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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
Diggin’ Up the Dirt by Tonya Kappes has readers returning to Cottonwood, Kentucky. Kenni Lowry is nervous about meeting Finn Vincent’s parents for the first time. They will be arriving in town in their RV that afternoon. In the meantime, Kenni is attending the funeral of Woody Moss who passed away at Cottonwood Acres Rehabilitation Center. His grandson, Rich Moss was released from prison early on good behavior to attend the event, but Kenni catches him threatening a woman. Kenni gets a call from her mama who is at the home of Lenora Moss for the visitation. While at the funeral home, someone burgled the Moss home and stole Woody’s cufflinks. That evening at the Lowry residence, the two families meet, and things are going well until Preacher Bing arrives to say a blessing. Vivian Lowry is a Southern Baptist while the Vincent’s are Catholics. Heated words are exchanged, and doors are slammed (oh dear). The next morning, Kenni is awakened early when Vivian is out walking and comes across the body of Avon Myers. When Poppa shows up in her vehicle on the way to the crime scene, Kenni knows she has a new murder case to solve. As if Kenni does not have enough on her plate, she talks to Finn and learns that he has career goals that could take him away from Cottonwood. Kenni is in for a busy week with her mother on the warpath, a string of burglaries, a murder, a missing ex-convict, Finn’s visiting parents, relationship trouble plus dealing with the city council on hiring a new deputy. Thank goodness Kenni has her Poppa and her hound dog, Duke for comfort.
Diggin’ Up the Dirt is the seventh A Kenni Lowry Mystery and it can be read as a standalone. I would recommend reading the series in order. It will help you understand Kenni, her relationship with her mother, and why Poppa appears when a murder takes place. Tonya Kappes has a light, breezy writing style that quickly draws readers into her stories. Cottonwood is a small Southern town with quirky characters. There are no secrets in this town where gossip runs faster than maple syrup on hot pancakes. I was happy to see Poppa return because I enjoy his commentary and the humor he adds to the tale. He also helps Kenni in solving the case and provides her insight into her relationship with Finn (plus how to deal with her interfering mother). Duke is a lively addition. Duke reminds me of my Doozy with his love of food. Duke can see Poppa and the two of them pull some shenanigans that puzzle people (since they only see Duke). I wonder if Kenni will ever tell Finn about seeing Poppa (should be an interesting conversation). We get to see Finn and Kenni deal with deeper issues in Diggin’ Up the Dirt. They have a nice relationship, but they have yet to discuss serious matters. The mystery was intriguing since it was more complex than previous whodunits. There are good clues to aid readers in solving the crimes. Avid mystery readers will find it a piece of cake to solve. There is mild foul language in the book. I am giving Diggin’ Up the Dirt 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it).
Diggin’ Up the Dirt is the seventh A Kenni Lowry Mystery and it can be read as a standalone. I would recommend reading the series in order. It will help you understand Kenni, her relationship with her mother, and why Poppa appears when a murder takes place. Tonya Kappes has a light, breezy writing style that quickly draws readers into her stories. Cottonwood is a small Southern town with quirky characters. There are no secrets in this town where gossip runs faster than maple syrup on hot pancakes. I was happy to see Poppa return because I enjoy his commentary and the humor he adds to the tale. He also helps Kenni in solving the case and provides her insight into her relationship with Finn (plus how to deal with her interfering mother). Duke is a lively addition. Duke reminds me of my Doozy with his love of food. Duke can see Poppa and the two of them pull some shenanigans that puzzle people (since they only see Duke). I wonder if Kenni will ever tell Finn about seeing Poppa (should be an interesting conversation). We get to see Finn and Kenni deal with deeper issues in Diggin’ Up the Dirt. They have a nice relationship, but they have yet to discuss serious matters. The mystery was intriguing since it was more complex than previous whodunits. There are good clues to aid readers in solving the crimes. Avid mystery readers will find it a piece of cake to solve. There is mild foul language in the book. I am giving Diggin’ Up the Dirt 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it).
inmyhumbleopinion's review against another edition
5.0
Diggin' Up The Dirt is a fantastic addition to the series. Poor Kenni, she has a murder and a string of thefts to deal with all while dealing with her momma and Finn’s momma too. This was a fun read with an eclectic group of suspects. I love the dynamic Kenni has with Finn and her momma. I look forward to the next installment.
abibliofob's review against another edition
3.0
I find this very entertaining and I feel that one should read the series chronologically. The setting is great and so are the characters. It is only missing some recipes in the end. If you want a mystery with humor read this.
kidisitor's review against another edition
4.0
Another interesting murder in this small southern town. In this installment, Kenni (our Protagonist) has a few problems to work through. Not only the crimes, but she is having trouble in the romance department as well. She gets to finally meet Finn's (her boyfriend) parents, and it doesn't go as planned. Plus there is the threat of him leaving town for a better job. With all of these things going on, Kenni is a bit more emotional. As usual, there are several possible suspects. The great reveal is a surprise. It's a well written, fun and clean cozy mystery with a little romance on the side. It is set in Kentucky and includes all those southern phrases and attitudes you may be familiar with. The characters are a hoot. It's an easy and pretty quick read and safe for teens and up.
*I received an ARC of this book.
*I received an ARC of this book.
bwilhoite8's review
4.0
So very bitter sweet that this is the last Kenni book. I found myself a little emotional while reading this book when it came to to victim. That was a little new for me. I always love Tonya's books and hope she can get the rights to continue this series one day. Kenni met Finns parents in this addition and it would be great to follow them again.
annarella's review
4.0
A good cozy mystery and the discovery of a new entertaining series.
This book was a lot of fun to read, it made me laugh more than once and it kept me on the edge with a mystery that is full of twists and turns.
The description of the Southern small town is charming and make you crave to live there.
There were a lot of funny moments and I liked both the humour and the style of writing.
I look forward to reading other books in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Henery Press and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
This book was a lot of fun to read, it made me laugh more than once and it kept me on the edge with a mystery that is full of twists and turns.
The description of the Southern small town is charming and make you crave to live there.
There were a lot of funny moments and I liked both the humour and the style of writing.
I look forward to reading other books in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Henery Press and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
annarella's review against another edition
4.0
A good cozy mystery and the discovery of a new entertaining series.
This book was a lot of fun to read, it made me laugh more than once and it kept me on the edge with a mystery that is full of twists and turns.
The description of the Southern small town is charming and make you crave to live there.
There were a lot of funny moments and I liked both the humour and the style of writing.
I look forward to reading other books in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Henery Press and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
This book was a lot of fun to read, it made me laugh more than once and it kept me on the edge with a mystery that is full of twists and turns.
The description of the Southern small town is charming and make you crave to live there.
There were a lot of funny moments and I liked both the humour and the style of writing.
I look forward to reading other books in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Henery Press and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
mslizalou's review against another edition
4.0
***3.5 out of 5 stars***
Diggin' Up the Dirt is the latest installment in the Kenni Lowry series of books from Tonya Kappes. The Kenni Lowry series has been one of my favorites ever from Ms. Kappes, yet I found myself not being pulled in as I have been with the books in the past.
I love Kenni so much. She is a no-nonsense woman who loves her job protecting her home town. Her relationship with her boyfriend Finn has always seemed just about perfect to me, and I loved how well they worked together to keep Cottonwood safe. I also adore Kenni's time with her Poppa, even if I think it was past time for her to share the fact she sees him with Finn, and her time with her Mama just about cracks me up anytime they are together.
However, I didn't feel the connection between Finn and Kenni in this book. They seemed to be at odds more than ever and I actually questioned if their personal and working relationship could survive it. Especially once the religious differences of their families came into play. I have to say that once Finn moved over to be the sheriff of Clay's Ferry, I actually felt better about them as a couple, and felt like Kenni was able to focus better on her job again.
While I liked Diggin' Up the Dirt, it didn't have the same feel as the other books in the series. I still loved all the Southern charm of the locals and the banter between so many of the characters, but I just felt like something was missing with this book. I love Kenni Lowry and all the other characters from Cottonwood, and really hope to read future books with these characters.
Rating: 3.5 Stars (B-)
Review copy provided by publisher
Diggin' Up the Dirt is the latest installment in the Kenni Lowry series of books from Tonya Kappes. The Kenni Lowry series has been one of my favorites ever from Ms. Kappes, yet I found myself not being pulled in as I have been with the books in the past.
I love Kenni so much. She is a no-nonsense woman who loves her job protecting her home town. Her relationship with her boyfriend Finn has always seemed just about perfect to me, and I loved how well they worked together to keep Cottonwood safe. I also adore Kenni's time with her Poppa, even if I think it was past time for her to share the fact she sees him with Finn, and her time with her Mama just about cracks me up anytime they are together.
However, I didn't feel the connection between Finn and Kenni in this book. They seemed to be at odds more than ever and I actually questioned if their personal and working relationship could survive it. Especially once the religious differences of their families came into play. I have to say that once Finn moved over to be the sheriff of Clay's Ferry, I actually felt better about them as a couple, and felt like Kenni was able to focus better on her job again.
While I liked Diggin' Up the Dirt, it didn't have the same feel as the other books in the series. I still loved all the Southern charm of the locals and the banter between so many of the characters, but I just felt like something was missing with this book. I love Kenni Lowry and all the other characters from Cottonwood, and really hope to read future books with these characters.
Rating: 3.5 Stars (B-)
Review copy provided by publisher
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