Tag: funeral parlor mystery

This is the second book in the Funeral Parlor Mysteries by Lillian Bell. It was just released yesterday, which is when I was finishing up the first book so I could lead into this one. I think I really appreciated this book more by reading the first book first. I am so not going to be able to wait until the next book comes out, they just get better! Oh and I encourage you to read the acknowledgements at the end of the book. It was really interesting to hear about the author’s research on funeral parlors and how Orion is someone to her in real life!

Note on the dog picture: This is as close as I could find in the free-use pictures Google showed me of what Orion, a Malamute-Shepherd cross might look like when he’s a little older.

My Goodreads review:

If the Coffin Fits by Lillian Bell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This. Was. So. Good. I am so glad that I requested this from NetGalley to voluntarily read and review. I’m also glad I read the first book, not that this book gives any spoilers because it definitely doesn’t. But I still had the fun of getting to know the characters from the beginning, and even though jumping in at book 2 wouldn’t be bad, I really enjoyed reading them in order so much!

When Desiree suspected one of the funeral home’s clients of murder, she was pretty much on her own to figure out why and how she’d done it. She did have her sorta-boyfriend Nate’s help since he was county ME, but Luke at the police station was used to looking at her like she was just crazy. Desiree found evidence that one of their deceased clients had been blackmailing quite a few of the community members, which just had to tie in with that client’s own death, she hesitated bringing that evidence to Luke for fear he’d just laugh at her. Being shot at made Desiree realize she was getting close…could she solve this without causing her sister to go into premature labor or get killed herself?

I never thought a series set in a funeral parlor would be this good and so interesting! It’s really not much about the place itself but the clients they serve and how some of the deaths can end up being murder. I loved that in this book Desiree found a dog to adopt, Uncle Joey found a lady friend and more about Desiree’s dad was revealed. Now I really can’t wait till the next book!

I actually did figure this one out! There was a tiny clue very early on that I picked up on and remembered. It was fun to see how this played out and the perp got caught. The showdown wasn’t physically exciting, but it was more calm excitement worthy of any that I’ve seen on TV crime/cop shows.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book which was released this week.

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This is the first book in the Funeral Parlor Mysteries series by Lillian Bell which is a pen name for author Kristi Abbott of the Popcorn Shop Mystery series. This is one of the most unusual jobs I’ve run across for a cozy mystery sleuth, but it’s pretty cool! I think you’ll really enjoy it.

My Goodreads review:

A Grave Issue by Lillian Bell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’m getting ready to read the second book of this series, so I thought since I had the first book on my Kindle that I might want to read it first. This book does well as a stand alone, but I think it might be a little more enjoyable to read this book first. I love that there’s a side mystery concerning Desiree and Donna’s father that will go on into the next book.

Kyle, the man that Desiree had relied on as a second father, had been arrested for his neighbor’s murder simply because his gun had been used. Setting out to clear her good friend’s name, Desiree found that the dead banker might not be the pillar of society that he was made out to be. There were a lot of secrets that people had which made for plenty of suspects. I know that I didn’t guess who it was.

The side mystery was that someone was leaving little gifts for Desiree and Donna, only gifts that their dad, who had been presumed dead and lost while surfing, would know. Desiree even bought a little security camera to attempt to catch the person on video while they brought their gifts. Was their dad really still alive? If so, why had he hidden from them for the last sixteen months–and why did he have a storage locker that was prepaid for two years? I can’t wait to dig into the next book, no funeral pun intended there at all!

I do like the main characters a lot. Uncle Joey is the funeral director, and Desiree is the assistant. We really didn’t get to have Joey “on screen” much, but could still learn a lot about him from context and what people said. Desiree also has not two but three guys interested in her, although Officer Luke Butler didn’t really pursue her as much as Nate and Rafe did. I’m anxious to spend some more time with these characters and this slightly unusual profession for a cozy amateur sleuth!

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