All Sales Final by Josie Belle

First Line: "Why can't I just wear a dress I already own?" Maggie asked.

Maggie Gerber's wedding to Sam Collins is finally going to happen. So what if she can't make up her mind about her dress or any of the other zillion-and-one details that revolve around this type of event? At least they've found their dream home in the historic district of St. Stanley!

But it soon becomes apparent that all's not well in the house of their dreams. The lights flicker on and off. Doors slam shut or mysteriously open when no one's around. And something's scared the puddin' outta their cat, Marshall Dillon.

When Maggie discovers a skeleton in the basement, she's positive she's found the reason for all the strange goings-on: their house is haunted by the spirit of a murdered man. She's determined to find the killer, but as she starts digging into the history of their house, she's going to find that someone is very willing to keep the truth buried. At all costs.

There are three big questions in All Sales Final: (1) Why's Maggie dragging her feet over this wedding? (2) Who's the skeleton in the basement and who killed him? and (3) What's up with Maggie's arch enemy, Summer? Author Josie Belle (AKA Jenn McKinlay) answers them all in fine-- if a bit rushed-- style. 

Any woman who's marrying at Maggie's age is going to have some emotional baggage and some serious doubts, and McKinlay deals with these issues in a sensitive, understanding manner that fits the characters of both Maggie and Sam. A good deal of the humor in this book revolves around Maggie's enemy- since-high-school, Summer-- a character that I always found a bit over-the-top. Summer undergoes a bit of a transformation in All Sales Final that I found not only funny but believable. 

I mentioned above that I felt this book was a bit rushed. Several elements could have been developed more fully, but part of me understands why they weren't. This is-- sadly-- the last Good Buy Girls mystery, and fleshing out new characters or developing certain plot threads more fully would not stamp THE END on the story of Maggie and her friends.

This entire series has not only been about good mysteries and good fun, it's been a wonderful celebration of friendship. I've laughed, cried, and just plain felt good reading about the lives of these characters, and I will sincerely miss them. The Good Buy Girls mysteries form one of my favorite cozy mystery series, and I know I'm not alone in feeling that way.  

All Sales Final by Josie Belle (AKA Jenn McKinlay)

ISBN: 9780425271377

Berkley Prime Crime © 2015

Mass Market Paperback, 288 pages

Cozy Mystery, #5 Good Buy Girls mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen.

Marked Down for Murder by Josie Belle

First Line: "More flowers?" Ginger Lancaster asked as she walked into My Sister's Closet, her best friend's secondhand store, on the heels of Henry Dawson, the local florist.

It's a few days before Valentine's Day, and Maggie Gerber is receiving messages and roses from a secret admirer. Well, she's pretty sure they're from Sam Collins, the chief of police of their small town in Virginia. He's certainly putting the roses in her cheeks while she and her Good Buy Girls plot their strategy for the upcoming Presidents' Day sales.

However, things start looking like a dead car battery when you're running late for a 75% off shoe sale when the mother of Maggie's nemesis, Summer Phillips, shows up in My Sister's Closet. Summer's mother is determined to break up Maggie and Sam. You see, Maggie's not nearly good enough for Sam while Sam is just perfect for her darling daughter. When Maggie goes to Summer's house to confront the scheming woman, she finds Summer holding a weapon and standing over a dead body. No matter how much Maggie despises Summer, she just can't get over the feeling that the woman is innocent-- and she's willing to conduct her own investigation to prove it.

No two ways about it-- I love this series. It's a bit of a surprise since I believe the best bargain is getting out of shopping altogether. Just goes to show that these books are about so much more than bargain-hunting women on a mission to shop. Out of all the crime fiction that I read, Maggie Gerber is one of my favorite characters. Her depth of spirit and heart make her a wonderful mother and friend; she's got a good sense of humor; and she's feisty and not afraid of standing up for what she believes in. Maggie sounds like a paragon, doesn't she? Well, she almost is... that feisty temper of hers leads to some rash decisions sometimes. 

Maggie's group of friends-- her Good Buy Girls-- is one of the best supporting casts you'll find in any traditional mystery series. Each friend has her own personality, her own quirks, but together they become one formidable team. As the series progresses, each character's life becomes as real as your own. In Marked Down for Murder, I particularly enjoyed watching how Maggie agonized over a potential obstacle in her growing relationship with Sam-- undoubtedly because I faced something very similar myself.    

Another thing that puts this series-- and this book in particular-- a cut above the rest is how author Josie Belle (AKA New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay) deals with Maggie's nemesis, Summer Phillips. Summer has always been a bit over the top for me, and I tended to scringe whenever her scenes came up. Not in Marked Down for Murder. By bringing in Summer's mother as a character, we're able to see why Summer behaves the way she does, and although we still may not like her, at least we have a better understanding of her. The author knows that, if you're going to have a highly irrational character, it's better to explain a little of her behavior; otherwise, she's just a caricature.

After singing so much praise of the characters, you're probably wondering if there's a mystery at all in the book. There is, and it's a good one that I enjoyed trying to piece together as the pages turned. There's no doubt about it: if you're in the mood for an enjoyable mystery filled with wonderful characters, all you have to do is get your hands on the Good Buy Girls.

Marked Down for Murder by Josie Belle

ISBN: 9780425271360

Berkley Prime Crime © 2014

Mass Market Paperback, 272 pages

Cozy Mystery, #4 Good Buy Girls mystery

Rating: A

Source: the author 

Buried in Bargains by Josie Belle

First Line: "Mom, you need to get a grip," Laura Gerber said to her mother as they trudged up the sidewalk through the center of St. Stanley, Virginia.

It's My Sister's Closet's first holiday season, and the Good Buy Girls are hunting for cheap (yet stylish) wrapping paper so thrift store owner and head GBG member Maggie Gerber can offer free gift wrap. It should be a time of good cheer, but pregnant Good Buy Girl Joanne Claramotta is acting more like Ebenezer. There's more than hormone surges at work here. Her husband has hired a pretty young thing to work at their deli, and Joanne just can't fight the feeling that Michael's eye has strayed from her whale-like figure to the svelte Diane Jenkins.

Calming her down is going to prove all but impossible when Maggie finds Michael unconscious on the deli floor... with the strangled body of Diane not far away. Soon Maggie needs to be calmed down as well because Diane was a woman with no paper trail and no past. She's afraid that when Michael's secrets come to light, the holidays may be ruined for them all.

I've come to the conclusion that one of the reasons why I enjoy Josie Belle's Good Buy Girls mysteries so much is that, by reading them, I experience something I've never had: the close friendship and emotional support of a group of women. These books almost make me want to start wearing nail polish and looking for bargains on shoes. Almost. (Sorry, Jenn, but I never was and never will be a girly girl.) This time around, Maggie and her friends are still dealing with the dangerous diva, Summer Phillips, but the emphasis is less on bargains and cat fights, and more on family, relationships, and a first-rate mystery.

Another thing that I love about this series is that no character is really left behind. When a long-married couple splits in one book, they don't disappear; we get to see how they deal with living apart. When these amateur sleuths help a dead woman's daughter, the next book shows us how she is coping-- and how she is able to move on with her life. This is definitely a series about family and about friends, and while a killer is being hunted, Buried in Bargains really delivers. A word of warning: when reading about the fancy dress Christmas ball, please have tissues on hand. You will need them. It's one of the very best cry-for-happy scenes I've read in a long, long time. I also have to admit that finally getting a chance to see Maggie's daughter was a bonus-- as well as watching further progress in the relationship between Maggie and Sheriff Sam Collins.

If you love feeling invested in the crime fiction you read, get hold of the Good Buy Girls series. The whodunit aspects are good, and the cast of characters is so strong that you'll wish you could move to St. Stanley, Virginia, to become a part of such a loving, supportive group. Buried in Bargains is the best of the bunch so far. It can be read as a standalone since the author does provide enough backstory for you to get a feel for the characters, but I'd advise that you read 'em all. Why deny yourself the pleasure?

Bring on the next one-- I have my coupons ready!

Buried in Bargains by Josie Belle (AKA Jenn McKinlay)

ISBN: 9780425252307
Berkley Prime Crime © 2013
Mass Market Paperback, 272 pages

Cozy Mystery, #3 Good Buy Girls mystery
Rating: A-
Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen. 

50% Off Murder by Josie Belle

First Line: "Okay, is everyone clear on what they're supposed to do?" Maggie Gerber asked.

Life is quiet in St. Stanley, Virginia, and Maggie Gerber likes it like that. Widowed at a young age, Maggie's daughter is away at college, but her niece Sandy and her two-year-old son Josh live with her while Sandy studies nursing and her husband is in Afghanistan. Maggie's a founding member of the Good Buy Girls, a group of friends who meet weekly to share coupons and to plan their buying strategies. But all that quiet goodness is about to change....

Sam Collins is the new sheriff in town. That bodes ill since he and Maggie have been at each other's throats since they were in diapers. Maggie decides that she's going to avoid him as much as possible, but it simply is not meant to be. Claire Fremont-- Good Buy Girl, local librarian, and all-round good person-- has been hauled off to jail by none other than Sam Collins himself after a body is found in the library basement. Claire not only knew the victim, she owns the cake knife that was found buried in his chest. Although Maggie realizes Claire isn't being completely honest with her, she knows Claire to be incapable of murder, so Maggie sets out to find the real killer-- whether the high and mighty Sheriff Sam Collins likes it or not!

I was a bit hesitant to give this book a try. Having spent most of my working life in the retail field, I've lived through madness like the Cabbage Patch Dolls and Tickle Me Elmo (to name a few), and once you've stood on the other side of the door from a seething crowd showing mob-like tendencies, it tends to color how you look at a group of women who have battle plans when they go out to shop.

I shouldn't have worried because the ultimate reason why I read the book-- author Jenn McKinlay writing as Josie Belle-- is the reason why I loved it. McKinlay has such a playful and slightly twisted sense of humor that I can't help but smile and laugh as I read her books. The four women who comprise the Good Buy Girls are fabulous characters who work well together whether it's shopping for Gucci or searching for clues. I even enjoyed the sparks flying between Maggie and Sam. Let's face it. All that fussing and feuding since they were toddlers? What else could it have been leading to?

I loved the characters, and the humor. I even appreciated the shopping because the Good Buy Girls have taken the time to get to know the businesses and the business people in their area. It's not just about scoring a deal; it's also about friendship and looking out for each other. The only thing that marred this book for me was the blazing red neon sign hanging above the killer's head, and although that was a bit of a disappointment, I don't really care. McKinlay/Belle has created such a great cast of characters that I'm really looking forward to reading what they get into next.

50% Off Murder by Josie Belle

ISBN: 9780425247020

Berkley Prime Crime © 2012

Mass Market Paperback, 288 pages

Cozy Mystery, #1 Good Buy Girls

Rating: B+

Source: Paperback Swap