Murder Runs in the Family ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Murder Runs in the Family by Tamara Berry 


G👀dreads About Summary

Amber thought she had troubles before her grandma was arrested for murder…
Former PI-in-training Amber Winslow has decided to flee her life in the dead of night, carrying nothing but the clothes on her back. Down on her luck and with no other choice, she heads to the sunny state of Arizona to the luxury accommodations of her grandmother's retirement community. Never mind that Amber's never actually met her estranged and eccentric Grandma Jade.

As soon as she sneaks her things into Seven Ponds (a place she technically doesn't qualify for and definitely can't afford), she's shocked to learn that George Vincent, a.k.a. the Admiral, was found dead the very night of her arrival. What's even more shocking is that no one seems particularly distraught over the news of the Admiral's death or the disappearance of his prize pet tortoise. All anyone can talk about is a missing Vincent family heirloom, and they're quick to blame Jade for both the Admiral's murder and the theft of the priceless ring.

Amber doesn't want to admit the woman she's just met—and who accepted her without question—could be behind the Admiral's death, and she's determined to clear her grandmother's name no matter the cost.

Genre: Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Crime

The How/Why: Someone I follow on IG posted Book Mail. She received an ARC of The Claus Conspiracy by Tamara Berry from the author. It won't be out until October. I checked NetGalley but they don't have it yet, so I'll check back in a couple of months. I checked to see if Libby had  it on Notify Me status yet but it's too soon. Libby pulled up Murder Runs in the Family because I already had it flagged on my TBR menu. After two thrillers in a row I decided it was a good time to pick this cozy mystery.  
It's giving me Coming in Hot by Deany Ray vibes. That was a five star for me so I have high hopes. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🎉 Overall Storytelling? 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

🎣 Did it grab and keep my attention? 🎣🎣🎣🎣

🗣️Would I recommend it to anyone? Yes ➕

🕮 Would I want a sequel? Maybe 🤷 but leaning towards no.

📚 Would I want to read more books by this author? Yes ➕ Looking forward to The Claus Conspiracy when its out.

💣💥 📢 Content Warnings? Not really. Of course there is a mŪrdɇr but it's not graphic or even descriptive. 

🌶 Spice? No

🌪 Plot Twist? No

👟 Pace? Good

💻 Tidbits ~ No they aren't a family of mŪrdɇrɇrs. Title is a play on words since both grandmother and granddaughter are obsessed with true crime.
Now that THAT is out of the way... 

One signature short of her PI Certificate, 30-ish year-old Amber leaves her PI boss/boyfriend. Having nowhere to go she seeks out her Grandmother who lives in a sunny Arizona retirement community.

She discovers her Grandmother, who she’s never met, who her mother still warns to steer clear of, has changed her name to Jade. Jade and her quirky friends run a Crime Podcast.

Being basically blood related strangers Jade welcomes Amber with open arms, is loving, they sip margaritas by the pool, and wait… what? Jade is arrested for mŪrdɇr!?!?

The Mystery: The Admiral shows up D ɇ ɐ d in the podcast booth. His prized possession family heirloom jewel is also missing. So is his almost 100 year old tortoise.

The Arrest: The Keystone Cops think Jade offed him for financial gain.

The Truth: The Admiral had asked Jade to marry him more than once.

The Doubt: Amber’s PI background and not wanting to believe her newfound lovely grandmother could be the culprit, immediately thinks there is more to this story. If Jade was after his money, she could have just married him.

Can the podcast crew solve the mystery?

Not to worry, the tortoise is found safe. Amber names it Tatiana and carries it around like a baby. Don’t ask. Just go with it.

This book totally gave me Coming in Hot by Deany Ray vibes. Except 30-ishg year-old Piper and her Gran were in the Witness Protection Program hiding out at a retirement community in Florida. If you liked this one and haven't read Coming in Hot, I recommend you hop to it! Its super cute.

Different but so similar that I can copy/paste review:

No, it's not a mind boggling crime/thriller/mystery.

Yes, it's a cute cozy mystery mixed with comedy and quirky characters for an easy breezy read/listen.

I'm giving it five stars because I don't have a reason to deduct any. Likeable characters, cute story, entertaining setting, good pace, good narration.

Note: I'm not stingy with the stars. I don't get paid for my reviews so there is no incentive for me dole out the stars all willy-nilly. I start with five and deduct if/when they lose me along the way. 
Is it one of my Five Star Favs? No. But it’s a solid Five Star Cute and Cozy.

I enjoyed the team of four narrators.

🎧 Narrator: Hillary Huber (Amber), Adam Grupper (the male characters), Cynthia Darlow (Jade), Liisa Avery (PeggyLee)

🎧9.0 hours 🕮 256 pages

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