The Book Club Murders

Mysteries are fun, and cozy mysteries fit the sleuthing mood most of the time when I’m not in the mood for dark/ morbid thrillers or psychological whodunnits who make me feel like my mind has been put through a blender. There are certain cozies I enjoy more than others – and book club or bookish themes are one of those.

Right away The Book Club Murders starts out on a different note compared to some cozies. The book club group doesn’t trust each other with a few exceptions – and the heroine is only involved because of creative marketing for her used clothing store. Some of the characters are downright foul and bitchy, which the character notes since this is a cozy that thankfully doesn’t shy away from colorful language or show more circumstances.

Speaking of characters, that’s the shining note of this story. Charlie’s friends are fun and make the best supportive characters for this kind of book – loyal but quirky. The suspects are many and it’s hard to pin down the actual culprit since motives remain sketchy and there is a local balding stud who many of the groupies flock to (ewww, yeah didn't get it)

On the downside, while I liked Marc as the cop well enough, the romantic relationship felt false and flighty. The author sometimes shifted to his point of view, which didn’t fit this story. Their relationship was a little too high polished romance type. The emphasis on their relationship made this one half mystery/half romance, not just a mystery book that has a romance as part of the character’s life. Some of the romantic areas were a little sappy.

The second thing that irked me was how unrealistic it is the heroine was so highly praised by the police force, especially Marc and his partner. In most cozies people don't sit in admiration of amateur sleuths. She didn't have a genius IQ and I figured out a lot of what she did - the only question remains, what's with these poor cops and actual detectives? It was unrealistic how much Marc let her in on the investigation too - there are laws forbidding some of that, after all.

Overall a fun mystery that kept losing steam, but I dug the murder angle creativity tied in with books and many of the characters not being fully one-dimensional and typical of run-of-the-mill cozy mysteries. show less

I was excited to read this because I love cozy mysteries and the words "book club" in the title just drew me in. Books about people who read books. I love them.

I thought the premise of the book was a good one. People are being murdered in the same way they are killed in different mystery books. It comes to light that the murders being copied are all in the books being read by the local mystery book club. This casts suspicion on all the members of the book club. I was excited that I had personally read all the books referenced in this one.

As I was reading it, this book seemed less "cozy" and more "mystery" to me. It had fewer of the silly elements of cozies and more of a serious murder mystery. There were, of course, elements of the show more traditional cozy mystery, such as a sleuth whose main occupation is something other than police/detective work. In this case, Charley owned a fashion consignment boutique.

The main character, Charley, was well written and interesting. She did not rush into danger but seemed to think things through before acting. Detective Marc was also good, although I felt his romance with Charley was a little forced, especially at first.

As the first book in the series I enjoyed it very much. I look forward to reading future installments.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley. show less

The Book Club Murders by Leslie Nagel
Book #1: The Oakwood Mystery Series
Source: Purchase
My Rating: 3½/5 stars
My Review:

Charley Carpenter is willing to do just about anything to see her vintage clothing shop succeed, including subjecting herself to the Agathas Book Club! Make no mistake, Charley loves a good murder mystery as much as the next girl, but the Agathas are cats of totally different colors. Except for her best friend, Charley finds the members of the Agathas tolerable at best and revolting at worst. Trouble is, the members of the Agathas are some of the most prominent and wealthy women in town and their patronage sure does help Charley’s bottom line.

As it turns out, Charley isn’t the only one in town who has issues with show more the Agathas. On her way to work one crisp, cool morning, Charley stumbles across the police, out in force, manning a crime scene that turns out to be a murder site. The unfortunate woman is related to one of the Agathas and her murder sets into motion a crime spree that will see the Agathas (and the town!) left reeling after five murders, all of which are staged to mimic the murders the Agathas are reading o have read about in their monthly book club meetings. Yeah, someone really dislikes those ladies.

Charley doesn’t have any interest in winding up dead so she begins asking a lot of questions of a lot of people. With every answer she gets, more questions crop up. Her sleuthing also comes to the attention of the local police which gets her into a heap of hot water, both personally and professionally. Detective Marcus Trenault has made no secret of his dislike of Charley and she hasn’t been at all shy about hiding her dislike. Methinks the two dummies doth protest too much . . . . . What Marcus can’t ignore is Charley’s results and though he doesn’t want to work with her, he can’t deny her access to the Agathas is greater than his and people are more willing to talk to a shop owner than a detective.

As Charley gets in deeper with Marcus personally and the police professionally, she finds herself in waters she’s ill equipped to navigate. She must rely on her wits, quick thinking, untapped reserves of bravery, and Marcus to get herself out of trouble and bring a stone-cold, bat-shit crazy killer to justice. If she can do all that without also getting herself killed, then there may just be an HEA waiting for her when all is said and done.

The Bottom Line: 2017 seems to be the year of the cozy mystery for me and I find I am liking this genre quite a lot. The Book Club Murders greatly appealed to me for a lot of reasons and it delivered on most. In general, I enjoyed the premise of this book, the twists and turns, and the vast majority of the characters. What didn’t appeal to me quite so much were the moments in between the action and dialogue. Those moments tend to be very slow and I found myself putting the book down and walking away when yet another of those moments occurred. Since this is my first Leslie Nagel read, I’m not sure if this quality is specific to this book or a part of the author’s writing style. With any luck, this issue will be resolved in the next book and I’ll be able to happily continue on with the Oakwood Mystery series. show less

This is the first book in the Oakwood Mystery Series. It is a cozy with a bit of a twist. There is some swearing and a little sex, but it is not graphic. There are several murders, there is a serial killer, which is a little uncommon in a cozy, but again, not graphic so if still fits.

Charley Carpenter owns the Old Hat Vintage Fashions store. She dropped out of school and returned home to the small town of Oakwood Ohio after her father suffered a stroke. Trying to make a go of her business during the recession, she joins the Agathas Book Club whose members are the rich and snobbish. She hopes to cultivate these ladies and their friends to become her customers. Detective Marcus Trenault and Charley have some history. She crushed on him show more from afar in highschool. He is also the son of her and her father's friend Evie who died recently. Marc and his mother were somewhat estranged and Charley had trouble forgiving him for that. As well he is arrogant and pig-headed, so whenever they meet up, they end up in an argument. When the sister of one of the Agathas is murdered, Charlie begins to investigate. When another young woman also ends up dead, Charley realizes that there is a connection to the Agathas. Charley has the inside scoop about the other members and Marc is going to have to bite his tongue and use her as an informant. As they continue to investigate with Charley part of the team, her life may in danger.

This was an enjoyable read. Charley is stubborn and opinionated, and not afraid to say so. Marc is arrogant in his own right. This is where the romance comes in. All of the suspects, the Agathas, are rich, snobbish, and some are quite bitchy. Charley describes them perfectly throughout the story. As their secrets unfold we see their lives, and realize that having money does not solve all problems, in fact, it causes many. I did not figure out who dun it which always makes a mystery more enjoyable to me. The mention of several mystery books in the story also added more books to my TBR list. A great read. I am looking forward to the next one in the series. 4.5 stars for me. show less

Charley owns her own vintage clothing store, and has joined the local book club, Agathas, to try to mingle with the town's elite and gain more customers. But, mixed in with the gossip and snobbery, someone is killing people through exact replicas of murder scenes from the book club's selections.

I love a mystery that references other mystery books, and this one does a great job of integrating them and making them a central part of the plot.

Charley is a great lead character, very strong and determined, and is highly helpful during the investigation. She also starts a great romance with a police officer.

The supporting characters, especially Charley's love interest and her two best friends, are well-written, unique, and easy to cheer show more for.

While I loved the main romance, the writing surrounding them occasionally veered on cliched.

Also, with one of the big twists at the end, a clue was a little too obvious. It was one of those that actually made me say "Oh, c'mon!" out loud as I read the sentence containing it.

The ending of two Agatha Christie novels are also spoiled with no warning--luckily I'd already read them, but a warning would be nice for those who haven't.

This was a fun, quick read, with some great characters I would definitely like to revisit. I look forward to more books in this series. show less

This was a clever cozy mystery, but it was a bit too formulaic. Charley owns a vintage clothing store and is a member of a murder mystery book club. Most of the other club members are well-to-do older women, making them good potential customers. When someone starts killing off women in the community using techniques from the mysteries the club has read, Charley gets involved in investigating. There is the love/hate relationship she has with the hot detective to spice things up. It is a fun, quick read.

Charley Carpenter loves retro clothing and has finally realized her dream: to own a vintage clothing shop. She is busily pouring her heart and soul into Old Hat and doing everything she can to make it successful. To drum up some business with the upper-crust ladies in Oakwood, Ohio, she joins a mystery book club, The Agathas. Each month the club members meet at a member's home to discuss a murder mystery novel. Charley finds the books enjoyable, but most of the members of Agatha are spoiled, snooty and condescending. When two ladies with close ties to the group are found murdered, their bodies posed in imitation of crime scenes from the book club's reading list, every member of The Agathas is a potential victim -- and a suspect.

This is show more a debut novel from Leslie Nagel. I love reading new authors! This book was well-written and enjoyable. The mystery was filled with suspense, twists and turns, and an exciting ending! I wasn't sure who the killer was until the very end!

Charley Carpenter is a likable main character. As in most cozy mysteries, her love interest is the detective assigned to the case, Marc Trenault. The romance doesn't overshadow the mystery...there's just enough to sweeten the story. I like the fact that she is independent, intelligent and a strong woman. Nagel did an excellent job developing her characters. The wealthy members of the book club are irritatingly snobbish, but not overly so. Marc has just a bit of jerk thrown in among his good looks and charm. And, Charley's friends have personalities that help move the plot along nicely. All in all, a very well written cozy mystery and an excellent first novel!! I can't wait to read more by Leslie Nagel!

The Book Club Murders is the first book in The Oakwood Mystery Series. The book releases September 27th, 2016. Learn more about the author on her website: www.leslienagel.com The site has information on her book, a recommended reading list, and even some great writing tips! show less