Release Blitz + Review: "Double Twist" by Stephanie Rowe

I'm happy to take part in the release blitz celebrating "Double Twist" by Stephanie Rowe, book #1 of the Mia Murphy cozy mystery series. 

Mia Murphy turned in and testified against her drug lord ex-husband, and now that he's been convicted, she's ready to start a new life. She decides to buy a marina in a small town in Maine, sight unseen, even though she knows nothing about marinas, boating, or even running a business. Mia arrives in her new hometown of Bass Derby to find that the photos in the real estate listing were misleading and the marina has been neglected for years. She's determined to make a success of her new life despite the unexpected challenges but doesn't get off to a good start when she's nearly run over trying to take a selfie on the way into town. Accidentally getting involved in a murder investigation doesn't help either, but for the first time in her life, Mia's making real friends and feels like she may have found a place to fit in. She's not going to let anyone take that from her, even if it means standing up to a gang of jet ski-riding moose and solving the murder herself.

I'm mostly a romance reader, but every once in a while I enjoy a cozy mystery as a palate cleanser, and this was a good one! It reminded me a bit of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series because of the humor and the fact that the main character managed to get herself into so many absurd situations. There was also a group of wacky but lovable friends and acquaintances, as well as a hot cop for Mia to flirt with. My favorite part, however, may have been Mia's cat, King Tut. He had a very unique personality and the way he came to live with Mia was just so perfectly her.
 

Overall, "Double Twist" was a fun story with plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing, and I very much enjoyed it. I'd recommend it for all cozy mystery fans and will definitely be picking up the next book in the series.

 

*Review copy provided by the author via Valentine PR. All opinions expressed are my own.

 

 

About "Double Twist"

In this new mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Rowe, the irreverent, underappreciated, and alarmingly talented Mia Murphy risks it all to do the right thing...even if it means doing the wrong thing.

A high-octane, feel-good romp starring women you'll wish were your best friends, an inconveniently attractive cop, a posse of gray-haired quilters with a fondness for margaritas, and an eccentric town with more secrets than Mia's con artist mom.

All Mia Murphy wants is an ordinary, law-abiding life.

Accidentally marrying a drug kingpin? Easily fixed with an anonymous tip to the FBI...which resulted in a not-so-voluntary, surprisingly stressful stint as an undercover spy against him.

But with her ex finally in prison and assassins in her rearview mirror, Mia is off to Diamond Lake in Bass Derby, Maine with King Tut, her rescue (aka purloined) cat, to start over.

Upon arrival, Mia quickly finds a couple of soulmates in a blue-haired "I'll show you what old is" café owner and a baton-twirling mail carrier. Life is headed in the right direction...until the trio stumbles across a dead body during a slightly illegal but well-intentioned home invasion.

When one of her new besties is arrested for the murder, Mia is the only one with the skills to ferret out the real killer...but she can't afford to resurrect her morally flexible past. Can Mia keep her life on the straight and narrow with so much at stake? Or will a homicidal, jet-skiing moose, a dead Mr. January firefighter, and an overzealous mayor take them all down?

Mia has to step up, or she'll lose her chance for the life she's always wanted and the friends she's never had. Even worse, she might wind up dead...