The Happy Housekeeper's Guide to Homicide

Barbara Hollis #1

by Blythe Baker

Bloody murder is the last thing on Barbara Hollis’ mind when she agrees to travel to a sleepy little town to keep house for her widowed brother. Aside from chasing after her irritating young nephews, she thinks the biggest challenge she’ll face is learning to cook a proper soufflé. But a bizarre encounter on a train quickly draws her into a more complicated and dangerous future than she bargained for...

When a local woman turns up dead, and Barbara’s sheriff brother is too inept to solve the case, Barbara finds herself joining forces with a handsome deputy in search of a cold-blooded killer. But her new hometown is crawling with secrets, and Barbara just might discover that unmasking one villain is only scratching the surface…

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Audiobook, Cozy, Historical Fiction, Fiction

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 26, 2023

About the author

Blythe Baker is a thirty-something bottle redhead from the South Central part of the country. When she’s not slinging words and creating new worlds and characters, she’s acting as chauffeur to her children and head groomer to her household of beloved pets.

Blythe enjoys long walks with her dog on sweaty days, grubbing in her flower garden, cooking, and ruthlessly de-cluttering her overcrowded home. She also likes binge-watching mystery shows on TV and burying herself in books about murder.

Reviews

[Grandma Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and fun. Will continue the series.

[Elizabeth Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

If this had taken me longer than an hour to read, I probably would not have finished it. The title grabbed my attention, and the plot sounded interesting. I was happy to see the main character grew a bit in accepting life in a small town, although by the end she still didn't have a great attitude about her brother or the location. Unfortunately, the writing was filled with pedantic descriptions and redundancies (like "the two twins") that were grating to read. Glad I gave it a try, but I will not be picking up the rest of this series.

[Aisvarya (Semi-hiatus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Should've just stuck with my current reads!! This was so predictable and I could never connect with the FMC too. Don't think I'll be listening to this series anymore.

[Shelley · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was very disappointing, and made me question if the author had ever even seen a map of America or was capable of looking up when coffeemakers were invented. A small town in Georgia that is apparently lily white? No thank you.

[January · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Happy Housekeeper's Guide to Homicide by Blythe Baker
Barbara Hollis Murder Mystery #1
4h 29m narrated by Alex Picard, 244 pages

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Featuring: August, Train, Georgia, Siblings, Moving In With Family Trope, Leaving the Big City For the Country Trope, Pretentious MC, Housekeeping, Nephews, Twins, Tweens, Sheriff, Secrets, Deputy, Murder, Stupidity

Rating as a movie: PG-13

My rating: ⭐️🗡🧹👮🏼‍♂️

My thoughts: 📱19% 51:51 Chapter 4 - I feel like this is going to be a one-and-done, I have no idea this is set but it has that '60s PI POV writing style I dislike. I also don't like the MC she's snobby and annoying. If she's gonna be turning her nose down to small-town living the whole book I will certainly
not continue this series.

I wanted to like it, nice cover, but it was boring, the MC was unlikable, and the plot was weak. If this was a longer novel it would have been abandoned, but because it was short I kept going.

Recommend to others: Nope, run.

Barbara Hollis Murder Mystery
1. The Happy Housekeeper's Guide to Homicide (2023)
2. The Happy Housekeeper's Guide to Arson (2024)
3. The Happy Housekeeper's Guide to Theft (2024)
4. The Happy Housekeeper's Guide to Danger (2024)
5. The Happy Housekeeper's Guide to Disaster (2024)
6. The Happy Housekeeper's Guide To Crime (2024)
7. The Happy Housekeeper's Guide To Secrets (2024)

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good mystery, negative outlook

Barbara is extremely contemptuous it’s rather off putting. If you love the city so much and hate small towns and the lack off anything to do then why are you going? It’s also repetitive making the same complaints over and over. The city is so great it has shows and fancy restaurants etc, the small town is stifling I’ll have to give up everything. That’s just the beginning the criticism is seemingly never ending. Meh.
The prose is stilted and overly formal. It makes the story rather difficult to get through. I realize this is a historical story but even so it doesn’t feel natural, it feels like the author is trying too hard to be historically accurate and just missing the mark.
The good is if you can get past that the mystery is rather interesting to try and figure out. The solution was one I didn’t expect. I would be willing to give a book two a try, but if the tenor is as negative as this one I’d say that’s it for this series. Overall I’d give the book 3.5/5 stars.

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

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not enjoy it.

It's a short novella, but it had a slow and long pace at the beginning, the character introduction was kind of slow and undistinguished, but it got a little better when she got to the small town and started describing life with her nephews and what life was like in the town, but quickly got boring again, the crime was boring and the investigation was mediocre, the character was unlikable, and the writing wasn't smooth.


The author wanted to write a classic crime in a classic era, and despite the quality of those elements, the story was superficial and uninteresting.

[Wendy Bunnell]

charming historical cozy mystery.

[Jen Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy with this series. Also, I'm glad to see women in this era portrayed with wit and intellect.

[Bebe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I normally really like Blythe Baker but this book has no heart. Maybe she wrote it in a day? It was over before it began! It feels rushed and forced, like she had a publishing contract to fulfill.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time connecting the title to the plot of the book. I also felt like there were a few underdeveloped storylines.

[JoAnne McMaster (Any Good Book) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barbara Hollis left the big city to go to a small town in Georgia to keep house for her widowed brother and his two twelve-year-old twin boys. She's sure that she's not going to like it much, but since she left behind her luxury apartment and lost her job, she hasn't got much of a choice. It's a good thing her brother Craig doesn't know the reason she left, as she doesn't want to discuss it.

But when she arrives, she's a bit downcast, since her room is smaller than she imagined, and she thinks she'll be bored here. So she decides to give herself a spa day and heads to the only hair salon in town, Sharon's. Since no one is out front, she spots a woman under a hair dryer, and wishes she didn't. The young woman is dead, and at that opportune moment, Sharon arrives and starts screaming. After Barbara calls Craig, she waits to be questioned by his deputy -- who wonders if she killed the young woman.

But Craig will have none of it, and the town over arrests Sharon for the murder. Neither Craig nor Barbara believe it (even though she's just met the stylist); and Barbara decides to surreptitiously help her brother by gathering clues. It might not be her greatest idea, but if she can avoid the killer in town that she knows is still loose, she might be able to find them. Unless they find her first...

This is the first in the series, and I thought it sounded interesting, so I wanted to read it. First off, I must say that the blurb is wrong. Craig is not inept; he's just never dealt with a murder before, and the town's police department consists of him and his deputy. He just believes the other town would be better equipped to handle it, and he comes to regret his decision quickly.

Secondly, I really had no idea that this took place in the 1950's while reading it. I did wonder about the lack of cell phones, but aside from descriptions of a few cars, there wasn't really anything that pointed to the year this takes place. So that was the reason I took off one star. In future books I would like to read about some of the things occurring during that time; something to draw us into the story timeline.

Other than that, I found this interesting, even if it was a short book. I would like to see more character development, but in stories this short, you aren't going to get much of that. However, I am not dinging the author for it, since I died enjoy reading this quite a bit. In fact, I read it in one sitting, and I hope that others will enjoy it as much as I did. In the climax, it all came together quickly, and everything was tied up nicely. I look forward to the next in the series. Recommended.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barbara Hollis isn’t really running from her big city troubles. She just needs somewhere to regroup. At least that’s what she’s telling herself. No longer able to afford her rent, she accepts her widowed brother, Craig’s, offer to stay with him and take care of his house and twin boys. Cobsville seems dull and disappointing after the city, but Barbara can’t afford to complain. Things get interesting when Barbara finds an injured woman at the local salon. Even though her brother is the sheriff, his deputy seems to suspect Barbara. Feeling that their small town resources are inadequate, Craig turns the case over to a neighboring town. Barbara believes they arrested the wrong person and thinks Craig can solve the case, with her help. But will her involvement bring more danger than she can handle?

This 1950s era cozy mystery is a delightful read. Barbara is an interesting heroine, levelheaded and practical. I’m interested in seeing her character develop based on the hints we receive. What exactly is she hiding from? Her relationship with Craig feels natural. They seem to slip back into the closeness that they had as children despite their years apart. The twins, Tim & Toby, slowly warm up to Barbara and are depicted realistically. Overall a great beginning to a new series and a new author for me to follow.

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

[Catherine Stratman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good start to a new series!

I found this to be an interesting start to a new series. Our main character Barbara is very negative about her move to a small town from the big city and I hope the next book will add some of her backstory so perhaps we will understand her better. She definitely seems to have a past that her brother knows nothing about so that could get very interesting since he is the sheriff. The mystery kept me interested and we are meeting some of the townspeople. And maybe just a little bit of a budding romance?

I received an ARC. This is my honest review.

[Janice Dick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Barbara Hollis Murder Mystery includes great references to the "old days" of the 40s or 50s, as Barbara leaves the big city for her own reasons, only to stumble upon an extremely rare murder in her old hometown. She must solve this before someone else is hurt, while she keeps house for her brother, the cop, and takes care of his two boys.

The humour is enough to add the right pacing and mood.

[MaggieDay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun mystery

Set in the 1950s, Barbara Hollis moves to the small town where her brother works as the sheriff. His wife has died, and Barbara agrees to help take care of her twin nephews as she recovers from losing her job. After about a week,she goes to the local hair salon and finds a woman dead.

I enjoyed this short mystery, reading it over the course of 2 nights. Barbara is independent, smart, and determined.

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Must remember that this is set in 1959. So if you’re looking for an old fashioned cozy mystery then this is for you.
I listened to this at 1.75 and yet I definitely could have sped it up more. The character Barbara Hollis is old fashioned and presumptuous about small town living versus her big city life. The author hints at a secret that Barbara is running from however we are still in the dark about it but will hopefully find out later in the series.

[Terri Borkgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Happy Housekeepers Guide to Homicide Book 1

Barbara Hollis comes to live with her brother who is a single father of two boys. On the train she encounters a man, she senses trouble and on her first day she discovers a victim of murder at the beauty salon. Soon Barbara gathers clues for both situations.. Will she find a home to belong to? Will she gather enough evidence to solve both crimes?

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s difficult to enjoy a book with such an unlikeable main character. In a nutshell, Barbara is a snob and it’s annoying. The setting is seen through her eyes so it’s not given its proper due. The mystery was OK but everything seemed rushed in relation to it with as much detail as was given to getting her to town and settled in. I will not continue with the series.

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable mystery

I liked the main character. The central mystery was interesting enough and the bonus mystery kept me guessing. I don’t usually like a series with a background mystery that runs through the books but I liked the main character enough to want to read more books to follow that as well.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Snappy and Mysterious

This book is quick and moves at a good pace. The mystery is good and I didn’t figure out what was going on before the character did, which is refreshing. She is smart and tough, and also feminine. She is a great leading lady. I like the characters in the book. I look forward to reading more in the series.

[Patty Geisinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great new start of a series!

I truly enjoyed this first in a new series by Blythe Baker. The small town transition for the sister of a sheriff, a murder and secrets galore! Looking forward to reading more from the Happy Housekeeper!

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a fun novel. I really like her attitude and to see her try to settle into a normal life.

The ending definitely felt a bit rushed but it was still a very enjoyable read. Looking forward to the next.

[Angie S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok, I bought the first two based on the fact that I love anything based in the fifties. At no point did I really feel intrigued by what was going on. I'll likely end up reading the whole series because that's what I do, but I won't be rushing to recommend it to my 50s loving friends.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read

Cute little story. The main character comes to a small town and solves 2 murders. Easy read for cozy mystery lovers.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, pleasant read.

[Nic2416 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Kaitlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think I hated this? Was looking for something quick and fun and what I got was a lot of classist garbage and an elitist protagonist.

[Megan Poppa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
It was a fun cozy mystery for a quick read! I enjoyed it, and will read some of the others.

[Seff Liddell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun cozy mystery.