This is the first book I read in this series even if I read other books by this author and always loved them.
It's a gripping and highly entertaining story, I had a lot of fun in reading it.
Excellent character and plot development, a fast paced and tightly knitted plot.
The mystery kept me guessing and it's full of twists/turns.
I can't wait another book in this series, this one is strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I am reviewing this title editorially for Mystery Scene Magazine's Spring 2021 edition. Please check out that issue for my thoughts

It was very soon apparent that Copperman is no novice – the slick introduction that had me rooting for gutsy Sandy within a handful of pages, and the perfect pacing indicated a writer with experience and talent. I enjoyed the initial twist that got Sandy emboiled in the business of trying to defend a client who is deluded into thinking he can get himself out of the unholy mess he finds himself in, because he’s an actor.

Inevitably, while strong characterisation and a well described backdrop are always important, the vital ingredient in a well-told murder mystery is the plotting. It has to be nicely twisty, with several enjoyable surprises along the way, and the final denouement giving one final revelation that neatly ties up the case, leaving the reader satisfied with the ending. That’s the ideal, anyway. Often enough, I’ll happily settle with a cast of intriguing characters, or interesting setting and give the author a pass on the rather ordinary, straightforward murder mystery. However I didn’t have to rein in any expectations regarding Inherit the Shoes – there were all sorts of surprises along the way. And one, in particular, still gives me a buzz of pleasure whenever I think about it.

In the middle of a rather harrowing court case where Sandy has been thrown in at the deep end, she is also struggling to find her feet as a new arrival to the area. I enjoyed her sense of disorientation as she tries to grapple with a different road network and far more traffic, making even the drive to work more of a challenge. All in all, I came away from this story with a real sense of enjoyment at a really well-crafted murder mystery peopled with strong and memorable characters. This classy start to a very promising series is highly recommended for fans of the genre, who like their murder mysteries with plenty of entertaining twists. While I obtained an arc of Inherit the Shoes from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
9/10

A lighthearted legal comedy with the same sense of humor that the author is known for. Criminal attorney Sandy (not Sandra) Moss has moved from New Jersey to Los Angeles. She has had it with criminal law and looks forward to a quiet and uneventful family law practice. When she sits in on a divorce case, she suddenly becomes lead on a murder case…the divorce is now murder. Patrick Allan Dunwoody, aka TV star lawyer Patrick McNabb, has been found near his wife’s body. He says he is innocent, sure he threatened to kill her during their divorce meeting, but he didn’t mean it. He was just enraged about the shoes, the Jimmy shoes. Did he kill his almost ex-wife? He wants Sandy to defend him and they say defending a lawyer is difficult, but defending a man who “plays” a lawyer is even worse. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

Jersey girl and lawyer, Sandy Moss, has relocated to Los Angeles, where she intends to reboot her life. First, by leaving an ex-boyfriend behind and, secondly, by moving from a career as a prosecutor to a law firm specializing in family law. But suddenly and without warning, Sandy finds herself defending the firm’s biggest client charged with murder.

Inherit the Shoes is E.J. Copperman at his finest. Sandy is an appealing character. She’s smart, empathetic, and just a bit unsure of herself and her decisions. The plot is clever, with some courtroom drama, and plenty of action as well. Angela, Sandy’s good friend from New Jersey, is a hoot and adds yet another layer to the already multiple layers that Mr Copperman has created. The mystery is well-conceived, the humor is just right, and it produces a slightly madcap romp that makes for a fun read. This feels like the beginning of a new series and I certainly hope it is!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Sandy Moss THINKS a move to LA and a switch to family law is going to be just ducky. Hah! Almost immediately, she finds herself caught up in a murder case when her firm's big client Pat McNabb is arrested for killing his wife Patsy (with an arrow, no less). Sandy isn't eager to serve as his defense attorney but he likes her and the firm wants to keep his business. Unfortunately, whoever killed Patsy now is after Sandy and McNabb, leading to some slightly madcap challenges and threats. The characters are good- Sandy's smart and funny- and the plot zips along. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fun read with a wry sense of humor and a nice start to a new series (I hope).

Attorney Sandy Moss gets involved in a celebrity murder case in Los Angeles. This is the first book in a new series, and I was intrigued by the idea of a cozy legal mystery series. I have read other books by this author that I liked, and I wasn't disappointed by this one. It has a good mixture of legal aspects, humor, mystery, and tidbits about LA and the movies. I was entertained by this book from beginning to end and it was just the right kind of book I was looking for to make me smile.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Severn House. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

Inherit the Shoes: A Jersey Girl Mystery
By E.J. Copperman
Severn House
January 2021

Review by Cynthia Chow

The opposing lead attorney is absurdly attracting. The second chair is improbably gorgeous. The witness fakes a heart attack and it caught out by another attorney grabbing his wrist. These improbable occurrences are all the clues one needs to know that this is a legal television show, one that has former New Jersey assistant prosecutor Sandra Moss wanting to throw her remote. Needing a change of pace – and having misguidedly dated her boss – made moving to Los Angeles to accept a job as a divorce attorney seem like a good idea. It only takes her first day at the law firm of Seaton, Taylor, Evans and Bach to show her how bad a decision it may have been. During a meeting when she was to remain silent, Sandy instead finds herself saddled with a client she didn’t want in a case she has no experience in. Patrick Dunwoody – aka Patrick McNabb, star of the aforementioned hit legal show she mocked – is in the midst of a tumultuous divorce with former pop star Esmerelda Patricia “Patsy” DeNunzio, whose own fortunes have sunk while Patrick’s soared. Even more contentious than disputes over their pre-nup is the ownership over shoes once worn by Jimmy Cagney, and Patsy’s threats to set them on fire have Patrick retaliating with personal threats of his own. The timing could be better, as when Patsy is found impaled with an arrow, the LAPD wastes little time arresting the man with the motives, means, and ample opportunities.

Despite having worked on the other side of the law for 8 years, Sandy is forced by her law firm to represent one of their most famous clients in what is becoming the biggest celebrity court case of the moment. A too-attractive for his own good paralegal is both a distraction and a lure for taking on the case, while Patrick sees this as a perfect research tool for his starring television role. Becoming something of a blend of Richard Castle and Remington Steele, Patrick has Sandy frustrated at losing her patience as he beats the police to witnesses and conducts his own investigation. For while art imitates life the reverse is also occurring, and not only on Patrick’s television show, which is taking advantage of his moment in the lurid limelight. Moments after Sandy declares that the tropes on legal television shows do not occur in real life, a fan in the DA office sneaks them evidence, they are nearly killed in a car chase, and someone leaves her a Sandy-resembling murdered Barbie doll.

This first in a new series combines the author’s background in entertainment business with legal advice from a friendly family member. The court scenes are as clever and engaging as those written by Parnell Hall under the name J.P. Hailey, with unexpected reveals and betrayals. Patrick’s ego is matched only by his unexpected intelligence, and it’s as much a surprise for readers as it is to Sandy how effective an investigator he becomes. Being an actor does mean that she never knows when he’s telling the truth or playing a role, an aspect that complicates both their professional and personal relationships. While Sandy’s Dairy Queen-owning best friend from Jersey would love for Sandy to take the leap – or jump – on the hottest actor of the moment, she is a little too ethical and gun-shy for her own good. The second of this series can’t come soon enough for readers looking to see how this absolutely hilarious, unpredictable mystery continues the adventures of a Jersey Girl Lawyer making her mark in LaLa Land.

This is a delicious, funny, perfect book. Copperman, a seasoned series veteran (Haunted Guest House, Asberger’s, Mysterious Detective, Agent to the Paws, and, as Jeff Cohen, Aaron Tucker and Double Feature) brings all his writing expertise to the table in Inherit the Shoes. Lawyer Sandy Moss has just moved to California from New Jersey to start over. On her first day at her new law firm she’s told to sit still and be quiet (she’s new to defense, she’s come from the prosecutor’s side of the table), and, instead of being quiet, she speaks up.

Her firm is negotiating the divorce of a well known TV star and his wife, a singer whose star has fallen. Their separation is acrimonious and much of it seems to center on “Jimmy’s Shoes.” When Sandy steps up with a kind of common sense remark toward the end of the proceedings, her new boss is furious, but the client, Patrick McNabb, says she has passion and wants her as his attorney. When he’s arrested shortly after for murdering his soon to be ex – with a bow and arrow no less – Sandy gets a crash course on running a murder case with only the help of an aspiring law student who seems to want to put the moves on her.

This kind of caper mystery needs a light but steady hand. Writers like Donald E. Westlake, Lawrence Block (in his burglar incarnation), and more recently, Catriona McPherson, are all similarly gifted. Copperman has such a sure hand, such a comfortable and believable writing voice, and such a wry sense of humor that his books are a pure pleasure to read.

The story of Sandy’s hurried lesson in defending a client who ignores what she tells him and who charms most he comes into contact with, is hard to put down. When the attempts on Patrick’s life and the threats to Sandy herself accelerate the story takes on a real urgency. Laid on top of the humor that permeates every page, this is a knock out combination.

It’s also full of Copperman/Cohen’s love of the movies. The “Jimmy’s shoes” the pair were fighting over belonged to Jimmy Cagney – he wore them in Yankee Doodle Dandy. While Sandy pooh poohs the value of this kind of item, there are of course many collectors and plenty of movie lovers who would beg to differ. But her matter of factness is a nice contrast to Patrick’s over the top passion.

Sandy is the kind of character you root for from page one forward. It’s fun to see how she figures things out (she was way ahead of me) and fun to see how this fictional trial unfolds. Her new to California status is also entertaining. This story was witty and clever, with twists and turns coming just at the right beat of the story’s progress. I haven’t enjoyed a book more in quite awhile, and I can’t recommend it more highly.

Shenanigans Abound....
The first in a new series of legal cosy mysteries. Lawyer, Sandy Moss gets knee deep in murder with her first celebrity driven case in LA after taking a job at a high flying LA law firm. A fun, quick read with plenty of shenanigans thrown in. Ideal escapism.

This book has a really interesting premise with engaging characters and a top notch mystery. This is a must read and I look forward to reading further books in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

A breezy, fast-moving mystery with a Hollywood setting and a sympathetic protagonist. Once we got past the first few establishing chapters, and the mystery started, I was hooked. This is a fun, frothy read that reminded me of some of my favorite odd-couple detective shows.

Sandy Moss is tired of prosecuting criminals in New Jersey and decided to relocate to California. The characters are well developed and the mystery was okay. I will say it took a while for me to connect with the story and Sarah.
#InherittheShoes #NetGalley

I simply couldn’t get involved in this book. Though it is a genre I usually like, I didn’t connect with this novel.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I have long known of this prolific author but never read any of his books. And this first in a new series was a delight. If you like cozy mysteries with a great deal of humor and the odd atrocious pun, then this start of a new series could be for you. Sandy Moss is tired of prosecuting criminals in New Jersey and makes the brave move coast to coast to join a prestigious Los Angeles law firm. Here Sandy soon finds herself defending on a murder charge one of their more wealthy clients, a TV star, Patrick, with a forceful personality, who unfortunately plays a lawyer in a popular and long running series. Patrick seems determined to use his lawyer skills learned from his scripts and obstructs just about every plan Sandy has to clear his name. It's fun, and funny, and fast paced with some very entertaining subsidiary characters, and often very witter dialog and banter. I look forward to more in the series.

This was a fun read -- I'm hoping that this is the first in series (Jersey Girl Mysteries), because I like the main character, Sandy. Her fresh new start in life -- moving from a state prosecutor in New Jersey to a fancy celebrity law firm in Los Angeles -- gets a very rough start as she messes things up with an important client. But that soon changes, as she finds herself in the position of defending that client against a murder charge. Her prosecutor experience serves her well. Good characters, fast paced plot -- a mystery that is cozy without being cloying.

I struggled to get into this book. I normally love cozy mysteries, but this plot wasn’t for me. I was into the protagonist moving from Jersey to California, and changing her career but that was about it for me.

I liked this novel. It’s a very simple and straight forward cozy mystery. The story centers around a young lawyer recently settled in California. The character herself is very relatable and fun. The mystery was well plotted and developed. All in all a good read, highly recommend!