attention. I thought the mystery was solid.

✨ 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 ✨

Dead Tired
Kat Ailes

This was another entertaining read by Kat! I knew it would be based off of the first book - Expectant Detectives.

This story follows a group of women who met at an antenatal class when they were pregnant with their first babies. Even though each of these four women are so different they bonded over a murder investigation. They always find a way to insert themselves into the thick of it.

This book is the perfect cozy mystery. The amateur sleuthing will constantly keep you entertained. It was fun to see each of the characters and how they adapted to motherhood. The silly Helen stories are still some of my favorite parts of these books!

Narration: Absolutely love the narrator. Kitty Kelly is perfect for this book. Really makes me feel immersed in the story.

Thank you to @macmillian.audio, @minotaurbooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

3.5 star rounded up.

I love the premise of this book, but i felt like i was missing out on some details. I plan on going back and reading #1 and then rereading this one to get the full experience.

Even if "breezy murder mystery" is an oxymoron, Kat Ailes pulls it off beautifully in her latest novel DEAD TIRED. There's been "a spot of light strangling" in the village of Penton, and Alice is hot on the killer's trail with her eclectic band of friends. This may be an effortless read, but don't rush through it. Surely, any author who describes a scene as being "entirely encircled in blue and white police tape like the world's worst present" merits our full attention. Take time to savor her bon mots and carefully constructed phrases as she spins another clever and satisfying yarn.

I just love this series! Alice and her dog Helen are hilarious and I love following along with these new moms as they solve a crime. This is a fun cozy mystery full of humor. The narrator is perfect for the role of Alice and really brought this book to life. Definitely recommend the audiobook.

This was such a fun sequel. I loved the Expectant Detectives, and this just brought us more of the humor and charm of the original. While the mystery itself wasn't quite as compelling, I still had a great time. The voice in these novels is so engaging, and the audiobook narrator does a great job. A delightfully funny follow up!

Alice and her friends are enjoying the last parts of their maternity leave with Jack now being one. During a picnic, Alice and her friends meet some interesting and naked members of a local environmental group and soon find themselves being chained to a tree in one of their protests. However, in the morning one of the members is dead. After the events that occurred during their last investigation, Alice is hesitant to start looking into this murder but soon Alice and her friends are right in the middle of it and possible suspects again.

I love these books and listened to Dead Tired in a couple of days. I couldn't put it down! Alice is the perfect main character for The Expectant Detective series, and I enjoy the chaos that surrounds her with Helen and now Jack while dealing with the realistic events of motherhood. I found myself enjoying this book more than the first. I am hoping that this is not the end of Alice and her friends.

Dead Tired is out now!

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to review Dead Tired. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was another good book by Kat Ailes. I think Kitty Kelly did a great job narrating this book. Her voice was held you attention and made it entertaining. This was just as funny as the first book. I had a lot of laugh out loud moments through out because these woman have some interesting mom moments with their kiddos and of course Helen the dog!! I felt like the characters were well written and enjoyable. I didn't guess who did it so that was a nice twist at the end. This book leads us to believe there will be another book, so I'm excited about that. This was a fun mystery to listen too. I would definitely recommend this book and this series.

Thank You NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this Audio ARC in advance for my honest opinion.

This is the second book in this series I've read, and I've enjoyed both. Kat Ailes does a good job of making you care about characters that you might normally find annoying. I've found while reading these books that many of the characters have motivations or attitudes that don't make sense to me, and in a person in the real world would be red flags for me, but in her books, she manages to make them endearing and seem like kind and caring characters.

In this one, she tells an interesting story that focuses on environmental causes, hidden identities, and murder. I love following this group of new moms as they navigate their maternity leave (or lack thereof for the single-parent characters) and try to settle into a new normal while chaos swirls around them. It is a great cozy novel.

I really enjoy this cast of characters, setting, and cozy mystery series. A mystery centered around new moms (as the detectives), set in the Cotswolds - sign me up. I look forward to reading more!

Another fun adventure with Alice and her friends. I love the characters and their witty (read: snarky) take on life in the country and childcare. The mystery in this one was creative and had me guessing the whole time. And while the mystery takes center stage, there are plenty of laughs. Highly recommend the series but start with the first one to really get to know the characters.