Book Review: Booked 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton (Sophie Kimball Mysteries #1)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Fun characters, intriguing mystery

Cons: A couple too many coincidences

The Bottom Line:

Cursed book or murder?

Join Phee in her quest for truth

Delightful debut

Is the Book Really Cursed?

I’ve been hearing good things about the Sophie Kimball Mystery series for a few years now.  I’ve even had Booked 4 Murder, the debut, sitting on a bookcase at home.  It’s just taken me this long to pick up the book.  Turns out, I’ve been hearing good things about these books for a reason.

Sophie Kimball, Phee to her friends, is an accountant for a small police department in Minnesota.  But that still doesn’t stop her mom, Harriet, from calling her in a panic.  Her mom is living in a retirement community in Sun City West, Arizona, and her book club is reading a cursed book.  How else would you explain the fact that four members of the club have died while reading it.  Harriet is terrified that she will be next and certain that Phee is the only one who can stop the curse.  Phee tries to explain she isn’t a detective, but Harriet isn’t listening.

Naturally, Phee doesn’t believe the book is cursed, but she knows the only way to appease her mother is to take some vacation time and go investigate.  However, her investigation begins to give her more questions than answers.  Is the book really cursed?  Or is someone using the curse as a cover for murder?

The premise of this mystery really intrigued me, and I am happy to say it delivered.  The plot is something different for a cozy, which is always fun.  Yes, I was pretty sure I knew where the book was going early on, but I wasn’t that much ahead of Phee.  I still didn’t have all the pieces until Phee figured it out, and I was enjoying being along for the ride in the meantime.  I did roll my eyes a couple of times at the coincidences that got Phee what she needed, but I was having too much fun to be super upset.

I was worried early on when Phee was talking about her mother driving her crazy.  I hoped that I wouldn’t find Harriet annoying as I read the book.  Fortunately, I didn’t find her annoying at all, although I can see why Phee would.  I also felt how much the two do love each other even if they view certain things differently.  In fact, they made a good team.

The characters in this book are good.  There are quite a few, but I never had a hard time keeping them straight, which shows how deftly the authors created them.  Phee herself is a fun main character, and I definitely enjoyed spending time around her.  I am interested to see how character relationships advance going forward and who might become recurring characters in the series.

And the book is fun.  I smiled, chuckled, and laughed at various times as Phee solved the case.  The climax not only wraps things up but provides some of the best laughs in the book.  Is it over the top?  A little.  But it works and fits the book perfectly.

I’m glad I finally picked up Booked 4 Murder, and I know I’ll be visiting Phee again soon.  If you are looking for a fun new cozy series, don’t wait any longer but pick this one up today.

Enjoy the rest of the Sophie Kimball Mysteries.