Dead by Design

Maddie Swallows Mysteries #5

by Kat Bellemore

It wasn’t a life or death situation until someone found a body.

Maddie Swallows had always thought of her hometown as unremarkable, until space tourism set up shop nearby. Now, real estate developers have set their sights on the small town, determined to have a piece of the lucrative pie. Too bad the residents of Amor want nothing to do with the fancy hotels and high-priced restaurants, and they are ready to fight back.

Maddie is determined to keep her family out of the drama, but when one overzealous developer gets in over his head, he shows up on her doorstep asking for help. Reluctant, she agrees to meet with him the following day. Just to talk, mind you. No promises.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t soon enough.

When his body is discovered the next morning, Maddie finds herself in the middle of another murder investigation. And she isn’t completely convinced her neighbors are innocent.

Dead by Design is the fifth book in the Maddie Swallows mystery series. If you like small town drama, intriguing plots, and humorous whodunits, you’ll love this cozy mystery.

Pick up Dead by Design and be swept up in this New Mexican mystery today!

Genres: Cozy Mystery

234 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 22, 2023

Reviews

[Emily Pennington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who Killed the Developer ? . . .

Maddie Swallows lives in the small town of Amor which is suddenly getting too much attention from greedy developers who are trying to take advantage of what they see as an opportunity to get wealthier. With three successful space flights out at the nearby spaceport, the developers descended on the town. But the townspeople like their small town just the way it is… without massive change! Apparently they may even be prepared to take stronger action.

A vacant piece of land that no one remembered had been put up for sale when the owner passed away a month before. Don Mendes immediately purchased it, started construction on a nine-story luxury hotel, complete with a five-star rooftop restaurant, and is trying to buy up the town’s local storefronts. When the massive ugly structure starts to rise, it suspiciously catches fire and a body is found in the ruins. The victim turns out to be Don Mendes who had asked to meet with Maddie the previous day, begging for her help. He had been afraid someone was trying to kill him and they seem to have succeeded. Will Maddie find out who committed the crime? She is hoping it wasn’t one of her neighbors, but she will do all she can to uncover the truth.

[Javon50 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maddie Swallows now living in Amor, New Mexico with her two children, son Flash and daughter Lilly and in a relationship with local handyman Benji is happier than she has ever been. With the Spaceport nearby, residents are excited about space tourism which they hope will bring space tourism that will help the economy. This excitement soon turns to fear as they realize that their quiet town may change too much, too fast. When a real estate developer sets his sight on Amor, with plans for an upscale hotel and restaurant, resulting in the possible purchase and closing of several small businesses, some residents take it upon themselves to try and put a stop to any new development. But when a developer is found dead and a local resident is arrested, believing that their friend is innocent, Benji and Maddie begin to question neighbors and friends, and are soon targeted as disloyal to them and their small town. This is a great mystery with wonderful characters and storyline. This is my honest, voluntary review of an advanced reader copy of this book.

[J Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

No development for you..

Amor may not be a sleepy little town much one. The space resort is bringing developers to town. Not everyone is happy about their plans and someone appears willing to do something about it. One particularly aggressive developer shows up at Maddie Swallow's house afraid for his life and asking for help. She makes an appointment to see him the next morning at her office but their session will never happen.

I like the twists and turns in this plot. Maddie’s mother is a little less off the charts in this book but not by much. I love Maddie’s response to her “You’re supposed to say No we can’t go see the dead body today”. Hilarious! I received an advance copy but my review is honest and voluntary.

[Susan Hamann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maddie's hometown is attracting a lot of attention and developers are swarming. The people who live in the small town are concerned about the town completely changing.

One of the developers is building what the townspeople think is a monstrosity. When it suddenly burns down, perhaps no one is surprised. But they are shocked that a body is found in the rubble.

Maddie, her mother, her kids, and her boyfriend all have an opinion and they work on strategies to find the bad guy.

This is a fun cozy mystery. Not at all scary and the townspeople have wonderful quirks. Anyone can read this book.

[Margie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely read mystery series where there is one detective, and all the series are about their cases. Kat Bellemore’s Maddie Swallow is one of the rare exceptions and perhaps that is because she isn’t really a detective. She and her family doesn’t seem to be able to avoid being pulled in. I also might enjoy them because they’re set in New Mexico, an area I’m familiar with since I grew up in west Texas. Probably most likely I enjoy them because Kat Bellemore draws me in with interesting characters, compelling story lines, humor and just enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. The conclusion to this one did catch me by surprise.

[MaryEllen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my voluntary review of a copy I received from Booksprout.

The build-up to the crime was engaging. The rest was realistic. The mixed emotions were believable as the team investigated their own friends and neighbors.
The romance was sweet and realistic, too.

I really enjoyed this story.

[Shelly Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead by Design is Book 5 of A Maddie Swallows Mystery series written by Kat Bellemore. This is a great mystery with wonderful characters and storyline. This is a standalone book but best is to read it from the beginning.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a more complicated mystery. Maggie wants to stay out of another murder investigation but that proves to be impossible. There are many suspects that make the investigation more challenging. Bengi even becomes a suspect. The whole family, except Grandma, are more fully involved than in previous books.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Bernadette Cinkoske · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead By Design is an interesting mystery with the usual quirky cast of characters! Once again Maddie, Benji and he family are embroiled in solving Amor’s latest murder. This well plotted mysteries always capture my attention and keep me reading far into the night. I highly recommend any book by Ms. Bellemore!

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this fabulous book from the author in a giveaway. I’ve read the whole series so far. Kat writes such an entertaining and enjoyable story. I try to guess who the killer is each time but I haven’t figured it out yet. She is very clever and adds some comedy in the story as well. I highly recommend this book and the series.

[Amie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a switch. This time Maddie does not take the lead. Sadly, they are left trying to figure out which one of their friends/neighbors could have murdered someone. At least the sheriff has been coming around to Maddie's side. With an ending that I wasn't sure was going to happen....I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

[Lavender Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so much fun! Maddie, her family and Benji are fantastic, the story is captivating and intriguing, and there is humour throughout the book. The end is totally swoonworthy.

A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own.

[Nancy Haddock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced fun

I enjoy the setting and the characters. I really love Maddie's kids and her mother. I could've used a bit more grounding in the suspects, but the plot moved along well. The touches of humor are fun, too. I'll be reading the next book soon.

[Patricia A Spring · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cosy murder mystery

A typical example of the genre. So many problems in these stories and in real life are because of poor communication.

[Craftyhj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favourite in the series

This was an enjoyable and quick read but somehow not as enjoyable as others in the series.