For professional organizer Maggie McDonald, moving her family into a new home should be the perfect organizational challenge. But murder was definitely not on the to-do list . . . Maggie McDonald has a penchant for order that isn’t confined to her clients’ closets, kitchens, and sock drawers. As she lays out her plan to transfer her family to the hundred-year-old house her husband, Max, has … husband, Max, has inherited in the hills above Silicon Valley, she has every expectation for their new life to fall neatly into place. But as the family bounces up the driveway of their new home, she’s shocked to discover the house’s dilapidated condition. When her husband finds the caretaker face-down in their new basement, it’s the detectives who end up moving in. What a mess! While the investigation unravels and the family camps out in a barn, a killer remains at large—exactly the sort of loose end Maggie can’t help but clean up . . .
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Address to Die For is the first book in the Maggie McDonald mystery series written by Mary Feliz. I became aware of the series about a year ago when the fifth book was available as a free download if I participated on a blog tour. I enjoyed it a lot and also read the fourth one which was at my library sale that weekend. I rarely read out of order, but I had too much on my plate and couldn’t start from the beginning back then. Now that I’m getting caught up and trying to finish all series that I enjoy, it was back to the beginning this week!
Maggie McDonald is a late-30s mom to two teen boys in California. Her husband’s aunt dies and leaves her grand house to them, so they move to a new town and start a new life. Unfortunately, there’s a dead man in their basement. As a professional organizer, Maggie cleans up right away (after the body is taken away of course), and she begins finding clues. Maggie meets several people at the school as well as the local cops, befriending most everyone. Her husband has to fly to India for work, so she’s stuck figuring things out on her own… and then more deaths happen. Who is after some folks in her new hometown and what does if have to do with the school? Maggie solves the case thru determination and sweat while setting up her new business.
Overall, I like this series. Through Maggie, the author provides an organizational tip at the beginning of each chapter; it has something to do with a clue or a side plot. The characters are fun and likable. Maggie’s a quick friend to most, and she’s usually careful, but there are times when I think she is a little too nosy for her own good. This is good in an amateur sleuth, yet as a mom, she takes too many risk for my taste… but that’s totally fine, everyone’s different. The supporting cast is being developed well and the murder was complex. I couldn’t imagine how a dead caretaker in her house and someone in the town fit in the puzzle, but it slowly comes together. The clues were clear and vague, at the right levels.
I will keep reading more in the series as I just got a copy of the latest one from NetGalley. Six in total, I’ve now read 3… they are good for an afternoon read but can also be spread out over a few nights. If you like balanced cozies without the super-sweet characters who can be a little overdone, this is a great series to pick up.
Address to Die For is another one of those books that I have intended to get to because it sounded great. I am so glad I finally got to it because it was! I love the new friends, especially Tess, Stephen and Jason. Even though her husband Max had to be out of the country for most of the book, we got to see the warmth of their relationship through out. To many books have invisible husbands and while they don’t have to take a major role, if the main character is part of a couple, I prefer to see the connection which I like to be strong. While her investigating seems pretty natural, the time she spent seemed a little disproportionate but that is common in lighter mysteries. That is why they are mysteries instead of another genre. The plot was excellent and complicated and the characters including the kids were intelligent. I look forward to Scheduled to Death.
Very intriguing! Maggie and her family move to Orchard View, California and find the house they inherited is more run down than the last time they saw it. While getting settled, they discover a dead body in the basement. It turns out to be the caretaker of the house. After Maggie’s husband leaves on a business trip to India, strange things start occurring at both the middle school and Maggie’s house. The middle school principal is found dead and it is either suicide or murder. Can Maggie find a killer and stop the vandalism before it’s too late? Very good book with interesting characters and an intriguing storyline. Looking forward to reading more of this series!!
Fun cozy
Complex characters populate this new town. And a dead guy in her basement isn’t a great introduction to her new home! Interesting start to the series.
Book one in the Maggie McDonald Mystery series. What a great start to a new series. Maggie and her family are relocating to an inherited house in a town only the husband is familiar with having grown up there. The only problem is that everything that can go wrong does including finding a dead body in the basement when they first arrive. The crazy events just build one after another keeping the reader hooked wondering what will happen next. Maggie tries to keep everything going but life sure seems to fighting against her. If you enjoy cozy mysteries then this is the book for you. I really enjoyed reading it so it gets 4/5 stars.
I liked very much
Great read.
An easy fun read!
I was up all night, couldn’t put it down, just had to finish!
I liked the characters and there were some interesting twists and turns in the plot.
This looks like it will be the first in a series. I thought it was good, kept me guessing, especially since the “bodies” did not form a pattern I saw. I like the woman characters and the personalities they were given.
This was the first book I had read by this author. It was not classic literature but a good light read.
Great read kept you guessing and was entertaining. Looking forward to the next book in the series
Grabed me on the very first page, then surprised me in the end. Good read.
Hi
That book was fantastic I would definitely recommend it. It is one of those books you cannot put it downI just loved it. I cannot say enough about it, believe me it is terrific.
Fun, suspense filled mystery. Interesting characters, author does not bore with too much frivolous detail…thank you! Will read more from this author.
It is a nice mystery to for a quick read. The characters are nice people. It is possible to figure out who are responsible for some of the crimes.
As Maggie and Max set out with their two boys to settle in their new location, strange things begin to happen. It is clear that someone does not want them to be there. There is a list of possible suspects for everything from pranks to arson to murder! The new town, Orchard Valley, is full of unusual people, many of whom have secrets about their past.
I was surprised at the culprit, and really enjoyed reading this story. It would be good for all ages from middle school to adult.
Believable characters. Definitely a cozy book. I like the story line. Intellegent folks doing intelligent things.