A nice little surprise of a cozy. I enjoyed the story and the characters and it didn't feel just slapped together like some (most) of the kindle freebies I've gotten. Nothing earthshattering, but I thought it was a very good example of the genre. ( )

Never Buried is the first book in the Leigh Koslow mystery series, a series of five books written and set in the late 90's/early 2000's. The thing that's hilarious and unique about this series is the fact that the author took a decade long break before deciding to check back in with Leigh and the gang (also ten years later) and has proceeded to write a further six books. I had never heard of the series before but when the author started writing again, the first book was offered for free on Amazon and it came to my attention. I'm really glad it did because this series has become a bit of a favourite.

In Never Buried, Leigh Koslow, 29 year advertising guru, has just moved in with her pregnant cousin, Cara, while Cara's husband Gil is away working. But the first morning there Leigh proceeds to find a dead body in the hammock and somehow, Leigh, Cara - their police friend, Maura, Maura's mother, Mary, Leigh's other mate, Warren, all get caught up in solving the mystery.

I really enjoyed this. The mystery was good. I like when there's old cases to be investigated. And I enjoyed the mix of trying to figure out how it impacts the present. The investigation was slow and steady and maybe won't be for everyone but I rated it. I worked out some parts and was surprised by others. It was logical and the reasons behind everything made sense which is always nice.

Leigh was hilarious. I liked her wit and sarcasm. She reminds me a lot of Kinsey Millhone with her curiosity and being self-proclaimed wimps. Although Kinsey has training to back herself up so...maybe not. But there's definitely something very similar.

I loved the rest of the cast of characters. Maura was hilarious. And her mum, Mary, was epic. Mary catching Leigh when she falls off the roof! And I love that Maura's heavy duty police work is really just her mum telling her the goss. Charlotte (Maura's aunt) tricking Leigh into being the one to wake Maura where she ends up with a busted nose and crushed toe was pretty good too. I love when old women get the best of others. Cara's neighbours the Rhodis' are pretty funny too. Adith Rhodis was a card.

And I loved Leigh's dad, Randall - I liked the laid back attitude - he seems to take all things in his stride. It was amusing to see that Leigh knows people based on whether or not they own a pet and visited her father's veterinary.

Overall it's a strong mystery with lots of humour and heart. 4 stars. ( )

A delightful tale with so many suspenseful events that takes you on quite a ride.

When a body appeared on a hammock out of thin air suspense started to build. At the same time, we got to know Leigh, Cara, Maura and all the residence of this town next to the river. All had a part to play and the characters were really supportive as they tried to unruffle the secrets of another family. Whose story formed the basis of this mystery.

I really enjoyed this book, a fast pace book that held your attention till the end. It is well written that pulls you in from the get-go.
Thanks for the freebie, it was well worth it. ( )

2 stars because, as the guidance says, "It's OK". If you've been casting around for something diverting, try this. If you're looking for a new passion, you'll need to keep looking. The characters are OK, the mystery is OK, the writing is OK. It's not actually bad (and a lot of the stuff you'll have come across recently really is bad). It's just ... OK, I suppose. I did have a bit of trouble telling all these blessed women apart, and I get enough nonsense about coffee addiction in real life, so the 'humour' isn't any better than OK either. It'll do, I suppose. ( )

From Amazon: Advertising copywriter Leigh Koslow doesn't pack heat--just a few extra pounds. And she doesn't go looking for trouble. When she moved into her cousin Cara's refurbished Victorian house, she wasn't planning on discovering a corpse--certainly not one that had been embalmed ten years before. But as anyone in the small Pittsburgh borough of Avalon could tell her, her cousin's house has a history attached. A history dating back to two mysterious deaths in the summer of 1949.

Someone wants Leigh and Cara out of the house--someone who has something to hide. But that someone doesn't know Leigh's impetuous cousin, and when Cara digs her heels in, Leigh looks to her old college chum, local policewoman Maura Polanski, for help. But the answers the trio find only point to more questions. Were the scandalous deaths of fifty years ago really an accident and a suicide? Or were they murder?

The nearer the women get to the truth, the more desperate someone becomes. Because some secrets are better off kept. Especially when they hit close to home!

it's been a few months since I read this one, but remember really liking it, especially the characters. I have it in my 'get the next in the series' folder :)
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