J.C. Eaton

A really entertaining and fun cozy. At times, hilarious.

The sleuth, Sophie (Phee) Kimball, works at an investigations office in Arizona. Her mother and friends live in Sun City West in Arizona.

I'd never read anything in this series before and this is the 13th book in the series. At first, I had a hard time keeping all the characters straight but, eventually I did (with the help of the Cast of Characters at the front).

What drew me to this? I've read thousands and thousands of mysteries but have never encountered a bowling mystery, of all things. Glad I read it. At times, it was hilarious.

I've just gone to pick up the first book in the series and am looking forward to reading them all.

Very enjoyable and a mystery I would recommend.

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for a fair and honest review)… (more)

Sophie "Phee" Kimball-Gregory works for an Arizona PI firm. She's not an investigator (although her mother Harriet thinks she is), but their bookkeeper, and is happy to be so. Until another murder occurs. And Harriet thinks there's a serial killer on the loose. Which is often. Too often...

A body is discovered in the bushes in Sun City West, where Harriet lives, and it turns out to be a flimflammer, who made money by scamming seniors by getting them to give up their homes and move into a 'retirement home' where they will have it easy for the rest of their lives. But they didn't. And now someone killed him. Was it one of the seniors? Or someone else who hated this man?

But there's more trouble brewing -- Phee is asked by a friend to look into her mother Gloria's activities online, because she thinks her mother is being catfished by someone. So Phee does what she can, even enlisting Rollo, their trusted hacker who loves digging on the dark web. Even if it costs the firm another expensive appliance for Rollo's latest diet.

This is important because the seniors' bowling league has Gloria, and she's a really good bowler, and they want her thinking about bowling, not some guy who's trying to get money out of her (even though he hasn't asked her yet). Is this the end of it? Not by a long shot. A developer wants to "update" the bowling alley to appeal to a younger crowd. In Sun City? Filled with seniors? Yes. But they want to fight back, any way they can. Unfortunately, there's another murder -- hence Harriet thinking a serial killer is after them all. (Here we go again!)

So now Phee and the detectives, who are on the case thanks to the local police hiring them for help, are in the middle of two murders, a catfisher, and the usual antics of Harriet's dog Streetman (A Chiweenie who has no morals and no training), and you have a mystery that keeps you on your toes...

This is the thirteenth book in the series and I have loved them all. Phee is more patient than I would be having to deal with the Sun City seniors, not to mention Nate and her husband Marshall teasing her about it. But we all know eventually all three will be involved before the end of the book. As will Streetman, who creates havoc just by being loose...and this time is no different, with an extremely humorous scene toward the end.

I don't want to say any more about the book as to give anything away that isn't hinted at in the blurb. All I can say is read the book. It's a great mystery, along with plenty of action and, of course, the antics of the seniors throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope that other readers do also. I look forward to the next in the series as well. Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.… (more)

amateur-sleuth, Arizona, bookkeeper, bowling-lanes, cozy-crime, cyber-criminal, families, family-dynamics, friendship, friends, frustration, husband-and-wife-team, laugh-riot, local-gossip, local-law-enforcement, murders, pet-dog, posse, private-investigators, relationships, relatives, retirees, retirement-community, situational-humor, teamwork, verbal-humor*****

Another laugh fest from the ChiWeenie (Streetman) and humans at the retirement community in Arizona.
The body count starts with a body in the bushes and later, a body in the pinsetter. Along the way we get a lesson in the trouble of dealing with a cyber-criminal and the need for paranoid friends!
Some real characters are those living in the retirement community, including Phee's mother and aunt. The PI firm is in a nearby town where Phee (Sophie Kimball) is the accountant while her husband (Marshall) is an investigator/partner.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!
#SophieKimballMysteriesBk13… (more)

In this twelfth book in the series, Phee is happily married and enjoying her role as bookkeeper at Williams Investigation Agency. If it were only that, her life would be complete. However, as fate has it, her mother regularly calls Phee with problems, and expects her to be at her beck and call. Be aware that Harriet isn't your typical mother. She's crazy. Loony. And jumps to conclusions...

That being said, the newest case for the investigation agency is that there is a missing doll that was on loan from the Phoenix Art Museum to the Equity Council's, and it's gone missing. There's no sign of it. Zip. Nada. There's also a supposed curse -- that anyone who possesses the doll will be under a hex. It's because the doll once belonged to a little girl, and people believe her soul is trapped inside. With a treasure that's rumored to be worth a lot of cash. So of course they're on the case discreetly. Sure. Especially with two of Harriet's cronies on the council, they'll keep their word not to let anyone know, right? Uh huh. At least until the morning brunch with not only the ladies, but the men from the automotive club who are celebrating one of their own's good luck,

Which turns out not to be so good after all. A dead body is found underneath a car, which puts a halt to any restorations. Worse, the person who died was disliked by more than one other, and now Phee's antenna is up for clues. Unfortunately, the B4M ladies think that they have their own antennae (they don't); and what ensues are some very funny scenes with these women -- and even some of the men.

It's the usual riot around these people and I have to wonder how Phee still keeps her sanity. No wonder her aunt Ina's son moved away. No surprise there...scenes that 'feature' Streetman the Chiweenee are just as humorous as the other books, and I commend the author(s) on that. They place you effortlessly in the scene and you feel as if you were right there in the action. Watching and laughing, but grateful that you're not in the middle of it.

This book was so entertaining, and once again a winner by the writers. Harriet is clueless about almost everything, and you have to feel sorry for Phee growing up with her. But let's face it, Mama is funny. Really funny. And in this book, Paul Schmidt is a hoot (he being the resident fisherman who's crazy in his own way). Even the climax was fun to read.

When the killer is discovered, I knew pretty much from the beginning. But it's more complicated than that, and even I found it nicely written. I suppose you've figured out that I love this series. I also hope others will as well, and I look forward to the next one. Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.… (more)