Turning forty, menopausal and single mystery writer, Lilly M. needs a little excitement in her life now and then. So, when her aunt Fran turns up missing, Lilly decides playing amateur detective might do the trick. Of course, she would have to keep her snooping from Irene, her adopted mom. She thinks Lilly will snoop herself right into trouble. It doesn’t take a crystal ball or Irene to predict Lilly’s fate; most of the time, her life just turns out that way.
About the Author:
Kathryn Long is a recently retired school teacher who has enjoyed writing mysteries for several years. Credits include mystery shorts, “Betrayal in an Envelope” and “A Good Man”, both published by The Piker Press. Long has ventured into self-publishing the cozy Lilly M. mystery series with titles Whips, Cuffs, and Little Brown Boxes and Gangs, Illegals, and a Rose Tattoo, as well as a series of YA novels, Cinderella Geek, Not So Snow White and Alice in Realityland under the pen name Jennkrist. Dying to Dream is her latest mystery gone to print with indie publisher, Mainly Murder Press. Future publications include a romantic suspense novel titled A Deadly Deed Grows, which will be coming out next year with The Wild Rose Press
Jennifer’s Review of Whips, Cuffs and Little Brown Boxes
Review (4 Stars): This was such a cute little mystery for me. Lilly is a 40-year-old woman who is trying to finish her mystery novel while dating a police detective and has her family hounding her at every turn about when she is going to settle down and have a family. She discovers that her aunt Fran has disappeared and no one has a clue where she went to in this small town. Lilly decides to try to find clues on her aunt’s whereabouts and why she would just disappear without a word. What Lilly finds is more than she bargained for leaving her with more questions as to what aunt Fran got herself involved in before she disappeared.
The thing that I liked the most about this book was the characters. I liked Lilly because I could really relate to her situation as being a single woman who is just trying to make a living while your family keeps asking you when you are going to settle down. She had family everywhere and three women that she considered her “mom.” In a small town, everyone knows everyone else and that is what makes this book fun. Especially the old neighbor who believes that he is Davy Crockett and is always on the lookout for enemies which includes her little dog, Lou. The mystery was well-written and I liked how everything wrapped up nicely at the end. Looking forward to reading more about these characters in future installments of the series.
Thanks so much for the wonderful, fun review! I hope others will enjoy the adventures of Lilly and want to read more, just as you do. Gangs, Illegals, and a Rose Tattoo get her into even more trouble, but as always, everything comes out smoothly in the end … well, ALMOST everything 🙂
This does sound like fun.