On Borrowed Crime by Kate Young – Book Review & Blog Tour

Today, I've got a new book review for yet another cozy mystery by an author whose main character I absolutely loved!

Book: On Borrowed Crime

Book 1 in the A Jane Doe Book Club Mystery series
Author: Kate Young

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Publication Date: 6 October 2020
ISBN-10: 1643854623
ISBN-13: 978-1643854625
Digital ASIN: B083RZ3ZRR

Synopsis:

A shoe-in read for fans of Ellery Adams and Kate Carlisle, On Borrowed Crime is the first in Kate Young's new Georgia-set, sweet tea filled, Jane Doe Book Club mysteries.

The Jane Doe book club enjoys guessing whodunit, but when murder happens in their midst, they discover solving crimes isn't fun and games...

Lyla Moody loves her sleepy little town of Sweet Mountain, Georgia. She likes her job as receptionist for her uncle's private investigative firm, her fellow true crime obsessed Jane Doe members are the friends she's always wanted, and her parents just celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary.

But recently, with her best friend Melanie on vacation, and her ex-boyfriend and horrible cousin becoming an item and moving in next door to her, her idyllic life is on the fritz. The cherry on top of it all is finding Carol, a member of the club, dead and shoved into a suitcase, left at Lyla's front door.

Unusual circumstances notwithstanding, with Carol's heart condition, the coroner rules Carol's death undetermined. But when they discover the suitcase belongs to Melanie, who had returned from her vacation the following morning, Sweet Mountain police begin to suspect Lyla's best friend.

Determined that police are following the wrong trail, to clear her friend's name, and to not allow Carol become one of the club's studied cold cases, Lyla begins to seek out the real killer. That is, until she becomes the one sought after. Now, finding the truth could turn her into the killer's next plot twist, unless she wins the game of cat and mouse.

 

Book Review by Nadaness In Motion

"Who could do such a horrible thing to Carol? Why? And what was even a more terrifying question, why would they deliver her to me?"

Wow! WOW AND WOW! I loved On Borrowed Crime!

But first let me introduce you to the story. On Borrowed Crime is my first read for author Kate Young, and definitely not my last!

The book opens with Lyla Moody's car breaking down on her way to work. But for a split second, she sees fellow book club member Carol Timms driving quickly in a car, crying, and accompanied by someone who's hiding their face!

Shortly after, Lyla learns that Carol has been abducted. Only to return home and discover her friend's remains crumpled in a travel bag that was delivered to her home (a bag she assumed was her best friend's that had been misplaced by the airline).

Lyla also discovers that her friend Carol had sent an email to their book club group about an unsolved mystery she'd been exploring.

This case of a Jane Doe makes things more complicated for the book club group and for Lyla who wants to solve the case of her friend's disappearance and murder.

"I'm not accusing you or Lyla of anything. I'm simply stressing caution. And for us to stay out of the realm of fantasy. This isn't a novel, and Carol isn't just any victim."

Lyla also needs to clear her best friend Melanie's name. As Lyla delves deeper into Carol Timm's life, she uncovers many dark secrets, not just about Carol but about others in their community.

Despite the gruesomeness of the murder and the cases the Jane Doe Book Club is dragged into, we see Lyla's sarcastic side and her family life.

I 100% related to Lyla and her struggle with her mother about getting married and having children. It's a common theme in novels, but it was handled very well here and I could especially relate to Lyla's mother's beliefs as an Egyptian and Middle Eastern.

It was very realistic but also offered lots of humor to break away from the murder and investigation.

"Digging into these types of cases shines a great big spotlight on the one holding the shovel. Those responsible won't like it."

One of the reasons I loved On Borrowed Crime was the fact that it read more like a thriller than a cozy mystery. I wasn't expecting that but the story had a bit of a darker turn and feel to it.

It also feels super great when you guess who the killer is – even if it's for the wrong reasons.

I loved the relationships between the characters in On Borrowed Crime. Lyla has her best friend Melanie, along with paternal grandmother (called Gran) who is also her bestie in a way and who contributes to solving the mystery.

I also loved the idea of a mystery book club, something Lyla's mother constantly described as a "morbid obsession."

It reminded me of another cozy mystery I'd read featuring a book club group that solved a crime; it was The Book Club Murders by Leslie Nagel.

"In most cases, victims know and trust their killers. I wonder if it's someone we know."

Overall, I loved On Borrowed Crime and Kate Young's writing and plotting. I can't wait to read the next books in this series.

Overall rating for On Borrowed Crime by Kate Young: 5 stars.

 

Note: I got a free copy of On Borrowed Crime by Kate Young via Lori Great Escapes Blog tours. This did not affect my review in anyway.

About the Author:

Kate Young writes southern mystery novels. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Guppy Chapter. Kate lives in a small town in Georgia with her husband, three kids, and Shih Tzus. When she is not writing her own books, she’s reading or cooking.

Connect with Kate Young via her Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.

Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Kobo - IndieBound 

 

Keep up with the rest of the blog tour featuring spotlights, book reviews, author interviews, and more

5 October – I'm All About Books – Spotlight & Reading Is My SuperPower  & My Reading Journeys – Book Reviews

6 October 6 – Mysteries with Character – Author Interview & Thoughts in Progress & Celticlady's Reviews – Spotlights

7 October – The Avid Reader –  Book Review & Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews & Socrates Book Reviews – Spotlights

8 October – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – Author Interview & Hearts & Scribbles & Elizabeth McKenna Author Blog – Spotlights  

9 October – Cozy Up With Kathy – Book Review & Angel's Guilty Pleasures & FUONLYKNEW – Spotlights

10 October– Christy's Cozy Corners & Moonlight Rendezvous – Book Reviews + Books a Plenty Book Reviews – Book Review & Character Interview

11 October – Nadaness In Motion & eBook Addicts – Book Reviews & StoreyBook Reviews – Spotlight

12 October 12 – I Read What You Write & Literary Gold – Spotlights & Melina's Book Blog – Book Review