Organize Your Corpses

Mary Jane Maffini

May 2021 · A Charlotte Adams Professional Organizer Mystery Book 1 · Beyond The Page

About this ebook

Fans of Marie Kondo and mysteries will love this series!

 

Professional organizer Charlotte Adams finds herself caught up in a very messy murder . . .

 

After freeing herself from a cheating fiancé and the other useless clutter in her life, Charlotte Adams moves back to her hometown in Upstate New York to make a fresh start as a professional organizer. But she’s about to learn that foul play can creep into even the most well-ordered life.

 

Eager to get her new career started, Charlotte agrees to take on a job from the former high school teacher who filled all her students’ lives with chaos and confusion. But no sooner does Charlotte begin digging through years of accumulated junk than she finds her first client dead—and herself named as the main suspect.

 

While any number of the victim’s former students had a motive for murder, Charlotte knows that death is rarely that tidy, and she can’t help meddling in the investigation to prove herself innocent and repair her sullied reputation. But the killer has a to-do list of their own, and the first item is to clean up a little mess named Charlotte Adams . . .

 

Organizing Tips Included!

 

Praise for the Books of Mary Jane Maffini:

 

“A comedic, murderous romp . . . Maffini is a relaxed, accomplished, and wickedly funny writer.” —The Montreal Gazette

 

“Mary Jane Maffini provides a first-rate, well-organized whodunit . . . A new series that is fun to read.” —Midwest Book Review

 

“Maffini’s new series . . . is off to a brilliant start with this fast-paced mystery!” —Romantic Times

 

“Deserves top marks for creating an entertaining, fast-paced thriller filled with witty one-liners, snappy dialogue and crackling suspense.” —The Strand Magazine

 

“I’ll look forward to a long life for this series.” —Deadly Pleasures

 

“Plenty of twists and turns that kept me turning the pages until the last sentence.” —Dru’s Book Musings

 

“Maffini is a relaxed, accomplished and wickedly funny writer . . .” —The Times Colonist

Ratings and reviews

The organization tips at the beginning of each chapter were a lot of fun. The characters were mostly well-written though one character (the doctor) didn’t feel consistent in his development. It was really like he devolved for no actual reason and it was just fine with the other characters. The mystery was fantastic and I was blown away by the twist I never saw coming. It’s hard to say much more without giving away anything but I will certainly give the next book another try. Thank you to NetGalley, Beyond the Page Publishing, and Mary Jane Maffini for providing me with the opportunity to read this story and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.

Organize Your Corpses by Mary Jane Maffini is the first book in A Charlotte Adams Mystery series. I liked the premise of this series. It has potential for many interesting scenarios. The reality, though, was disappointing. You must suspend all logical thoughts when reading this tale. Some things are farfetched. I ended up not liking any of the characters (not even the dogs). Charlotte Adams is a “professional organizer” whose life is a mess. She is a plucky woman, but I found her too impetuous. Charlotte goes to a client meeting with two unruly dogs (that made no sense whatsoever). I also wondered how she kept getting jobs when she failed to complete any of them. The mystery was interesting. I like solving unique mysteries. Unfortunately, the whodunit was not the focus of the book. Charlotte’s friends seem to do more investigating than Charlotte. For the resolution, you must suspend your disbelief. At the end, we are left with many unanswered questions (what happened between Pepper and Charlotte for example). Avid cozy mystery readers only need to a couple of pieces of information to solve it. I wondered what year this book was set in. It did not seem to be set in the present day (not within the last three years at least). Organize Your Corpses had too much wackiness and cliché elements for my tastes. I did enjoy the organizing tips before each chapter. My favorite tip was, “Keep an interesting book with you in case you find yourself in a boring place with time on your hands.” While Organize Your Corpses was not my cup of tea, I suggest you obtain a sample to see if it suits you. Organize Your Corpses is an offbeat cozy mystery with a disarranged dwelling, a vile victim, a dogged detective, a kindly landlord, a frenzied family, and a perplexing puzzle.

small-business, small-town, cozy-mystery, murder-investigation, amateur-sleuth, situational-humor, verbal-humor, friendship, law-enforcement, dachshunds***** The interactions among the majority of the characters is classic Returns To Small Town Where One Grew Up. Been there, done that. But it seems a lot funnier in fiction! Charlotte went from a high powered job in NYC and a scum fiance to her own business and former friends in the hometown. One of her first jobs as a professional organizer is for the teacher voted most hated by all her students, but Charlotte and her beautiful dachshunds are the ones who find her body. Then Charlotte discovers a new aspect of herself in an obsession to find who Don The Deed. Lots of laughs, and the sleuthing isn't bad. I really enjoyed the read! I requested and received a free temporary ebook from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thanks! I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Beyond The Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

About the author

Agatha and RT Award winner Mary Jane Maffini is the author of three and a half mystery series and two dozen short stories. Along with the Charlotte Adams professional organizer mysteries, she’s the author of the Camilla MacPhee Mysteries and the Fiona Silk comic capers. As Victoria Abbott, she collaborated on five collector mysteries with her daughter, Victoria. Mary Jane lives and plots in Manotick, Ontario, with a cluster of mischievous dachshunds at her feet. You can read more about her books and sign up for her newsletter at maryjanemaffini.com.