Murder takes a page out of a killer’s playbook when literary agent Allie Cobb becomes her Indiana town’s number-one bestselling suspect … crime-solving. But when the guy who stood her up the night of her high school senior prom is killed and dumped in a pile of mulch, Allie’s suddenly the prime suspect.
It’s insulting enough that gambler, drunk, and all-around lowlife Georgie Alonso was found on the site of the memorial park honoring Allie’s deceased father. Now she’s fighting to clear her name and hold off a rush to judgment. But politics, decades-old secrets, and a slew of high-profile suspects make dangerous bedfellows as the eve of the park’s grand opening draws nearer. She’ll have to nab a killer soon, before her storybook life gets a bad ending …
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Dollycas’s Thoughts
Allie has found another body, with an assist by her cat Ursi . . . the guy who ditched her years ago on prom night . . . yup, dead under a pile of mulch in the park Allie is in charge of that will be a memorial to her dad and the author he championed. First on the scene, first on the suspect list. What Allie knows is that she wouldn’t give Georgie Alonso the time of day let alone kill him. She also knows he had a lot of skeletons in his closet and she is focused on shaking all of them to find the killer and throw the book at them.
Ellie a.k.a the Kickboxing Crusader is a fun character. She is getting comfortable back home in Indiana and taking over her father’s business. I love the traditions she has started when sells a book and when the books are published. It shows so much about how invested she is in her authors. In this installment, she is also in charge of keeping the construction of Winchester-Cobb Memorial Park and be sure is it ready for the grand opening. It was during her weekly progress checks that the body is discovered.
Mr. Kenney has written a complicated mystery. The police are having trouble solving it and so is Allie. She had a preliminary list of suspects but each clue she uncovers switches up that list and brings new suspects to light. With her ex-brother-in-law as the Chief of Police, he goes to great lengths to show she could have not committed the crime but that doesn’t stop her from poking and prodding to find the killer. As we moved toward the ending the pace of the story really ratchets up. The killer reveal was so entertaining and the takedown was something that I had never seen in a cozy mystery.
I love the literary agent theme and Allie carrying on in the family business. I really enjoy that the series is set in Indiana and that all the residents feel genuine. There is a real community feel. Kenney sets a scene very well and gives readers a great bird’s eye view. He mixes the real-life and the mystery plotlines nicely.
This story was a Perfect Escape for me and I highly recommend adding it to your summer reading lists. It can be read on its own but treat yourself and read both to learn the story of Allie coming back to Indiana.
Allie Cobb has returned to Rushing Creek to take over her father’s literary agency, as well as oversee the project of a new park being built in honour of her father, Walter Cobb, and her best friend Sloane’s father, Thornwell Howell. While Allie checks on park progress one morning, she discovers the body of a former classmate at one of the build sites.
In the in-story interim between books, a lot has been happening in Allie’s life, as she has found an apartment, a boyfriend, and her career is looking up. Also, Sloane and Luke have meanwhile gotten engaged.
I liked this story slightly better than the first because this one seemed slightly more lighthearted (even though still revolving around a murder), maybe because Allie wasn’t close with the victim in this story like she was in the first. The story, for me, gets a little bogged down or sidetracked in favour of unimportant details but it’s still a very enjoyable read and I’d certainly read another Allie book, if there are to be any more.
Allie’s adventures continue as she finds out what it feels like to be the main suspect of a murder investigation. I like the sense of family and community the book provides. Allie has a wonderful support system in the book. The story had me hooked and I didn’t guess the killer correctly. I will be reading more of Allie’s adventures for sure!
Can’t wait for the 3rd series
Visting Allie Cobb is like catching up with an old friend. I thoroughly enjoyed my second visit to Rushing Creek. While the mystery keeps the pages turning, the characters are what really make this novel a home run. Allie is a strong, quirky heroine who grapples with right and wrong with a believable conscience, really making her relatable, yet also someone you try to strive to be more like. Her fitness regimes alone had me heading to the treadmill! Allie also poignantly addresses so many social and environmental issues, just by going about her day. I love the commentary Kenney provides on these issues through the voice of his characters.
I also have grown to love Chief Matt Robertson and his role in this series. The (friend) chemistry he has with Allie is off the charts, and I really enjoy reading a cozy where the heroine isn’t at odds with the police department. It makes for a nice change.
As for the other happenings in Rushing Creek, I am completely invested in Sloane and Luke’s wedding. I hope readers get to witness this moment, as J.C. Kenney’s writing really shines when writing about friends and family. The quote, “She brought the clear light of dawn to the twilight of my worldview” is honestly one of the most beautiful and poetic things I have ever read, let alone in a cozy mystery!
A GENUINE FIX delivers on all fronts. I can’t wait for more!
This was an enjoyable read. The mix of Allie’s work as a literary agent, along her family and friends, made for a nice balance with the mystery. The mystery itself was solid, and the suspects were interesting. Allie breaking into a company to look for clues was a speedbump for me, and so was her going alone to confront the killer, but both added tension, even though I didn’t think those moves were safe or wise. A quick, fun read.
A Genuine Fix is the second book in the Allie Cobb Mystery series.
Allie Cobb, who has recently moved back to Rushing Creek and taken over her late father’s book editing business, is happy that the business is doing well. She already has had one bestseller and a second well on its way to becoming another bestseller.
Allie best friend, Sloane, has provided the funds to have a park to built in honor of her late father and best selling author, Thornwell Winchester. Allie has been appointed the chair of the committee overseeing the park’s construction. Allie usually visits the site on Friday to make sure everything is on schedule and everything is being built according to plans. Friday has arrived and Allie and her cat Ursi have set off for the park for their weekly visit. The first thing she notices is that a dump truck had dropped a load of mulch right where the gazebo is to be constructed, she starts to look around for the driver, but none is found. She notices Ursi pawing around in the mulch and has uncovered a finger. That finger is still attached to the body of Georgie Alonso. Alonso had a reputation around Rushing Creek for being a trouble maker and had a few people who would like to see his demise. Allie is not one to hold a grudge, but in high school, Georgie asked Allie to the prom and ended up standing her up and had a few laughs over it. Because of her having been stood up, Allie falls under suspicion and Allie starts her own investigation to clear her name. On her list of a potential suspect is Lori Cannon, Georgie is the father of her daughter and with his work habits is often behind on support payments. With a million-dollar life insurance policy, Lori ends up high on Allie’s list. Also, she wants to check out Roger Parke, owner of Parke’s Landscaping. Georgie had worked for Parke and had an accident involving a truck, Georgie ended up filing a workmen’s compensation claim and Parke ended up having to pay Georgie $25,000. Also, Georgie had reportedly had a gambling problem and she needs to learn more about this problem.
The book is well-written and plotted and with a very enjoyable cast of characters. The author has continued to develop the characters. There are plenty of twists and turns and red herrings that kept me guessing until the end.
I’m looking forward to the next book in this interesting series, A Mysterious Mix Up, coming in December 2019.
A Genuine Fix by J.C. Kenney is the second An Allie Cobb Mystery. Allie Cobb along with her tortoiseshell cat, Ursula (Ursi for short) is out walking on Friday morning. It is the day she checks out the progress of the Winchester-Cobb Memorial Park of which she is the head of the steering committee. Allie notices a dump truck has unloaded mulch where the gazebo is to be erected and then Ursi uncovers a hand. Georgie Alonso, the boy who stood Allie up for the senior prom, is found dead under the mulch and Allie is Police Chief Matt Roberson’s prime suspect. Allie Cobb, the Kickboxing Crusader, sets out to clear her name by finding the killer. A Genuine Fix can be read as a standalone if you have not had the opportunity to finish A Literal Mess. The story progresses at a steady rate making for a quick, easy to read cozy mystery. J.C. Kenney’s vivid descriptions brought the town and characters to life for me. I especially enjoyed the details of Allie’s charming abode above the bookshop. A Genuine Fix is told from Allie’s perspective (first person narrative) which allowed me to understand how she was feeling and her perspective on matters. Allie Cobb is settling into her new apartment and busy obtaining new clients for the Cobb Literary Agency. Allie is a woman who will not let herself be set up for a crime she did not commit. She is strong and determined which I like in a main character. Allie also has a “dogged desire for the truth.” The mystery is straightforward with a couple of suspects and pointed clues. Allie’s method of investigation is direct. Everyone in town knows what she is doing which aids Allie as well as the killer. It also results in some humorous situations. The way the villain was captured was unique and entertaining. A Genuine Fix is a lighthearted cozy mystery with a cunning cat, a disagreeable victim, a mound of mulch, a tolerant police chief, and one determined bicycle riding literary agent.
Series: An Allie Cobb Mystery – Book 2
Author: J.C Kenney
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Literary
Publisher: Lyrical Press (Kensington)
Page Count: 202
A Genuine Fix, a cozy mystery by J.C. Kenny from Lyrical Press (Kensington) comes out next week. This is book two in the “An Allie Cobb Mystery” series. This new book is an intensely entertaining read, filled with intrigue and suspense.
Allie is once again involved with a murder investigation, but this time she is the prime suspect. When she finds the body of an ex-flame from high school, and a man she openly despised, everyone thinks that she killed him to get revenge.
Characters in this series are still growing and developing, but Allie is well-rounded and likable. Sloane, her best friend is marrying her brother, and both characters bring a sense of happiness along with the promise of a future to the series. Allie’s mom and her cat also play a big part in making this cozy mystery fun and a page turner with readers anxious for the nest twist.
The victim, in this case, is not at all good. He is every girl’s nightmare in high school, the guy you crushed on and thought would never notice, the guy who stood you up and made you a laughingstock. But… as an adult, he is also the father of a young girl which is his only redeeming value. Finding his killer isn’t easy, especially as it appears that the killer is setting Allie up to take the fall. However, perseverance is one of Allie’s best characteristics. In the end, she unmasks the killer and exonerates herself; at the same time, she gets justice for a little girl who never knew she needed it.
I enjoyed reading this book and am looking forward to the next installment. I am happy to recommend A Genuine Fix to cozy mystery book lovers everywhere.
Allie returned home to Indiana (in the previous book) for her father’s funeral and found herself solving the murder of her best friend’s father. She decided to stay and take over her own father’s Literary Agency. Taking over a business, as much as starting a new one, takes time and patience and focus. Things Allie soon find take a lot of effort.
Allie is also becoming involved in community affairs, such as helping on a Mayoral campaign, working against a man she has a complicated relationship with already. They must work together to complete a community park to be named after her own father and that of her best friend.
All aspects of this book are intertwined, as are the clues and red herrings presented. You don’t need to have read the previous book to follow along, but I enjoyed A Literal Mess and am sure you will also.
All the cozy mystery must haves are included.
As if that is not enough tension, aforementioned best friend, Sloane, is moving in with Allie’s brother as they prepare for their wedding. Much is happening as this plot flows quickly forward.
What else could go wrong?
We all know not to ask. Taking her celebrity kitty out for a walk, to check on the new park status, the pair uncovers a dead body. The police chief is Allie’s former brother-in-law and the victim was not a well liked person. As is often the case, the police are more concerned with closing the case than finding a true, guilty party and need it wrapped up before election time.
Allie makes a convenient top suspect. Her only hope is to solve the crime before time runs out.
Great friendships and wonderful community characters. All the things we love in a fun, cozy mystery.
A fun book! I enjoyed this book with interesting characters and a small town. Allie and her friend, Sloan, are building a memorial park to honor their deceased fathers. When Allie is out checking on the progress, she finds a dead body among some mulch. It turns out to be a man that had been Allie’s prom date in high school and had stood her up. Now Allie is a suspect in his murder. She decides to get involved investigating to clear her name. I liked the character of Allie. Her cat, Ursi, was adorable as she went on walks. I enjoyed seeing the relationship Allie had with her siblings and the way they looked after their mother. I look forward to reading more of this series and seeing what Allie and friends get into next!
Cozy Mystery in Indiana
This is a fun cozy mystery that includes a cat, a dog, and the Kickboxing Crusader. The story moves quickly and keeps the reader involved in the solving of the murder. The story includes the best description on page 18;
By the time I looked up, her back was a feline version of the St. Louis Arch, and her tail was a bushy, black-and-orange feather duster.’ I enjoyed this book and will be looking for more cozies by this author. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.