A Literal Mess

A Literal Mess by J.C. Kenney is debut book in An Allie Cobb Mystery series. Allie Cobb is awakened during the night by a phone call from her brother, Luke. Her father has passed away from pancreatic cancer, and Allie quickly heads home to Rushing Creek, Indiana. The day after her father’s funeral, Sloane Winchester (her best friend) arrives at the Cobb house in distress. Her father and famous author, Thornwell Winchester was found dead under the Rushing Creek Bridge. It is a shame that someone killed him just when Thornwell was turning his life around. Police Chief Matt Roberson (and Allie’s ex-brother-in-law) has Sloane at the top of the suspect list which puts Allie into investigator mode. The mayor is pushing Roberson to quickly close the case before the Fall Festival begins and the leaf peepers arrive in town. Allie is not about to let Sloane get railroaded for a crime she did not commit. Allie uses her deductive skills and keen eye for detail to work on clearing her friend. There are various suspects including Thornwell’s ex-girlfriend, a local literary agent and the mayor. The killer is not happy with Allie’s sleuthing and attacks her to warn her off the case. Allie is not to be dissuaded and redoubles her efforts to identify the murderer. When not sleuthing, Allie is keeping up-to-date on literary clients in New York, catching up with her family and friends, and working to close her father’s agency as he requested. Allie also meets local genealogist, Brent Reynolds who proves to be a distraction along with the delicious hot chocolate served up at Creekside Chocolates. Can Allie locate the killer before she becomes his next victim?

A Literal Mess takes us to the small town of Rushing Creek, Indiana where Allie Cobb grew up with her parents and two siblings. Allie went away to college and then moved to New York City to have a career as a literary agent. She wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps who ran his own literary agency out of their home. I enjoyed the descriptions of the cozy town which has a new chocolate shop that I would love to visit. There are a variety of characters for readers to like and dislike. The disagreeable residents are perfect murder suspects especially Mayor Larry Cannon (I am not sure how this man got elected). The mystery was interesting with red herrings, multiple suspects and good clues. Readers should have no problem solving the crime long before Allie confronts the killer. I was surprised that Chief Matt Roberson asks for Allie’s assistance on the case and hands over case details plus video footage. I found it be farfetched, but it does aid Allie’s investigation. I was happy that the case was completely wrapped up at the end of the book. There is some repetition of information and inconsistencies. Allie has a boyfriend, Lance who at one point she states they have been dating a year and later says a couple of months. I found A Literal Mess to be nicely written with various pacing. I found the story to drag throughout the middle, but it does pick up again later in the story (could have used more action). I like that the author set the stage for this book and the series by describing the town and various residents. There is a cute tortoiseshell cat named Ursula plus a sweet dog named Sammy who takes a shine to Allie. A Literal Mess is a light cozy mystery with a quaint small town, friendship, a close family, adorable animals, enticing chocolates and a mystery for readers to solve. I am curious to see what trouble Allie gets into next time.

The first book I’ve ever read by J.C. Kenney. I decided to give it a try because I read the blurb and it sounded like it would be right up my alley. It was. I enjoyed reading about Allie, the kickboxing crime fighter, and her family and friends. And though I enjoyed the book, I felt there was something missing or something off about the story, but I can’t put my finger on what. But I liked it enough to have been entertained by the story and left eagerly anticipating the next instalment of Allie’s adventures.

This is not your typical cozy which tend to be somewhat the same. Although predictable in some cases, I liked the different storyline. I look forward to the next installment.

I had to keep reading to find out who did it. I will buy the next in the series.

Allie Cobb has returned home to Rushing Creek, Indiana for her father’s funeral. While his death wasn’t a surprise, it has still hit her hard. She’s not prepared for tragedy to strike her small town a second time when the body of Thornwell Winchester is found. He was one of Allie’s father’s literary clients, and also the father of Allie’s best friend, Sloane. When Sloane becomes the police’s chief suspect, Allie steps in to find out the truth. Can she do it?

This book is more serious in tone than many of the cozies I read, but given what brings Allie home, that is completely appropriate. I never found that overwhelming, and the book doesn’t dwell on it. After all, this is a mystery, and it isn’t long before we are off meeting Thornwell and the potential suspects. I was intrigued by the red herrings and enjoyed the twists as we headed toward the logical climax. The suspects are strong, but I was really impressed with the series regulars. They have pasts and baggage that brought them to the page fully formed. I’m interested to see how that dynamic plays out as the series progresses.

I love discovering new series and getting to know new characters. This one has added appeal as the heroine is a book editor and want to be writer herself.
Having moved from her very small home town in Indiana to chase her dream among the bright lights of the big city, New York City, Allie returns home for her father`s funeral.
Sadly, the day of the funeral, her best friend`s father is murdered.
The relationships between fathers and daughters could not have been more different but it seems that Sloane, the best friend, has more than a few secrets she has kept from Allie over the years.

That does not stop Allie from doing all she can to find a killer, despite her turbulent relationship with the resident city chief of police. Leaving no stone unturned, and putting herself in the line of vision, and within reach of a killer, Allie needs to solve this crime before a Fall Festival begins and before her own bereavement leave is over.

Fast paced and exciting, with a wonderful cast of people you`ll want to get to know better.
Hang on for a wild ride as Allie has to figure out her future and manage to stay alive to have one.

A Literal Mess is the first book in the An Allie Cobb Mystery series.

I find that sometimes with the first book of a new series the author will weigh the reader down with an excess of backstory. But, J. C. Kenney, for me, provided just enough information on the community of Rushing Creek and it’s interesting residents.

Allie Cobb, a literary agent, has come back to Rushing Creek for her father’s funeral and to help close down her father’s literary agency.

After the funeral family and friends gathered at the Rushing Creek Public House to celebrate Mr. Cobb’s life. Allie and her best friend, Sloane, were sitting outside by a fire pit when they heard an argument. When they got in a position to see who was arguing they could see that it is Sloane’s father, Thornwell, and Suzette, a literary agent that had worked for Allie’s father and had started her own agency and was trying to get Thornwell to sign on with her. Later in the evening, Thornwell has another confrontation, this time with his research assistant, Daniel Godwin. The next morning Allie learns from her ex-brother-in-law and police chief, Matt Roberson, that Thornwell’s lifeless body in the creek running by the Community Center. Sloane, whose run-ins with her father during his drinking years becomes a person of interest. Allie, not believing that Sloane could kill her own father begins her own investigation.

In addition to looking into the arguments Thornwell had that she heard, she also sees Thornwell’s girlfriend, Charlisa Moody, and his ex-wife, Kathryn, maybe what appeared to be a reconciliation had not been going well. She also is learning more about a genealogy researcher at the local library, Brent Reynolds. Reynolds is new Rushing Creek and seems to appear out of nowhere as Allie is investigating.

I really enjoyed this new series and felt it was a well-told and plotted story with a very interesting cast of characters.

I’m eagerly waiting for the next book in the series to learn more about the quaint town of Rushing Creek and it’s interesting residents.

An utter delight, “A Literal Mess” is the epitome of a fun, clever mystery.

New York literary agent Allie Cobb returns to her hometown of Rushing Creek, Indiana for her father’s funeral. Rarely does a story, let alone a cozy mystery, kick off with such gutwrenching emotion. This might be the first time this genre has made me tear up! Allie is so heartbroken at missing her chance at saying goodbye to her dying father, a fact that haunts her throughout the entire book and gives her character such depth.

It’s always tricky for debut cozies to convincingly sell how a civilian manages to get involved in a police investigation, but author J.C. Kenney does a fine job. Allie’s strongwilled, spunky, and dare I say, stubborn personality make her the type of person who doesn’t like being told no or underestimated. When her best friend Sloane-an absolutely charming supportive character that I can’t wait to learn more about as the series goes on-is under suspicion for the death of a famous author, Allie decides to take matters into her own hands and clear her friend’s name. With the help of the police chief, who happens to be Allie’s ex-brother-in-law, it’s easy to believe that Allie could insert herself into crime solving matters. Her investigation is fun and thorough. She purposefully goes after finding information and doesn’t simply stumble into it, like some cozy heroines tend to do.

I want to highlight Allie’s cat Ursula. I love animals, but don’t have any myself, so I sometimes think I’m a bit of stickler when I read about over-the-top relationships between pets and their owners. J.C. Kenney hits a home run in “A Literal Mess.” Allie’s dependence on Ursi rings incredibly true and is not overdone in the least. Sometimes I think cozies have pets in them for the sake of having pets, but Ursi is a real, believable character who is woven expertly into this tale.

Overall, “A Literal Mess” is a wonderful debut novel with a likable, modern heroine. Allie uses her cellphone *gasp* and the Internet to do her research. It’s rare to see that in cozies, which tend to still live in the past where technology doesn’t seem to exist. J.C. Kenney integrates the 21st century into the traditional cozy mystery genre, and it is so refreshing and fun.

I cannot wait to see what’s in store for Allie Cobb, both professionally and romantically!

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Losing a parent can be devastating and Allie Cobb is upset she was unable to get home to say that final good-bye to her dad. She was so much like him and she left home for New York to make it on her own in a field where he was very well known and she did. Now she and her cat Ursula have come back to Indiana for the funeral and so that she can close his office and pass his literary clients on to others.

Then one of his clients is murdered. Thornwell Winchester, a prominent author and the father of Allie’s best friend. The man had issues but he was said to be working on another book and trying to beat his demons. There are several people that could be on the suspect list but the police decide his daughter, Sloane, is to blame. All they and the mayor want is the case wrapped up before the Fall Festival begins. Allie knows she has to clear her friend before they throw the book at her. She just needs to stay on step ahead of the killer which isn’t easy, or she could be next.

If I could back up a couple of decades knowing then what I know now I would love to have a job in book publishing. A literary agent would be a job I know I would enjoy. So when I read the synopsis for this book I knew I had to get to know Allie Cobb. With a literary agent for a father, you know reading was an integral part of Allie’s life. So much so she followed in his footsteps but was independent enough to want to make her own way in the field. I really enjoyed watching her do her job, the queries, the editing, the push to get the books into the right hands to be published. Her attention to detail not only helps with her job, it is a key element to being a great amateur sleuth. Her mother is a physician and I could see a lot of her mother in her as well. Mr. Kenney has created a wonderful protagonist, a woman who can think on her feet and ask the right questions. She also doesn’t give up.

Rushing Creek, Indiana is populated by a quirky bunch of residents. Those readers will love and those readers will love to hate. The mayor along with Allie’s missing boyfriend were high up on my list of the later. He also includes a couple of four-legged characters that will steal your heart. For the first book in a series, there was a great deal of character development while still leaving plenty of room for growth as the series continues.

The mystery itself was very well written with a pace that ramped up as the story continued. Red herrings, yes there are a few and along twists that led to a surprising ending. I was very wrapped up in the drama and read the entire book, just under 200 pages in one afternoon.

The series is off to an excellent start. I look forward to A Genuine Fix, the second book in this series hits stores July 16.

I loved the characters and Allie’s journey to embracing her small hometown as an adult.