Mary Feliz

Maggie McDonald and her family moved to Orchard View after a late aunt left her husband a large home and the money he would need to maintain it. Now, she's starting up her organizing business again in her new town, and she's lucked out by being able to organize the home of Professor Lincoln Sinclair, who will be getting married soon and combining households. But when she arrives with her realtor friend Tess, they find the body of Lincoln's fiancée, Sarah, electrocuted in a puddle of water. At first it looks like a horrible accident, but after the police investigate the crime, it's determined to be a murder.

But the man in charge, Detective Apfel, whom Maggie and everyone around her has nicknamed "Detective Awful," is a horrible detective and rubs everyone the wrong way. He's decided that Linc killed Sarah -- never mind that Linc was nowhere near the crime scene -- and is determined to pin the murder on him. What can Maggie do but help Linc? Even though her husband Max wants her to stay out of it, she knows she can't. Maggie has more than one problem coming her way, and even if she wants to try and just help people, there's someone out there besides the police who doesn't want her help -- the killer...

This is the second book in the series and I must say that I enjoyed it quite much more than the first. In the first, Maggie's husband was working out of town and I was afraid it was going to be another cozy where the protagonist had her husband gone all the time and she solved murders on her own. I was pleasantly surprised that Max made more than an appearance in this book, even if he didn't get involved in the investigation as much, he was supportive of his wife, which goes a long way.

Maggie knows that Linc couldn't commit a murder, so she starts looking as to who might have wanted the woman dead. Or did they? Since it occurred in Linc's house, maybe he was the target after all? Could it have been one of the teenagers who worked next door in the gardens? Or perhaps their supervisor, Boots?

All she knows is that since the detective who would have been on the case, Jason Mueller, is out with a broken leg, and the obnoxious replacement doesn't care about justice, only about closing cases fast. With Maggie under the gun for time, she needs to find a killer before they find her.

When the ending comes, everything is put together nicely, and we were given a clue to the murderer (I am pleased to say that I was right) but you have to watch for it along the way. At the end, there is a nice epilogue which puts it all into perspective, and I will read the next in the series. Recommended.… (altro)

As a disorganized person struggling to reform, I feel drawn to the Maggie McDonald Mystery series, mostly because the main character is a professional organizer. The idea of a highly organized person as an amateur detective is intriguing. Plus, I figure I might pick up a few organizational tips while reading.

Scheduled to Death is the 2nd book in the series. I haven't read the first book yet, but there is enough background information sprinkled in with the new plot to easily figure out the different characters and enjoy the mystery. Maggie is building her new professional organizing business. She's helping a professor organize his life. Linc wants to get married, but he's got to clean up his act first. Maggie arrives one bright cheerful morning to help him continue his progress, only to find something much worse than a messy desk. Linc's fiance and Maggie's good friend, Sarah, is dead on the floor. Something isn't quite right about the situation. Maggie finds herself teaming up with local police to find out what caused Sarah's death.

Each chapter of the book opens with an organizational tip from Maggie - a nice extra touch. The pace of the story is spot-on, and the subplots (organization, community gardening, etc) don't overwhelm the mystery. In fact, the organizational background of the main character helps to further the plot, rather than getting in the way of it. Romance is not a distraction in this cozy. Maggie is happily married with teenage children. I like all of the side characters. It's interesting to see how Maggie handles being friends with a suspect and the investigating officers. The way they all come together to help each other solve the case is another refreshing change from formula cozies where the police continually warn or even threaten anyone who tries to investigate. Nice change! I can't say there is no "dumb'' or annoying cop....but he is a side character that even the other officers can't stand. While reading, I found myself continually thinking if the main characters were real people they would be enormously enjoyable as friends.

All in all, a great cozy mystery! There are plenty of suspects, interesting clues and plot twists. The idea of community gardening is intriguing. I'm glad that was a subplot intertwined with the mystery. The organization tips were helpful and I'm going to try to implement some of the suggestions.

Scheduled to Death will be released by Kensington on January 17th! Organized or disorganized, cozy mystery lovers will enjoy this one!

A third Maggie McDonald Mystery, Dead Storage, is coming out in July!

**I voluntarily read an Advance Readers Copy of this book provided by Kensington via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**… (altro)

Professional Organizer Maggie McDonald is shocked to discover her best friend Stephen is a suspect in the murder of a local business owner. Stephen is a witness to the killing but is arrested for impeding the investigation. The local DA also wants to press murder charges because Stephen was found at the crime scene covered in blood. Maggie knows Stephen is innocent, but she soon discovers he is withholding information to protect another witness. Maggie must race the clock to discover the killer and help prevent a key witness from being deported before Stephen is charged with first degree murder. Can she solve the case in time to prevent Stephen from being sent to prison?

I enjoy the Maggie McDonald Mystery series. The plots are always well-written. The characters are likable, well-developed, and diverse. Dead Storage is the third book in the series, and I enjoyed this book just as much as the two prior novels! The mystery was paced perfectly, drawing out the suspense until the last two chapters. It kept me guessing until the end! I liked the fact that Maggie was not only investigating the murder, but also trying to find and assist the witness that Stephen was protecting. I had a bit of a hard time with the fact that Stephen made Maggie promise not to tell his partner Jason that he had been arrested. Jason is in law enforcement and is out of town when Stephen is arrested. Realistically speaking, I feel if his partner is facing a pending murder charge, someone would have contacted him to let him know what was going on. I don't believe it would have remained a secret for as long as it did. And Jason was only really mad at Maggie for two pages. Hiding the fact that his partner is in jail and possibly facing a murder charge would warrant being pissed for more than two pages. I would have remained angry for at least an entire chapter, if it had been me. :)

All in all, another great Maggie McDonald cozy! I can't wait for the next book! :)

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**
… (altro)

Maggie heads to Lake Tahoe to her best friend's family cabin, to undertake the task of helping Tess declutter to ready for sale. This is a close knit community, and they aren't afraid to tout their town v. tourist mentality when needed. But like any neighborhood, big city problems come to seemingly quiet areas too. I like this series a lot. Maggie is a both a wife and mom, and it was a change to see her in just friend mode while on a working vacation with Tess. Like Maggie, I think I would have been labeled a flatlander--those loud noises described avalanche prevention would have been foreign to me too.… (altro)