4 Stars

I love a charming, bumbling inspector. It brings a levity to murder mysteries, juxtaposing death and horror with humor.

In She Doesn't Have a Clue, Kate, a cozy mystery writer, ends up acting the real life investigator during a wedding gone horribly wrong. It implements all the fun locked room mystery / old haunted house / nutty matriarch tropes well. Our FMC is kind of a moron but she's a lovable fool and you root for her. Everything about the story, the characters, the twists and turns, even the secret passages and grottos is over the top, but in the best way. It's just fun.

Kate sometimes tries to see the mystery through the eyes of her books' fictional main character Loretta and I didn't love that, but I am not a book within a book person. It's not distracting though.

There's also a romance element that works, even if it's kind of ludicrous given the 72 hour timeline of the entire story. That said though, I believed that Kate would forget that her life is in mortal peril so she can bang the hot surfer. That's something a horny idiot would do.

I would definitely recommend this for people who liked Knives Out, and Get Smart. This is sort of a parody of the mystery genre - it's a little slapstick, a bit self deprecating, and a lot kooky.

She Doesn’t Have a Clue is definitely a fun mash-up of genres. I would call this a whodunnit mystery with a side of rom-com. The story is packed with drama, mystery and romance.

I wanted to love this one, but honestly there was A LOT going on with a ton of different characters, and so it got a bit confusing trying to keep track of who was who. I also felt it was a bit slow in the beginning, and the way that Kate would dip into Loretta at times was frustrating. I did enjoy the setting however and the character of Abraham was hilarious!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was funny, mysterious, and fun. I just wish it was multiple POVs because Kate could be annoying at times. She jumped to conclusions way too much and bumbled her way through things. She definitely should’ve learned when to stop asking questions. I loved Jake but he also could’ve been clearer when it came to communication. Spencer was surprisingly entertaining and also a bit slimy. I adored Kennedy and to be honest I did not figure out who it was doing the murders and attempted murders until Kate did. I knew it wasn’t anyone obvious but because that character kept disappearing (as in they just weren’t on the page or mentioned often) I forgot about them. Overall this was such a fun read and I truly enjoyed the steam, romance and mystery. I can’t wait to try more books by Jenny Elder Moke.

A HUGE thank you to the author, Jenny Elder Moke, and the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for giving me the chance to read an ARC of this wonderful book and provide my honest opinion about it.

Complicated, swoony and mysterious. Adored it.

This was a really fun and entertaining read! I enjoyed how the author didn't stick to one genre, I'd call this mashup a "Whodunnit Rom-Com." The storyline is packed with drama, mystery, humor, romance and leading characters that make quite an impression.

I binged this book in an evening and would definitely recommend checking it out.

This was so fun!! Also loved the setting. Agreed with other reviewers., the characters were human and real but the writing did feel choppy at times. An elevated rom-com with the drama of a mystery, would recommend for something different.

Excellent story. Funny as hell. Very real characters, flawed and lovely. But the writing needs to be cleaned up or something, as it was choppy to read. I love the heart of a Moke story. One of my favorite lines ever in a book comes from one of hers. She’s awesome. 💜📚

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this book, with my honest review below.

She Doesn’t Have a Clue has the most intriguing plot line and I absolutely loved the mystery and (unexpected) romance of the story.

Taking place on a spooky private Seattle island an equally spooky mansion, Kate Valentine, an author, attends the wedding of her ex-fiancé - who dumped her at the behest of his powerful future Aunt In Law. Only she has several curve balls happening once on the island, from the attempted murder of Kennedy, the bride (which Kate seems to being set up for), the hot Australian frenemy she ghost wrote books for, her ex still seeming to have a flame for her, the Aunt In Law who is the only reason she attended the wedding for not seeming to know her, and all the happenings she is being set up for mirroring her best selling mysteries series. And oh yeah, her ex? He’s her editor and indicates there’s something suspicious happening at their Publishing House.

So, a lot going on here, but all comes together magnificently and doesn’t feel too cluttered but rather as great side plots and red herrings. I absolutely loved the non stop action and mystery and thought just about everyone could be the killer (you’ll have to find out who the victim(s) is/are). This was great and totally unexpected - definitely pick this up if you like charming and entertaining mysteries with a lot of comedic elements!

A private island off the coast of Seattle is the setting for this wedding. The guest are in for one outlandish time. Kate is attending her ex-fiancées wedding and the groom is her editor. The guests are authors. As a body is discovered, the adventure begins. Jake is her unexpected plus one and the sparks fly. I really enjoyed this with an unexpected plot.

Invited to the wedding of her ex, Kate isn’t sure why she has come. And on the ferry over, she is more confused when Jake, the one she regrets, is there.

Kate is hoping to finish her latest Loretta mystery and present it to her editor/ex-fiance/groom.

But Kate comes across the body of the bride and now has a real life mystery to solve.

And she has no idea how. Everyone had a motive and Kate has no clue.

NetGalley/ St. Martin’s Press January 21, 2025

This was a really fun and entertaining read! I enjoyed how the author didn't stick to one genre, I'd call this mashup a "Whodunnit Rom-Com." The storyline is packed with drama, mystery, humor, romance and leading characters that make quite an impression.

I binged this book in an evening and would definitely recommend checking it out.

Thank you Jenny Elder Mike , Net Galley and St. Martin's Press- Minotaur Books for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I could not put this book down! I started and finished it within two days. The characters were developed and rooted in realness. The spice level was perfect albeit unexpected. It was the right blend of mystery and romance. It never seemed like there moments that were there just because; everything felt intentional. I have not joined in the romance craze because I like other elements but this is one book that I hope creates a trend. I can’t wait to recommend this book; 2025 is a long time to wait.

4.75 Stars

Kate is an author who writes a Florida based Murder Mystery.
She's almost always lost in her stories and plotting away as she goes about her day.
At the moment she's on the way to her ex-fiancé's wedding on a private island off the coast of Seattle. The ex who is also her editor waiting for the next installment of her series.
Also on board of the boat to the island is her ex friend and crush - hot australian adventurer and ex surfer Jake.
Why he's invited to the wedding she has no clue.
Off we go to have a great wedding weekend.
Only the weather sucks big time and the first thing they encounter on the island is a dead animal. And then we have weird butlers and event planners and relatives and guests and a dead body or two? Yup. Great wedding so far. LOL.

I really enjoyed reading this!
I was first lured in by the cute cover and the blurb. And I really liked the story.
Kate is so adorably weird and sweet and crazy and Jake is just perfect for her. But of course he's a world traveling hot guy - he could never want forever ever after with her, right? So adorable.
And the rest of the wedding weekend is just as crazy. Who is the bad guy? Will we all survive this wedding?

► Mysterious and funny and crazy and sexy and silly and creepy. Just my kind of book! READ IT!

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley, St. Martin Press and Minotaur.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

What happens when you attend your ex high end wedding and stumble across a dead body? For Kate out becomes a nightmare of sorts as she tries to plaster a smile through the event she really did not want to attend. She is clueless to what is going on as she stumbles through as she solves the case. A quirky fun read that combines mystery and some romance interactions.