Murder Runs in the Family is a perfect read to escape, for a few hours, the horrors that are currently engulfing us. When Amber Winslow leaves Bones, her PI boyfriend/mentor/employer, she goes to a gated retirement community in Arizona to find the grandmother she has never met. Jade McCallan is a glamorous, dynamic, energetic septuagenarian, not the horrible person Amber has always been compared to by her mother. Jade is the writer of Amber's favorite true crime podcast, Death Comes Calling. When the Admiral is found dead and a multi-million dollar ring is missing, Jade is arrested for his murder. Members of the community, always keen on gambling had bet on whether the Admiral or his 98 year old pet tortoise would die first, so finding the missing reptile keeps Amber busy while she investigates to free Jade from jail. Full of interesting characters and situations, this delightful cozy mystery is a lovely escape. While I'm not usually a fan of series, I would love to see Amber, and the two very exciting men in her life, again.

Tamara Berry has crafted yet another thoroughly entertaining cozy and I hope this is the start of a new and sassy series. The main character, Amber decides that her life needs a new direction, so she heads to Arizona to find the grandma she was never allowed to meet because according to Moonbeam Effervescence aka Effie, aka Amber’s mom, Grandma Judith aka Jade, is the most selfish person who ever existed and is not to be spoken of or to. How could an inquisitive almost official PI not want to solve that mystery?

The last thing Amber expected was to discover that her wayward grandma was also the creator of Death Comes Calling, a podcast that she has listened to for the last three years on stakeouts with Bones. Bones, the EX-boyfriend, make sure you understand that he is the EX-boyfriend, is a former Navy Seal, animal loving, official private investigator, and a Neanderthal. I am not sure how Amber doesn’t lose it every time he calls her “babe,” but I do understand why she decided it was time to move on from the role of girlfriend/secretary/underling.

There is more than meets the eyes when it comes to grandma Jade’s posse, shifty septuagenarians, who double as the podcast crew. As she follows the clues we start to see more than what is on the surface. I enjoyed the great introspection by Amber as she analyzes how she seems to be the black sheep in her family but apparently the truth is that it just skipped a generation. Amber’s family isn’t exactly warm and fuzzy which pulls on your heartstrings. In addition to looking inward, Amber starts to really look at Jade’s friends. They are definitely more than just a couple of retirees who spend time baking croissants, taking and placing bets, possibly hacking into the local servers, or playing hide the turtle (no that is not a euphemism). Who would have guessed that you could use Nextdoor to report pet sightings.

There is one person whom Amber has some difficulty getting to know, Ethan Adler, a guy too young to be in retirement, turns out he is recuperating from a hip surgery. Do I detect a little interest on Amber’s part?

Just wait until you get to the solution to this mystery. I was reading it and shaking my head. I had to read it twice because the first time I literally said “wait…what…no way!” Unless I am mistaken, the next book was tee’d up at the conclusion of this one and I can’t wait to see if PI Amber is in fact able to find Ethan the vet.

Amber Winslow leaves her boyfriend for a new life. Unfortunately, all she took with her was her backpack and some clothes. Amber is a 30-something with no roots so where does she go? Not to her parents who criticize everything she does and not to her brothers who her parents consider the perfect sons. Amber decides to meet her grandmother for the first time. She tracks her down using the PI skills she learned from her ex-boyfriend, and a few she learned on her own.

Amber learns that her grandmother is living in a very exclusive retirement community under a different name. Grandma Jade and Amber seem to hit it off from the start. Unfortunately, the day after Amber arrives, one of Grandma Jade's dear friends in the community passes away.

Now it's up to Amber to figure out if this is a natural death or a murder, as well as figuring out some other puzzling things going on in the community.

I chose this book because I like the author, and she did not disappoint. I hope this is the beginning of a new series.

I'd really enjoyed the By the Books series which ended too soon, so I was very curious to read this new one. Also, working in a nursing home all these years and having some crazy stories to go with it, I could only imagine what kind of things these fictional characters could get up to.
Here we have a community of seniors living life to the fullest. The tight-knit group runs a popular mystery podcast, will bet on anything, There's plenty of
humor as they all know how to have a good time, and the animal sidekick is a tortoise. I think the characters all have rich backgrounds and I'd like to drive more into their histories and youthful experiences in future books.
I'm still uncertain about the ending. While a good twist, I have a personal preference for seeing justice done, regardless of the reasoning. And the case was just dropped. I really wish it had tied in with the cold case files, especially since the group was so intent on getting them.

5/5 stars: This is Berry's Cozy-ish Mystery stand-alone set in Arizona that features a woman fleeing her former life in Seattle with her ex-Navy SEAL PI boyfriend heads to her estranged and eccentric grandmother's lux retirement community where she finds herself turning sleuth after her grandmother, a true crime podcaster, is implicated in the murder of a fellow resident and the man she's been dating and the theft of the man's priceless ring. As she looks for the killer and thief among the retirement community's staff, the quirky senior citizens residents and the man's relatives, she's wrangled into searching for a beloved missing tortoise and participating in her grandmother's podcast. While she's worried the woman she's just met could be a villain, she's determined to clear her grandmother's name no matter the cost. With plenty of twists and turns, Berry has masterfully crafted a mystery that deftly balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Heartfelt and humorous, Berry's writing and character work are stellar; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. I thoroughly enjoy meeting Amber, who's a tough, smart lady, her septuagenarian grandmother Jade, who's a hoot and a half, the lovable and eccentric senior citizens residing at Seven Ponds Retirement Community, including the ever dreamy Ethan. And I have to say I adore Tatiana, Amber's adopted 98-year-old male tortoise! Oh and I really like the quotes from the Death Comes Calling podcast that start each chapter. I would love to read more, so I hope this is the first in a new series. Highly recommend!

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

very cute and cozy. well-done and interesting little mystery with cool vibes and a very cool cast of chars. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.