Molded 4 Murder

J.C. Eaton

Aug 2019 · Sophie Kimball Mystery Book 5 · Kensington Cozies

About this ebook

A view to a kiln ...

Sophie “Phee” Kimball enjoys working as a bookkeeper for a private investigator. If only her mother Harriet could enjoy her retirement at Sun City West in Arizona—instead of constantly getting involved with retirees being prematurely put out to pasture. This time Quentin Dussler, a prominent member of the clay sculpting club, was found dead, clutching a piece of paper scrawled with Phee’s mother’s name.

Terrified she’s been targeted by assassins, Harriet begs Phee to investigate. What Phee uncovers is a complicated scheme that only the most diabolical of murderers would ever devise. And as she chisels away at confusing clues and potential suspects, Phee unearths something far more precious and valuable than she could imagine. Eager for answers, she takes a bold step—placing herself in the crosshairs of a stonefaced killer ...

Praise for the Sophie Kimball Mysteries

“A witty adventure that will leave you laughing out loud.”
—Stephanie Blackmoore, author of the Wedding Planner Mystery Series, on Booked 4 Murder

“Fun characters, a touch of humor, and a great mystery, the perfect combination for a cozy.”
—Lena Gregory, author of the Bay Island Psychic Mysteries, on Ditched 4 Murder

Ratings and reviews

Great mystery enjoyed this book full of excitement. Love the older people they were so funny but very smart and helpful in solving the mystery

Fifth in the Sophie Kimball Mystery series, this outrageously funny, intriguing, cozy mystery is the best in the series to date. It is fun to watch Phee (Sophie) and her mother Harriet drive each other to distraction and see Aunt Ina have a bigger part in this investigation than usual. The mystery is more complex than I anticipated! From The Lillian in Sun City West to Punkin Center and Tonto National Forest, Phee sees much more of Arizona than the average resident. The authors have taken the best of this elegant resort city, added Midwest charm, senior flair, and international crime with ties to Arizona for a fabulous romp through the desert! Harriet and friend Lucinda’s current artistic endeavor includes learning how to craft things from clay at the clay club in Sun City West. Harriet insists that Phee, who left Mankato, Minnesota a couple years ago and now lives in Glendale, and her boyfriend and private investigator Marshall attend the Creations in Clay event in late June, still a few weeks away. Phee, Marshall, and Nate, their boss and owner of Williams Investigations all worked at the police department in Mankato. Former detectives Nate and Marshall stay busy as PI’s and are content with what they do. Phee does what she did in Mankato, keeping the books. Thanks to Harriet and her friends in the Booked 4 Murder book club, Phee gets pulled into more cases – and trouble – than imaginable. When Phee was coming to visit her mother a couple years earlier, she met the “Gertrudes”, sisters Gertie and Trudy on the flight. They reside at The Lillian, a luxury senior residence. They called Phee one day, as someone was going into people’s apartments and taking things. Most missing items were of little monetary value yet going into their homes and taking away their privacy is critical. Phee agreed to meet with the residence director, as the residents are concerned of retaliation from the staff if she knows who is concerned. While she talked with the Gertrudes, the sheriff’s office asked Nate’s consult on a homicide in Sun City West, who then asked Phee to meet Nate at her mother’s home. The dead man was a gifted clay artisan, found in his garage studio. He was holding a note with two names on it: Harriet’s and Lucinda’s. The ladies knew who Quentin was but had never bought anything from him. Harriet is a wreck and wants Nate, Phee, and Marshall to find out whodunit fast – as a possible hit list is not her favorite place to be. The far-reaching, devious tentacles are amazing. I could never have come up with the full solution for this mystery! Sure, I had a few pieces put together, but certainly nothing like the entire scope of crimes. The novel ends with surprises and potential changes for Phee and is very satisfying. I highly recommend this to those who enjoy well-crafted cozy mysteries, laugh-out-loud humor, eye-rolling, senior (NOT senile) characters, and a bit of romance. You won’t be disappointed! From a thankful heart: I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

I throughly enjoyed the comedy in this mystery. It was hard to put it down. A good story line to the end. I will be reading more by this author.

About the author

J.C. Eaton is the wife and husband team of Ann I. Goldfarb and James E. Clapp. Ann has published eight YA time travel mysteries. Visit their website at www.jceatonauthor.com.