She Doesn't Have a Clue
I received this galley in exchange for an honest review.
Author: Jenny Elder Mike
Genre: Romance/Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publish Date: January 21, 2025
Format: eBook
★★★★★
This book is perfect for those that like: Whodunits, Swoony Revelations, and Public Come to Jesus Moments
You might not like this book if you aren’t into: Massive Miscommunications
Favorite Line: “Mother Mary Tyler Moore…She’s alive.” ~ Kate Valentine
The Book
A high-end wedding on a private island off the coast of Seattle sounds like something out of a magazine. But for bestselling mystery author Kate Valentine, it’s more like a nightmare.
Why Kate agreed to attend her ex-fiancé’s wedding is its own enigma, but she’ll plaster on a fake smile for two nights, with the aid of free champagne, naturally. And because the groom happens to be her editor, she’ll try to finish a draft of her latest Loretta Starling mystery as a wedding gift.
When the bride is poisoned and Kate stumbles across a dead body, she finds herself in a real-life mystery that eerily echoes the plot of her latest novel. And the only person who seems willing to help Kate catch the killer is Jake Hawkins, aka: the Hostralian; aka: Kate’s biggest romantic regret.
As the wine flows and the weather threatens to hold every guest hostage, bitter resentments and long-held grudges surface amongst the colorful crowd. Anyone could be capable of murder, it seems. What would Loretta do? Unfortunately, Kate doesn’t have a clue.
my thoughts
Hi. This book is my entire personality now. It’s taken my two favorite genres, Romance and Cozy mysteries and blended in into an amazingly funny, swoony, slightly unhinged rom-com with a bit of murder thrown in. I’m absolutely obsessed.
The story follows Kate Valentine, a mystery writer, with a huge case of writers block, setting out for a weekend wedding on a private island. The twist? The wedding is between her former finance, Spencer, who’s also her boss and wondering where her latest long overdue book is, and the women he cheated on her with, Kennedy. Maybe Spencer’s not as over her as he should be while at his own wedding? Add in Jake, a former crush who rejected her (and she’s TOTALLY OVER BTW), a hateful almost MIL, suspicious bridesmaids, a crew of writers threatening to form a union, an impending storm, no cell service, and oh yeah, a couple of murders and you’ve got yourself one hell of a story. I was legit cackling from page one and even though I figured out the killer pretty early on, it was still hella fun watching it all play out.
This story was Banana Pants and I mean that as the highest of complements. I never knew what was going to come next in the murder investigation and the romance was top notch - I LOVE me some unrequited crushes. ::SIGH:: Between the “will they or won’t they” tension and the cast of supporting characters who were deliciously hostile to Kate throughout, I devoured this in a day. A perfect weekend read!
more about the Author
Jenny Elder Moke writes young adult fiction in an attempt to recapture the shining infinity of youth. She is the author of HOOD, a Robin Hood retelling through the eyes of his daughter, as well as CURSE OF THE SPECTER QUEEN and RISE OF THE SNAKE GODDESS, a treasure hunt adventure series for fans of Indiana Jones and The Mummy. Her newest title, a Cinderella reimagining from the perspective of a (formerly wicked) step sister is called A SPARK IN THE CINDERS and releases June 2023.
When she is not writing, she’s gathering story ideas from her daily adventures with her two irredeemable rapscallions and honing her ninja skills as a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Jenny lives in Denver, CO.