Jarrod Jarvis, former child star and murder solver, is now in his fifties. He's mourning the loss of his partner, Charlie, and his semi-estrangement from his daughter, Liv. Right now, he's focusing on directing a play and managing all of his actors, at least one of whom has an even bigger personality than he does.
Liv, meanwhile, is wrestling with a decision. He boyfriend, a documentary film student named Zel, wants his next film to be about her. About her reunting with her birth mother. She's not sure that she wants to go along with it, but Zel has already set the ball in motion. Through the process, Liv meets more of her family. Just when she's starting to wonder whether this was a good idea, Zel is murdered.
It's only then that Liv learns that her father used to be a boy detective. And the two will team up to solve Zel's murder.
This was an interesting mix of genres and premises and I look forward to more from Hollis in this (hopefully) series.

Four stars
This book comes out May 27, 2025
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Publishing and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

There’s nothing better than a well-formed cozy mystery, and that’s what you get with My Father Always Finds Corpses. This comedic, character-driven novel of a father/daughter crime-solving duo was fun to follow. The Hollywood-adjacent settings and involvement in the film industry is just the sort of book I like to delve into.

I loved the fast-paced banter-filled dialogue, and the theme of family reconciliation hit home with me. The pacing of the book was good, but at the same time, the murder doesn’t happen right away, so there was anticipation mixed with frustration, too, because I wanted to get to the murder so I could start following the clues.

Overall, this was an above average mystery for me, and the way the ending was written leaves the door open for a follow-up, which I would quickly devour.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Jarrod Jarvis is a former child star who found his first corpse 20+ years ago. He was then able to crack the case on a group of real-life Hollywood murders. He now lives in Palm Springs, where he is still grieving the loss of his husband Charlie, who was a police detective. Jarrod fills his time writing and directing plays for the local theater group. Their daughter, Liv, does not know a lot about her father’s interesting past, but she recently graduated with a degree in criminal justice. She was closer to Charlie than Jarrod, and Jarrod wishes they could be closer now.

Liv hasn’t launched her own career; instead, she is trying to help Zel, her filmmaker boyfriend, launch his own. He has pitched her an idea for a documentary about finding the surrogate her fathers used to facilitate her birth. She doesn’t think she is ready to go there, but he is heavily pressuring her to at least take the first step. Before Liv has any time to think, he blindsides her with a meeting face-to-face with the woman who gave birth to her. Later, when she goes back to call it quits with the project and their relationship, she finds Zel lying on the floor in a pool of blood, his head bashed in. Freaking out she calls her father.

Now, together they will combine his experience with her recently acquired skills to track down the killer. It isn’t long before Liv realizes how little she knew about her boyfriend and that so many people are happy that he’s dead. While this investigation may bring Jerrod and Liv closer, they need to be aware that there is a killer out there who could take great pleasure in getting rid of both of them.

Lee Hollis has introduced a great father-daughter duo with layers who develop strongly throughout the story. It’s been almost 10 years since Jarrod lost Charlie, and his friends are pushing him to put himself out there romantically, and you can feel his struggle. Liv lost Charlie when she was just thirteen, and her dads never talked much about her birth and the woman who helped them. Now, it is forced upon her, and it is much more complicated than she thought. Jarrod’s good friend, a former first lady, has always been there for him. He also has two best friends in George and Leo. They are a huge hit, the favorite gay couple of the older ladies at the local gym’s Forever Fit exercise class. Charlie’s brother Brody, a former WWE wrestler, comes to town, a kind, lost soul down on his luck, as usual, but Jarrod will never turn him away. Liv has been friends with Maude since she and Jarrod moved to Palm Springs after Charlie died. Maude tries to get Liv out to have a good time and willingly volunteers to help Liv with a little sleuthing. All of these characters are unique and cleverly crafted.

The author has penned a very intriguing mystery entwined with unexpected family drama and an abundance of suspects. The victim pushed my buttons from the start, pushy and narcissistic, he was after dirt that could get him noticed and make him famous, and freely stole the ideas of others without a care. Politicians, Hollywood elite, and his girlfriend were fair game for the many projects he was pushing on a daily basis. Well, he pushed someone too far. Jarrod and Liv’s investigation had them questioning a lot of people, even some they were close to, and I was thrilled to tag along. After many twists, turns, and hurt feelings, the culprit is finally revealed, putting Jarrod in desperate circumstances, followed by an exciting chase.

This story is much more than a mystery. It’s a study of family dynamics. Some totally dysfunctional. Some are in flux. Others are finding their way back and moving ahead. Grieving when you lose a loved one is hard, and I appreciated how the author realistically handled this topic. I didn’t expect to get so invested in these characters in what appears to be a standalone novel.

My Father Always Finds Corpses is a complicated and compelling mystery, lighthearted and funny, but it tugs on your emotions. Strong, diverse, eccentric characters pull you into the story, and they don’t let go after the story ends. I hope this book is a huge success and the author and publisher spin it into a series. I have not had enough of Jarrod, Liv, and their friends.

Lee Hollis’ My Father Always Finds Corpses is a lighthearted cozy mystery with a showbiz twist.

It’s been a long time since former child star Jarrod Jarvis has solved a murder. Once, he was an up-and-coming actor who solved a string of Hollywood crimes. Now, he’s writing and directing local theater while mourning the loss of his long-term partner, Charlie. Their daughter, Liv, doesn’t know much about Jarrod’s crime-solving days, and Jarrod is happy to let it stay that way.

But when Liv’s filmmaker boyfriend, Zel, is found murdered, the father-daughter duo find themselves unable to leave the investigation to police. Liv fears Zel may have been targeted because of a documentary he was working on that involved her, and she wants to find justice for him. Jarrod hopes to keep his daughter safe and strengthen their relationship, so he slips back into sleuth mode and hopes to crack the case before the murderer strikes again.

My Father Always Finds Corpses is an entertaining cozy mystery, despite the heavy subject matter. Ten years after the loss of Charlie, Jarrod and Liv are still grappling with their grief. Hollis authentically captures how to move forward from grief and the many ways it affects loving relationships. Jarrod and Liv make a great team: They’re both perceptive, funny and brave—especially when it comes to defending the people they love.

The novel is full of entertaining secondary characters, including the feisty members of Jarrod’s exercise class and Maude, Liv’s best friend. Former first lady Kitty Reynolds, who is a person of interest in Zel’s murder, stands out; with her colorful history, propensity for name-dropping and sparkling wit, she could lead her own novel.

The mystery of My Father Always Finds Corpses gets off to a slow start: More than a third of the novel passes before Zel’s body is discovered, for instance. Still, Hollis uses that time to explore Jarrod and Liv’s history and relationship. Once the story picks up, readers are invested in the father-daughter pair and eager to follow them. My Father Always Finds Corpses features a winning blend of Hollywood intrigue, political cover-ups, romance and crime.

I was excited to read the first book in a new series by Lee Hollis. I have loved books I have read in the Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails, Desert Flowers, and Maya and Sandra series. However, this one did not appeal to me. While the characters are well developed, I just did not care for or connect with them. The plot took too long to be established and it took all I had to continue reading to the end. Not sure I will make an effort to read future books in the series. But I will definitely continue reading books in the other series by Lee Hollis.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Cozies for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

Adult Fiction
Cozy
Cozy Mystery
Fiction
Murder Mystery
Mystery
Mystery Thriller
Suspense
Thriller

Thanks to Kensington Publishing and Lee Hollis for the chance to read ‘My Father Always Finds Corpses’! As a cozy mystery fan, I was immediately into the premise of a retired amateur sleuth solving murders with his daughter. I also love the title! I definitely enjoyed this and it was a quick read, but something about it just left me kind of "eh". I think maybe the characters (especially Liv) felt kind of dull.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Lee Hollis’s "My Father Always Finds Corpses" is a darkly witty and refreshingly original take on the classic mystery novel, blending true crime, family dysfunction, and mordant humor into a narrative that feels unsettling yet deeply compelling.

The story follows Dee Rommel, a former police officer-turned-private investigator, navigating the peculiar world of her father—a retired detective with an uncanny ability to stumble upon dead bodies wherever he goes. From abandoned alleyways to quiet suburban homes, the corpses keep appearing, and Dee, haunted by her own past, finds herself reluctantly drawn into the unraveling mysteries.

Hollis crafts a protagonist whose voice is sharp, cynical, and emotionally layered, making Dee Rommel more than just another detective with baggage. The novel balances a razor-sharp wit with atmospheric tension, never allowing its macabre humor to overpower the seriousness of its crimes. It’s this tonal balance—where gallows humor meets genuine intrigue—that elevates 'My Father Always Finds Corpses" beyond standard crime fare.

Hollis uses crime fiction to explore deeper themes of familial connection, trauma, and morality. Dee’s relationship with her father is central, weaving a dynamic that is simultaneously affectionate and strained. Their exchanges—often punctuated by dry humor—highlight generational contrasts in investigative work while exposing the lingering weight of unresolved history.

For readers who appreciate mystery novels with a distinctive voice and an unconventional protagonist, ""My Father Always Finds Corpses" is a gem worth discovering. It’s smart, unpredictable, and tinged with a mordant wit that keeps the pages turning.

Hollis proves that crime fiction can be playful without losing its emotional depth, making this book a standout addition to any mystery lover’s shelf.

Ever since the death of his police officer husband, Jarrod Jarvis has felt a distance growing between himself and his daughter Olivia. A recent graduate with a degree in criminal justice, “Liv” is at a bit of a loss herself at what to do with her life and her relationship with her boyfriend. In fact, the film studies student Zel has just come up with the idea to film a documentary about Liv and the search for her biological mother, a woman who was the surrogate for Jarrod and his husband Charlie. Even though Liv is a little uncertain to meet the woman who gave her up for adoption, Zel ambushes Liv with an introduction to Candy Lithwick that he films for his documentary. Before Liv can recover from the shock she’s surprised by Candy’s other adult children, one who wants to use Liv’s family connections for a deal while the other sees Liv as a threat to their mother’s estate. Liv’s not thrilled with Zel or his lack of good judgment, but she certainly didn’t want him murdered and left bludgeoned to death in his apartment.

As it turns out, Liv’s father Jarrod had a bit of a history as an amateur detective, inexplicably stumbling across corpses and helping to solve their murders. While Charlie was the police officer in their family, it was the former child star actor Jarrod who kept meddling in a series of investigations. He’s since been directing a local theater’s play based on an Agatha Christie-style mystery, juggling his cast’s considerable egos and demands. The production is being funded by Jarrod’s longtime friend Kitty Reynolds, the former First Lady of a President from the 80s and whose wealth and connections are long reaching. She’s just as invested in setting Jarrod up with her Secret Service agent Jim Stratton, believing that after 10 years it’s time for Jarrod to move on with a new relationship. It’s ironically the murder of Zel that gives Jarrod a pathway to bonding with his daughter, who only knew him as the child star of an 80s TV show and not as someone with a history of investigating celebrity murders.

This first in the series by the prolific sibling writing team is an absolute joy to read. Both a Hollywood satire and classic murder mystery, it mixes the elements of entertainment business with the relationship dramas for possible motives. What is unique about this series is how it so deftly handles the conflicts between a parent and child, with the added complication of the father being a famous former child actor. Jarrod is accustomed to being asked to repeat his old television catchphrase, “Baby, don’t even go there,” but it’s not all sunshine considering that he spent that period of his acting life in the closet and pretending to be straight. The differences between Gen X and Gen Z are delightfully explored as Jarrod’s and Liv’s friends meet and work together to solve the murder. The humor always present in the books by the Lee Hollis writing duo is especially a standout here, with the showbusiness element an added treat. This mystery is another winning novel full of engaging characters and endlessly entertaining twists.

This is a really cute series! The author brings together such relatable and likable characters and places that men are setting along with a solid mystery in red herrings that you just cannot put down. I enjoyed this book so much and I’ve already gone out and started looking for when the next entry will be released.

Luckily, the author is establishing has other books that you can binge out if you haven’t already read something by her. Because after you read this one, you’re gonna wanna read more from her.

Lee Hollis has done it again! As a longtime fan of the Hayley Powell and Maya and Sandra Mystery series, I was thrilled to dive into his newest cozy caper—and My Father Always Finds Corpses did not disappoint.

This book introduces a fresh and charming father-daughter duo, Jarrod and Liv, whose chemistry leaps off the page. Jarrod, a former child star turned local theater director, and Liv, a recent criminal justice grad, find themselves at the heart of a murder investigation that hits too close to home. The result? A page-turner packed with witty banter, heartfelt moments, and an irresistible dose of sleuthing fun.

Hollis’s writing is as engaging as ever—sharp, clever, and brimming with personality. The quirky suspects, sunny Coachella Valley setting, and emotionally grounded family dynamic give this mystery a modern twist on the classic whodunit.

Whether you're a longtime fan or new to Hollis’s work, My Father Always Finds Corpses is the perfect blend of humor, heart, and homicide. I’m already counting down the days until the next installment in this promising new series!

This was a cute little cosy mystery, humorous and heartwarming but still full of twists. Did i enjoy it? Sure. would I call it a must-read - probably not.

Former child star Jarrod now writes and directs productions in local theatre, but he still remembers solving a string of real-life murders. Liv, his daughter with a new degree in criminal justice, has put her career on hold to help Zel, her filmmaker boyfriend, with his new documentary. She doesn’t like the way he’s gathering information, but when she decides to confront him about it, she finds his body. When she becomes the primary suspect, Jarrod rushes to her defense and the two of them set out to learn who really killed Zel.

I have read and enjoyed books from two of this author’s other series, so I was looking forward to this book. It was written well, with characters I (mostly) liked and a setting not hard to imagine. It started a bit slowly, with some squabbling between several set of characters along the way, but picked up once the murder occurred.

The victim seemed to be one of those people who steamrolls his way to his next big dream without caring or even thinking about those he rolls over in the process. As such, there were plenty of suspects to consider, and many red herrings to throw the reader off track. I fell for some of them, and should have identified the culprit sooner, but with such a twisted bunch of clues and possible motives, I was unable to figure it out until just before it was revealed in the book.

There is no indication that this is the first of a new series, but I hope it is. I liked where things ended with the major characters here and would like to read more of their adventures.

This was a nice start to what I hope will be a new series. The focus is on Jarrod Jarvis, former child actor, and his daughter, Liv. They are distant and Jarrod still mourns the death of his husband, Charlie, when Liv was 13 years old. Liv now has a degree in criminal justice. Her boyfriend, Zel, is murdered. Jarrod and Liv dig in to find Zel’s killer. The authors’ strength is their character development and this book doesn’t disappoint. The mystery is interesting and I hope there is another book.

"My Father Always Finds Corpses" by Lee Hollis is a comedic murder mystery featuring a father-daughter duo who would rather do anything but work together to solve a mystery. This book is perfect for readers who need a good laugh, enjoy a fictional dysfunctional family, and an unhinged killer.

Though Liv's finally earned a degree in criminal justice, she's putting her career on hold to help her filmmaker boyfriend Zel with his documentary film. When he chooses to use Liv as inspiration, even going so far as to track down her surrogate mother, Liv feels pressured to partake in something she's not one hundred percent comfortable with. Choosing to confront him, she goes to his apartment only to discover him bludgeoned to death.

Finding corpses runs in the family. Liv's dad, Jarrod Jarvis, is a former child star who is no stranger to finding dead bodies and solving real-life Hollywood murders. A passion his late husband and police detective, Charlie, used to frown upon. Since the death of Charlie, the bond between him and Liv has dimmed. With Liv determined to discover who murdered her boyfriend and why, Jarrod sees the mystery as an opportunity to reconnect with his daughter and protect her from potential harm. The chances of rekindling their relationship may be short-lived as long as the killer is on the loose.

While the beginning was a bit slow going, things started to pick up, and the ball kept rolling. Hollis keeps the reader guessing, drumming up all kinds of characters who have beef with Zel, and for good reason. Everyone seems to have a motive for killing Zel, including Liv's own family. There's no better murder mystery than the one where everyone is a suspect and no one can be trusted. While there's a lot of tension that unfolds due to the murder and family drama, there's also a lot of laughter, making this an enjoyable read.

Some of the characters took time warming up to as the dialogue didn't always feel realistic, and the characters felt like stereotypes. But as the book unravelled, their personalities shone through, and most of them became favourites, including the former first lady and Liv's uncle. I liked that Hollis touched on important topics through his characters, especially grief. Many of these characters have lost someone close and are grappling with how to cope with loss and move on while still honouring their memory.

This is a great book for readers who want a murder mystery that is mostly meant to be light and cozy but has some serious moments and heavy emotions. "My Father Always Finds Corpses" by Lee Hollis is expected to be published on May 27, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing (Kensington Cozies) for providing me with an e-arc of this book and the opportunity to share my honest opinion in this review.

This was the first Lee Hollis book that I've read and I found it to be a satisfying cozy. The blend of older and younger characters is nice and helps appeal to readers on both ends, and the setting and Hollywood and political ties that the book has are entertaining.

Thank you to Kensington and Netgalley for this advance copy. The review is my thoughts only.

I'm a fan of Lee Hollis so I was anxious to read this newest, first in series. The story revolves around a widower, his daughter and both of their friends. The friends are quite interesting as one is a former first lady, and there is an estranged uncle. They end up mixing together well enough in pursuit of who a killer is. There are misadventures, some twists but it does resolve by the end. I felt it could have been explained better but still made sense. This is some humor but not as much as in a Haley Powell book. Just of note for those who follow that series. Still, I was entertained.

A nice start to a new series featuring father and daughter amateur sleuths Jarrod and Liv. They find themselves with a mystery on their hands when Zel, Liv's film maker boyfriend of sorts, is murdered. I liked this less for the mystery than for the dynamics between the pair. Jarrod is still mourning his husband Charlie and Liv has her own issues. And it's in a great setting. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Lots of characters here and since it's the first in a series, they'll be sure to grow.

Unexpectedly different than their other series and charming in of itself. I enjoyed the setting and backstory of all the characters and like how it's setting up for future stories already. Good father / daughter moments for the next book. I like the besties and the relationship with the former First Lady. The mystery was missing some connection points for me, as it did feel too out of the blue compared to how/why these characters would actually know one another. But I'm up for the next book!

I love cozy mysteries because they tend to come in a light, yet fast pace, with a dash of humour in the prose that keep you feeling joyful despite the murder mystery. Personally, I found this story to take a bit of a slower pace than I expected. The death takes a while to occur, and while there were twisty parts that kept it interesting in the meanwhile that kept me from complaining in the lead up to the murder, I'd say the pace maintained the same throughout.

The book is nice, and I enjoyed the plot. It delivered with twists, a diverse set of characters, complicated dynamics and drama. However, I find that it didn't quite stand out that much from other mysteries I've previously read. I felt like it missed a sense of quirky or whimsy I tend to look for in cozy mysteries, and it felt more like a 'light mystery'.
I was expecting the father-daughter duo to be more in focus, yet Liv almost felt like a side-character at times and I didn't feel like I could connect to the character in the same way I could with Jarrod.

Although I didn't quite get the "edge of my seat" feeling while reading, I did find joy in the pages while I went through them, so I'd still tell lovers of cozy mysteries to check this story out.

Good start to a new series (?) I enjoyed getting to know Jarrod and his daughter, Liv, but was a little confused in the beginning with the number of characters that are thrown at you. They are well-fleshed out as the series goes on and it becomes much easier to keep them straight. The mystery itself is well=paced and I enjoyed the other storylines involving Liv’s surrogate mom and Jarrod’s dipping his toe in the dating pool after the loss of a spouse. Looking forward to more in this series (it seems like there will be more based on the ending, fingers crossed).