Murder hits the stacks when literary agent Allie Cobb investigates a fatality in the local library . . . Allie Cobb returns home from a book conference armed with hugs for her cat and her boyfriend, and dreams of a long, hot bath. She’s also getting ready to take the plunge by hiring an intern for her expanding literary agency. But it’s one for the books when Allie finds the town’s … finds the town’s librarian—and her longtime role model—seconds away from death on the library floor.
Who would want to poison Vicky Napier—one of Rushing Creek’s most beloved citizens—on the eve of her retirement? But it seems there were toxic people in her life, like the handyman with an obsessive crush, and a wood carver with a hair-trigger temper. The list of suspects includes Allie’s boyfriend, Brent, who’s in the running to take over as town librarian. Avenging her friend’s murder could be a trap as she goes up against a killer determined to write Allie’s epitaph . . .
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While this is the third book in the series, I found it read well as a stand alone. You will find all the bases covered.
Small, connected community. People with eccentric traits and twisted relationships. This time it was not a much hated person who was the victim. In fact, the woman we lose quickly at the beginning of the story is very well liked and looked up to. We are told she has plans to retire and move south, sadly enough, for she will be missed. Shockingly, she never gets to enjoy retirement.
Allie’s business is flourishing and she finds herself looking for an intern, someone to help with the work load. She also finds that qualified applicants are not going to be easy to find, even with input and help from friends. Add to things pulling her attention in all directions is the search for a killer, when she, once again, feels the simplest answer is NOT the correct one.
You will want to keep turning pages as Allie finds herself in danger (also Once AGAIN) as she comes face to face with a murderer when she uncovers too much information. Lessons learned come back to be put into practice.
Allie once again becomes the Kickboxing Crusader to find out who killed her heroine, the local librarian. Allie initially becomes involved when she and Brent discover the victim with another standing over her. Then Allie remains involved because she claims to want justice for her friend. However, I found Allie to waffle between wanting justice and wanting to just pin the murder on any likely suspect, not specifically on the guilty party. Allie also wishes to turn suspicion away from Brent, as he technically could have done it so was technically a suspect, but was mainly questioned only because he and Allie discovered the body. She keeps saying that Matt is good cop but still doesn’t butt out when she should and trust the police do their jobs. Allie is also on the lookout for an assistant to help with the Cobb Literary Agency, so as to allow her to take on more clients.
I had read the other books in this series and was excited to get to read this instalment as well. I enjoyed it and look forward to Allie’s next adventure.
A great series! The author’s love of the literary world comes through in the pages of the book. A fun series with wonderful characters that is sure to keep you entertained from beginning to end. I have enjoyed the character development throughout this series and I look forward to seeing where Allie’s adventures take her next.
New from Lyrical Press https://www.facebook.com/LyricalPressInc/ is the 3rd installment in the literary series, “An Allie Cobb Mystery,” and possibly the best one yet, A Mysterious Mix Up.
Allie is always getting herself in the middle of a murder investigation. Sometimes she is also the main suspect. In this literary series, amateur sleuth and literary agent Allie Cobb is once again skirting danger and worrying her friends and family. For the most part, Allie is a very likable character, as are all of the repeating individuals throughout this series, but she has a nasty habit of getting herself involved and hurt as a result of her inability to let the police do their job. Great if you are a suspect, not so great if you are her boyfriend, mother, or other friends and family members.
This time Allie’s childhood hero, the local librarian, is murdered for no apparent reason. She vows to get justice. The suspects are few, and the motives are a bit thin in this third book in this literary series. Unfortunately, I was able to figure out who the guilty party was almost from the first chapter. But other readers may not catch on to who the killer is until midway through the book. That said, the fact that I figured out who killed Allie’s hero immediately did not detract from the great storytelling or the enjoyment of the read.
From start to finish, A Mysterious Mix Up is a fast-paced, easy read. The characters are delightful, and the victim sympathetic. The relationships between Allie, her boyfriend, and her family members are becoming stronger, and readers will love having Brent, Allie’s boyfriend, around a lot more. This is one of my favorite literary series,’ and I am happy to recommend this book along with the other two for readers who like quick reads and characters with oodles of personality.
The Allie Cobb Mystery series is a new one for me. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed getting to know Allie and her friends in A Mysterious Mix Up. If you’re a reader like I am, I’m sure you spent much of your childhood (and adulthood!) in the library.
How would you feel if you found your favorite librarian almost dead in her office? And you got there too late to save her? You’ve already solved two murders, why not solve this one too? Yep, that’s what Allie thinks too. Allie follows the clues, but are they the right clues? The red herrings may throw you off the scent, but in the end, you may be able to figure out who the real killer is as well as the whys and hows.
A Mysterious Mix Up is a quick and easy cozy mystery to read. I had no problem with it as a stand alone, but if you want to read about the other two murders that Allie solved without spoilers, you’ll want to start with book one.
A Mysterious Mix Up is the third book in the An Allie Cobb Mystery series.
Allie has just returned from a conference in New York City and the first thing that he shares with her is that the Rushing Creek Librarian, Vicky Napier, is retiring and moving to Florida. Napier had been the librarian since Allie started to read and was someone she looked to and who was largely responsible for Allie’s love of books.
The next morning Allie and Brent head over to the library with some cookies she had baked the night before. When they arrive the library has yet to open and the only cars in lot belong to Vicky and custodian, Porter. When they enter the library, no one is to be found. They head for the break room and find Porter kneeling over the body of Vicky. Once tests have been completed, it is determined that Vicky had been poisoned.
Allie is now on a mission to help her ex-brother-in-law and police chief, Matt to find the killer. First, she needs to get Brent removed from any suspicion and then check out two prime suspects, Porter and Vicky’s ex-husband, among other suspects.
I always enjoy my visits to Rushing Creek, as I have come to enjoy well-written and plotted stories with a very interesting cast of characters. There are plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing till the end.
I will be watching for the next book in this interesting series.
A Mysterious Mix-Up earns 5/5 Overdue Notices…Engaging Fun!
This is the third book, and my first, in J.C. Kenney’s Allie Cobb Mystery series, so I’m always concerned I’ll start at a disadvantaged…no need to worry here! Kenney’s writing style developed well the background and character connections to keep me quickly engaged. Allie Cobb, a literary agent, is a unique occupation to highlight, and putting her in the middle of a murder investigation was very entertaining. Allie had started her career in New York, but a family tragedy brought her back home to Indiana where she decided to stay and take over her father’s agency; she is now enjoying success which included being an active participant at the national book conference. But, returning home with lots to do, trouble again pops up when childhood mentor and the town’s beloved librarian, Vicky Napier, is found on the eve of her retirement…dead. The “why” is not immediately evident, but motives are exposed within the victim’s circle of friends, co-workers, and acquaintances including Allie’s boyfriend who was set as Vicky’s replacement. The drama moves at a steady pace with entertaining twists and a satisfying, although not entirely unexpected, solution that had Allie in nail-biting peril. Beyond the crime and investigation, Kenney includes engaging side issues that make this series one I plan to revisit: dynamics of a small town, ins and outs of running a small business, friendships, friends and family including a couple of fur friends, and a fascinating connection with law enforcement being an ex-brother-in-law. Great cozy fans should not miss!
A MYSTERIOUS MIX UP by J.C. Kenney is the third book in Allie Cobb cozy mystery series. The novel takes place in Indiana. It worked as a stand-alone novel for me, but I believe reading the previous books would likely add to a reader’s enjoyment of the novel. I rated this one 3.5 stars and rounded up to 4 stars.
In this story, Allie Cobb returns home from a book conference and is looking forward to time with her cat Ursula (Ursi), her boyfriend Brent and his dog Sammy. Brent managers the installation of genealogy departments in libraries around the state and volunteers at the local library as well. The librarian, Vicky Napier, has been Allie’s mentor since she was in school. Allie and Brent find Vicky almost dead on the library floor. Who would want to kill her when she is ready for retirement? Allie feels she has to find the culprit, especially when Brent is on the police suspect list. While trying to solve the case, she is also looking for an intern to help her in her literary agency and finds time to visit friends and family.
The writing is appealing and entertaining. Allie feels three-dimensional and has clear goals with believable motivations. The secondary characters were well-rounded and enhanced the story. There are several red herrings, but I did determine the real culprit ahead of the book reveal. Several themes are explored in this book including murder, the difficulties of running a small business, small town dynamics, friendship, family, and much more.
I enjoyed this well-written novel and recommend this series to those that enjoy cozy mysteries that include small towns and pets. This is the first novel that I have read by this author, and I look forward to reading the other books in this series.
Thanks to Kensington Books / Lyrical Underground and J.C. Kenney for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
I haven’t read the first two books in this series, but without giving too much recap (very little actually) I was easily able to understand the set up. The mystery aspect was good and I could appreciate Allie’s relationship with Vicky. .
There were a couple “bobbles” like Allie wanting an editing sample before hiring an intern then it being completely forgotten about, Vicky’s relationship and dealing with the killer was off to me as well. Allie is a hard character for me to warm up to. As a 34 (?) year old professional, I’d expect her to have opinions and there are a lot of details provided for why she acts the way she does, but it is unusual in a cozy and took some getting used to. She also at times seems too emotional, hugging, extreme crying. Again, there are reasons, but it doesn’t smoothly dovetail with other details.
I have another book in the series which I’ll give a try.
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Some of my favorite mystery series are book themed. Many have librarians as the main character but it’s been awhile since I read one with a librarian as the victim. Allie has taken over her father’s literary agency and has just returned home from a book conference. Her boyfriend tells her that her mentor, the long time serving librarian, is going to retire. Once Allie has reconnected with her boyfriend, unpacked and spent some time with her cat, she decides to head over to the library to talk with Vicky Napier, the librarian. Much to her shock and dismay she finds Vicky taking her last breaths, dying on the break room floor. It turns out that she was poisoned. Who would want to kill a librarian? Turns out one of the suspects, according to Allie’s police chief ex-brother in law, is Allie’s boyfriend. Not if Allie has any say in the matter. So what if he was on the list to replace Vicky? There has to be another suspect to make the top of the list and Allie is determined to nail the killer. She can’t keep her nose out of the investigation and it puts her in the killer’s cross hairs.
This is the third in the series and it was a great change from some of the darker historical mysteries I had been reading of late. Small town politics and relationships, family and friends with a well crafted puzzle to solve complete with some red herrings and a twist or two to keep me satisfied. I did enjoy spending my reading time with Allie, her boyfriend Brent and their respective cat and dog. All the characters are well fleshed out and believable. I’m happy to give this series a spot on my permanent to be read list.
When literary agent Allie Cobb’s hero, the longtime town librarian, is murdered, Allie decides to investigate. I enjoyed the lit agent angle. The background was interesting, and the flexibility worked well for avoiding the question of why the amateur sleuth has time to investigate. I also appreciated that Allie could generally see when she did something unsafe, and although she made mistakes she attempted to be careful- women can be brave and smart.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. The opinions in this review are honest and my own. #cozymystery #AMysteriousMixUp