Record store owner Venus Bixby is ready to turn 50. But she’d like to do in her next decade they become part of Chatham Crossings town committee. But my past once, she stumbles upon a body and becomes a suspect in a murder.

Well, Venus be able to figure out who killed the museum shops manager? Or will she be spending the rest of her birthdays in prison?

The first in a new cozy mystery series, it’s a good start that lays the foundation for many more entries to come. Venus has the ability to engage the reader and keep them sleuthing along with her. I’ll be back for more in this series!

A WHALE OF A MURDER is the first book in the brand-new Venus Bixby Mystery series by Valerie Taylor. Protagonist Venus Bixby is just turning 50 and is ready to celebrate her birthday with a big bash. I love when “women of a certain age” are the main characters and instead of giving up and settling into a boring existence as they age, they take charge and enjoy life at its fullest. Venus is a fun character, as are her friends and frenemies. They’re well-developed and add a dash of humor to the storyline. I found the plot had a slow start (maybe too much backstory all at once?) but once the investigation started, the pace improved. I also enjoyed the music mentions (be sure to check out the playlist along with cookie recipes at the back of the book) and how Venus uses pun-y music lines or titles throughout the book. This is a lighthearted cozy mystery and a good start to the series.

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Normally I love cozy mysteries however this one I had a hard time getting into it. Just was not my style but it was well written and I did enjoy certain parts but it was overall I was not one. I was super fond of

#AWhaleofaMurder #NetGalley is the first in a new series by Valerie Taylor, a new to me author.
Venus Bixby is turning fifty, and the small town of Chatham Crossing is really turning on the celebration in her honor.
Venus owns a unique store, Oldies & Goodies, which has a wide selection of items to purchase, including cookies. Overseeing the shop are Sonny and Cher, a pair of cats that take their job seriously.
While preparations for the event are taking place, Venus literally stumbles over a dead body, which turns her birthday celebration into a murder investigation.

I really enjoyed meeting Venus and the other characters in this book. #AWhaleofaMurder is well written and captured my attention from the beginning of the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.

A delightful mystery, A Whale of a Murder keeps you guessing until the very end. A well crafted story, I quite enjoyed the overall storyline and the well-developed character.

An engaging read. I enjoyed that the main character was older, having just hit her fifties. The plot kept me engaged and interested throughout the book.