“Fans of Garrison Keillor’s tales of Lake Wobegon will be enchanted.” —Publishers Weekly The only thing widow Isabel Puddles loves as much as her hometown of Gull Harbor on the shores of Lake Michigan is cozying up to a good mystery—but she never expected to be caught in the middle of one . . . To the tourists and summer residents, Kentwater County is a picturesque community of small-town charm, … Kentwater County is a picturesque community of small-town charm, fruitful farmland, and gorgeous freshwater beaches. To middle-aged widow Isabel Puddles, it’s where she enjoys breakfast every morning at a local café with her childhood best friend and spends her evenings cozying up with a good book and her devoted Jack Terrier, Jackpot. In between, Isabel makes ends meet through a variety of trades—preserving pickles, baking pies, working the counter at her cousin’s hardware shop, and occasionally helping “fix-up” the hair of corpses at the local funeral parlor.
When Isabel discovers a two-inch nail embedded in the skull of Earl Jonasson, it seems the octogenarian may not have died of a stroke. His son is quickly arrested when his alibi doesn’t check out. But Isabel has known Earl Jr. since they were kids and can’t believe he’d murder his own father, regardless of his financial difficulties. As gossip about Earl Sr.’s land and insurance policy money starts to spread around the county, Isabel finds herself conducting her own investigation to clear her friend’s name. But real detective work isn’t like what she sees on TV, and she’s meeting dangerous suspects who don’t like Isabel poking around in their business . . .
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This was a cute book – somewhat contrived in places, nonetheless, I bought into it and it kept me reading. I liked Isabel Puddles as a character and enjoyed the other characters as well. Felt the writing was well crafted. I was surprised this was written by a man because one doesn’t often see male writers writing from a female POV.
3.5/5
Meet Isabel Puddles by M.V. Byrne was a fun start to a new cozy mystery series, and you know how much I love my cozies! Isabel was a fun character to follow along with as she investigates her friend’s death, and she also finds herself in some pretty dangerous situations that way. This was a funny and slightly wacky book which I loved, but it did seem to drag in a way I didn’t love. I think it could have easily been shorter and I would have appreciated a more tightened-up storyline and dialogue, but that is definitely not going to stop me from reading more of this series. I loved Isabel’s character completely, and I always find it refreshing to read books that focus on older adults. There is a lot of focus on her as a character, so you need to be prepared to get to know her very well. This first book definitely feels like it is setting the stage for her in the series more so than focusing on the mystery itself, and now the title makes so much more sense!
The book may drag a little, but the audiobook was a joy to listen to and narrated by Angie Hickman. She was perfect for Isabel in my mind, and I really hope they stick with her as this series progresses. I did just see that the next book Isabel Puddles Investigates, is coming out at the end of November and I will definitely be grabbing the audio for that. Thankfully it is also narrated by Hickman, and I’m excited to hear Isabel’s story continued through her narration. The mystery aspect itself in Meet Isabel Puddles was surprising to me, and this definitely had a bit more edge to it than your average cozy mystery. The last chapter is more like an epilogue and it doesn’t leave much to the imagination. I really enjoyed how everything had tied up in the previous chapter, so it didn’t feel necessary and at that point, I was ready for it to be over. I hope Byrne’s next book doesn’t have the issues I mentioned above, and if it doesn’t, I think it has the potential to be a 5-star read. I can’t wait to find out!
Meet Isabel Puddles by M.V. Byrne is a new cozy mystery featuring widow Isabel Puddles. She is active in her community and knows everyone (along with their stories). We get detailed information on Isabel and what seems like everyone she knows. It felt like an information dump in the beginning with all the details. I did not feel we needed a life history on Isabel (not in the first book) and anyone who lived or worked nearby (it was too much). There are some interesting and quirky characters in the story. I enjoyed the humorous moments which had me laughing. The vivid depictions of the town allowed me to visualize it. It took a bit to get to the mystery (we are busy getting to know Isabel). There are multiple suspects in the whodunit. Isabel works her way through each one. I wish the whodunit had been more of a challenge. Identifying the guilty party is a piece of cake even with the number of suspects. The mystery is not at the forefront of the story. Just when I would start to get into the whodunit, Isabel would launch into one of her tales (she has so many of them). We follow Isabel and the sheriff as they investigate Carl’s death. I do like how it all comes together at the end. The author needs to find a balance between too much information and too little. I cannot imagine what else there is to learn about Isabel. It seems that we know everything about her. I thought the pacing of the story was slow and the story felt like it dragged on forever. I really struggled to finish Meet Isabel Puddles. There were some bright moments that I truly enjoyed. I hope there are more of them in future books. This is just the first book in A Mitten State Mystery series. We must wait to see how the series develops as well as the author’s writing. Meet Isabel Puddles has potential with its interesting main character, quirky residents, and charming town.
So, I was drawn to this book by the cover and had great expectations. I didn’t like or dislike this book, it’s extremely well written and I think Isabel could grow on me. My problem is there was so much backstory that it took to.long to get to the main story. By then, I was completely bored. I’m interested to read the next book to see if this was just a one time thing. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I’m voluntarily providing an honest review.
really did not care for it it just rambled on and on.
This was a very good beginning to a new series. My only criticism is that it took forever to get to the main story. We got lots of background that was interesting but you felt like you were never going to get to the point. Once you do get to the point it’s great! There is lots of action and plenty of red herrings. The characters are wonderful! Isabel is a treasure and all of her friends are very entertaining. Isabel makes a great sleuth and I’m looking forward to more of this series.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.
A good main character always pulls me into a story and keeps me reading and Isabel Puddles fits the bill! She’s charming, witty, nosy, and fun to spend time with. I enjoyed this book from the first page to the last. I’m already looking forward to the next time I get to spend time with these characters! It’s truly a fun and enjoyable read!
I love finding a new mystery series to add to my must read list. From the first page I knew Isabel Puddles belonged on the list. Her name alone made me smile and then getting to know her, well, I wish I could join The Land’s End Breakfast Club with Isabel (Izzy) and her BFF Frances – breakfast special $6.99. It feels welcoming and comfortable and I like small towns like Gull Harbor, Michigan.
Isabel is a widow of a certain age with grown children. She has a Jack Russell terrier named Jackpot and she lives on a fixed income. At one time she was a hairdresser but didn’t enjoy it but times are hard and converting the mother-ion-law apartment into a salon. She also works part time at her cousins hardware store, she knits items for sale and she is a regular visitor to the library. As Isabel sees it, if sh’e physically able to do the job and it’s legal, well then go for it. That’s how she found herself doing the final hair and makeup for the dearly departed at the Tate Funeral Home – a favor to a friend. Turns out her current “client” didn’t die of a stroke, even though he was 88. He had help in the form of a two inch nail rammed into his skull. Now the question becomes did his son bump him off or did someone else do the deed? The son is a friend of Isabel’s and she is certain he couldn’t have killed his father. So Isabel uses her talents to track down a killer.
Isabel hears all of the gossip, knows just about everybody in town and figures out which dots to connect. It makes for a believable mystery and I am already looking forward to her next case. To be fair, the pace is on the slow side to start but I was fine with it as it takes time to set the stage and get everybody introduced. It was a great de-stressing read.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
family-dynamics, friendship, law-enforcement, small-town, verbal-humor, situational-humor, laugh-out-loud, cozy-mystery, suspense, lawyers
It all started when Izzy’s old friend asked for her help in making the old man look presentable for his funeral. She was creeped out, but she was the one who found that there was a nail driven into his head! Izzy has lived in Gull Harbor, Michigan all of her days, has more friends and relatives than she knows what to do with, and has work part time at the hardware store since her husband died some years ago. This is where I either get longwinded or slip unintentionally into spoilers, so I’ll just say that I loved the story, the mystery, and especially the wacky characters! This laugh riot is not to be missed!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
This was a fun book to read This is the 1st book and a new series by this author And we meet Isabel puddles a widowed mother she makes ends meet as best she can doing odd jobs.Really well written Great cozy Mystery Between Isabel and her dog jackpot the mystery will be solved one way or another ! Well worth reading.