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: What Happened On Floor 34? by Caroline Corcoran

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book review what happened on floor 34 caroline corcoranWhat Happened On Floor 34? by Caroline Corcoran was published on January 19, 2023 and is about Rose Rivers, who works at a newspaper as the day editor and will be getting married in a few weeks.  When the Will Forest, the night editor, goes missing in the middle of his shift, Rose starts obsessing with the case and can't help but look into the case.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of What Happened On Floor 34?.  I was happy that my request to review this book was approved, and I received this e-book for free in exchange for my honest review.

I was intrigued by this novel and couldn't read it fast enough . . . it was that engrossing.  There were twists and turns galore towards the last twenty-five percent of the book that had my heart pounding.  Once I got to the end, I was sorely upset at the ending.  I'm not going to go into detail as that would give the story away, but I'd be interested to know if anyone else hated the ending.

There were things in What Happened On Floor 34? that were reminiscent of The Girl on the Train by Rachel Hawkins . . . namely the main character having a drinking problem.  It also has similar pacing.  Fair warning, this book does deal with sexual assault, so it may not be for everyone.  

Most of the characters that were likable and some that were not.  However, by the end of the story there were a few that I ended up disliking immensely.  I love the setting of the story, and it definitely left me feeling uneasy while reading it late at night.  I would have loved it had it been storming while I read the story because it would have given the story additional ambiance.

All in all, I'd give What Happened On Floor 34? by Caroline Corcoran four out of five stars, and I look forward to reading more novels by this author.

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