Sub-Genre Keywords: Humorous Mystery, Historical Mystery, Whodunnit, Amateur Sleuth, Women SleuthsSwimming into the lifeless body of her husband’s mistress tends to ruin a woman’s day, but becoming a murder suspect can ruin her whole life.It’s 1974 and Ellison Russell’s life revolves around her daughter and her art. She’s long since stopped caring about her cheating husband, Henry, and the women … husband, Henry, and the women with whom he entertains himself. That is, until she becomes a suspect in Madeline Harper’s death. The murder forces Ellison to confront her husband’s proclivities and his crimes—kinky sex, petty cruelties and blackmail.
As the body count approaches par on the seventh hole, Ellison knows she has to catch a killer. But with an interfering mother, an adoring father, a teenage daughter, and a cadre of well-meaning friends demanding her attention, can Ellison find the killer before he finds her?
more
A great read. Loved it.
It was a book of the genre that i really like.
Really enjoyed this book and purchased the rest in the series. I’ve already finished the second book and it, too, was excellent. Well-written and quite enjoyable to read.
I loved the witty descriptions of some of the characters and their traits. Although there are murders involved, the author retains a fun perspective on solving the crimes.
Julie Mulhern ‘hooked’ me in the first couple of sentences…and I LOVE it when an author can do that! Loved the main character, and rooted for her to break loose. It’s a delightful read.
This author knows how to construct a mystery. She has a great knack for inserting humor into a book so that it surprises the reader. This was the first book by her that I’ve read but I’m definitely going to check into her others.
Fun read!!
Incredibly well written and a satisfying murder mystery.
The Deep End by Julie Mulhern is a great mystery, and a great start to a series! I’d previously read books 5 and 6 in the series (which both work very well as standalones) but wanted to start from the beginning, and I’m so glad I did. Ms. Mulhern expertly captures the 70s in this riveting mystery, and the narration by Callie Beaulieu (Audible version) is perfection! It kept me guessing until the very end! A+++
Set in the 70’s and so well written, I usually read cozies but this is not a cozy and I could not put it down. I recommend ALL of the country club mysteries!
Cozy mystery set in the 70’s and the author nails that decade–a hoot to read!
The first in the series is set in the swinging 70’s of country club members in Kansas City. This is not the first I have read in the series but I decided to start at the beginning. Since I spent my teen years in the seventies, I enjoyed the cultural references of that time frame to include the princess phone with a long cord.
I liked that Ellison Russell develops throughout the story. She begins as an artist and housewife that lives and cares about what others think of her. Her overbearing mother keeps giving her unsolicited advice in living her life in a glass bowl. By the end of the book, what others think of her has very little influence on her.
Ellison lives her life for her child. She stays in a loveless marriage believing it is best for Grace to have both parents at home.
I thought the infusion of humor made this book an excellent read. I can’t wait to continue the saga.
I have read this book and then listened to it. Both versions provided entertainment and set the tone for the series. I recommend this series.
A pleasant, humorous read.
did not like the ending
A great summertime beach read — would definitely read others in this series!!
I would have given this book a 5 rating except for the nose scratching. Can it please stop already? It adds nothing to the story, is quite distracting and unrealistic. It is just silly to have this in the book. Other than that, it’s really quite a nice read.
It was okay
Good cozy mystery. Funny situations for the main character. Interesting supporting characters.
Ellison Russell discovers her husband’s mistress’s body while swimming in the country club pool, and now her husband is missing. While Ellison is dealing with Detective Jones of the Kansas City police department, Ellison finds out that her husband had three lovers, and they engaged in kinky sex as a threesome at Club K. And that her husband was a blackmailer. And possibly a murderer. How could Ellison explain that to her sixteen year old daughter, her socialite mother, and her father. The book is filled with interesting characters, plenty of snotty country club backbiting, and a surprisingly interesting mystery.
It was a really good read. Understandable story line. Kept me interested until the very last page.