K.M. Morgan (1)

This is what fiction is all about! Interesting sleuthing, a caricature of a police detective, nascent romance, and sweets! Loved it! I've read all of the Cozy Cove books separately, but it's kind of nice not to have to hunt for which comes next in chronology. Not that it's a critical issue as the stories can easily stand alone, but they are addictive!

Daisy McDare was trying to build a career as an interior decorator but finding bodies and figuring out the killer despite the abominable record of the town’s detective Crumple was taking up a lot of her time.
She finally got a chance to prove her ability in a new housing development outside of Cozy Creek. When she got to the office for Majestic Estates, she quickly realized the homes, only one of which was built, were nowhere near majestic. She immediately saw the owner, Scott Stinson, show more having an argument with his contractor, Patrick Potter, a long-time friend of Daisy’s family. Stinson was firing Potter because Potter was trying to get better wages and conditions for the workers. The argument ended with Potter threatening Stinson.
Daisy viewed a few more loud arguments between Stinson and others in the office, including family members, before he met with her. She was expected to decorate a newly built home within a few days to show it to prospective buyers.
When Daisy showed up the next morning, the police were all over the area. Stinson had been strangled the night before.
There were a lot of potential perpetrators, each of whom said they hadn’t done it but had no one say they were with the person at the time of the murder. Some were obviously lying about their whereabouts. Crowley quickly decided that Patrick was the killer because “his fingerprints were found on the rope used to strangle Stinson.”
Daisy was certain Patrick was innocent: He looked her in the eye when he told her he hadn’t done it.
Daisy proceeded to interview each of the potential killers. Her technique was accusing them and seeing how they responded.
The story started with the beginning romance between Daisy and Gavin Watson. It remained on a slow simmer.
There could have been a decent story here but KM Morgan went for a surface skim. One paragraph showed promise: “Money sure had a way of putting people into weird positions. Wanting to get paid a fair wage put Patrick on the unemployment line. Wanting to be able to pay her bills put Daisy in the awkward middle ground between Patrick and Scott Stinson. And wanting to keep a vice grip on every penny put Scott in the unenviable place of looking like a villain.”
There were no memorable descriptions of the town itself or even the reasons why the house was so bad or what furnishings she bought. There was no explanation of the family relationships. Situations were unrealistic: How could a house be completely furnished in just a few days? Why didn’t Daisy get a written contract? How would fingerprints be present on a rope and, since Patrick was the contractor, wouldn’t it be more suspicious if they were absent?
I am a chocaholic. After reading this book which includes Daisy carrying chocolate cupcakes in her purse and eating chocolate at least once in every chapter, I don’t think I want to eat any more for awhile.
THE DEADLY REAL ESTATE AFFAIR was a fast read but those were a couple hours of my life I will never get back. show less

This is a wonderful set of cozy mysteries.

I love Daisy McDare! She's an interior decorator in Cozy Creek. Her job keeps her busy but when murders happen and her friends are suspects she just HAS to clear them by finding the real murderers. Police Detective Chris Crumble doesn't want her interfering with his investigations because she gets in his way but also because she shows him up by solving the crimes. Detective Crumble is not very good at his job and actually is more of a bumbling idiot show more than anything else.

Daisy is a hoot, though. I love that she can make herself feel better just by eating some chocolate. I wish I could do that but in real life, there is the weight gain to worry about which ends up making me feel worse. All the characters in these books are great. I especially like Granny Annie. She is so much fun that I would like to have heard more from her in every story. Daisy's best friend, Samantha, is always there to support her and provide freshly baked pastry.

I like K. M. Morgan's writing style very much. Somehow she is able to keep the mystery of whodunnit going to the very end while keeping the story humorous throughout.

If you are looking for humorous cozy mysteries, I highly recommend this set of books. show less

This is the 2nd Deanna Devlin book I have read and once again I couldn't put it down. The bookstore owner who fired her friend is found murdered. Despite the owner's family all having motives the police zero in on Deanna's friend. Deanna is determined to find the truth and clear her friend's name. This is a wonderful cozy mystery set in a small town. I can't wait to see what trouble Deanna finds next!