Brenda H. (booksinvt) -
Class Reunions are Murder is the debut in the A Poppy McAllister Mystery series. Poppy McAllister is a recent widow who has put on a few pounds, holed up in her home with her Persian cat Figaro and is doing her best to avoid her mother in law Georgina.
When the invitation to her 25th high school reunion arrives in the mail the last thing Poppy wants to do is return home to Cape May, NJ and face off with her arch nemesis and high school bully Barbie Pomeroy Clark not to mention ex-fiance Tim. Best friend Sawyer Montgomery isn't going to let her off the hook though, and Poppy figures that taking a road trip with Fig would be better than helping Georgina with her endless charity work.
Arriving back in her hometown, Poppy is greeted at the door of her family home by her Aunt Ginny Frankowski. A little taken aback that the house has fallen into disrepair and her aunt seems a little frazzled, she's even more surprised when a woman from the Department of Youth and Family Services shows up to say that they want to take her aunt's house away because she's been exhibiting signs of instability.
The reunion is going about how she expected, Barbie and her flock of mean girls immediately seek out Poppy and her friends to pick a fight. A scuffle ensues, drinks are flowing and the gossip is all too reminiscent of high school. Stepping out for some fresh air Poppy is shocked to find a dead body stuffed up against her old locker.
With the police putting Poppy at the top of the their suspect list she decides it's time to get a grip and start sticking up for herself and for her Aunt Ginny.
A fun debut with a cast of characters that will have you smiling and laughing out loud, a delightful and mischievous cat and a heroine that will have you rooting for her from page one. I'll be looking forward to more adventures with Poppy, Ginny and Fig.
When the invitation to her 25th high school reunion arrives in the mail the last thing Poppy wants to do is return home to Cape May, NJ and face off with her arch nemesis and high school bully Barbie Pomeroy Clark not to mention ex-fiance Tim. Best friend Sawyer Montgomery isn't going to let her off the hook though, and Poppy figures that taking a road trip with Fig would be better than helping Georgina with her endless charity work.
Arriving back in her hometown, Poppy is greeted at the door of her family home by her Aunt Ginny Frankowski. A little taken aback that the house has fallen into disrepair and her aunt seems a little frazzled, she's even more surprised when a woman from the Department of Youth and Family Services shows up to say that they want to take her aunt's house away because she's been exhibiting signs of instability.
The reunion is going about how she expected, Barbie and her flock of mean girls immediately seek out Poppy and her friends to pick a fight. A scuffle ensues, drinks are flowing and the gossip is all too reminiscent of high school. Stepping out for some fresh air Poppy is shocked to find a dead body stuffed up against her old locker.
With the police putting Poppy at the top of the their suspect list she decides it's time to get a grip and start sticking up for herself and for her Aunt Ginny.
A fun debut with a cast of characters that will have you smiling and laughing out loud, a delightful and mischievous cat and a heroine that will have you rooting for her from page one. I'll be looking forward to more adventures with Poppy, Ginny and Fig.
Class Reunions are Murder by Libby Klein is the first installment in A Poppy McAllister Mystery series. Poppy McAllister is a widow of six months. Since her husband passed away, she has stayed cooped up in her home watching cooking shows, overindulging in sweets, talking to her cat (Sir Figaro Newton) and avoiding her overbearing mother-in-law, Georgina. She receives an invitation for her twenty-fifth high school reunion along with a strange note from her high school nemesis, Barbie Pomeroy Clark. The last thing Poppy wishes to do is attend, but her friend Sawyer insists she attend (responds to the invitation for her). It does give Poppy a chance to visit her unique Aunt Ginny and see how she is faring. After purchasing a new (hideous) dress that fits, Poppy is off to the reunion. Barbie has not changed one iota since high school (mean, nasty, bully). Poppy's friend, Sawyer gets into an altercation with Barbie. When Poppy goes to check on Sawyer, she finds Barbie dead in front of her old locker. Amber, another high school nemesis, is now a police officer and arrests Poppy of the crime. Poppy is soon released (thanks to old high school boyfriend) and she sets out to prove her innocence. The suspects list is quite long since Barbie made enemies on a daily basis. Poppy must also help her Aunt Ginny deal with an aggressive social services worker and cope with her new diet/exercise regimen prescribed by the holistic doctor (to help with her depression). Poppy needs to locate the murderer before she ends up celebrating her 30th reunion behind bars.
Class Reunions are Murder is a debut novel from Libby Klein. The book opens with middle aged Poppy McAllister a hot mess. She is grieving the loss of her husband (understandable) and dealing with a difficult mother-in-law (who objects to Poppy spending any of her inheritance). Poppy has been eating donuts, fudge, cookies, brownies and other sweet (unhealthy but delicious) treats for the last six months (gained 60 pounds). She spends her days in workout/yoga clothes that are ill fitting and stained while watching cooking shows (and talking to Figaro). The last thing she wants to do is return to Cape May, New Jersey for her high school reunion (I do not blame her). Circumstances (and a conversation with an inmate while she was in the local jail) in Cape May force Poppy out of her funk. There is a murder (she is being railroaded by an angry police officer), a social services worker is trying to force Aunt Ginny into an assisted living facility, a holistic doctor puts her on the Paleo diet and suggests Poppy try yoga, and none of her clothes fit her. Aunt Ginny is a lively, eccentric and lonely woman. I believe she has missed having family nearby and that is why her home has been neglected. There are two love interests for Poppy (which I found odd since she is still grieving her husband). The handsome barista, Giampaolo and her old high school boyfriend, Tim. The mystery was interesting with several suspects (her high school class had a number of mean girls). The clues are sprinkled throughout the book to aid readers in identifying the culprit. Poppy does not take to sleuthing right off, but gets better as the story progresses. She is fortunate to have help from her friends and Aunt Ginny. I believe many readers can relate to high school drama with the bullying mean girls, the jocks and good friends. I like the point the author made about perception. Every story has two sides with each person having a different perspective. The various storylines were nicely wrapped up at the end of the book. I did find a repetition of information (a common problem lately in cozy mysteries), and I felt the book was a too long (407 pages). A little editing would have enhanced the story. Class Reunions are Murder is a light, humorous cozy mystery that will have readers chuckling through the whole book.
Class Reunions are Murder is a debut novel from Libby Klein. The book opens with middle aged Poppy McAllister a hot mess. She is grieving the loss of her husband (understandable) and dealing with a difficult mother-in-law (who objects to Poppy spending any of her inheritance). Poppy has been eating donuts, fudge, cookies, brownies and other sweet (unhealthy but delicious) treats for the last six months (gained 60 pounds). She spends her days in workout/yoga clothes that are ill fitting and stained while watching cooking shows (and talking to Figaro). The last thing she wants to do is return to Cape May, New Jersey for her high school reunion (I do not blame her). Circumstances (and a conversation with an inmate while she was in the local jail) in Cape May force Poppy out of her funk. There is a murder (she is being railroaded by an angry police officer), a social services worker is trying to force Aunt Ginny into an assisted living facility, a holistic doctor puts her on the Paleo diet and suggests Poppy try yoga, and none of her clothes fit her. Aunt Ginny is a lively, eccentric and lonely woman. I believe she has missed having family nearby and that is why her home has been neglected. There are two love interests for Poppy (which I found odd since she is still grieving her husband). The handsome barista, Giampaolo and her old high school boyfriend, Tim. The mystery was interesting with several suspects (her high school class had a number of mean girls). The clues are sprinkled throughout the book to aid readers in identifying the culprit. Poppy does not take to sleuthing right off, but gets better as the story progresses. She is fortunate to have help from her friends and Aunt Ginny. I believe many readers can relate to high school drama with the bullying mean girls, the jocks and good friends. I like the point the author made about perception. Every story has two sides with each person having a different perspective. The various storylines were nicely wrapped up at the end of the book. I did find a repetition of information (a common problem lately in cozy mysteries), and I felt the book was a too long (407 pages). A little editing would have enhanced the story. Class Reunions are Murder is a light, humorous cozy mystery that will have readers chuckling through the whole book.
Joy L. (vintagejoy) -
I love this book! This is one of those cozies that just grab you within the first 10 pages. Delightful and hilarious MC Poppy McAllister is staying with her Aunt Ginny while she attends her class reunion. Murder and mayhem run throughout the book, between her aunt's antics, being named as that new politically correct 'Person of Interest,' and finding not one, but two love interests. The characters are great. No steamy, intimate love details or very, very little, maybe 5, instances of profanity and all were mild. Which just goes to show that it is not entirely necessary to have the heroines jump into a different bed every 10 pages or so or to have such rampant or strong profanity you can hardly get around it to write an exceptionally good book
And on top of all that there is Poppy's cat Figaro. He is a riot! :)
I recommend this first book of the series highly. 5 stars!
And on top of all that there is Poppy's cat Figaro. He is a riot! :)
I recommend this first book of the series highly. 5 stars!
