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hrobison11's review against another edition
3.0
It’s a cozy mystery! Cute, short, and sweet. I’ll read more in the series for sure!
theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
Cremains of the Day by Misty Simon is the first installment in A Tallie Graver Mystery series. Tallulah “Tallie” Graver has fallen hard after the dissolution of her marriage to Walden Phillips III. She is now cleaning homes and working part-time at Graver Funeral Home, the family business. Tallie left her vacuum at Darla Hackersham’s home and returns to retrieve it. She discovers feet sticking out of a closet and finds Darla with a knife sticking out of her chest. This is just the beginning of strange events plaguing Tallie. Max Bennett, an old friend of Tallie’s brother, has returned to town and seems to be following Tallie. He is handsome, but it unnerving. She finds Katie tied up in Gina’s shop and her ex-husband down in the alley. What is going on? Tallie needs to unearth the truth before she ends up the next customer at her family’s business.
Cremains of the Day is not what I expected. I was hoping for a mystery series that centers around the Graver Funeral Home (it would have been unique). Tallie dislikes the family business and is eager to avoid it (I was eager to avoid her). I thought the characters lacked development. The details readers are given on Tallie are mostly about her marriage and what has happened since it dissolved (along with the fact that she really dislikes the family business). I found her very cliché (another clumsy, down-on-her luck divorce who does not get along with the local chief of police). She is newly divorced from a disdainful man whom she let take advantage of her in the divorce settlement (of course). There is little information given on the town and local businesses. The mystery is medium level with some nice misdirection. There is some mild foul language in Cremains of the Day along with some crude references to Tallie’s ex-husbands privates (they get zapped with a stun gun). The next book in A Tallie Graver Mystery series is Grounds for Remorse (I will not be reading it).
*I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy from Kensington via NetGalley. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Cremains of the Day is not what I expected. I was hoping for a mystery series that centers around the Graver Funeral Home (it would have been unique). Tallie dislikes the family business and is eager to avoid it (I was eager to avoid her). I thought the characters lacked development. The details readers are given on Tallie are mostly about her marriage and what has happened since it dissolved (along with the fact that she really dislikes the family business). I found her very cliché (another clumsy, down-on-her luck divorce who does not get along with the local chief of police). She is newly divorced from a disdainful man whom she let take advantage of her in the divorce settlement (of course). There is little information given on the town and local businesses. The mystery is medium level with some nice misdirection. There is some mild foul language in Cremains of the Day along with some crude references to Tallie’s ex-husbands privates (they get zapped with a stun gun). The next book in A Tallie Graver Mystery series is Grounds for Remorse (I will not be reading it).
*I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy from Kensington via NetGalley. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
terryperrine's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
3.0
I selected this as my pick for the 2019 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge prompt "a book featuring an amateur detective" and the 2019 BookRiot Read Harder Challenge prompt "a cozy mystery." A briskly written, humorous, and complex mystery filled with interesting characters, this was a fun introduction to a new cozy series. I enjoyed learning about the real life inspiration for the funeral home featured in the series when I met the author at a mystery conference and couldn't help but think about it as I read the story.
marywalshwrites's review against another edition
4.0
This book had me hooked from the very beginning. I finished it in a week and I can't remember the last time I finished a book so quickly. Misty Simon did a great job!
peggyemi's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first book I have read by this author and I found it to be very enjoyable. Tallie Graver is a character whose personality just jumps off the page. She is a woman who had money and status but is now rebuilding her life after a divorce. She is doing it on her own terms, which I think readers will like. She is spunky, independent but not foolish. She decides to solve two murders because she is the top suspect and the chief of police holds a grudge because of her actions and attitude during the years she was married. There is a nice case of secondary characters that include Tallie's best friend Gina, Tallie's parents and Max, who is a potential romantic interest for Tallie down the road.
I thought the mystery was well done. There was a lot of intrigue, gossip, jealousy, twists and turns. I thought the author did a very nice job in weaving the mystery throughout the entire story keeping me engaged and guessing until the very end. I was pleasantly surprised by the the identity of the killer.
Tallie's language in this book is colorful and there is some instances of swearing so if you are sensitive to that type of language you may want to keep that in mind. It wasn't a lot and didn't bother me but I know some readers don't care for it.
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher, Kensington, through Netgalley.
I thought the mystery was well done. There was a lot of intrigue, gossip, jealousy, twists and turns. I thought the author did a very nice job in weaving the mystery throughout the entire story keeping me engaged and guessing until the very end. I was pleasantly surprised by the the identity of the killer.
Tallie's language in this book is colorful and there is some instances of swearing so if you are sensitive to that type of language you may want to keep that in mind. It wasn't a lot and didn't bother me but I know some readers don't care for it.
I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy provided to me by the publisher, Kensington, through Netgalley.
rynflynn12's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
dragoneyes451's review against another edition
3.0
I might have given this 4 stars, as it was a decent cozy mystery. But Tallie's inner monologue drove me crazy for most of the book.
lunifur's review against another edition
4.0
**I voluntarily read this ARC**
This was a great start to a new series. It had a very unique setting, interesting characters, and a great mystery.
This was a great start to a new series. It had a very unique setting, interesting characters, and a great mystery.