A Book Club's Guide to Murder and Mayhem by Bethany Barker

A Book Club's Guide 

to 

Murder & Mayhem 

Book Summary

A dead body, a large inheritance from an ex-boyfriend, a scam netting three-quarters of a million dollars, and a love attraction throw Suzie Tuft’s serene writing life into chaos.

Textbook writer, Suzie Tuft, discovers a body near her rural home and learns he was an attorney from the estate of her deceased ex-boyfriend, who bequeathed her a small fortune. Suzie’s life is thrown into chaos when she is threatened by the ex’s crazy live-in girlfriend and his unsavory friends looking to recover nearly a million dollars from a con they executed him.

Fortunately, Suzie has her book club friends to help her unravel the mystery, all while falling in love with the handsome detective investigating the murder.  

A Book Club’s Guide to Murder & Mayhem is the first book in A Suzie Tuft Mystery series in which a textbook writer recruits her book club friends to help find the killer of the victim she found near her rural home.

My Thoughts

A Book Club’s Guide to Murder and Mayhem by Bethany Barker is the debut of A Suzie Tuft Mysteries.  I found the story to be easy to read.  We get to meet Suzie Tuft along with her best friend, Jess, and her close circle of friends.  I liked Suzie’s dog, Hunter.  He is protective of Suzie as well as a sweetheart.  The characters needed to be fleshed out more, especially Suzie.  The mystery begins early in the story with Suzie discovering the victim on a walk with Hunter.  The gruff lead detective (Detective Whiteford) was annoying and his partner (Detective Pagarelli), naturally, was handsome (it was obvious that Suzie was attracted to him).  

I wish the whodunit had been more complex.  It was evident early on who was the guilty party along with the motive.  Suzie and her book club work together to discover the killer’s identity along with why Suzie’s ex-boyfriend left her the sizeable inheritance.  There is flirtation between Suzie and Detective Pagarelli and Suzie spends time thinking about the kind (and handsome) detective.  There is a repetition of key details (that Detective Pagarelli is handsome is mentioned fourteen times and that the other detective is gruff sixteen times).  A Book Club’s Guide to Murder and Mayhem is a nice story, but it did not hold my attention.  

A Book Club's Guide to Murder and Mayhem is available from Amazon*.  Thank you for visiting today.  I will return on Tuesday, April 9 with The Songbird of Hope Hill by Kim Vogel Sawyer.  I will busy the rest of the week taking care of some tests and car troubles.  I went to Walmart for an oil change.  I needed several things done to the car (I thought I would get it all taken care of at once).  They told me they could provide the oil change, but that was it.  They did not have anyone certified to put in transmission fluid.  I was surprised since their website said they offered all the services that I requested (I needed a new air filter, the right blinker bulb changed, and the back windshield wiper replaced).  Now the dreaded check engine light is on.  I will be able to get some reading done while work is being done on the car.   Thank you for listening to my rant!  I hope that you have a lovely week.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book.  I am not required to leave a review.  The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.