This is book 14 in the Sophie Kimball mystery series. It works well as a standalone because the story is easy to follow and there aren’t any gaping holes from information in previous books that isn’t included in this one.

I love that the author paired the main character, Phee (Sophia) with her mom, Harriet, Harriett's somewhat bad dog Streetman, and Harriet’s friends: a group of seniors who have a lot of interesting personalities. If you’re in the midst of those child-rearing, working-for-a-living years, it almost seems as if these seniors might be having a lot more fun than you are. (You might very well be right!) However, it isn’t all fun and games when the seniors are helping to put together a very large crossword puzzle at the library, and the head of the puzzle committee ends up dead. The seniors try to solve the mystery of who killed her. Phee ends up being dragged into the action, and the seniors are a riot.

I thoroughly enjoyed the three books I read in this series, and I hope this one catches your eye because it is definitely worth reading!

Puzzled 4 Murder is set in the Sun City area and populated by eccentric, outrageous senior citizens. The main character works as the accountant at a PI firm (her husband is one of the detectives), and her mother and her friends drive her crazy and bring a lot of fun to the reader.
The library (popular for its air conditioning) has an immense puzzle for the puzzle club to work on during the hot Arizona desert summers. This year, no one can agree on a puzzle, a body is found in the library, and the puzzle keeps getting sabotaged! Couple that with a cold case and the madcap adventures of the seniors and you have a fun read with a good mystery.
Thanks to Beyond the Page Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

amateur-sleuth, Arizona, cozy-crime, bookkeeper, private-investigators, ChiWeenie-dog, husband-and-wife-team, teamwork, verbal-humor, situational-humor, retirees, retirement-community, relatives, friends, families, family-dynamics, friendship, frustration, laugh-riot, local-gossip, local-law-enforcement, murder, posse, relationships, jigsaw-puzzles, undercover, unpleasant-victims, sabotage*****
The story is every bit as much fun as the cover picture regardless of whether or not you've ever read any of the earlier books in the series! What could possibly go wrong when the retirement community
library hosts an event where participants work on a mammoth forty-thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle? Absolutely anything when the participants include (Sophie) Phee's mother and her ChiWeenie, Streetman, and the rest of the gaggle of friends. There is an abundance of plot twists and red herrings to sort through while laughing those sox off! Of course I loved it!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital eGalley from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Avail Feb 25, 2025
#Puzzled4Murder by @j.c.eaton #SophieKimballMysteriesBk14 #BeyondThePagePublishing
#NetGalley @goodreads @bookbub @librarythingofficial @barnesandnoble ***** Review #booksamillion #bookshop_org #bookshop_org_uk #kobo #Waterstones #laughyoursoxoff #retirementcommunity #ChiWeenie #Jigsawpuzzles #cozymysteries #murder #teamwork

Laugh out loud antics and scenes. Who knew putting together a giant sized jig-saw puzzle could be both so challenging and hilarious, not to mention filled with obstacles like vandalism and break-ins. As an Alaskan fairly accustomed to the earth moving beneath my feet, I had to chuckle out loud when the excuse of an earthquake was used to hide one of the efforts to halt the puzzle's construction. Toss in a second, long-cold case investigation that Marshall and Nate are dealing with and Sophie/Phee's mind is whirling. There's rarely a dull moment here in this largely dialogue driven plot and, if there is, it's a set up to an even more hilarious scheme or moment. Long time readers, never fear. Streetman gets lots of space.

I adore this series. While the characters are quirky and, oh, so opinionated, they somehow always come across as individuals that we'd like, albeit probably in small doses for many. Life in the retirement village of Sun City West in Arizona is certainly never dull. True, perhaps not good for ones blood pressure but never dull, especially if Phee's mother is around. Poor Phee. She seems to always be on the alert for the next phone call from her mother and whatever it may bring, which often involves not just her but Marshall and Nate's investigative company. Marshall, Phee's husband, seems to be a bit of a calm, amused voice of calm in the middle of what can often be described as chaos, the perfect balance for Phee's often fretful reactions. I mean, she's a woman who finds calm in the ordered realm of numbers, ie doing the firm's billing and accounting. Friend and office assistant Augusta seems to be fairly well grounded, too, but she has her moments, not to mention goofy theories. I guess when you word for a detective agency that this goes with the territory. Computer guru Rolo, a master hacker, er, computer investigator, always adds a bit of humor along with info that moves things along or throws up stop signs on some of the more outlandish theories. There are many, many other characters who pop in regularly so let's just say, while there are times they may tend to blend together during the fast paced scenes, they always bring something to the story, even Paul the fishing fanatic. As a group, they might make your head spin but, somehow, you'll enjoy every moment of time you spend with them.

.So, who killed Samantha? Why is someone trying to make sure that the jig-saw puzzle is never completed? Who'd care? Well, aside from the attention loving group involved from Sun City West? Who broke into the library in an effort to wreck what progress had been made on the over 4000 piece puzzle? Does Phee's mother have a plan to find out? Of course she does. Many, one of which involves, no lie, ghosts. Don't ask. Read. Can't forget Streetman, of course. That dog can get in more fixes than you can count, so will he be helpful or just a distraction? Or, knowing Streetman, downright destructive? And, oh, more than enough teasers. Trust me. I've only hit some high points. Lots more to keep you laughing and turning pages. Thanks #BeyondThePagePublishing for allowing me this early peek into the chaos surrounding Phee at pretty much any given time. Good thing she has that nice, cool pool to relax in.

#Puzzled4Murder #NetGalley is my favorite of the series so far.
Phee is never shocked by the wild things her mother gets involved in, so it's no surprise to find out that the puzzle club is piecing together a 42,000 piece puzzle. The only question is what puzzle will be chosen.
Not long after the club begins sorting the pieces, bizarre things begin to happen, and soon enough the quirky, colorful residents of Sun City West find themselves involved in another murder investigation.
These characters are really something else, there were many laugh out loud moments in this story.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.