I wouldn't call it a funny mystery. Maybe light hearted but not all that funny. It was fast paced and pretty energetic. Not realistic so if you are looking for a mystery that is based in reality keep looking. It is the type of book I would pick on a rainy or snowy, cooler type day. It is a good to grab a hot chocolate, coffee or tea and get comfy on the couch type of book. It is a clean book - no explicit sex or language, (wait...I do recall light cursing in French and while no sex, cheating is implied). Some violence, it is a murder mystery, but nothing major. ( )

Aspiring PI Kate was driving her car when it was hit by another car. She had her three-month-old daughter with her and, luckily, neither of them was injured. The driver of the other car sped away, but a witness provided enough information that the police were able to determine that the car belonged to someone at the French Embassy. Having diplomatic plates meant there was no way to arrest the other driver.
But when a reporter covering the story is killed, her husband hires Kate to help find her killer. The French Embassy figures into this case as well.
Diana Orgain’s descriptions of a new mother, trying to balance her fledgling career with being involved in her new daughter’s life are somewhat inconsistent. I don’t think a woman breastfeeding her child would be gone from her so often and for such extended periods of time. She’s upset that she misses some important “firsts,” but she can’t have it both ways. She also has unrealistic expectations for her baby, i.e., enrolling her is an Art Exploration Class. She’s upset to find that her friend has given Laurie a breadstick. Laurie has never had solid food. The friend has young children and would know how dangerous that could be.
The book has some interesting descriptions: “Curled up like a little sow bug on his shoulder.”and humor, some of it sarcastic, (“I’m scared about brain damage,” I confessed to her. “Why are you scared?...You’ve lived your whole life with it.”), some insight (“Did you know that just the sound of a baby’s cry makes your blood pressure rise?”), and some contradictions (On one page: The Christmas tree was made up of different size LED lightbulbs and gave off a soft white light and an annoying hum. On the next page: “They’re using up enough power to light up San Francisco for a day.” LED bulbs do not use that much power.), saying she was concerned because her to-do list was growing longer (There were five items on that day. That was one of the shortest ones. On a previous day, there were ten.)
I could identify with one of her insights: “My theory is that designer dresses are cut large to make you feel slim as you drop a ton of money on them. Paula tried to reassure me that the reverse was true, but I didn’t believe her.” One time when I was looking for a suit or dress for my wedding, the saleswoman brought me almost a dozen outfits in sizes ranging from 6 to 14. The smaller the size, the higher the price.
Her main grammatical error was not knowing the correct use of the first person pronouns: “He watched the exchange between Jean-Luc and I....”“He came between Nancy and I....” “She hovered over both Galigani and I.”
The story is a fast-read, somewhat formulaic cozy mystery. It’s one of a series, but the first, and likely the last one I’ll read.
This book was a free Amazon download. ( )

“Formula for Murder” is the latest in the Maternal Instincts Mystery series from Diana Orgain. She hooks the reader in right away with her clever chapter headings. Well, not chapter headings, exactly. Each chapter begins with a “To Do” list, like some of us begin our day. And as the life of first-time mom Kate Connolly—the likeable protagonist—becomes more and more complicated, so does the “To Do” list. Just like in the real world.
Kate has found what she thinks is the perfect work-from-home mommy job: private investigator. The hours are flexible, she can bring baby Laurie along on stakeouts, and if you’re going to be up all night anyway, why not solve a few crimes in between feedings? Kate and Laurie are on their way to accomplish a top priority on the “To Do” list, getting Laurie’s first holiday photo taken, when they are victims of a hit and run. A witness identifies the car’s French diplomatic license plates. Sacre bleu! Do we have the beginnings of an international incident? When Kate and her husband Jim try to get some answers at the consulate, they’re given le brush off, but not before they notice a pair of local, television reporters leaving the consulate.
A few days later, one of the reporters is found dead in Golden Gate Park. Kate the Private Investigator, suspects there’s a connection to the consulate, and she’s hired by the dead reporter’s husband to get some answers. Then, another dead body turns up: the driver of the car that rear-ended Kate and Laurie. Ooh la la! What’s going on?
This is a fun, fast read as Kate tries to juggle her new mommy status with her equally new private investigator status. I can’t wait for the next one in this series!

Reviewed by Susan Santangelo author of “Moving Can Be Murder” for Suspense Magazine ( )

A light, fun read! Kate's baby is slowly but surely growing up, and Kate's getting started launching her new life as a PI. Her priority at the moment is Laurie's first Christmas, and it's while they are on the way for Christmas photos that she's the victim of a hit and run accident.Once it's clear the police aren't going to do anything about the incident, Kate wants to take matters into her own hands. When this investigation brings her a client that will pay her to continue, she doesn't have a choice, right?Except that she's on a stakeout when Laurie rolls over for the first time. And she misses Laurie's (rescheduled) Christmas photos. Her mother is happy to help out, but that doesn't make Kate feel any better.This is a typical cozy in that the mystery isn't really the point of this book. It does a nice job of leading Kate to meet interesting people and make discoveries about her life, and that's really what I want in a book like this one. ( )

Once you suspend your disbelief about first time mom Kate Connolly running around with a three month old baby on stakeouts, you will be rewarded with a fresh and fun cozy mystery. Kate is so believable as a woman who wants to eventually get her PI license so she will have more time for motherhood. After Kate and her baby Laurie are victims of a hit and run, they discover the other vehicle has diplomatic plates. A visit to the French embassy results in stonewalling, but an odd sighting of a local investigative journalist piques Kate's interest. When journalist Pickett is found dead, Kate's radar is immediatelyon high. Kate is surrounded by great characters, her husband Jim is completely supportive, her mother able to sit at the drop of a hat and PI mentor Galigani is patient beyond belief. I enjoy the San Franscisco setting of these books and hope there will be many more to come! ( )