Puzzled 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton is a cute cozy mystery with a colorful cast of characters. The numerous side characters, though, clutter things up with their side stories, discussion, and unnecessary details. I found Phee’s mother to be too much. She is over the top and so is her dog. I cannot imagine such a large puzzle (I did not know they made them that size). The mystery involves the jigsaw puzzle that is being worked on in the library by Phee’s mother and her friends (a competitive bunch). I identified the guilty party early in the story, but I did not know the individual’s complete motive (I knew part of it, but I wanted the whole kit and kaboodle). I had to join Phee and her mates as they asked questions and searched for clues. There is humor scattered throughout the story. I wish I had known that Puzzled 4 Murder was the fourteenth book in A Sophie Kimball Mysteries. I believe it would be beneficial to read the series in order, because I found myself lost in the beginning. Puzzled 4 Murder will appeal to those readers who enjoy lighthearted, comical cozy mysteries (I am not one of them as you can tell).

“Puzzled 4 Murder” by J. C. Eaton is the wickedly funny fourteenth book in the Sophie Kimball cozy mystery series. What makes this series so much fun is the characters - Sophie “Phee” Kimball, her husband and coworkers (especially Augusta), her mother, her mother’s out of control dog, and her mother’s senior citizen friends. Some of the humor is repeated from book to book (Phee’s mother’s outrageous plots, her mother’s dog antics, the takeout food they all consume, and much more) but Eaton somehow makes it all seem fresh in each book in the series. The mystery in this one involves a giant jigsaw puzzle that Phee’s mother and friends are trying so solve but someone is willing to resort to murder to prevent that from happening. Truthfully I figured out early on who the killer was and at least part of the motive but I still had fun reading about the antics of Phee and crew.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

The heat of the AZ summer has set in and everyone is looking forward to places and ways to stay cool. Harriet and her book club ladies are going to help with the huge puzzle at the air-conditioned library.

The Sophie Kimball Mystery series is hugely popular, and I was positive I was going to adore Puzzled for Murder. 1) I adore dogs. 2) I adore libraries. 3). I lived in Surprise for a short time. Speaking of surprise, imagine mine when I found I wasn't drawn to Puzzled for Murder. My first impression was that it felt like a book about bunch of cranky-pants senior citizens. I stopped reading at 19% and left it for a couple weeks.

I then tried reading it again, but DNF at 40%. One of the things I dislike is when a book is half a novel and half a book about food and drink. It felt as though characters were constantly eating pretzels, eating Noosa yogurt, eating Entenmann's donuts, or the specialty churro bagels from Bagels 'n More. Then they were drinking bottled water, or a giant cup of Coke, or a Frappuccino, or a triple-shot-venti-vanilla latte from Starbucks, or grabbing Powerade drinks. I felt as though I were reading one product commercial after another. (And the dog was barely mentioned...)

I wasn't the target audience, but I'm happy to say that the series is very popular so it's not you. It's me.

Thank you, #BeyondThePagePublishing, for providing this book for review and consideration via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is by far one of my favorite series and one that I don't mind reading over and over again. I love the cast of characters. Each time a new book is announced I just have to have it.

This story was fantastic with the puzzle theme. Someone is out to make sure that they determine which puzzle is going to be put together. Of course in the middle of it all is Phee's mother and her gang of senior citizens.

Thank you to NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for letting me review.

I am in Surprise right now as I write this review. Many of the places in this series actually do exist which helps to make it so real. I love how the author takes extras like that and rounds out the story with it. It becomes fully dimensional. Phee is such a great character to me. She has to deal with her aging mother and her antics. And those that her mother's friends get her into as well. This time it is summer and those seniors that don't have the money for a second house in a cooler place, are using the library to do a giant puzzle. The mystery revolves around this puzzle and all the sabotage involved with it. I will admit that I did have an idea of why the puzzle was sabotaged but it did not stop me from enjoying all of the events leading up to the conclusion. I always look forward to the release of a book in this series.

I enjoyed my fourteenth trip to Surprise, Arizona. I feel for Phee and her officemates, as they attempt to solve the mystery of the sabotaged puzzle. Phee’s mother and her cronies are actively involved and causing chaos everywhere.

I enjoyed the trip, all turns out well, as it should in a cozy. Please continue writing and I’ll continue reading.

Netgalley allowed me to read and review after the publication date. Thanks so much. These are my own opinions without giving away the vital pieces of information leading to the killer.

While I was not enamoured with the seniors in this series initially as the stories have gone along the seniors are no less wild and wacky but I have begun to chuckle and roll my eyes more. They cannot resist “helping” the local law enforcement and Phee and her husband’s detective agency solve crimes. I use the word “helping” advisedly. While once in a while they do come up with something, more often than not they befuddle the professionals, no one more than Phee herself.

It is summertime and the seniors community hosts a humungous puzzle that they all help piece together as a community activity and to get out of the blazing hot. There has been considerable consternation over the choices of puzzle and the seniors are not above trying to turn things more their way. But murder is not one of their tactics. Especially when there is a magazine that wants to feature the puzzle and there are a series of dirty tricks to try and keep the puzzle from being completed. But what is so dangerous about a picture of one of the nearby streets about 20 years ago.
When something is discovered during an excavation, the plot thickens and the stakes grow.

It was an enjoyable read with just enough sane people to keep the story moving. Four purrs and two paws up.

What possible trouble could putting together a puzzle cause? If it's a 40,000 piece puzzle and Sun City West senior community book club is involved - lots! When a woman is murdered, the book swings into action!

I love this series. Sophie, her Mom Harriet, all the book club, podcasters and don't forget Augusta are hilarious. It's a book that makes you laugh out loud and crave bagels and donuts so be sure to have a snack handy! The main characters are likable and the supporting characters are strong enough for their own series (hint, hint).

You don't have to read all the books to keep up, but I bet you'll love them too!

The opinions expressed in this review are my own. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Kensington.

Thank you NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Puzzled 4 Murder is the latest book in the Sophie Kimball Mystery series. This time, Sophie investigates the murder of the head of the puzzle committee at the library. Of course, Sophie's mom, Harriet, and her retiree friends are involved in putting together the puzzle, and they push her to investigate. Many funny moments are present, as Harriet is unable to stay still when anything happens, and her retiree friends always find ways to get involved as well. Puzzled 4 Murder is a great book to put you in a good mood and make you laugh. The storyline is interesting and the mystery is engaging. It's a great cozy mystery, perfect for unwinding after a busy day. I really enjoyed Puzzled 4 Murder. I had a great time reading it and all my worries were put aside during this time. Just great!

Life is far from dull for the residents of Sun City West where "Phee" Kimball-Gregory's eccentric mother Harriet lives with her precocious pup Streetman. Phee is the accountant at her husbands private detective agency. When someone ends up murdered in the library at SunCity West shortly after the community summer puzzle is chosen Phee ends up wrapped up in solving the murder. Is the puzzle the reason? If so why would someone kill over a puzzle and why does it seem that every attempt to complete the puzzle is being sabotaged? Could a retired octogenarian be guilty of murder and if so why?

Thoughts:
This was a clean cozy mystery with a colorful cast of charachters. At times I found all the different charachters confusing and there was alot of side chatter or added details which I found a bit distracting.
Overall, it was a cute cozy mystery that is a quick and easy read perfect to enjoy when you need a break from other heavier reads but still want to escape between the pages!

A thoroughly enjoyable experience reading this book. Lighthearted and fun, this story set in Arizona, is full of unique and quirky characters. The plot moves along at a good pace and the premise of the story is believable and not too complex.

Thoughts: Sophie (Phee) works as an accountant for a private investigator–whose team seems to do more investigating than the local cops do! This is the 14th book in this series, and it’s no less fun than the others. It takes place in Sun City West – a suburb of Phoenix, AZ. In this one, the committee of seniors are putting together a 40,000 piece mega-puzzle that will be featured in a magazine at the end of the summer. Unfortunately, things keep happening to prevent them from finishing the puzzle–an old picture of a street in Phoenix. The lead committee member is found dead, pieces of the puzzle go missing or are defaced, and members receive threatening letters.

It’s up to Phee, her husband (a P.I.) and the rest of the team to decipher exactly what is happening and why, but it takes Phee’s mother’s irritating dog to get to the final answer.

Recommended.

Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book from Netgalley and Beyond the Page Publishing with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

This is another fun visit to Sun City West. The mystery centers around the summer event: completing a giant puzzle. Of course with Harriet and her crew involved nothing is ever easy. As a result, Phee keeps finding herself immersed in the competitive world of puzzle building.

This is a fun and quirky cozy mystery series involving Phee, her enthusiastic mother and the inhabitants of the retirement community she lives in. There are also an assortment of pets - especially Phee's mother's chiweenie whose primary skills are causing chaos, Phee's husband Marshall who is a PI and Nate and Augusta who are the other employees at the PI firm they work for. There is a huge cast of characters but you really don't need to keep the backstories of everyone in your head and the author does a good job of reminding you of what you need to know without an info dump.

The mysteries is a fun one involving cold cases and puzzles and lots of sabotage. Nothing goes smoothly in Sun City West and that is most definitely the case here. I love Phee and her relationship with Marshall though she does need to maybe try Yoga breathing when dealing with her mother. I also really enjoyed that we saw a bit more of Augusta this book. This is a long running series but one you can jump into with no issue. The mystery involved a bit of a coincidence but it was still fun getting to the conclusion.

If you enjoy a quirky cozy mystery this is a fun series that has only been getting better!

I just had to read this book as an avid jigsaw puzzle enthusiast. The cover is so cute too.

It was a wonderful story and the first I had read from this series (very late to the party!) I don't think it will be the last as it was very enjoyable.

Thanks to the

This is another lighthearted romp with Phee, her Mother and her mothers wacky bunch of senior friends at the retirement community. The seniors are upset with the 40,000 piece puzzle chosen by the head of the puzzle committee. When she is murdered and someone keeps sabotaging the puzzle, Phee steps in to find the person or persons responsible. I love this series, the characters, and of course the antics of Streetman the dog.

Well this was a cute little read.

If you've ever wondered what its like to be the more official side of an armature detective duo, this is the book to read. Our main character, Phee works with her husband and friends in a private detective agency. It is, however, her mother - a whirlwind of a character that knocks you over every time she calls - who is the Jessica Fletcher or Dr. Sloane of the piece. With her book club friends, she is determined to solve the murder of the puzzle club (there are a lot of clubs in this book) chair, who has been killed in the library. Not only that, but the giant puzzle they are working on is sabotaged time and time again.

I had to laugh at poor Phee's predicament, rushing after her mother as she came up with one hairbrained scheme after another to solve the various mysteries that were unfolding in the book. A very cool look at what its like to be the sensible one in these cosy mystery cases. Enjoyed it a lot.

But, with the amount of food that is described constantly, I'm now pretty hungry...

This long running series keeps getting better. Liked the characters, plot and setting. Great cover! Great title!Thanks to #NetGalley and #Puzzled4Murder for advanced digital copy

I enjoyed reading Puzzled 4 Murder.
The heat of the Phoenix area has set in early and everyone is looking forward to places and ways to stay cool. Harriet and her book club ladies are going to help with the huge puzzle at the library. It gives them a cool place to gather. Then one of the puzzle committee heads is found dead.
I could see that the different cases in the story would connect, but I wasn’t sure who was hiding in plain sight.
There were plenty of shenanigans. I felt like the foreshadowing was a bit heavy handed, then when we got to the events foreshadowed things weren’t as bad as I expected.
The mystery wrapped up successfully and Streetman had a chance to shine.
I like this series and am always glad when Netgalley and Beyond the Page Publishing give me to opportunity to read the book.

Set in Sun City West, Arizona, Phee lives near her mother's retirement community. Since summer is arriving, the retirees are planning some indoor activities. Each year they have a large puzzle contest. Large as in the 40,000 pieces. The activity starts out heavily disputed as the group who selected the puzzle selected completely monotones puzzles. As the start date arrives, the group settles on a local puzzle that has never been put together. As usual the group of the retirees are over the top. But somehow the puzzle ties in to a cold case that Phee’s office is working on. As usual, the retirees will keep us entertained. I enjoy this series and highly recommend. #netgalley