Not enough sleuthing. (2.5* rounding up)

Venus Bixby is a woman who seems to think the world revolves around her. When she is invited to a dinner party, she thinks the party is in honour of the new business she is about to open and she is miffed when the host doesn’t even mention said business during the party. Another time, when her lover/lodger brings a guest to Venus’ Thanksgiving dinner and is asked to make introductions, Venus is miffed again:

<blockquote>I thought she worked for me. Shouldn’t I do the introductions?</blockquote>

There are a lot of things Venus doesn’t think odd. For instance that the mayor’s wife gets a position on the Town Committee. Her only gripe is that she wanted that position. Though I’m not quite sure what it is the Town Committee is or does, the mayor appointing his own wife is nepotism. And she doesn’t even balk when the mayor and his wife want to take dancing lessons at her dance studio, but refuse to pay for the privilege.

<blockquote>I didn’t think you’d mind. Rich and powerful have their privileges, ya know.</blockquote>

Corruption and open to bribery are not privileges.

As an aside, I see this sort of thing often in cozies where everyone just accepts it as fact. It’s not an okay thing and elected officials should do better than even give off the suggestion that they are willing to take back-handers for favours. On the other hand, what can you expect from a town that presents in its town charter the coin-flip as an alternative to direct democracy. /rant

Then the tree lighting goes horribly wrong and Venus and her sister Sherrie feel they must get involved. Of course their involvement does not stop at making a list of possible suspects and going to the wake to see who behaves suspiciously. The local detective lets Venus take control of the situation. He follows Venus when she leads him away when the two of them stumble upon a crime scene; he shares information with her first.

Why? She’s stumbled on a corpse before and to her own claims solved that murder. (I haven’t read the first book, so I can’t verify whether Venus actually solved the murder or the murderer revealed themselves to her, which Cozy sleuths often mistake for solving a murder.) But even if she was the greatest sleuth ever, it’s way too earlier in her sleuthing career for the police to recognise her greatness.

At the very least, detective Donovan should have insisted Venus share her information first. He does insist, however, that Venus come with him when he goes to tell the widow about the autopsy finds, claiming that Venus is a close friend of the widow. She isn’t, at least not lately, and shouldn’t it be the widow’s decision who’s shoulder she wants to cry on?

Again, Venus takes over.

<blockquote>Oscar just sat there, listening.</blockquote>

I want to interpret that in the most favourable way, that the detective believes he learns more by listening than by talking (including asking questions). Except that the detective comes off as a sap that is relegated to the corner while the grown ups are talking.

And from his position in the corner, he doesn’t even raise a hand and suggest Venus is looking at the situation from the wrong angle. <spoiler>It was only decided a day before that the mayor would flip the switch in stead of his wife. So Venus has listed as possible suspects everyone who learned about the switch. As such, completely ignoring that the wife might have been the intended victim.</spoiler>

Venus steadily marches on from her angle and comes up with a plan to get all her key suspects in one place, <blockquote>so the detective could grill each suspect regarding means, motive, and opportunity.</blockquote> Since when do the police need help in that department? They can just walk up to people and say: “can I ask you a few questions?”

I’m a fan of mysteries where the sleuth talks to this person and that and gradually figures out who’s the culprit. Gathering all the suspects in a room where the sleuth dismisses one by one all but one, is a great finish. I don’t like how it was done here: gather all the suspects in one place, ply them with alcohol and wait for one of them to loose their wits.

The writing has a nice light-footed touch I can appreciate.

Venus, who has her hand in multiple pots in her town, is focused on getting her kitty daycare business up and running. When she is invited to a special dinner around Thanksgiving, she suspects her new project will be lauded. She is sorely disappointed when there is nary a comment from the mayor and his wife, a frenemy of Venus if there ever was. Venus thinks this is her best friend. It brings to mind the old saying- with friends like these who needs enemies. Alas and alack Venus’ project takes a back seat when the mayor is killed at the lighting of the Christmas decorations. Was it just bad luck or was there a motive behind the tragedy.

Once Venus starts to investigate, one of the suspects is someone near and dear to her. While she does not want to think badly of this person, the evidence seems to point in that direction. She does not, however, see the blazingly obvious suspect who does turn out to be the villain. I had that one pegged very early in the book. I don’t mind that if the book has me doubting my suspicions a few times before the big reveal. I never wavered. So I was a bit disappointed in it.

Three purrs and two paws up.

Cats! Cookies! Chaos!

Coming off a few darker reads (I’m looking at you, Armstrong) this book is exactly the palate cleanser I needed.

It doesn’t matter that it’s June.
It doesn’t matter that I hadn’t read the first of the series.
It doesn’t matter that cozy mysteries aren’t my normal fare.

With its quirky, robust characters, its small-town tropey goodness, and its low-stakes murder mystery, this book came at the perfect time.
I’m immediately tracking down Whale of a Murder for the next time my soul needs a literary breather.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!!

This was such a sweet little cozy mystery, I absolutely loved the atmosphere of the book.

Switched at Death has too much switching times. Without warning the story flip flops which was confusing. I also had trouble connecting to the characters. I would have enjoyed it more if it has been chronological.

A fun quick read with cookies, kitties and twins, Venus and Sherrie. The twins have a kitty day care which I love the concept! When the town's mayor ends up dead the girls feel they must solve. Lots of red herrings keep you guessing. Thanks #Netgalley and #AspetuckPublishing for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. The opinions are all mine.

Switched at Death is a cozy mystery. I had such high hopes for this, it consists of three of my favourite things. Cats, Christmas and a cozy mystery. Unfortunately it didnt reach my expectations , i was expecting more cats and sadly they weren't in it much. It was a nice enough read, but I also found it dragged abit as well. These are just my thoughts and fans of cozy mysteries will probably love it.
It's a three stars from me.

The plot is thin, the characters one-dimensional and the dialogue stilted. All in all a hard pass. I do not recommend this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Valerie Taylor for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Switched at Death coming out April 22, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I didn’t read the first book in the series. I’m obsessed with cozy mysteries. I thought the New England setting was really fun. I think there’s a lot of interesting characters in the book. I think the whole town was involved in each other’s lives. it was a fun mystery. So I would definitely read more books by this author.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries!

Twins, Venus, and Sherrie are at it again! While celebrating Thanksgiving at Chatham Crossing, their mayor collapses during the town's tree lighting ceremony.

Venus is busy running her kitty daycare, so she isn't sure if she will be getting involved in the mayor's death once information starts to come out that it may have been a murder. But, once her cookie bakery is involved in his death, she has nothing left to do but try to figure out who the killer is.

This cozy murder mystery is atmospheric and full of many characters that are very different and often times complex. The small-town vibe really brings to life this town and their day to day.
I really enjoyed the book and it's characters though they weren't always well behaved or charming.

Thank you, Netgalley and Aspetuck Publishing!

Switched at death is a unique and entertaining read with a clever take on life after death. Twists kept me guessing, and the characters had just the right mix of drama and charm. Valerie Taylor does a great job blending mystery with heart- definitely worth the read!

not read a valerie taylor book before i enjoyed the story but it was a struggle for me to get through thats nore me than the book itself as i do struggle if there are alot of characters in a book and i kept having to go backwards and forwards to remind myself whos who and got a bit lost.. I like venus though.

This was a good story. It just took quite some time to pick up and actually have a murder. I think I was near to or past the halfway point before there was even anything remotely close to a mystery/murder. I think if you read the first book, which I didn't, you would probably be a lot more into the stories of the characters rather than that of the mystery. I learned a whole lot about each character and feel like I know them well but felt a little less in tune with the mystery.
That said, this is a fun story. It takes place in smaller town during the holidays though, aside from a big Thanksgiving meal, they really don't feature all that often. They are 100% necessary for the story but not a big feature when it comes down to it. I can't give things away here so I'm trying to be very careful in how I explain certain things!
The writing is fun in this book. I like the author's style. It's sort of an easily readable and relatable style. The story flows well for the most part and it does start to pull you in as the story goes on.

This was a charming and quick read that delivers a solid cozy mystery. There were several red herrings that kept you guessing into the end, and the characters are well defined and developed making them relatable and feeling more like a visit with friends then just a quick read.

Cookies and kitties? Stop it. Take my money immediately. I loved this book! Excuse me while I go open a kitty daycare now!

The town’s beloved mayor is dead. When it’s determined that it wasn’t an accident, Venus and her twin sister, Sherrie, set out to solve the crime. Turns out there are several suspects. Then, the cookie bakery is demolished but the rest of the shop isn’t. Who would want to kill the mayor and is the same person responsible for destroying the cookie bakery?

A fun whodunit about friendship, jealousy, lies, and more. I had my suspicions, and it turns out I was right, at least about part of it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What of this book I read had potential, but the timeline jumped all over the place and it was impossible to follow. Also, the protagonist is kind of obnoxious. Maybe if I had read the other books in the series it would have made more sense, but it is doubtful.

Sleuthing sisters are back again. I enjoyed the first installment but wasn’t as crazy about this one. The murder of the beloved mayor is the theme of the holiday season. Venus and her twin, Sherrie (visiting from CA for the holidays) get a little help from Sherrie’s daughter this time. While I enjoyed their detecting process, I was a little less enamored with Venus’s jealousy. I felt it took away from the storyline and made her look insecure when she’s a small business mogul. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.

I had high hopes for this novel. The cover is cute and the blurb was promising. Unfortunately, I never connected with the story and felt stranded on the sidelines, unable to get invested by the stakes. But my experience remains a personal one, so give it a try and see for yourself. You might appreciate it more than me!

This was one of the best books I've read. I love the characters and how they were. The storyline is amazing. I love the mystery in this book. I definitely recommend this book.