Saturday, January 27, 2024

Review: Murderous Means by Lida Sideris




About the Book


Genre
Cozy Mystery

Format
E-ARC

Publisher
Level Best Books

Release Date
December 5, 2023


Synopsis from Goodreads:


Corrie Locke may not be the best rookie lawyer in town, but when it comes to catching a killer, let’s just say, she’s got enough skills to bring a band of shifty-eyed suspects to their knees.

When the wealthy matriarch of the dysfunctional Means family dies in her sleep, Corrie’s hired to prove the death was anything but peaceful. Problem is, the only evidence she has to go on is a half-baked psychic vision that the matriarch was murdered. To put the matter to rest, Corrie sets her sights on proving the psychic's a fraud. After all, everyone knows psychics are crack-pots. But what should be a simple investigation morphs into something deadly.

The deeper Corrie digs, the more bizarre truths are revealed. Tempers rise as she trails a cunning killer who will do whatever it takes to shut the investigation down before the real truth comes to light. It's up to Corrie to catch a killer… who's about to strike again.

My Review

With the help of her friends, Corrie Locke is busy setting up her new private investigation business.  When she gets a call to investigate the death of JoJo Means, she devotes her time to the case.  It’s an interesting case since the wealthy seventy-two-year-old woman was healthy and nobody even noticed she died for a few days.

The Means family is more than interested in what happened to JoJo.  Not so much because they really cared about her, but instead wanted to know who would inherit her fortune.  The family has their own psychic who insists the woman had been murdered, but the police need more than that.  They need actual evidence and that’s where Corrie and her team come in.  

As Corrie investigates, she turns over more family secrets than she could count.  It turns out each family member is a prime suspect in the possible murder.  It gets even more dangerous when strange things start happening.  It’s up to Corrie to stop a killer in his or her tracks.

This is the sixth book in the Southern California Mystery series, and it really keeps you on your toes.  I came to this series late in the game, but it didn't matter.  I started with book five which I enjoyed.  Book six is another strong story in the series.  I really need to make time to read the first four books.

The characters are all well written.  Corrie, her mother, and her sidekick Veera are so much fun.  They make a great team along with Corrie’s romantic partner Michael.   The four of them have a great rapport.

The Means family is definitely well described as dysfunctional.  Corrie doesn’t want to believe any of them would kill a member of their own family, but she can’t rule it out either.

Corrie’s investigation leads her on a wild and dangerous chase to find the true culprit before anyone else is hurt. She needs to fight off well-meaning neighbors, family and a psychic to do it.  

Lida Sideris does a great job of bringing the reader into the story, building the tension, and giving the reader a huge puzzle to figure out.  The ending really took me by surprise.  I didn’t see it coming at all.  It's always a plus when I'm surprised.  

I’m looking forward to reading Corrie’s next adventure.



For reading challenges:

Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge 2024
Literary Escapes Reading Challenge 2024 (California)
Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge 2024
Cruisin’ thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2024


FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from the author and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions expressed are my own.




4 comments:

  1. Thank you so very much, Yvonne, for this wonderful review! I'm so happy that you enjoyed it! Yay!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't think I've read a cozy with a lawyer as the protagonist. I'm curious.

    ReplyDelete

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