Kennedy Chase

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I normally love thief-turned-detective stories, and this was no exception. There is something I just find incredibly fascinating about morally dubious characters deciding to turn their life around and using their skills and underworld contacts to catch other criminals. And this is exactly what Harley Hill does in this book: with the help of an old friend, she decides to try making an honest show more living at least for a while, and reluctantly accepts a job at the Silvers Finders Agency. What was supposed to be only a temporary solution starts to look less and less so, as Harley starts to grow fond of her new employer and friend Cordelia and her dangerously handsome, police officer ex-husband.

The mystery itself was very original, lots of suspence there as it all starts with a break-in where nothing is taken, but actually something gets left behind, and deaths soon begin to multiply. Whenever I read a mystery book, I love to practice my amateur sleuthing skills trying to guess who the culprit is, even though I almost inevitably get it wrong. I guess it's lucky I don't actually have to do much detective work in real life, because that was the case also with this book. I was kept guessing until the end, and was very surprised when the solution was revealed. The clues were all there, except I didn't put them together, while Harley did. You go girl!

The women in this book are just amazing: strong, independent and witty. I just wish Harley and Cordelia could be my friends! I also liked getting to know a little bit about Harley's past to understand where she comes from. Not a lot of background was given, but as this is the first book in a series, I hope we'll discover more about her in the next books. The only thing I wasn't overly keen on was Harley's inner debate because of her attraction to Alex and Cole. Now, they're both very handsome and interesting men, so I get the emotional confusion, but I'm just not a fan of love triangles generally, and I find them really annoying. Luckily, though, this plays a really minor role in the story, and so it didn't bother me too much.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. It was a funny and entertaining mystery, with memorable characters and a wonderful setting (beautiful, beautiful London!). The various subplots came together nicely in a very smooth ending.I'll definitely check out the rest of the series!

Originally posted on Book For Thought. show less

I started a somewhat challenging month of reading with the easiest book on the list. A lovely little cozy murder mystery set in a town settled by refugee witches from Salem, Massachusetts. The main character travels with a cat and dog that seem to carry the souls of her parents. She lives with her sisters in a decrepit guest house where they operate a bakery. Her former job was as a police detective so when a dead body is found in the bakery oven, she signs on to help out the local detective show more discover the murderer.

There are multiple books in the series, but I don't think I'm compelled to read them. When I went to grab the image, I discovered that I had gotten the book through my Amazon Prime account. I have a couple other cozy series I am following, mostly related to books, and I think I'll focus on working through them rather than starting anew. I'm not sorry I read A Mystic Murder as it has been lurking on my Kindle for awhile. Check off one for the TIOLI challenge! show less

This book took me by surprise. I found it to be delightful to pass the day with. The characters were fleshed out enough to make it easy to envision them and I found myself so wrapped up in the storyline that I ended up finishing this in one night.

Mysteries are great fun to read and this was no different, but there were moments in the writing where I found myself changing my mind about the book. Details in passages were reiterated pages later, making it tough to gloss over that. For example, show more from main character Harley's constant run-ins with her friend and colleague's Cordelia's ex, we are repeatedly told in so many words how much of a jerk he must be. And yet, his character doesn't really do much to reflect this constant analysis. And though this was a character quirk that makes Harley who she is, I found her klutziness a little over the top. But that's just me I think.

I liked the ending albeit it being packaged up in the last few pages to wrap up the smaller side stories. And the cliffhanger setup made me want to keep reading more of the series. Nice little read indeed! show less

Murder on the Hill by Kennedy Chase is the first book in the Harley Hill Mysteries. Harley Hill has not been having the best of luck. She was dropped off at foster care when she was little with just a photograph. The photograph was of her with three girls and a boy. Written on the back of the photo was “you are not alone.” Harley, which is not her real name, has had trouble finding a permanent job. She knows antiques and is good at finding objects. A recent job, though, did not go as show more planned. She was acquiring diamonds for crime boss, Anton Ivanov and one got lost. Harley is not quite sure what happened to it, but Anton believes she stole it. Anton now wants repayment of $5,000 a month. That is a little steep for someone with a regular job.

Cole Lockland is Harley’s best friend. He has found a position for Harley with Cordelia Silvers of the Silvers Finders Agency. Her first job is to figure out why someone broke into Mr. Bellman’s jewelry shop and left a doru (a Japanese doll). It was left as a warning. Harley goes home with Cordelia and accidentally drops the doru (thank goodness it was just a fake). Inside the doru is a black diamond. While investigating Mr. Bellman’s wife ends up dead and now Alex, Cordelia’s almost ex-husband and homicide detective, is on the case. Harley finds Alex to be drool worthy, but tries not to show it in front of Cordelia. Why is a black diamond inside the doru and why was it left at Bellman’s? Was Mrs. Bellman murdered? What is going to happen next? Harley and Cordelia set out to solve the riddle while Harley works hard to keep hidden from Anton (she would like to keep her legs intact).

Murder on the Hill is a cute and humorous cozy mystery. The story is not long and get easily be read in a couple of hours. The mystery is not easily solved and when the book ends you wonder what Harley will get up to next. I give Murder on the Hill 4 out of 5 stars. There is some foul language in this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Other books in the series are Murder on the Page and Murder for Christmas. show less