Saturday, August 11, 2018

Review: Poppy Harmon Investigates by Lee Hollis



Genre:
Cozy Mystery

Format:
E-Book

Publisher:
Kensington

Release Date:
July 31, 2018








Synopsis from Goodreads:

Lee Hollis begins a delightful new series in which Poppy Harmon and her friends find that life after retirement can be much busier--and deadlier--than any of them ever anticipated . . .

When Poppy goes from complacent retiree to penniless widow in a matter of weeks, the idea of spending her golden years as the biggest charity case in Palm Springs renders her speechless. With no real skills and nothing left to lose, Poppy uses her obsession with true crime shows to start a career as a private eye . . .

But after opening the Desert Flowers Detective Agency with help from her two best friends, Violet and Iris, Poppy realizes that age brings wisdom, not business--until she convinces her daughter's handsome boyfriend, Matt, to pose as the face of the agency. It's not long before Matt's irresistible act snags a client desperate to retrieve priceless jewelry burglarized from an aging actress at the Palm Leaf Retirement Village. Or before Poppy stumbles upon the bloodied body of the victim's arch rival . . .

In a flash, Poppy's innocent detective gig is upstaged by a dangerous murder investigation riddled with slimy suspects and unspeakable scandal. As she and her team uncover the truth, Poppy must confront the secrets about her late husband's past and swiftly catch a killer lurking around the retirement community--even if it means turning her world upside down all over again.

My Review

Things aren’t going well for Poppy Harmon. Her husband unexpectedly dies. Then, she learns he left her with no money and no means to support herself. As a 60-something woman she has no place to live and no job skills. What she does have is a love of mysteries. Although her friends and family laugh at her, she gets a P.I. license and opens her own detective agency, The Desert Flowers Detective Agency.

She quickly learns that it’s not easy to get a business off the ground even with her best friends Iris and Violet more than willing to be part of the team. When she meets her daughter’s handsome new boyfriend, she persuades him to act as the head of the agency. A handsome man like him is more likely to gain clients. She’s correct and they get their first big case.

Shirley Fox, a popular 1970s sitcom star, hires them to find out who has been stealing her valuable jewelry at the Palm Leaf Retirement Village. Poppy thought their first case would be an easy one, but theft turned into murder. Things begin to get quite complicated for The Desert Flowers Detective Agency.

This book grabbed me from the first page. It’s an excellent beginning to a new cozy mystery series. The characters are quirky, witty, and a total joy to read about. They will have you laughing and crying.

It’s a fast-paced story. I couldn’t put this one down. I kept wanting to know what would happen next. It’s a cleverly plotted storyline with an ending that completely took me off guard. Not only didn’t I see it coming, it wasn’t even on my radar. Very well written.

Poppy Harmon Investigates felt like a cross between Jessica Fletcher’s Murder, She Wrote and the old TV show Charlie’s Angels. I loved every minute of this one and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.





For reading challenges:
Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge 2018

Disclosure: I borrowed the e-book from my library. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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