Killer Content

Olivia Blacke

Feb 2021 · A Brooklyn Murder Mystery Book 1 · Sold by Penguin

About this eBook

It's murder most viral in this debut mystery by Olivia Blacke.

Bayou transplant Odessa Dean has a lot to learn about life in Brooklyn. So far she's scored a rent free apartment in one of the nicest neighborhoods around by cat-sitting, and has a new job working at Untapped Books & Café. Hand-selling books and craft beers is easy for Odessa, but making new friends and learning how to ride the subway? Well, that might take her a little extra time.

But things turn more sour than an IPA when the death of a fellow waitress goes viral, caught on camera in the background of a couple's flash-mob proposal video. Nothing about Bethany's death feels right to Odessa--neither her sudden departure mid-shift nor the clues that only Odessa seems to catch. As an up-and-coming YouTube star, Bethany had more than one viewer waiting for her to fall from grace.

Determined to prove there's a killer on the loose, Odessa takes matters into her own hands. But can she pin down Bethany's killer before they take Odessa offline for good?

Ratings and reviews

Killer Content by Olivia Blacke is the first A Brooklyn Murder Mystery. Odessa Dean is from Piney Island, Louisiana who finds Brooklyn amazing and overwhelming. She is cat and apartment sitting for her Aunt Melanie who is traveling through Europe. Killer Content is written in the first person allowing us to see things from Odessa’s point-of-view. We learn what she thinks about Brooklyn, the food, the microbrews, the people, etc. Izzy Wilson is a co-worker and Odessa’s friend who ends up living with Odessa when the schoolhouse where she squats is being fumigated. Izzy has a larger personality than Odessa and she could overshadow her. Odessa is an okay character. I just felt she faded into the background at times. She let people take advantage of her (from her boss to Izzy). The contradiction comes with Bethany’s death. Odessa is positive that Bethany was murdered, and she will not stop until she proves it. I felt that the whodunit was not the focus of the story. More time seems devoted to Untapped Books & Café (the people, the food, the brews served). There are a limited number of suspects. Odessa questioned people and dug through trash looking for clues. One piece of information is all that is needed to solve the case. If you are like me and read cozies for the mystery, then you will be disappointed. This is a character driven cozy mystery with the focus on Odessa. I felt there were details that we did not need to know such what Odessa ate for each meal, the weather (it is hot as we are told a few times), the mess Izzy left in the bedroom, the amount of luggage Izzy brought with her). I just felt that some of this minute details were not needed, and they slowed down the progress of the story. There was a repetition of information as well. I believe Killer Content will appeal to those readers in their twenties and thirties (obtain a sample to see if this story suits you). The author did take the time to give needed background information on Odessa as well as the neighborhood (where Odessa lives and works). I liked Rufus Talliwhacker (Aunt Melanie’s cat) plus the bookstore dog. Killer Content is a lighthearted cozy mystery with distasteful trash, flash mob fiasco, nasty neon green, a disobliging detective, a capricious roommate, and mouthwatering microbrews.

Brooklyn, law-enforcement, family, friendship, cozy-mystery, situational-humor, verbal-humor, amateur-sleuth***** I've just found my new favorite character, Odessa Dean! It doesn't hurt that she's from the Bayou and the story takes place in Brooklyn, either. In this story she hasn't been in NYC very long, is cat sitting for her aunt in a posh apartment, works in a bookshop/cafe (with the manager from Hades), and firmly believes that one of her new work friends was murdered (in spite of what the police and the coroner say). Now the sleuthing begins complete with plot twists and red herrings! The imagery is terrific, the characters are marvelous, and the humor is just my style. I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley. Thank you!

About the author

Brooklyn Murder Mysteries author Olivia Blacke writes quirky, unconventional, character-driven cozy mysteries. After shuffling around the U.S.A. from Hawaii to Maine, she currently resides with her husband and their roly-poly rescue puggle, but is forever homesick for NYC. In addition to writing, disappearing into a good book, and spending way too much time on social media, she enjoys SCUBA diving, crocheting, collecting tattoos, and baking dog cookies.