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emilyisreading2024's review against another edition
3.0
This was a cute, fun mystery -- a little silly at times and some characters didn't seem very believable, but overall just fine.
tartbarbie's review against another edition
4.0
Josie’s life hasn’t been easy the daughter of a single parent and one as well she’s made the best out of life. She works as a mystery shopper which gives her the flexibility to be home when her daughter is. When Josie’s next assignment is the local fashion diva’s stores things go horribly wrong. Her boss says he will support her decision to give Danessa a negative review. When she shows up in his office he throws Josie under the bus causing her to defend herself against Danessa.
Next thing Josie knows Danessa and her boyfriend are both dead and her finger prints happen to be on the murder weapon that killed Danessa a belt. Josie did try on the belt that was used to kill Danessa after all it was part of her job. She remembers the girl who helped her that day and knows that she exists even those Danessa herself denied having an employee that looks like the blonde. Josie will need to find the blonde as well as clear her name or she may find herself in prison for a murder she didn’t commit.
I instantly liked Josie she’s a single mom who’s world revolves around giving her daughter the best life she can. She even pretends to be someone she’s not so that her daughter won’t be made fun of. She lives below her mother’s flat so she has support and a helping hand which I liked. Josie also has a best friend who happens to live in the rich luxury part of town Alyce who helps get her out of trouble and I loved her. The pair almost reminds me of Lucy and Ethel from I Love Lucy.
I’ve had Dying in Style on my TBR forever so when it works for this my reading challenges this week I jumped at the chance. This is my first book by Elaine Viets so I had no idea what to expect what I got was a pleasant surprise. The characters are easy to connect with memorable and I very much enjoyed all of them. Dying in Style is a fast paced cozy mystery that mixes in real life, romance and enough suspense to keep me on the edge of my seat. The story is well written it flows from start to finish and I found myself getting lost in Josie’s story and I can’t wait to read the rest of her series and see what happens next. I like that Dying in Style is my idea of a perfect read for a lazy afternoon. I can’t wait to see what trouble Josie and Alyce get into next.
Next thing Josie knows Danessa and her boyfriend are both dead and her finger prints happen to be on the murder weapon that killed Danessa a belt. Josie did try on the belt that was used to kill Danessa after all it was part of her job. She remembers the girl who helped her that day and knows that she exists even those Danessa herself denied having an employee that looks like the blonde. Josie will need to find the blonde as well as clear her name or she may find herself in prison for a murder she didn’t commit.
I instantly liked Josie she’s a single mom who’s world revolves around giving her daughter the best life she can. She even pretends to be someone she’s not so that her daughter won’t be made fun of. She lives below her mother’s flat so she has support and a helping hand which I liked. Josie also has a best friend who happens to live in the rich luxury part of town Alyce who helps get her out of trouble and I loved her. The pair almost reminds me of Lucy and Ethel from I Love Lucy.
I’ve had Dying in Style on my TBR forever so when it works for this my reading challenges this week I jumped at the chance. This is my first book by Elaine Viets so I had no idea what to expect what I got was a pleasant surprise. The characters are easy to connect with memorable and I very much enjoyed all of them. Dying in Style is a fast paced cozy mystery that mixes in real life, romance and enough suspense to keep me on the edge of my seat. The story is well written it flows from start to finish and I found myself getting lost in Josie’s story and I can’t wait to read the rest of her series and see what happens next. I like that Dying in Style is my idea of a perfect read for a lazy afternoon. I can’t wait to see what trouble Josie and Alyce get into next.
nursenell's review against another edition
5.0
The characters in this series, Mystery Shopping, aren't quite as quirky as those in the author's dead end job series. But they are very real and likable. The humor reminds me of Fanny Flagg's. Loved the book.
kesnit's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The idea for this book was good, but too often, I was pulled out of enjoying the book because of a plot hole.
<SPOILER>
Josie is accused of lying about being at the store. Video - either the store or the mall 0 would show she was there. But that never seems to be brought up. Then a few pages later, suddenly there is video for something else. Fingerprint analysis take weeks or months, not hours to do. Josie and the killer get into a massive fight lasting several minutes in a public place, but there is no one to see it.
</SPOILER>
I liked the characters and there is some decent character development. But overall, this book just isn't good enough to want to read any more of the series.
<SPOILER>
Josie is accused of lying about being at the store. Video - either the store or the mall 0 would show she was there. But that never seems to be brought up. Then a few pages later, suddenly there is video for something else. Fingerprint analysis take weeks or months, not hours to do. Josie and the killer get into a massive fight lasting several minutes in a public place, but there is no one to see it.
</SPOILER>
I liked the characters and there is some decent character development. But overall, this book just isn't good enough to want to read any more of the series.
angrygreycatreads's review
4.0
This book was this month’s read for the Cozy Mystery Corner Group on Goodreads. I was pleasantly surprised by this cozy. Sometimes fashion themed cozies are filled with shallow brand name dropping characters, but this was not like that at all. Josie is a single mom, who works as a mystery shopper to support herself and her daughter. She carries out her job wearing a series of costumes to fit in with the nature of each of her jobs. The descriptions of how she gets into character are quite funny.
She gets involved in a series of murders related to poor reviews she gives a designer store that is in financial trouble and slated for a takeover. The police suspect Josie of the murder and she begins to investigate in order to clear her own name. Josie at times seems to charge headlong into danger without much of a plan, but on the whole she is a likable character. Her mother, Jane, her daughter, Amelia and her friend, Alyce, are interesting sidekicks. Jane’s plot line is particularly interesting and timely.
I really enjoyed this cozy and will be interested to see how the characters grow and change throughout the series.
She gets involved in a series of murders related to poor reviews she gives a designer store that is in financial trouble and slated for a takeover. The police suspect Josie of the murder and she begins to investigate in order to clear her own name. Josie at times seems to charge headlong into danger without much of a plan, but on the whole she is a likable character. Her mother, Jane, her daughter, Amelia and her friend, Alyce, are interesting sidekicks. Jane’s plot line is particularly interesting and timely.
I really enjoyed this cozy and will be interested to see how the characters grow and change throughout the series.
thebacklistbook's review
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Dying in style was entertaining, and quite light for a murder mystery, an appropriate read for any age level, only possible trigger would be if you have a loved one that passed away who was murdered.
disis19's review
3.0
Rating is more like a 2.5 - Read for #Book1CoziesClub
If you enjoy shopping, I think you will really enjoy this series. Unfortunately for me, though learning about the profession of mystery shopping was interesting, I couldn't really get into this story. This book took me about a month to finish, which kind of tells you how invested I was.
Josie as a character, I could relate to a bit because we are both single parents who's mother helps us out with babysitting/raising our child. Thankfully my mother is nothing like Josie's and the way her mother acted is something that bothered me about this story. While I could relate to Josie on that one point, there were a lot of things that I couldn't relate to about her as well though. The fact that she and her best friend constantly refer to one character as a derogatory term for a woman who is promiscuous didn't sit well with me. They are supposed to be women in their thirties and they rarely call this woman by her name in passive conversation without adding the derogatory term.
Extramarital affairs are also a prominent theme in this story line in regards to several characters we meet throughout this first installment. While that didn't bother me, I wanted to mention it because I know it can be something that bothers others. I personally do not think this series is for me, but the author does write a couple other series that are not shopping related that I will probably check out in the future.
If you enjoy shopping, I think you will really enjoy this series. Unfortunately for me, though learning about the profession of mystery shopping was interesting, I couldn't really get into this story. This book took me about a month to finish, which kind of tells you how invested I was.
Josie as a character, I could relate to a bit because we are both single parents who's mother helps us out with babysitting/raising our child. Thankfully my mother is nothing like Josie's and the way her mother acted is something that bothered me about this story. While I could relate to Josie on that one point, there were a lot of things that I couldn't relate to about her as well though. The fact that she and her best friend constantly refer to one character as a derogatory term for a woman who is promiscuous didn't sit well with me. They are supposed to be women in their thirties and they rarely call this woman by her name in passive conversation without adding the derogatory term.
Extramarital affairs are also a prominent theme in this story line in regards to several characters we meet throughout this first installment. While that didn't bother me, I wanted to mention it because I know it can be something that bothers others. I personally do not think this series is for me, but the author does write a couple other series that are not shopping related that I will probably check out in the future.
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