Another hilarious installment of the Expectant Detective Series. I truly have enjoyed this cozy series of books which is about a bunch of mothers who are solving murders locally. There are so may antics/shenanigans and I love the humor/banter between them all. My only gripe is that there are a lot of characters. I also think it would help a lot to have read the first one prior to reading this one as things from the prior book is mentioned a lot. Alice is literally me as a mom- hot mess. Helen is still one of my favorite (doggo) characters. If you enjoyed the first book, you will definitely love this one. Kind of reminds me of Finlay Donovan as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my copy of this ALC which publishes 6/4/24.

Dead Tired is the 2nd-installment to the Cozy Mystery series, The Expectant Detectives. I had a lot of fun with the 1st-book and have been anticipating this release ever since.

The main character, and our narrator, is Alice, a new Mom, who lives with her boyfriend, baby, and high-spirited dog, Helen, in the quaint country village of Penton. In the 1st-book, the couple had recently moved to Penton after discovering they were pregnant, and Alice ended up meeting the other characters, her now best friends, in a prenatal class. That's where they solved their first murder.

As this story begins, it's been a year and the women are closer now than ever. It's on one of their regular picnics with the babies that they first encounter Rowan and Layla, eco-protesters, who are buck-naked at their first meeting. In an awkward conversation, Rowan and Layla mention that they are prepping for a photo shoot to help bring awareness to a wind farm that will soon be overtaking this lush and vibrant natural countryside.

Alice and her friends agree to help with the protest, thus finding themselves shortly thereafter chained to trees on an overnight protest. Ah well, anything for a bit of rest, I guess. The next morning, one of the protestors is found dead, still chained to her tree and a new investigation begins. Can Alice and friends discover the killers before anyone else is cut down?

I had so much fun with this. As with the 1st-book, I listened to the audiobook and cannot recommend it enough. Kitty Kelly's narration is Alice to me a this point. Her delivery, with the humor and everything else, is just so spot on! I also love Ailes sense of humor. These books don't take themselves too seriously and I cherish that. Ailes knows, we're here for a good time. Let's have some fun. Just because it involves murder, doesn't mean it can't be cute and cozy.

I'm so properly attached to these characters now, which is one of the best things about Cozy Mystery series. The longer they go on, the more attached to them I get. Alice, Ailsa, Poppy and Hen (the other mum) are such a dynamic group of women. I love being with them and spending time with them. There's a lot of differences among them, but they just fit so well together, as they navigate new motherhood, and amateur sleuthing, all at the same time.

This went by too quickly. I tried to savor it, but I just couldn't. The mystery was so compelling, the hijinks and banter, so good, I just ate it up.
Additionally, Helen, Alice's dog, is such a special treat. I appreciate so much the way she is written and Alice's relationship to her. I can relate to the non-stop chaos those four dirty paws can sometimes bring. Even reading about Helen's predictably wild ways puts a smile on my face.

Towards the final reveal, I did find it a little muddled. I was actually surprised by the whodunit, like so much so, I wondered what I missed; like, did we get all those clues? Nevertheless, in the whole scope, I didn't really care that much about all that. It was really the journey getting to that point that I loved the most. The way this left off, I'm definitely anticipating a 3rd-book, and cannot wait for it. You'll find me first in line!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. This series is an absolute blast. I recommend it to all Cozy Mystery fans!

I enjoyed this one just as much as the first, although I think I was drawn more the pregnancy aspect of the story.

I enjoyed another adventure with these ladies but I found myself losing interest. I haven’t decided if I’ll continue with the series. I’d still recommend it and perhaps I would need to try to read it again, but I was granted the audiobook and eARC but I still found myself wanting to speed through it.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

This was a very fun mystery involving a group of friends who all have one year old babies and dogs. They had solved a murder a year ago when they were all expecting and in this story they are about to do it again. The dialog is witty, funny, sometimes snarky and full of chutzpah, I laughed out loud several times. The murder mystery itself is full of twists and turns and moves quickly which I enjoyed. The characters Alice, Poppy, Alisa, Hen and Helen the super dog are all a lot of fun and I enjoyed going on this journey with them. I liked the references to contemporary media and popular characters as well. A very fun and enjoyable read. 4 stars.

Many thanks to net Galley and Macmillan Audio for the chance to read/ listen to an ARC audio version of this book.

Interesting!
I did not realize that this was book #2 when I requested it, but I was able to follow along, so I'm guessing they can be read independently...

Alice and her friends are all new Mom's. Their babies are just turning one. That being said, they get involved in a protest, kind of unwittingly, and then they are just part of the group.
BUT, the next morning, one of the protestors is dead!

So, of course, they start investigating.
No, they are not private eyes.
No, they are not detectives (or cops for that matter).
But, yes, they actually DO make some headway!

Oh…and I just love Helen!!

This was cute, with some dry humor at times that had me chuckling out loud!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. This was such a cute read!

#DeadTired by #KatAiles and narrated nicely by #KittyKelly.
It is due for release TOMORROW, June 4th, 2024, so look for it then!

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

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This was another cozy mystery from Kat Ailes. I wanted to read it because I enjoyed the first book in this series and wanted to continue it. It is always those small towns that have the murders. I love that these characters just had babies, but yet they still can work together to solve murders. It was a good book and I can't wait for the next one that I am sure will come out soon.

I am hooked on these funny cozy mysteries, featuring a small group of young moms who met during prenatal classes and solve mysteries that they just happen to encounter. I truly didn't know what to expect when I started the first in the series, but after finishing Dead Tired, I am eagerly looking forward to the next and future books in this fun series.

The characters are certainly the strength, from Alice, Hen, Elsa, and Poppy, to the long-suffering detective and even the dogs, the characters are individually entertaining, and together, they play off each other and the circumstances in perfectly charming fashion.

I listened to this one on audio, read by Kitty Kelly whose British accent adds character to the story and makes you believe Alice is truly telling what happened.

Readers of the Finlay Donovan and Stephanie Plum novels will love The Expectant Detectives. Thank you to Netgalley, Minotaur and Macmillan Audio for the digital ARC and audio copy of Dead Tires by Kat Ailes. The opinions in this review are my own.

The follow-up to last winter's The Expectant Detectives left me expecting a little more. I loved the banter and camaraderie that happened between the mothers who met in birthing class. I also loved Helen the dog and her unintentional help on the case. Those elements appeared to still be there in this outing, but some felt a little flat and one-dimensional. I still enjoyed the mystery and the characters and will likely pick up another in the series, but I will hope it has a little more of what made it fun the first time around. I did still really enjoy Kitty Kelly's narration!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an audio ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Now that Alice and her friends have one year olds and are almost done with their mat leave, Alice should be catching up on sleep and getting ready to go back to work, but instead she and her friends somehow end up chained to a tree for an eco-protest and when they wake in the morning (still chained to the tree) one of the protestors has been murdered. As the second in the series, Alice and her friends (and their dogs) are back solving murders, but this time they have toddlers in tow.

Like the first novel, this one was super cute (and the audio with the British accent was fun to listen to - I actually love listening to this series on audio). The characters have a great dynamic together and the writing is so witty. This sequel reads very much like the first (although not quite as strong), so if you enjoyed the wit and pace of the first novel you will like this one as well (my personal opinion is that the babies were written a bit younger than their age but it’s a minor quibble). I do think that this is a series where the reader benefits from reading the first book as it really is a continuation of the first (like the Finlay series) and may be a bit confused if picked up as a stand-alone. I will be waiting expectantly (pun intended) for the next addition in the series.

3.75 rounded to 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC to review

Book #2 in the Expectant Detective series finds Alice and her friends dividing their time between raising their now one year old children and finding another murderer.

Alice and the gang are enjoying a picnic in the park when two nude protestors invite them to join their cause. Finding themselves agreeing, they chain themselves to a tree overnight only to wake in the morning to find a protestor dead.

As they begin to investigate, they discover the likely culprit could endanger the stability and wellbeing of one of their own.

I made sure to read the first book before listening to the second in the series. I believe Dead Tired could be read on its own but I would encourage you to enjoy the first book as well! Can’t wait to see what Alice and her friends run across next!

This made me laugh. It was a cute little mystery. I definitely will read the first book, because i know this one is the second book. Either way, you could read it as a standalone, it was simple to follow. I gave this book a 3.5 stars.

3.75 rounded up. I enjoyed myself while reading this book! Lots of chuckles to be had, especially revolving around these characters and their new journey with juggling motherhood and -another- murder. I shall be picking up any further additions to this series!

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook copy!

I love this series., whether it's the antics of Helen the dog or Alice and her friends "dectectoring". Their theory is that dectectoring is all about just stumbling around until you find something, and reading/listening to their stumbles is entirely amusing. The first book in the series, The Expectant Detectives is hilarious, but the new moms as sleuths might be even better. I hope that the group continues to stumble onto dead bodies. because they're my current favorite detectives, the kind I can see myself being friends with.

This is my first book by Kat Ailes, and I really enjoyed it. I will be going back and reading the first book of The Expectant Detectives series, it was so much fun. I love a cozy mystery that is humorous and keeps us guessing. This did it in spades. Alice has made friends with moms from her prenatal class. Now they are moms of one year olds, and get thrust into a murder mystery. The juxtaposition of the new mothers with the babies antics, as well as dong antics, while trying to find out information on a murder was quite hilarious.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan audio for the advanced listener copy. Kitty Kelly was an amazing narrator, and really added to the comedic parts of the story. I highly recommend this entertaining cozy mystery.

It’s been a year since four women forged an unlikely friendship amidst giving birth to their first children and solving a murder mystery in their small, English village. Now Alice and her friends have become swept up in another murder case. What begins as a picnic lunch between friends and their toddlers leads to an invitation to join a peaceful protest, which in turn leads to being witnesses in another murder investigation. 
 
Alice had thought maternity leave would be full of nursing and nappies, not more murders to solve. 
 
What a fun cozy mystery! Ailes captures both the humor in the everyday humdrum of raising a small child—from creative methods of unclogging blocked ducts to the absolute mess some children make (and the air of mystery surrounding those children that manage to keep their smocked and monogrammed clothing pristine)—as well as the emotions and feelings of disconnect from an earlier sense of self that can come with those early stages of motherhood. I giggled and grinned my way through this one and saw many familiar moments from my early days with kids—sans the murders of course. 
 
As with the first book of the series, I adored Kitty Kelly’s narration. Her delivery heightened the comedic moments for me, and she captures the different personalities in the book so well. 
 
I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own.

I read the first book and unfortunately it was not my favorite, I still decided to give the second one a shot and it did not work for me either, I could not get into it at all and I needed to DNF. I think this series is just not for me.

Dead Tired is the second in this series by Kat Ailes. I enjoyed this light and fun mystery which follows Alice as she navigates maternity leave. Alice is high energy with her pup Helen and son Jack in tow. The book has a quick pace and humorous dialogue. It will leave you laughing and wanting more. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was wonderful!

Dead Tired is a cute murder mystery involving moms who met in prenatal classes (and solved murders in the first book in this series) and are now stumbling into more murders with toddlers. Since I didn't read the first of this series, this was my introduction to Alice, Poppy, Elsa, and Hen. I loved snarky Alice and her dog Helen and the way that she dragged everyone through this case, though the way she ended up solving the mystery at the end was a bit abrupt. The narrator on this book was great and Ailes writing is sharp. I don't know where she takes this premise of moms fighting crimes from here, but I would read another and look forward to recommending this book. Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Minotaur, and NetGalley for the early listen in exchange for my honest opinion. 3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book and it had me chuckling throughout. The only thing is that I wish I had read the first book - not necessary but I would’ve loved to know more about the last murder and how they all met!

Alice and crew were funny and fun to follow, and I loved their antics. I love that they are also unapologetically themselves. I don’t have kids, but I appreciated that their experiences of motherhood felt so realistic. The book was well-written and the ending surprised me, which was fun. Overall a great read.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #MacMillanAudio for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Much thanks to Kat Ailes, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me use of free ARCs in exchange for an honest review.

I think I liked this book better than the first, and I liked the first a lot. Alice is so down-to-earth and relatable I can't not love her. Ailes' writing is hilarious, from the recalcitrant Helen to the puking babies to the fumbling detective work. More, please!