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: Finlay Donovan Rolls The Dice (Finlay Donovan, #4) by Elle Cosimano

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book review finlay donovan rolls the dice finlay donovan 4 elle cosimano
Finlay Donovan Rolls The Dice (Finlay Donovan, #4) by Elle Cosimano opens with Finlay Donovan and her nanny, Vero, planning a trip to Atlantic City to pay off some debts, find Javi, and retrieve a stolen car.  But first, they come up with a cover story that backfires miserably.  Finlay and Vero have to be clever and sneaky to accomplish what they set out to do, but will they have to come clean?

Thank you, NetGalley, for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Finlay Donovan Rolls The Dice (Finlay Donovan, #4) by Elle Cosimano.  This is one of the books I was most excited about being able to read before it was in stores.  I received the eBook for free in exchange for my honest review.

The fourth installment picks up where the last book ended and ties up the loose ends from Finlay Donovan Knocks Them Dead (Finlay Donovan, #3) . . . so much so that I thought that this was going to be the last book in the series.  However, Finlay Donovan Rolls The Dice ends up having a couple of cliffhangers, making me wonder what kind of trouble Finlay and Vero are going to get into in the next book.  I expect that the next installment will take a different turn and am looking forward to seeing what direction Elle Cosimano takes us in.

As far as the storyline in this fourth book goes, it can be a bit outlandish at times.  It's still a super fun read that had me on the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen next.  Just expect to suspend belief in certain parts of the book.  I consider this to be a beach read, but in a good way!  It's reminiscent of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.

Two characters feature more prominently, the ex-husband and the boyfriend.  Steven comes across as a man child, and I found myself disliking him even more than I did in previous books.  Although, there were parts where I almost felt sorry for the poor schmuck.  As far as Nick goes, I enjoyed getting to see his character developed a bit more, and I find myself liking him a lot more than I did in the first book.  He's definitely growing on me with each book that comes out in the series.

In fact, this series is getting better with each book.  Five out of five stars is what I gave Finlay Donovan Rolls The Dice (Finlay Donovan, #4) by Elle Cosimano.  This book was published on March 5, 2024.


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