Book Review: Murder at the PTA (Maya and Sandra Mystery, #1) by Lee Hollis

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Murder at the PTA (Maya and Sandra Mystery, #1) by Lee Hollis is the first installment in the Maya and Sandra Mystery series, a cozy mystery series centered on private investigators. The story follows Sandra Wallage , the wife of a U.S. senator and the newly elected president of Portland High School’s PTA, who becomes the latest target of a vicious gossip website called Dirty Laundry . After a heated PTA meeting, Sandra crosses paths with Maya Kendrick , a private investigator who has uncovered the identity of the person behind the gossip site. When the two women attempt to confront the culprit, they instead discover a dead body. Was it really a suicide, or did someone have a motive for murder? I’m a longtime fan of books by Lee Hollis , which is actually the pen name for sibling writing duo Rick Copp and Holly Simason . They’ve written several cozy mystery series, and what I appreciate most about their books is that they aren’t overly kitschy, unlike some other cozy mysteries I’ve ...
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Book Review: Knot A Game (Yarn Retreat Mystery, #9) by Betty Hechtman

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Book Review of Knot a Game (Yarn Retreat Mystery, #9) by Betty Hechtman

Knot A Game (Yarn Retreat Mystery, #9) by Betty Hechtman opens with Casey Feldstein meeting with one of the owners at the Vista Del Mar to discuss an upcoming retreat.  Madeline has come up with an idea of combining a murder mystery game with the typical yarn retreat that Casey normally does.  When one of the guests ends up being murdered, things go awry.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and and Beyond the Page Publishing for approving my request to read this novel.  The synopsis including a bit about a murder mystery game that sounded similar to playing the board game Clue really intrigued me.

Having never read a book written by Betty Hechtman before, I wasn't sure what to expect as cozy mystery novels have always been hit or miss with me.  However, I was pleasantly surprised to find Knot A Game to be well written, engaging, and an all around fun read.  I enjoyed it so much that I'm looking forward to purchasing all the other books that came before this one in the series.

Most of the characters were likable with only a few being unpleasant, which is nice for a change.  There are so many times where this isn't the case.  I felt like I lived in the little town and knew all the characters that lived there.  The pacing of the story had a nice tempo and didn't seem to drag one bit.  I enjoyed all the red herrings and clues that the author planted throughout the book to keep me guessing the entire time.   

Five out of five stars is what I gave Knot A Game (Yarn Retreat Mystery, #9) by Betty Hechtman.  This novel includes some recipes of food described in the book along with instructions on how to knit the hand warmers the characters made in the story.

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