Contemporary Archives

This is the third cozy mystery featuring Pip and it firmly cements the series as one of my all-time favorites.

I can’t speak highly enough about these books (you can read my reviews of the first two here and here). There is so much cleverness and attention to detail that it’s difficult to know where to start.

I like how Pip is fallible. She is not necessarily the sharpest tool in the box, but she gets things done – sometimes in spite of herself. She also finds herself in the most amusing situations…again, mostly of her own doing.

An ill-planned event at the museum from the last book causes her to lose her job. Again. I like how the authors have established this pattern. Pip is always on to the next thing. This time she inserts herself into the middle of a school cheating scandal.

Anyone who pays attention to pop culture even a little will find it reminiscent of the college cheating scandal that rocked Hollywood a couple of years ago. It doesn’t exactly parallel but there are similarities.

Until a dead body pops up. Or rather, face down? And then Detective Pip really has a dilemma on her hands. As has been the case in the other books, Pip is more a beneficiary of luck rather than actual skill, although she does have a knack for talking to the right person at the right time and recognizing important things when necessary.

Cozy Mystery Blog Tour Schedule — Amazon: https://bit.ly/3BK4h1u

Pip’s affinity for pop culture helps her along the way. However, she is woefully underprepared in some areas (her rabbit hole search for sports facts was particularly amusing). Flis also has an uncanny knowledge of pop culture. But hers often seems to be more luck of the draw due to her constant malapropisms.

Honestly, I think Flis is one of my favorite characters ever. I especially liked how her long-suffering husband has apparently figured out a way to get around her horrid attempts at new recipes

My absolute favorite part of these books, however, is the sheer intelligence of the authors. Their command of the language, wordplay, clever alliterations all make for a most enjoyable read. I almost feel like I have to read the books twice: once for the plot and a second time to just enjoy the love of words.

I hope Pip will be around for many books to come because I thoroughly enjoy reading about her escapades.

Other cozy mystery reviews from this author:

FB: KatieGayleWriter
Twitter: @KatieGayleBooks

Author Bio:
Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both make their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats. Unlike their sleuth Epiphany Bloom, neither of them have ever stolen a cat from the vet.

I found a feisty, funny heroine to fawn over in the cozy mystery The Kensington Kidnap, and I’m flying high that Pip is back for another fantastic adventure.

I can’t say enough good things about this book. I just loved every minute of reading it.

When I read psych thrillers, I try and outguess the author as to whatever the big twist might be. With crime novels, I try to solve the case before the police do. And rom-coms sometimes result in a “yeah right – nobody is that romantic” response from me.

With Pip, and this type of cozy mystery, I just get straight-up enjoyment from beginning to end.

I wondered how Pip would be able to stumble upon another “accidental detective” case, but I needn’t have worried. This one is even better than the first and again, it’s right up Pip’s avenue of expertise.

Once again, her love of pop culture gets her a job that quickly turns into more than she expected. Of course, she’s been bitten by the investigative bug and is more than happy to help solve the mystery at hand (you won’t find a spoiler about it here).

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3chaM1l
Apple: https://apple.co/3qzldlV
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3mTY1MV
Google: https://bit.ly/33QqdsO

We get a healthy dose of Most (who has new responsibilities) and a few characters from the first book make reappearances over the course of the investigation.

Guiding her along the way as Flis who may just be one of my favorite characters ever written. She’s ditzy and has no idea what she is saying most of the time (as I mentioned in my review of the first book, Mrs. Malaprop would be proud).

But she is always there to support Pip – even if it takes Pip a while to figure out exactly how she is trying to help! I love every scene between these two.

We also get a glimpse into why Pip and Flis may be the way they are. It comes early on and has to do with a phone call and llamas.

And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

One of the things I like best about these two books is the clever writing. These are books that you need to read carefully – not because you’ll miss an important clue (well, maybe you will), but if you skim, you’ll miss clever asides and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it references or quips.

(My clumsy attempt at alliteration in the first sentence of this review is in honor of the writing tricks the author often uses).

Honestly, even if you aren’t a fan of cozy mysteries, you really should give this series a try. It’s witty, contemporary, and thoroughly engaging.