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bookwoman37's review
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
3.0
Izzy decides to visit her estranged father in Iowa after a bitter divorce and the death of her mother. When she arrives her father is missing and there is a dead man in his house. Everyone is sure her father is guilty so with the help of some local ladies she sets out to solve the murder and reunite with her father. The characters were a lot of fun. The mystery was ok with lots of suspects. I look for word to reading the next book. Enjoy
hugbandit7's review against another edition
4.0
Iowa can be deadly! This is a good start to a new series about Isabella who heads to Iowa to meet a father she has never known, while escaping from a marriage that is ending. What she doesn't expect to find is a dead body in her father's home or that he is missing and presumed that he killed his best friend.
The mystery is finding out who killed Stan and Isabella jumps into that feet first because she wants to clear her father. She has a group of older ladies, called the Q's, helping her out by snooping and asking questions wherever possible. Isabella (or Izzy as she is sometimes called) manages to put herself in some not so great situations - but it wouldn't be a cozy if she didn't.
I didn't figure out who the murderer was, but the clues were there...I just went down the wrong path!
There are several intriguing twists that I won't describe because it makes the story more rounded, but you might be able to figure out a few things as you read the book.
And of course there is a love interest with Gabe. He lives next door to her father and at first you think he doesn't like Izzy, but we are proved wrong later in the book.
The mystery is finding out who killed Stan and Isabella jumps into that feet first because she wants to clear her father. She has a group of older ladies, called the Q's, helping her out by snooping and asking questions wherever possible. Isabella (or Izzy as she is sometimes called) manages to put herself in some not so great situations - but it wouldn't be a cozy if she didn't.
I didn't figure out who the murderer was, but the clues were there...I just went down the wrong path!
There are several intriguing twists that I won't describe because it makes the story more rounded, but you might be able to figure out a few things as you read the book.
And of course there is a love interest with Gabe. He lives next door to her father and at first you think he doesn't like Izzy, but we are proved wrong later in the book.
justinlife's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
1.75
This was ok. There was somethings to like about it, but overall, it made me feel that this was a writing assignment for a workshop that got explored. It felt that it needed an editor to reel in the character and focus.
The story follows Isabella as she recently divorced a real estate mogul in New York and was on her way to find her father who she has never met. Murder ensues and this part time artist tries to solve the case.
I did enjoy some of the secondary characters but not much else. The story felt "and then this and then this and then this..." and it didn't give me what I wanted from the plot.
It's not the worst thing I've read and I could see where this could be improved, but overall, I won't be doing this again.
The story follows Isabella as she recently divorced a real estate mogul in New York and was on her way to find her father who she has never met. Murder ensues and this part time artist tries to solve the case.
I did enjoy some of the secondary characters but not much else. The story felt "and then this and then this and then this..." and it didn't give me what I wanted from the plot.
It's not the worst thing I've read and I could see where this could be improved, but overall, I won't be doing this again.
jen_baroness_mom's review against another edition
5.0
Nearly Dead in Iowa by Wendy Byrne is a cute cozy mystery with wonderful characters.
Izzy is our sleuth. She is recently divorced and moving to Iowa to meet her father for the first time in her thirty years. As she refers to herself, Isabella is an artist with some self-confidence issues. Her ex-husband is a jerk who tries to control everything about her. Throughout the story, Izzy's confidence is growing. She is a brilliant artist, and it seems that she will be able to sell her art in Iowa City. I like that she is friendly and finds a group of ladies to be friends with. Izzy is stubborn but lovable.
When Izzy arrives at her father's house, there is no power, and she trips over a dead body. Since no one in town knows her, she is the main suspect. However, her father is the next best suspect since he is missing, and doesn't have the best reputation. Someone is trying to convince Izzy to leave or they will kill her. Izzy sets out to find her father and clear his name. This sleuth has no idea what she is doing, but with the help of her new friends, she might figure it out before they take her out.
I love the characters, and the setting is adorable. Ms. Byrne does a beautiful job with the red herrings and setting the clues. I got it a bit before our sleuth. My rating for Nearly Dead in Iowa by Wendy Byrne is five stars. I recommend this book to all cozy readers out there.
Will Isabella find her dad dead or alive?
Isabella (Izzy) Lewis
Izzy is our sleuth. She is recently divorced and moving to Iowa to meet her father for the first time in her thirty years. As she refers to herself, Isabella is an artist with some self-confidence issues. Her ex-husband is a jerk who tries to control everything about her. Throughout the story, Izzy's confidence is growing. She is a brilliant artist, and it seems that she will be able to sell her art in Iowa City. I like that she is friendly and finds a group of ladies to be friends with. Izzy is stubborn but lovable.
The Mystery
When Izzy arrives at her father's house, there is no power, and she trips over a dead body. Since no one in town knows her, she is the main suspect. However, her father is the next best suspect since he is missing, and doesn't have the best reputation. Someone is trying to convince Izzy to leave or they will kill her. Izzy sets out to find her father and clear his name. This sleuth has no idea what she is doing, but with the help of her new friends, she might figure it out before they take her out.
Five Stars
I love the characters, and the setting is adorable. Ms. Byrne does a beautiful job with the red herrings and setting the clues. I got it a bit before our sleuth. My rating for Nearly Dead in Iowa by Wendy Byrne is five stars. I recommend this book to all cozy readers out there.
Izzy Lewis Mysteries Series
Also Available on KindleUnlimited
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Nearly Dead in Iowa by Wendy Byrne.
Until the next time,
This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove
sbnich's review against another edition
3.0
Perfect, quick read while sick. I purposely abandoned my TBR list and searched for a cozy mystery ebook I could read during periods of insomnia. This was the first to pop up.
Not stellar writing, but enjoyable enough.
Not stellar writing, but enjoyable enough.
storieswithsoul's review against another edition
5.0
It’s a very intriguing story which kept me on my toes from the very beginning until the end. I loved all the characters, even side characters are amazing. It all starts when Izzy comes to visit her father in Iowa. She is recently divorced and looking for a place to start over. When her father contacts her out of the blue it seems befitting. What she doesn’t imagine is finding a dead body and treated like a suspect by small town Sheriff and his friend. This is a very unique and disturbing situation for her but she can’t go back, firstly because there is nothing for her to go back to and secondly because her father is still missing and may be even dead for all anyone knows. So she decided to stay in quaint little town in Iowa. Soon she is dismissed and her father becomes most likely suspect in murder investigation of his best friend.
Izzy can’t let police find her father before she does. She is sure that her father is not involved in the murder and with the help of local ladies she decides to do some investigating on her own. Soon she finds herself in danger but refuses to back off. Someone is very scared that she will uncover the truth. The more time she spends in this small town the more she likes it. But first she needs to get to know more about her father. She is looking forward to meet him.
Her father’s neighbor decides to keep an eye on her since she is an outsider and who knows what she is up to. Soon they start spending time together and there is chemistry between the two. Unfortunately, they always end up arguing which makes it a little difficult to act upon their mutual attraction.
I loved the mystery and the drama, this was one fun read. There were many laugh-out-loud moments and some amazing scenes which I re-read many times. I just enjoyed taking my time reading this book. It was interesting and I wanted to take everything in. It made my favorites shelf.
https://www.mineofbooks.blogspot.com
Izzy can’t let police find her father before she does. She is sure that her father is not involved in the murder and with the help of local ladies she decides to do some investigating on her own. Soon she finds herself in danger but refuses to back off. Someone is very scared that she will uncover the truth. The more time she spends in this small town the more she likes it. But first she needs to get to know more about her father. She is looking forward to meet him.
Her father’s neighbor decides to keep an eye on her since she is an outsider and who knows what she is up to. Soon they start spending time together and there is chemistry between the two. Unfortunately, they always end up arguing which makes it a little difficult to act upon their mutual attraction.
I loved the mystery and the drama, this was one fun read. There were many laugh-out-loud moments and some amazing scenes which I re-read many times. I just enjoyed taking my time reading this book. It was interesting and I wanted to take everything in. It made my favorites shelf.
https://www.mineofbooks.blogspot.com
literarybelleoftheball's review
5.0
Wendy Byrne does it again! From Suspense to Adventure to Cozy Mystery, she can do it all! When Izzy learns that her dad is alive and wants to meet her, she leaves New York City a small town in Iowa. Unfortunately she stumbles upon a murder scene. Now she doesn't know if she should keep looking for her dad or just call it a day and go home. This book kept me on my toes the whole time. I really enjoyed it!
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