When a camping trip uncovers a murder, this amateur sleuth is stuck putting out the fire … an accidental death, the meticulous Marty vows to investigate the murder. After all, it’s poor manners to let your friend’s death go unsolved.
On the hunt for clues the cops ignored, Marty uncovers a disturbing connection to himself. And as he digs deeper, a misbehaving pup, a kooky cousin, and a maniacal ninja put his survival skills to the test.
Will Marty unravel the mystery before the killer, or his imagination, gets to him?
Chutes and Ladder is the side-splitting second novel in the Silicon Valley cozy mystery series. If you like quirky sleuths, wacky side characters, and laugh-out-loud moments, you’ll love this offbeat whodunit.
Buy Chutes and Ladder to decode a great mystery today!
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Once again the great humor of the characters came through.
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
I have to admit that I don’t read too many copies that have a male main character but I liked this one. Marty is a software engineer type persons with a strange sense of humor. He does not let anything stop him as he lives his life trying to keep those around him happy. Much to his dismay when his sister hurts her ankle he gets volunteered to fill in as a chaperone on a Girl Scout camping trip with his niece. It’s comical as he proceeds to inadvertently mess up all kinds of stuff until he gets sent for busy work. Imagine his surprise when he stumbles across the dead body of someone he knows. What follows is an original take on an amateur investigation that kept making me giggle all the way to the surprising end. Great for fans of cozies looking for something different. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.
Marty Golden, against his better judgment, gets assigned as chaperone for his niece’s girl scout camping trip. Marty is not a camper and would much rather spend his time in an office than to have anything to do with the outdoors. The scout leaders aren’t pleased that he is there, and to make things worse, it seems that everything he has to do with seems to go awry. Marty has been given the task to find wood for the fire. While he is out gathering wood, he decideds to answer the call of nature, and steps off the path for some privacy. Before he does his business, he glances across the clearing and notices a body on the ground.
Marty has helped the local police solve a previous case, and now every time he speaks with the detectives, he assumes that he is working with them – as in privy to all the details and asserts himself into the case as a wannabe detective. Of course, Marty manages to bumble that as well.
The book is fast paced and full of humor. In many ways, I could see this book being played out as a movie, with Jerry Lewis starring as Marty.
The author keeps us guessing as to what has really transpired, and it’s not until the very end that the details are revealed.
This is the second book in the series by Marc Jedel, but the first book of his that I have read. I had such a great time reading this, I am now going to read the first book ‘Uncle and Ants’.
If you need a good light hearted read, I would definitely recommend this.
I was provided with a complimentary copy of Chutes and Ladder.
I really enjoyed this funny mystery. I received this for free and voluntarily chose to review it. This main character has a running fantasy of being a superhero. Although very intelligent, he rubs people the wrong way, escapes into his inner world way too much and has very few friends. Add a very large puppy, various family members and being overly optimistic, stir in murder and you get this very laughable mystery. I’ve given this clean mystery a 4.5* rating.
Marty is at it again and must solve a mystery.
Chutes and Ladder by Marc Jedel is a riveting new cozy mystery. It isn’t like any cozy that I have read, but it is entertaining.
We follow Marty who has helped the San Jose cops with his first mystery a month ago before finding the dead body of his friend in the woods when he’s supposed to be with his oldest niece’s Girl Scout troop. Oops!
What I like:
• Written in the first-person with Marty Golden, our sleuth, being the narrator. Marty is a pretty different character in the fact that he is an engineer and is a bit goofy.
• He works for a company that made a self-driving car service and tries to help out the police who are reluctant about that.
• The crazy Star Trek quotes used throughout the book.
• The other crazy thing is how Marty and the cop, Mace aka Sergeant Jackson, interact. It is a bit weirder than it is typically for the sleuth and the police officer. Then again this is an unusual book.
What I don’t like:
The one thing that I didn’t like was that Marty didn’t see the killer as a threat and someone that warranted more looking into. I know not really all that important, but I thought it was.
Four Star
Chutes and Ladder by Marc Jedel kept me entertained while reading it. I almost had the culprit until that curveball was thrown in. I am giving it a four-star rating and recommending it to anyone that likes cozy mysteries and tea too.
Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness
Happy Reading!
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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Cute story, likable characters, and surprising ending. The humor it’s sometimes a little of in this series, but overall a good book.