In this delightful new series by the New York Times bestselling author of the Flower Shop Mysteries, Athena Spencer comes back home to work with her crazy big Greek family at their garden center. But she never expected a return to her roots would mean protecting her family from murder . . . After her divorce, Athena has returned to coastal Michigan to work in her family’s garden center and … family’s garden center and raise her son, while also caring for a mischievous wild raccoon and fending off her family’s annoying talent for nagging. Working alone at the garden center one night, Athena is startled by a handsome stranger who claims to be the rightful owner of a valuable statue her grandfather purchased at a recent estate sale.
But she has even bigger problems on her plate. The powerful Talbot family from whom her papous bought the statue is threatening to raze the shops on Greene Street’s “Little Greece” to make way for a condo. The recent death of the family’s patriarch already seemed suspicious, but now it’s clear that a murderer is in their midst. Athena will have to live up to her warrior goddess namesake to protect her family from a killer and save their community from ruin . . .
“Kate Collins delivers an entertaining, amusing, and deliciously suspenseful mystery.”
—Cleo Coyle, New York Times bestselling author
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Statue of Limitations kicks off a brand new series from Kate Collins, and cozy mystery fans will love it! It’s full of great characters, humor, and mystery!
Some minor spoilers ahead.
Athena Spencer loves her big Greek family, but since moving home, she feels like she’s losing her individuality. The “Greekness” of Athena’s family (especially her mother) can be overwhelming. Her mom insists on teaching Athena’s son, Nicholas, Greek; and though that’s not a bad thing, it makes Athena feel like she’s losing control. Her mom’s already fixed her up with “a good Greek boy” whom Athena just tolerates for the sake of keeping the peace. She writes about all of these things in her blog which her family faithfully follows. However, they’ve got no idea that it’s Athena who’s writing the blog, and the way they react to the blog is hilarious especially since she’s writing about them!
Well, as in all good cozy mystery books, the main character (Athena, of course) gets caught up in a murder investigation when she has a run in with the falsely accused suspect, Case Donnelly. Though the two start off on the wrong foot, Athena and Case make a great team, and their friendship leads to a budding romance (which, of course, we all see coming!). They work together to find the real killer to clear Case’s name. Since he can’t be seen around Little Greece (his face is everywhere since he’s a murder suspect!), Athena disguises his looks and creates a new persona for Case. Thankfully it (mostly) works, so they can question suspects, gather clues, and solve the mystery.
I really enjoyed Statue of Limitations, its characters and the Little Greece of Sequoia, Michigan setting. I’m looking forward to bonding with these characters and solving new mysteries with them.
Fun, Fun, Fun. This book made me giggle. It reminded me of the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. Athena Spencer is back home in the middle of her Greek Community and nosy family. She tried to escape everything Greek and now she is back with her son who is wholly embracing the culture. A murder puts Athena on the trail of a killer along with Case Donolly who is a person of interest in the murder.
I found this book extremely entertaining. Between Athena trying to dodge her nosy sisters, her matchmaking mama, and boyfriend mama has arranged, the hilarity ensues. The characters are fun, some larger than life. Even though you know who the murderer is, it’s the chase that is fun. The story moves quickly and kept me turning the pages. The plot was engaging and the writing style was easy-to-read.
Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity the read and offer my honest opinion on this book.
I enjoyed the previous series by Kate Collins, Abby Knight’s Flower Shop Mysteries, and can say that she has created another delightful series that begins with Statue of Limitations. There’s so much to like – the coastal Lake Michigan setting, the quaint stores and community of Sequoia, a larger than life Greek family, and Athena herself. The family members are appealing, funny, caring, and a little crazy, which makes them all the more endearing. I especially enjoyed the sister named Delphi and would love to know her better.
Having returned to Sequoia after a divorce, Athena works in her father’s garden shop, where the plot centers around the questionable origins of a Greek statue and a mysterious stranger named Case. The chemistry between Athena and Case is wonderful and a romance is definitely brewing. The story’s pacing is steady and builds as Athena investigates two murders in an effort to prove Case’s innocence.
The mystery is well crafted and kept me eagerly turning pages. Tension arises as the powerful and controlling Talbot family moves forward with plans to tear down the Greek shops on Greene Street and build a condo complex. The seemingly accidental death of Talbot Sr., who had decided not to raze the Greek section, arouses Athena’s suspicions when his assistant is murdered. I wasn’t all that surprised at the revelation of guilt, but it was so much fun getting there!
Athena’s Greek blog adds a spark to the story – a blog which her family reads religiously and adores, but has no idea who writes it and fails to see themselves in the descriptive characters. Statue of Limitations is a delightful mystery and I am eager to spend more time with this family. The only negative for me was the totally unnecessary use of mild profanity, which lessened my enjoyment. A clean read otherwise.
I received a copy of this book through Great Escapes. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
A Cozy New Series!
Statue of Limitations is the perfect first book in a new cozy mystery series by author Kate Collins. Meet Athena Spencer, a newly-single mom who, after her messy divorce returns to her hometown in Michigan to rebuild. She is living with her parents and working at the family garden shop. Athena has a big family, and I enjoyed the details of their lives and getting to know them alongside Athena. There is a large cast in this book, but Collins does a great job giving individuality to the characters and setting them up for appearances in future books without taking focus away from Athena and her story.
One night Athena hears something while she’s on her own at the Garden Center, and finds herself face to face with an intruder, Case Connelly. Case claims that the prominent Athena statue (no relation) her father has on display in the Garden Center rightfully belongs to him. Intertwined with this plot line of “who’s statue is it” are sides of breaking & entering, murder, and kidnapping, oh my! Mystery, quirky meddlesome family members, intrigue, romance, and garden-related tips are expertly woven together as murder suspect Case reaches out to Athena for help in proving his innocence. The clever, sassy, strong, and loyal characters that we loved so much from her Flower Shop Mysteries have found their sisters-from-another mister in this new series.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. I’m a fan of Kate Collins’ work, and was so sad when the Flower Shop Mysteries came to a close. This is an excellent beginning to the Goddess of Greene Street line, and I’m anxious for more!