Bowled over . . . Sophie “Phee” Kimball is getting dragged into the drama again at her mom’s Arizona retirement community. A new board member wants to get rid of two golf courses and replace them with eco-friendly parks, and some of the residents are pretty teed off about it. On top of that, her mother’s book club friend Myrna is being pushed out of the bocce league. These seniors are serious … These seniors are serious about winning, and Myrna’s dragging them down. She’s so bad at bocce, in fact, that when a community mem.ber’s dead body is discovered while Myrna’s practicing for a tournament, she assumes it was one of her own errant balls that killed the woman.
But before Myrna can be tossed off the bocce court and into criminal court, the police find an arrow in the victim’s neck. It looks like this was no accident—and Phee and her investigator boyfriend Marshall will have to team up to bounce a killer into the slammer . . .
Praise for the Sophie Kimball Mysteries
“A thoroughly entertaining series debut, with enjoyable, yet realistic characters and enough plot twists—and dead ends—to appeal from beginning to end.”
—Booklist STARRED REVIEW on Booked 4 Murder
“An eclectic cast of entertaining characters that will keep you wondering whodunit!”
—Nicole Leiren, USA Today bestselling author of the Danger Cover Mysteries
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Dollycas’s Thoughts
There is never a dull moment at the Sun City West Retirement Community and Sophie “Phee” Kimball always get dawn into the fun and games by her mother, Harriet. This time a board member has the bright idea to turn to golf courses into eco-friendly parks. Most of the residents are up in arms. There is also a big bocce ball tournament coming up and one of the members of the Sun City West team is performing up to par and some member want her out. These two things collide when the board member is found dead and misthrown bocce ball is found nearby sending the group into quite a tizzy. When the police arrive they find the real cause of death, and they call it murder. It doesn’t take long before Phee and Marshall, her investigator boyfriend, are fully involved in the investigation. Marshall helping the police, Phee on every wild goose chase her mother sends her on.
This series just gets better and better. This time Phee is roped into a group made up of the women from her mother’s book club and a group of men who are dead set against board member, Sorrel Harlan’s plan to get rid of two golf courses. Together they make plans to attend the board meeting and to try to convince the board to vote “no”. When the woman is found dead the group continues to meet to be sure the golf courses stay in tact and to “help” Phee catch the killer.
Harriet is a loving but very pushy woman. Phee has learned to just do as her mother asks to avoid confrontation and also because sometimes the chases do provide clues to move the case forward. It always cracks me up when Phee has to remind her mother and her friends that, yes, she does work for an investigation agency, but she is the BOOKKEEPER, not a detective. Eye-rolling is one of Phee’s great traits.
All the characters feel very real and Harriet reminds me a little bit of my own mom. The way the woman plans her life almost entirely around her Chiweenie dog, Streetman, is hilarious. I love the way the relationship is growing between Marshall and Phee. The man is a keeper, he puts up with all the things Phee does and her mother.
The plot was a twisty one. Plenty of suspects and red herrings. I was totally caught up in the story from start to finish.
Funny and entertaining. The entire series has been delightful. They are best read in order to get to really know these characters.
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
This writing duo sure know how to write a great cozy mystery! Sophie is loving her job and her new boyfriend when yet again her mother pulls her into some drama. At a big community meeting it is proposed to turn the golf course into a park of sorts. This makes lots of them mad which makes things get interesting when the main woman for it turns up murdered. Well despite her protests of wanting to investigate Sophie cannot help herself until she finds herself in danger. Well written mystery in an adorable town full of characters readers of all ages can enjoy. Perfect for fans of the genre. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.
This series gets better and better with each book. Phew had me scared silly towards the end but I NEVER doubted her.
Very fun book! Phee’s mom and her friends find a dead body and the whole community is suspected. They were all opposed to the women’s plans to replace the golf courses with parks. Lots of laughs and interesting plot points in this latest book. Can’t wait to read more adventures of the Sun City West crew and see more of Phee and Marshall’s relationship!
Another fun entry into the Sophie Kimball series! As Sophie and Marshall get closer, one of the members of the retirement community board is found dead! Was it an errant bocce ball thrown by one of mother’s book club friends that caused her death or was someone specifically targeting her? Sophie quickly learns she may have been targeted because of her stance on the new park being proposed that may take up precious real estate on the current golf course community landscape. Is someone angry enough to kill over it? Readers will find the fun humor we’ve come to expect from Sophie, her mother and community friends intertwined amongst the pages of this murder mystery. Multiple mysteries arise in this story and readers will find themselves working to solve them and rooting for the good guys in the end. A fun, fast read to add to your shelves!
This series just keeps getting better and better! One day I will have to see what bocce ball is in nearby Sun City West, as it is an integral part of the story, and it would be fun to see the poor lady who inspired this mystery.
Phee has been in Arizona for many months and is happy with her job at Williams Investigations. She works for Nate Williams, owner of the firm, and Marshall Gregory, who she is now dating. All three had worked together in the Mankato PD. Phee does the accounting and the guys do the investigating (with some unsolicited help from Phee). Phee’s mother lives in Sun City West, almost way too close for Phee’s comfort.
Booked 4 Murder is the book club that Phee’s mom, Harriet, is a member of. They see a mystery and suspects behind every cactus, and are are like Nancy Drew meets Lucy and Ethel. This time the mystery is real. Myrna, a member of the book club and on one of the bocce ball leagues, has a bit of a problem with keeping the ball on the court. During one of the practices, she sends three balls out of the court, onto the golf course. One of the guys goes out to pick up the balls and finds a dead woman with an arrow in her neck. The woman is Sorrel Harlan, one of the new board members for the Sun City West recreation centers. The night before, she proposed that two of the SCW golf courses be converted to family-friendly parks. Those who have expensive golf course view homes, or work for the golf course management company, or just want their neighborhoods to be quiet at night do not want anything to do with her eco-friendly desires. Loud complaints and threats were voiced, and today she is dead.
Harriet and her friends want to solve yet another mystery, and are dragging Phee, who had been at the meeting, into the fracas. Phee just wants to do her job and enjoy her boyfriend. The firm has been pulled in as a consultant to the county sheriff’s office. Watching Harriet and her friends brings many LOL scenes, and Phee gets into a couple situations where I think – how can she do this? I actually admire some of her spunk, even while wondering why she gets into these messes. Even when she uncovers vital clues that nobody else has.
The mystery is very well-written, with interesting twists and turns and a growing suspect list. I enjoy the setting, living not far from Sun City West. The characters are very well-defined. This can be read as a standalone, and would also be enjoyable being read in the series. I was on board with a couple of the suspects, but definitely didn’t see who the real bad guy(s) on the suspect horizon. The motives made sense, just not whodunit. I highly recommend this intriguing, funny, and suspenseful fourth in series, especially to those who enjoy retirement communities and laughter.
Cozy Arizona Golf Course Murder Mystery
This is a humorous cozy murder mystery that takes place in a retirement community outside of Phoenix. Our heroine is a bookkeeper at a detective agency where she is always getting sucked into cases. Her mother with her large group of friends are always around to feed the rumor mill and create havoc. There is always something to smile about and maybe laugh out-loud about. The plot is great with plenty of motivation and suspects. The characters are believable and a bit quirky. This is the first book of this series that I have read and it stands alone quite well. Now, I want to go back and read the previous episodes. I received this ARC book for free and this is my honest review.
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