Diana Orgain

1st book in cozy series. Kate has just had a baby and finds herself becoming involved in a murder case. A bit of a stretch on the story line but kind of fun to read. Goodreads: From Publishers WeeklyIn Orgain's charming debut thriller, office manager Kate Connolly becomes a supersleuth and a new mom in the same week. From the moment she and newborn Laurie lock eyes, Kate can't imagine returning to work after her six-week maternity leave, but in expensive San Francisco, she and her ad exec husband, Jim, need every bit of both incomes. Then a dead body is fished out of the bay and linked to Jim's estranged brother, George. Both the police and PI Albert Galigani, hired by the dead man's mother, believe that Jim and Kate know more than they're revealing. Kate is determined to find the elusive George and get some answers, but she soon gets in over her head. Galigani serves as a charming mentor as Kate navigates the twists of motherhood and an uncomplicated but engaging plot.… (plus d'informations)

Synopsis:
Kate is on the brink of giving birth when they receive a call that her the police believe the decomposed body they just found might belong to her brother-in-law George. This drags her into a complex investigation involving people she grew up as well as her brother-in-law and people associated with him.

My rating:
3/5

I had very mixed feelings about this book.

I am a mom and watching Kate navigate the early days of motherhood brought back memories and was super relatable. I really enjoyed a lot of the discussions around motherhood and Kate's difficulties/concerns about returning to work after the birth but equally feeling like she has no choice. Also, I loved all the discussion and worry she was having around breastfeeding. It was so good to see all the conversations about this from her concern to making enough milk to go back to work to the clothing mishaps that can happen when let-down happens at inopportune times.

On the flips side, I hated Kate's husband, Jim. I thought he was a jerk. I felt like the author was trying to play his ineptness for humor but that ended up really hitting poorly for me and instead of laughing I just got mad at Jim and wondered why Kate was married to him. There is a brief point in the book where there is some suspicion around Jim and honestly I wanted him to be the killer so he could go to jail and Kate could like out her life without his uselessness. And my issue wasn't even just that he is inept at parenting. I understand that many men don't have as much exposure to babies as women do and maybe his big important job kept him from going to parenting classes (or whatever else makes his skills sorely lacking) but I also felt like he wasn't trying. He didn't want to take care of his kid. He is inconvenienced by the kid and just wants mom to walk back through the door so he can hand her over, call her a cry baby, and go back to his more important job related things. This missed the humor mark for me but I am aware that for some people it might hit.

(Slight Spoiler ahead)

Another big issue I have with this book is the mystery itself. I didn't think the mystery was very good. I didn't think the conclusion was reasonable and the killers motives felt slim (and that's being generous). I also didn't like the implication that the motive was enough because this character is just mentally ill. Their reasons didn't have to make sense because they were crazy.

Overall, this book just hugely missed the mark for me and I don't plan to continue in the series.… (plus d'informations)

A First Date with Death
3 Stars

The basic premise of the story, a cozy mystery set against the backdrop of a reality television show akin to The Bachelor, has potential. Unfortunately, there is too much focus on the heroine's romantic entanglements and not enough emphasis on the actual mystery.

While the murder is intriguing and it is fun tracking the suspects and the clues, the heroine is not much of a detective, and there is even one scene in which she screams upon seeing a dead body. Really?

As said, most of the book revolves around the staging and filming of the reality show. This would actually be fine if this were a contemporary romance. But it isn't, and as such these sections are tedious and irritating. Moreover, there is no actual chemistry between Georgia and any of the bachelor's including the one she ends up choosing. So, the book falls short in that regard as well.

On a final note, reading this book has clearly demonstrated that I am not missing out on anything by not having seen a single episode of The Bachelor.

The setting for the next book is a survival type show and as this is actually one Reality TV show that I have watched and enjoyed, I might give it a whirl.
… (plus d'informations)

Kate Connelly puede haber encontrado el trabajo perfecto para ser mamá desde casa: investigadora privada. Después de todo, las horas son flexibles, ella puede llevar al bebé en las vigilancias, y si de todos modos vas a estar despierto toda la noche, también podrías resolver algunos crímenes. Pero cuando se saca un cuerpo de la Bahía de San Francisco que puede ser su cuñado, Kate debe resolver el caso más rápido de lo que puedes decir "rozadura de pañal" para mantener unida a su familia.… (plus d'informations)