A Plus One for Murder is the first book in the Recipe for Disaster series by Laura Bradford. I really enjoyed the divergence from the typical cozy formula found in this book. Typically the amateur sleuth jumps into the investigation and the local law enforcement cannot keep them out of the investigation. In this case, Emma, is a very reluctant investigator. In fact she only gets drawn into the investigation of the death of Brian Hill once her clients and friends, Dottie and Stephanie drag her in. They cannot help themselves as lovers of cozy mysteries and crime shows. They want to look into the mystery and slowly drag Emma into the case. In the more typical aspect, Emma finds herself intrigued by the investigating officer, Jack. I am sure as the series progresses the reader will see more of this relationship's development.
A Plus One for Murder by Laura BradfordMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a unique approach to a cozy in my opinion. Emma, the MC, is in the process of starting a new business when her client passes away unexpectedly. Sounds typical right? Well, Emma has no interest in investigating his death, in fact she repeatedly tells Dottie and Stephanie they should let the police do their job.. Dottie an octogenarian with a love for reading cozy mysteries wants to employ all the skills her protagonists do in teh books she loves. Stephanie, a new client turned friend, wants Emma to investigate Brian Hill's death because she is looking for a way out of her routine rut. As a lover of crime shows she thinks they can employee the techniques on the shows to solve the crime. Eventually Dottie and Stephanie wear Emma down and the 3 work together. The development of the relationships and partnership is entertai9ing and definitely has its humorous moments. The clues are slowly revealed and the crime eventually solved but it felt as though it was only in the latter part of the story that the mystery starts to really progress toward conclusion. If you are looking for a fast paced cozy this may not be the book for you, but if you want one that develops relationships between characters that are definitely quirky then pursue this series.
Challenge Prompts
The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:
- Library Love #LibraryLoveChallenge Book # 84
- What an Animal Book #49
- Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2022 Book #101
- Cruisin thru Cozies Free choice #68
- Cloak & Dagger #CloakDaggerChal Book #95
- Craving for Cozies Book #86
- Medical Examiner Challenge 1 Toe Tags
- Beachcomber Challenge
- Crime Scene-bar
- Weapon- poison
- Detectives- emma/stephanie/dottie
- Victims- brian kelly
- Six Shooter Challenge Target #91 Shot #1
- Monthly Motif #MonthlyMotifGXO Murder
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