Jamie Lee Scott

Check Six (Kate Darby, Book 3)

Posted on by The Novel Girl

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Author: Jamie Lee Scott

Series: Kate Darby

Genre: Mystery/Crime

Publisher: Novels & Coffee

Pages: 244

Kate Darby has returned to the Peculiar PD. Last year she was shot in the line of duty, and she has been on leave for a year while she was in rehab and was recovering. When she returns, she is faced with some new faces, a rough couple of days that involves her partner being forced to shoot a man that leads to an IA investigation, and facing her own (very real) demons. When the ghost of Payoso comes back to haunt her, will Kate be able to hold herself together long enough to prove to herself and everyone else that she is really ready to be back, or will she fall apart and let him win this round? 

This is the third installment in the Kate Darby series by Jamie Lee Scott, and I am enjoying this series more as it progresses. This book picked up a year after the second book ended, so some time has passed for the MC. As she makes her return to the department and the field, the reader can feel the bit of trepidation that she has. When all of the events begin to unfold and the “hauntings” begin, the reader can once again feel just the slightest bit of fear and panic in Kate as she tries to solve the mysteries surrounding her before it is too late. Scott did an amazing job at conveying all of Kate’s emotions through her words, and she really made me go through them with her. The action, mystery, and realness were definitely there, as they have been in the rest of the series. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite series to read, and I am already anticipating the fourth book! 

This is a full story, so you could read it as a standalone if you wish. I highly recommend starting at the beginning, however, since the stories do build on one another and you’ll get a much clearer picture that way. There’s only three, so go ahead and dive in! 

The August Plan…

Posted on by The Novel Girl

Happy Monday, everyone!!

I can’t believe that August is already here!

This year feels like it has flown by, and we are getting close to my favorite time of the year: Fall!! Unfortunately, for me, this year the Fall season is bringing me back to school. I’ve decided to pursue another degree, and I start back in September. That means that I am trying to get in as much fun reading as I can this month!

I am going to try to get through as many of these as possible before the Fall quarter starts:

I am currently reading Three Women by Lisa Taddeo, which I am enjoying. I’m also making my way through Preacher for the first time, and wondering why I’ve waited so long to read it!

What are your reading plans for August? Do you have any big upcoming plans for fall?

What should I read next?!

Let me know your thoughts!!

Have a great week!

Always,

T

#backlistboost Friday

Posted on by The Novel Girl

Hi Everyone!!

It’s #backlistboost Friday, again!!

I hope you’ve all had a great week! Mine has been absolutely crazy, but I had to make time to spotlight one of my favorite mystery authors, Jamie Lee Scott!

This week, I’d like to boost Let Us Prey. This is the first book in Jamie’s Gotcha Detective Agency series.

If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll probably recognize this series, as it’s ongoing and I’ve recently reviewed book twelve, Love is a Many Splintered Thing. This is a really fun murder mystery/PI series, with some great humor and snark. The story definitely evolves as the series continues. The author did edit the book after some initial reviews, and removed some of the more crude language that was in the first edition.

If you’re a fan of lighter mysteries in the arena of Jana DeLeon, Janet Evanovich, or Joanne Fluke, I think you’ll enjoy this series.

You can find my initial review here:Let Us Prey (Gotcha Detective Agency, Book 1)

Bang Switch Release!!!

Posted on by The Novel Girl

Hey guys!!!

I’m back from vacation, and guess what happened while I was gone: the second book in Jamie Lee Scott’s Kate Darby series- Bang Switch released!! Check out this cover:

Nice, right?!

It looks like this one picks up where Angry Betty left off per the blurb:

After nearly being raped and killed, Corporal Kate Darby isn’t quite ready to go back to work…

Kate Darby misses patrolling the streets of Peculiar, Texas, but she has unfinished business. And she can’t have the cops knowing what she’s doing.

Something stinks in Peculiar, and it’s not just the dead cop Sergeant Zane Gwilly found shortly before midnight. 

I’m super excited about this, and can’t wait to dive in! If you enjoyed Angry Betty go grab this up!

If you enjoy great crime fiction, I think you’ll really enjoy this series! Here’s the link to my review of Angry Betty in case you missed it!

Angry Betty (Kate Darby, Book 1)

Angry Betty (Kate Darby, Book 1)

Posted on by The Novel Girl

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Author: Jamie Lee Scott

Series: Kate Darby

Genre: Mystery/Crime

Publisher: Indie

Pages: 270

Kate Darby grew up in foster care, as her mother was a drug addict and alcoholic. Although she grew up not trusting the police, she is now an officer in the small town of Peculiar, TX doing her best to keep her town safe. As she’s heading in to the end of what has, up until this point, been an uneventful shift, Kate attempts to stop a care for a minor traffic violation. Instead of stopping, the Mercedes takes off on her, leads her on a chase, flips, and the driver runs for it. If that weren’t bad enough, there’s a dead body in the trunk. Now Kate has to go to the reading of the will of a grandfather that she never knew existed before working this case with her rookie partner and her ex-husband (who’s also her Sergeant). No big deal, right? 

This is the first in a new series from Jamie Lee Scott, author of the Gotcha Detective Agency Mystery and Willa Friday Food & Wine Mystery series’. I always enjoy Jamie’s books, but this one was very different from her other works in a wonderful way. It was much darker and grittier, but definitely still has her voice. The characters are all incredibly well developed and fleshed out, including all of the secondary characters. They all had a great foundational story built in this first book, and the ending just left me wanting more! I can’t wait for the second book in the series, Bang Switch, which is coming this month!

Love is a Many Splintered Thing (Gotcha Detective Agency, Book 12)

Posted on by The Novel Girl

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Author: Jamie Lee Scott

Series: Gotcha Detective Agency

Genre: Mystery

Publisher: Novels & Coffee

Pages: 158

Mimi and Nick have gotten married and have settled in to their beautiful new home. Married life seems to be going well, and all seems to be just perfect. But is anything ever really as perfect as it seems? Something always has to come along and rock the boat. When Charles offers Mimi cruise tickets as a way to escape the chaos she, of course, jumps at the opportunity. With Charles and Mimi on board, though, a relaxing cruise was never going to be just a relaxing cruise! 

It was so much fun to be back in the world of the Gotcha Detective Agency! I had been waiting to see what happened after the end of book eleven, and book twelve did not disappoint! The ongoing storyline just got better, and the new mystery was a lot of fun. There was a bit of a “closed-door” mystery feel to it, as it was on a ship with limited access and limited suspects. Those have always been some of my favorite mysteries to read. The central characters have, of course, been well fleshed out over the course of twelve books. Scott did a wonderful job, however, with the introduction of the new characters and giving them great personalities, stories, and giving me a reason to feel some way about them. She also succeeded in giving this book great setting and atmosphere, as it was set mostly in a different setting than the usual Gotcha book. Overall, it was the reading experience that I was waiting for, and I’m looking forward to the next one! 

 

Love is a Many Splintered Thing release!!

Posted on by The Novel Girl

Book 12 in the Gotcha Detective Agency Mystery series has arrived!!

Nick and Mimi have gotten married, and are settling in to life as husband and wife. Things seem to be going well, when Charles offers Mimi tickets for a cruise. In true Charles and Mimi form, this will not be the relaxing cruise that it is planned to be….

I’m so excited to get started on Mimi, Charles, and the gangs next adventure! If you’re as excited as I am, you can buy the book here:

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Many-Splintered-Thing-Detective-ebook/dp/B07JKQTL5J/ref=nodl_

Congrats and happy release day, Jamie!!!

Breakfast, Bouchy, & Murder: A Willa Friday Food & Wine Cozy Mystery (Willa Friday Culinary Cozy Mystery, Book 4)

Posted on by The Novel Girl

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Author: Jamie Lee Scott

Series: Willa Friday

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Publisher: Novels & Coffee

Pages: 162

 

Willa Friday has sworn off amateur sleuthing. She is completely focused on her food blogging business. That is until a series of events drags her back in… While she is at a blogging convention, her assistant goes missing. He isn’t returning any calls, texts, or emails, which is completely unlike him. Willa returns home, and there is still no sign of him. Meanwhile, Hattie (her mother-in-law) and her girlfriends are all set for a fun day in San Francisco which should have nothing to do with Willa, until an urgent phone call from Hattie drags her in to yet another murder investigation. Are these events linked? What will Willa and Hattie get in to next?

This book was so much fun, guys! Of course, the main characters are already really well developed as this is the fourth book in the series. However, there are some new characters introduced that add some great depth to the story, and they are well fleshed out, as well. This is a cozy mystery, so there is nothing really dark or horrific, but there are still some great twists that the reader may not see coming. If you’ve been following the series, there are some fun reveals in this installment! If you’re a cozy mystery fan, I recommend this series to you. It has great characters and ongoing plot line (plus fun recipes!). You can jump in at this book and you would be able to pick up and not feel too terribly lost, but I would definitely recommend going back to the first book of the series, Pasta, Pinot, & Murder. Here is my review of that, if you’d like to see it: Pasta Pinot & Murder: A Food & Wine Cozy Mystery (Willa Friday, Book 1).

This is out now, and the buy link is below! Go, read, enjoy!!

Pasta Pinot & Murder: A Food & Wine Cozy Mystery (Willa Friday, Book 1)

Posted on by The Novel Girl

Pasta Pinot & Murder cover

Author: Jamie Lee Scott

Series: Willa Friday

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Publisher: LBB Company

Pages: 173

 

Willa Friday is owner and food blogger for “A Dish in Thyme”, and a food photographer. She, along with her ex-husband and their daughter, live on the vineyard owned by her ex-mother-in-law. She also rents her work space from her. Willa has just hired a new assistant to replace her daughter, who is leaving for college, and has begun training him when she is reminded that she is to meet the owner of another vineyard to get the details for an event that she is to do photography for. When she arrives at the vineyard, however, she finds the owner dead and her ex-mother-in-law the main suspect in the murder. Willa becomes involved in the investigation, and finds out more information about the local vineyard owners than she bargained for, putting her in the crosshairs.

This was a fun, quick read. The characters were all well developed, with room to develop them even further without it seeming forced. There was a good plot and storyline, that didn’t seem stale, as it can sometime seem with cozies. It’s peppered throughout with recipes, and food and wine pairings (looking forward to trying some of those!). This was definitely something original, which I always enjoy. There was a lot of fun snark and wit in the dialogue. If you have read Scott’s other work, you can hear her voice in this book, but there is no doubt that this is much lighter fare compared to her Gotcha series. I would have to day that this first installment, in what is set to be a new series, is a success.