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09 June 2017

Bad Housekeeping by Maia Chance (Book Beginnings)

I normally pair Book Beginnings with Friday 56, but today I'm only doing the beginning. I didn't want to snip the first paragraph down and, really, it's all I needed to know that I had a great book on my hands!

Bad Housekeeping is fourth Maia Chance book that I've read and the first in her new Agnes and Effie Mystery series. Unlike her other two series, this one has a contemporary setting and stars 28-year-old Agnes (who is definitely a kindred spirit for me) and her great-aunt, Effie. They live in a fictional town on a fictional lake in the not-at-all fictional Finger Lakes region of New York. (Instant love for me here since I live oooh so close!)  The two of them are hilarious and their blossoming relationship is far from boring. They snark at each other and practically everyone else on a regular basis and while I can see how this could get on some people's nerves, I love the snark. It's almost like a satirical cozy with so many over-the-top situations and shout-outs to some of the great pop culture mysteries -- Nancy Drew, Murder, She Wrote, Magnum PI, and my beloved Velma Dinkley. In fact, with the addition of Agnes' cousin and high school crush, it's almost like a dogless Scooby gang!

From the very beginning I knew that this was going to be another hit for Maia Chance. By the time I reached the end, I was anxious for the next book in the series! Of course, I'll have to wait a while... Bad Housekeeping comes out on June 13th!

Amazon Description
When 28-year-old Agnes Blythe, the contented bifocals-wearing half of an academic power couple, is jilted by her professor boyfriend for the town Pilates instructor, her future is suddenly less than certain. So when her glamorous, eccentric Great Aunt Effie arrives in town and offers a job helping to salvage the condemned Stagecoach Inn, what does Agnes have to lose? But work at the inn has barely begun when the unlikely duo find the body of manipulative Kathleen Todd, with whom Agnes and Effie both have recently had words. Words strong enough to land them at the top of the suspect list. 

The pair have clearly been framed, but no one else seems interested in finding the real murderer and Agnes and Effie's sleuthing expertise is not exactly slick. Nevertheless, they're soon investigating a suspect list with laundry dirtier than a middle school soccer team's and navigating threats, car chases, shotgun blasts, and awkward strolls down memory lane.

In Bad Housekeeping, the first novel in the Agnes & Effie cozy mystery series by Maia Chance, danger mounts, deadlines loom, ancient knob-and-tube wiring is explored, and the ladies learn a thing or two about the awful, wonderful mistake that is going back home.

Book Beginnings is hosted at Rose City Reader

7 comments:

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

I've been eyeing this book since it first appeared on a blog...maybe your blog! I have bookmarked it and plan to download it when it is released. Next Tuesday! I also love that it is first in a series...so I now have a chance of keeping up.

Thanks for sharing, and here's mine: “EVERY LAST LIE”

Kathy Martin said...

I enjoyed this one too. I didn't realize the author had other series. This week I'm featuring Come and Find Me by Hallie Ephron. Happy reading!

Breana M. said...

I haven't read anything by this author before, but this book looks interesting. I'm glad you enjoyed the book.

Stormi said...

I have this one to read and I think it might have to go higher up on my reads list. :)

fredamans said...

Sad to see you go.
Book sounds good though. Happy weekend!

karen said...

It's just this week! There was nothing in the 56% mark that was really usable tis all ...

Nicki J. Markus / Asta Idonea said...

Glad it was a hit with you.

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