A shoe-in read for fans of Ellery Adams and Kate Carlisle, On Borrowed Crime is the first in Kate Young’s new Georgia-set, sweet tea filled, Jane Doe Book Club mysteries.The Jane Doe book club enjoys guessing whodunit, but when murder happens in their midst, they discover solving crimes isn’t fun and games… Lyla Moody loves her sleepy little town of Sweet Mountain, Georgia. She likes her job as … Mountain, Georgia. She likes her job as receptionist for her uncle’s private investigative firm, her fellow true crime obsessed Jane Doe members are the friends she’s always wanted, and her parents just celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. But recently, with her best friend Melanie on vacation, and her ex-boyfriend and horrible cousin becoming an item and moving in next door to her, her idyllic life is on the fritz. The cherry on top of it all is finding Carol, a member of the club, dead and shoved into a suitcase, left at Lyla’s front door.
Unusual circumstances notwithstanding, with Carol’s heart condition, the coroner rules Carol’s death undetermined. But when they discover the suitcase belongs to Melanie, who had returned from her vacation the following morning, Sweet Mountain police begin to suspect Lyla’s best friend. Determined that police are following the wrong trail, to clear her friend’s name, and to not allow Carol become one of the club’s studied cold cases, Lyla begins to seek out the real killer. That is, until she becomes the one sought after. Now, finding the truth could turn her into the killer’s next plot twist, unless she wins the game of cat and mouse.
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This book was soooo good. I was drawn in from the beginning then literally could not put the book down. I totally guessed wrong on who the killer was, but I loved how the mystery played out. Definitely did not see that coming!! Great start to a new series.
Not sure what happened – this book had such a good premise but I couldn’t really get into it.
You can check out my booktube video review at https://youtu.be/twZDxArW2kE
or read my review on my blog at https://lisasiefert.com/on-borrowed-crime-by-kate-young/
Sweet Mountain, Georgia is the home of
Lyla Jane Moody. Lyla works for her Uncle
Calvin in his private investigation firm.
Lyla is part of the Jane Doe book club.
They read mysteries and real crime. Never
did Lyla expect real crime to turn up at
her front door in the form of a suitcase.
One of the members of the Jane Doe book
club is inside the suitcase….Dead.
Why was the suitcase delivered to Lyla’s
doorstep? Who murdered the woman?
An array of suspects keeps Lyla busy as
she tries to solve the mystery.
I felt like I was part of the story. I enjoyed
meeting Lyla’s family members especially
her Grandmother. I was introduced to each
member of the Jane Doe book club, Lyla’s
not so nice cousin, Lyla’s ex-boyfriend and
a possible new one.
The plot was usually intriguing and kept
my interest from beginning to the final word.
This is book # 1 in the Jane Doe Book Club
Mystery series. Looking forward to the next
book.
On Borrowed Crime is the first in Jane Doe Book Club Mysteries by Kate Young, where Lyla Moody lives in a little town of Sweet Mountain, Georgia with her family. She loves her job as a receptionist at her uncles’ private investigative firm. While her and her friends of the Jane Doe Club be comes obsessed with the true crime murder of one of their own, Carol. With lots of twists and turns in this book it took em almost until the end to figure out the killer.
Kate Young is a new author to me and I really enjoyed her book. I was given a copy of this book by NetGallery for my true opinion.
“On Borrowed Crime” is the first in Kate Young’s Jane Doe Book Club mysteries. Lyla Moody is part of a true crime mystery group called The Jane Doe Book Club. When one of the other members – Carol – turns up dead stuffed in a suitcase at Lyla’s front door, Lyla is determined to find out who killed her friend and why – assuming the killer silence her first!
I had a hard time getting into this book. I couldn’t relate to any of the characters. Lyla was raised to be a southern belle and her mother made sure to show her displeasure at the choices Lyla made – especially wanting to be a PI rather than focusing on finding a husband and raising kids like a good southern gal should. (I know her mother was of a different generation but she still made me ill with her antiquated stereotypes of a proper woman). Her past relationship with the police chief ended badly. Her cousin Ellen is dating Kevin (another of Lyla’s ex’s) and they move into a townhouse almost next door to Lyla’s. The members of the book club didn’t impress me much. It all just felt a bit forced and awkward at their meeting and with other interactions.
The descriptions of the various crime scenes were also a bit too graphic to my liking though I guess they were appropriate for the plot. I think it was all just a bit too descriptive to go with an amateur sleuth. It would have been more believable with an actual detective as the main character.
I purchased the Kindle version of this book at a deep discount but not sure if I will continue reading future books. Time will tell…
Pat Fayo Reviews
Novels N Latte
Hudson Valley, NY
This is the first book starting the new Jane Doe Book Club Mysteries series. It’s a cozy mystery series set in a small town in Georgia. The community is close knit but can also be a little nosy always having to know other people’s business. Lyla, the protagonist has a very strong character and knows exactly what she wants from life. Because of this, you can’t help liking her from the very beginning. But Lyla’s life gets a wrench thrown into it when Carol, a member of her book club, is murdered and shoved into a suitcase and left at her front door. The author did a great job holding my attention and building enough tension making it hard to put the book down. If you like cozy mysteries, you will like this book and look forward to book #2
What a fun, twisty mystery with a wanna-be PI, friends, a book club, and a sassy southern town. Can’t wait to read more of this series. I love Kate Young’s mysteries.
This was ok enough to finish, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The world building and character development is minimal. Lyla is front and center the entire time. Her book club members are paper thin, just there for Lyla to expound to. I expected them to help with the case in some way, even Melanie her BFF neighbor disappears for a good part of the story. There’s a lot of relationship drama that is alluded to (parents, parent with sibling, cousin vs. cousin, etc.), but not explored.
I also knew who did it right from the start.
Lyla also wasn’t terribly likeable nor very good at what she’s trying to do, but doesn’t seem to realize it. There’s one thing having self confidence and another to being blind to ones’ limitations.
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
This is the first in a new series that is centered around the founder of the Jane Doe book club, Lyla. They are a group of women who like reading mystery novels and true crime books. One of the members, Carol has become obsessed with a Jane Doe case that has ties in their community.
The body was found on a stretch of a wooded area of the interstate. And it also is found with a scarf given to Lyla and her friends at a class reunion. Many of Carols friends and relatives believe she is being paranoid and it has effected her mental state. When Carols body is dumped on her doorstep Lyla who has visions of joining her Uncle as a Pi in his firm is determined o discover who killed and dumped her o her doorstep. Hopefully she can solve the Jane doe crime and finally put that poor soul to rest.
I enjoyed the mystery part of this story however the side stories involving her family members fell short. They hinted at things being with held from her by her parents. Information that is not provided by the end of the story. I enjoy when the characters that shall be returning thru out the series to mature and develop on their own over time. I think the addition of back stories should flow naturally.
I am a fan of Kate Young’s Marygene Brown Mystery series, so I was excited to see she has a new series releasing in October involving a book club. I have mixed feelings about the main character Layla Moody. She is a receptionist at her Uncle’s private investigation office but longs to become a partner with him. Layla belongs to a book club that focuses on mysteries and true crime – which she seems to be a bit of an obsession for her. In this respect (the true murder obsession and crime book club) the story seems a bit similar to the Aurora Teagarden Mystery series premise from Charlene Harris. I think I may have liked Layla a bit more if she came across the page as more mature. There is a secondary cast of characters the include her parents, the book club members, and the Chief of Police, with whom Layla has a past relationship. There is an interesting dynamic between mother and daughter. During the book, her uncle and mother reference a trauma they suffered in their childhood but do say what. Hopefully, that is a layer that will be revealed in later books. I would love to see the author grow and mature Layla in her dealings with people. There is also a potential love interest for Layla but it was not really developed in the book, just a line near the end of the book.
I thought the mystery was well done and layered. There are plenty of clues and red herrings that can misdirect the reader, or cause them to doubt their thought regarding the killer’s identity. I didn’t find Layla to be reckless in her sleuthing, meaning she didn’t put herself in harm’s way by doing stupid or disregarding the dangers. I thought the end felt a little rushed once the killer’s identity was revealed, but other than that thought the author did a good job with the mystery.
I’d like to see where the author can take this character and series, so I will be back for the next book to see how things develop.
I voluntarily read a digital advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, through Netgalley. The opinions are my own.