Puzzled 4 Murder

By J.C. Eaton     

ISBN: 1966322003

Website: jceatonauthor.com

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra                   

Summary:

It’s a blistering hot summer in Sun City West, and members of the retirement community are happy to escape into the air-conditioned bliss of the library to work on a mammoth forty-thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle. But things begin heating up inside, too, when members clash with the domineering head of the puzzle committee over which puzzle to solve—until someone settles the matter by killing her. Now it’s up to Sophie “Phee” Kimball to put all the pieces of the murder plot together and catch the culprit responsible.

Any number of the jigsaw aficionados could have wanted the victim out of the picture for her personality alone, but Phee suspects there was a more sinister motive behind the murder. Then the chosen puzzle and the library itself are struck by one instance of sabotage after another, and Phee’s convinced that someone is sending a menacing message. But just as she unearths a telling clue and slots it into place, she finds herself in a race against time to finish the puzzle and solve the case—before the killer goes to pieces and finishes her off too . . . (Goodreads)

Review:

Puzzled 4 Murder centres around a community of puzzlers putting together a forty-thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle so that they are recognized in Senior Living magazine. And let me tell you – these seniors are serious! Being an individual who likes to put together puzzles, this story intrigued me from the beginning.

Phee (aka Sophie Kimball) is the main sleuth of Puzzled 4 Murder. And whenever she has internal dialogue with her self, which is continually it seems, her inner thoughts are in italic font. Easy to spot and usually a bit sarcastic – love it! For example, when Phoenix was having a conversation with her aunt…

”…it will be as if our brunch conversation never stops.”

”No, it will never be as if the pounding in my head never stops.”

Lots of foreshadowing, or should I say outright reminding the reader of what was to come with comments such as:

“With a quick wave, I was out of there and made a mental note not to return any time soon. But how was I to know things would take a different turn?”

I did find the unraveling of the ‘whodunit’ interesting enough, if not a bit drawn out considering I did figure it out before the end of the book.

One major drawback with respect to this story is the number of characters. This reader realizes that there are a number of individuals relating to the puzzle crew, but it was VERY difficult to keep everyone straight. I found this cluttered the story for me and decreased my enjoyment substantially.

I may well have enjoyed the book even more if I had also begun the series at an earlier point in the thirteen book series. That would have given me greater context with respect to the main characters. I did like it well enough that when time permits, I will begin the series at book one – Booked 4 Murder.  

I LOVED the cover art. I think that is what drew me in to read the book in the first place. And being a story involved a large puzzle 🙂

If you are a cozy mystery fan with a penchant for dogs, pull up a chair and a cup of tea (coffee or even a glass of wine) and settle into your favourite reading position and enjoy.