#jazzi zanders mysteries

[e-b-reads]

Books of the Summer: 2024 (June-Aug)

Back into the routine: of creating Books of the Month posts about halfway into the following month. Hey, I'm caught up now, though! As always, it was fun to look back at what I read this summer now that my routine and schedule and focus have shifted so fully (out of summer camp mode). Here are my books of the summer!

Marple: Twelve New Mysteries (various female authors): This was a fun read: short stories by current mystery authors, featuring Christie's Miss Marple. I enjoyed that several of the authors chose to write about situations dealing with things like race in a way that Christie probably couldn't have, with the assumption that Miss Marple (as, occasionally, opposed to her creator) would be capable of being logically open-minded and kind.

The Invisible Library (Genevieve Cogman): I reblogged a post recently with some notes suggesting that this is a series that some people really don't like? (Possibly because they didn't feel like it lived up to the neat premise - adventures in a series of universes with varying levels of magic connected by a reality-bending library.) So, you know, don't just take my work for it, check with other readers you trust. But I really enjoyed this book (and sequels) as something engaging and fast-paced to read during my busy season. Large twists were sometimes predictable, but the smaller details of how characters would extricate themselves from situations weren't, so it kept me reading! I also liked the relationship between three of the main characters (though was disappointed not to end up with a poly threesome by the end. Oh, well).

Becoming (Michelle Obama): And now for something completely different: I've had this book for a while but only finally read it this summer (slowly, in between various mysteries). I really enjoyed it; it painted a really sympathetic and detailed picture of her (and her husband's) priorities in terms of both political ideals and personal family life, and the ways they have tried to balance those. Also was reassuring to read a book about hope as a political force in the current U.S. political climate (or to be more precise: I read it before Biden dropped out, so during that climate especially).

The Body in the Attic (Judi Lynn): I tried various cozy mystery series this summer, and I am shouting this one out not because of the mystery plots (which were fine), but because of the cozy part. Jazzi Zanders works with her cousin and a friend (swiftly her boyfriend and then her husband) flipping houses. Only they keep finding bodies, and after the first case, their new detective friend keeps asking her to tag along and help him solved the mysteries. (I also enjoyed that aspect; instead of this being a series where the amateur is getting in the way going "let me help!" the 60-something detective [not a love interest] keeps being like "hey, want to help?" and Jazzi goes along reluctantly.) What I really liked is that the mysteries are almost an excuse the author to write the cozy mundane details of Jazzi's life: shopping with her man, dinner with family, the work they do on the houses. Not a series for when you're looking for drama, but a nice one for escapism.

Dishonorable mention:

Live and Let Chai (Seaside Cafe mystery series; Bree Baker): Haven't done this before but I need to call this (cozy mystery again) series out! To be fair, I did read all seven books in it, so it's not like it was so bad I stopped reading. But part of why I kept reading was because I thought maybe the main character was going to learn. In the first few books, she stumbles on a body, insists on trying to solve the mystery despite the handsome broody detective character telling her to stay out of it, and then gets kidnapped or otherwise harmed by the murderer, which does at least do the service of letting the handsome detective find and arrest them. This wouldn't be so bad, except that as the books go on, she begins to insist she needs to help investigate, because she is so good at it. Lady, you keep getting the murderer wrong! She does snoop and gather clues, but she doesn't usually put them together properly until the actual murderer is trying to murder her, at which point she figures out her mistakes (too late!). When this happened yet again in book 6, I finally realized she wasn't going to learn, but at that point I went ahead and read book 7 partly to make sure and partly to read the resolution of the tortuous, twisty romance between her and the detective. Anyway, this isn't even to mention the issues I have with a modern white character super proud of her southern heritage and ancestors without even a consideration for any bad things those ancestors might have done? But that's another post all its own.

[doodlesink]

My Review of The Body in the Wetlands by Judi Lynn

Good Day!  The Body in the Wetlands by Judi Lynn is now out.  Jazzi Zanders finds herself embroiled in a neighborhood murder when helping her sisters renovate her home.  See my review of the second A Jazz Zanders Mystery.  Happy Reading!

 https://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-body-in-wetlands-by-judi-lynn.html

[itunesbooks]

The Body in the Wetlands - Judi Lynn

The Body in the Wetlands Judi Lynn Genre: Women Sleuths Price: $4.99 Expected Publish Date: April 23, 2019 Publisher: Kensington Seller: Penguin Random House LLC High summer in River Bluffs, Indiana, is always sweltering and sweet. But the heat is really on when a decidedly dead body turns up in the neighborhood.   When established house flippers Jazzi Zanders and her cousin Jerod donate a week’s worth of remodeling work to Jazzi’s sister Olivia, they’re expecting nothing more than back-breaking roofing work and cold beers at the end of each long, hot day. With Jazzi’s live-in boyfriend and partner Ansel on the team, it promises to be a quick break before starting their next big project—until Leo, an elderly neighbor of Olivia’s, unexpectedly goes missing . . .   When the friendly senior’s dog tugs Jazzi and the guys toward the wetlands beyond Olivia’s neighborhood, they stumble across a decomposing corpse—and a lot of questions. With Jazzi’s pal Detective Gaff along to investigate, Jazzi finds her hands full of a whole new mystery instead of the usual hammer and nails. And this time it will take some sophisticated sleuthing to track down the culprit of the deadly crime—before the killer turns on her next . . . http://dlvr.it/R3KFM9

[therealimintobooks]

Guest Post & Spotlight - The Body In The Wetlands by Judi Lynn @JudiLynnwrites #AJazziZandersMystery

Guest Post & Spotlight – The Body In The Wetlands by Judi Lynn @JudiLynnwrites #AJazziZandersMystery

The Body in the Wetlands (A Jazzi Zanders Mystery) by Judi Lynn About the Book

The Body in the Wetlands (A Jazzi Zanders Mystery) Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series Lyrical Underground (April 23, 2019) Paperback: 208 pages ISBN-10: 151610840X ISBN-13: 978-1516108404 Digital ASIN: B07FZN7CVT

High summer in River Bluffs, Indiana, is always sweltering and sweet. But the heat is really on when a decidedly dead…

[cherievsbullies]

High School — Judi Lynn

A great post from Judi Lynn! I will definitely order her books!

I just turned in the manuscript for my fifth Jazzi Zanders mystery–The Body in the Past. I beat my deadline–Nov. 4–and it feels good. In this book, Jazzi is trying to find out what happened to a young girl who died in the house she, Ansel, and Jerod are flipping. Someone pushed her off her […]

via High School — Judi Lynn

[writeknit]

Book Review: The Body in the Gravel - Sexy Cozy Mystery

Book Review: The Body in the Gravel �� Sexy Cozy Mystery

The Body in the Gravel

A Jazzi Zanders Mystery

By Judi Lynn

Cousins Jazzi and Jerod, along with Jazzi’s fiancé Ansel are house flippers. They do most of the work themselves. They depend on others for things that are not in their wheelhouse, such as delivery of gravel and concrete as well as furnace replacement. Luckily they have a close friend, Thane that happens to be living with Jazzi’s sister…

[meezcarrie]

Book Review: The Body in the Attic by Judi Lynn

#BookReview - The Body in the Attic by @judypost #cozymystery

SERIES: River Bluffs #1 GENRE: Cozy Mystery PUBLISHER: Lyrical Underground RELEASE DATE: November 27, 2018 PAGES: 218

Welcome to River Bluffs, Indiana, a cozy small town populated with charming homes, close-knit families, and the occasional deadly secret . . .

House-flipper Jazzi Zanders and her cousin Jerod have found their latest project. The property, formerly owned by the late Cal Juniper, is…

[stacitroilo]

Judi Lynn's #cozymystery THE BODY IN THE GRAVEL #bookreview

Judi Lynn's #cozymystery THE BODY IN THE GRAVEL #bookreview @judypost @KensingtonBooks @lyricalpress

Ciao, amici! I know I usually post reviews on Tuesdays, but this week Marcia Meara was kind enough to post a review of one of my books on her site, and Joan Hall reviewed another of my stories on hers. I couldn’t run this yesterday because Mae Clair shared her review of The Scout. And I didn’t want to hold this one until Tuesday because it’s already been too long since I’ve read it. I want to…