REVIEW: Ditched 4 Murder

Ditched 4 Murder
Author: J.C. Eaton

Sophie "Phee" Kimball is starting to wish she hadn't relocated to Arizona to be closer to her mother. Her job as an accountant for a detective agency is great....but her mom and her friends sometimes drive Phee a bit crazy. Things are definitely heating up for the little group of older ladies, and Phee is stuck right in the thick of things.....again. Her eccentric Aunt Ina is getting married. First Ina sends out strange, cryptic invitations announcing their wedding at dawn amidst ruins in the nearby state park. The 74-year old aging hippie has the whole affair planned from the bed and breakfast where they will all stay to the catering by a local French restaurant. In fact, the groom has rented out the entire section of the state park surrounding the ruins for the ceremony and reception. Phee soon realizes what a nightmare the event is going to be....bird shaped pastries, wedding tents, floral arrangements.....it's already becoming a total angst-fest. Ina begins asking Phee, Harriet and all the ladies in Harriet's bookclub, Booked 4 Murder, to handle final decisions for her wedding. Tasting the bearnaise sauce at the caterers. Picking the tent material. Making decisions about the pastries. Harriet, Phee's mother, is becoming stressed....calling constantly to complain about her sister's crazy schemes and horrible planning skills. Then, an elderly businessman is killed on the golf course near Harriet's home. And that's just the first dead body that pops up. Phee is definitely caught in the middle between murder investigations at work, and the drama over Ina's wedding at home.

I love the mix of humor and mystery in this series. I laughed just as much while reading this second book as I did when I read the first. The characters are charming. Phee's relationship with her mother is sweet...and hilarious at the same time. Drama and strange events seem to follow after the Booked 4 Murder ladies no matter what they do! :)

Ditched 4 Murder is an enjoyable cozy romp. The mystery moves along at a good speed and there is plenty of action to keep things moving. Between Aunt Ina's wedding drama and dead bodies popping up, there is never a dull moment. The wedding is.....interesting. ha ha. And, there is some nice character development leading into the next book.

The next Sophie Kimball Mystery, Staged 4 Murder, is coming out in July 2018. I can't wait! What trouble will the old gals be in this time??

Another book by J.C. Eaton, A Riesling to Die, will be published in March 2018. It's the first book in the Wine Trail Mystery series.

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**