There’s times when you look at a book cover, and instantly think yes, this one is for me.

For me… it had dogs and a title that caught my eye immediately.

I learned a lesson that I should not judge books this way, and at least check the genre before delving in 🤣

This wasn’t a bad book, I’m just not really big into cozy mystery. I think if you do love this genre, you will love this book.

It was a quick and easy read with little pops of humour if that’s your thing! I listened to the audio and I did actually really enjoy the narrator, she was very easy to listen to and brings life into the characters. I can find some narrators monotone and not suitable to the character but this one was a great choice.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this review copy

Super fun, fast, cozy mystery that follows Sadie and a quirky group of neighbors as they try and solve a murder where Sadie's brother is the prime suspect. The book was fast paced and had included an adorable trio of curious pups to really keep me hooked! This is the second in a cozy mystery series, but you can totally jump in at this book.


I loved the small town setting and the cast of characters. Most of the characters, especially Sadie's family, felt very unique and fleshed out. There were two female characters that felt interchangeable though as they were both town gossips that were placed into certain locations to further the plot.


The humor was hit or miss for me. Some of the jokes felt cringy and a bit dated (not always politically correct), but others I thought were really clever and introspective. For example, one character repeatedly tells Sadie that this is not a one hour crime show and no suspect is going to confess or that labs take days for results to come in, which I thought was funny.


The mystery itself was not the most groundbreaking, but it was twisty enough that I was hooked for the whole time.

Overall, Never Nap in a Casket is a super fast and entertaining read!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and J.W. Hodge for this ARC of Never Nap in a Casket. This was not what I expected! This is a fun and witty murder mystery with both predictable and unforeseen elements. I did not expect that ending!

My one issue with this book is that our main character. For the most part she seems to be the only person who really has things put together. However, it really bothered me how she over sexualizes both Killian and Axel. They are humans and not all men are looking at her with lust in their eyes. I choose to believe that she is this way due to her mother who is rather vapid.

Over all this was definitely a fun read and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery!

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

"Never Nap in a Casket" by J.W. Hodge is the 2nd book in this series (I can't find a series name at the time of writing this). It's an interesting take on a cozy-ish mystery. Mercedes (Sadie) Harrigan is a landlord, book writer and animal lover. However, the more interesting take is that this feels like a cozy romance thriller mystery more than just a cozy mystery. Lots of over the top dramatic moments that you'd see in PI thriller mysteries but no romance scenes more than a kiss. Just some of the descriptions seem more romance genre than cozy mystery genre level. Plus some of the names are very old Hollywood.

For the mystery, Sadie's brother and his fiancé are staying in one of her apartments while they work on some possibly iffy get rich sales scheme that ends up with the fiancé dead and her brother in hiding. Sadie jumps right into finding him and trying to prove his innocence. She encounters the detective she has a crush on, and who seems to have an on/off relationship with her bff? Luckily for her he is sending some pretty strong signals back he's at least attracted to her. However, there is another hunky possibility that even has an accent. I just leave it all at that as much more would lead to spoilers.

Idaho, rural, local-law-enforcement, local-gossip, small-business, small-town, writers, amateur-sleuth, friends, friendship, family, family-business, family-expectations, stables, horses, landlord, relatives, dachshunds, family-drama, family-dynamics, verbal-humor, smuggling, arson, situational-humor, hilarious, funeral-home, siblings, art-theft, casket*****

If the News and life have you down, this book is a guaranteed antidote! The characters are beyond ROFL, and that includes the pet Dachshunds named Bogart and Bacall! There's art theft, murder by gold paint, a teenaged ghostbuster, a dishy local cop, and a family so looney even mine felt normal. A fun read well narrated!
Voice actor Mia Barron has the script well in hand and highlights all the fun stuff well.
*I requested and received a free temporary audio file from RBmedia | Recorded Books via NetGalley. Thank you! Loved it so much that I went and bought book 1 on audio!
#NeverNapInACasket by J.W. Hodge Narrated by Mia Barron #SeriesNeverBk2 #Hilarious
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