Engulfed

by Kathleen Cosgrove

When Maggie Finn travels to Florida's Southwest Coast she expects to find a beach, sweltering heat, and loads of retired people. What she gets is a half eaten physician, a prophetic seagull, a bodyguard, and events that could transform her life forever Maggie was tasked with moving her parents into one of those mega retirement villages. In her late fifties, divorced, and working as a newspaper columnist, she long ago surrendered her dream of being a "real" reporter. Now, confronted with dead bodies, a kidnapping, and the mob, she'll have to pull those long forgotten investigative dreams out of mothballs just to survive. With the help of a rock and roll D.J. who spins forties records, a cross dressing United States senator, a new age ex-cop, and a single, Jewish-Cuban detective she discovers the answers to a number of questions. Do seagulls smoke pipes? Can marijuana cure a curmudgeon? When is an Indian not an Indian? Can a middle aged grandmother get a date? But the biggest question she faces is, will the forces that have her engulfed be her undoing, or are they proof that it's never too late to start again?

Genres: Mystery

290 pages, Paperback

First published June 29, 2012

Reviews

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Attended a local library event where this author was participating so I had to pick it up and just see what it was all about. While there is no doubt editing and formatting would go a long way to helping this book, the errors are a distraction, I laughed and snorted at enough of the story to read another by this author. If this is a first book, then yeah there is promise for improvement in the next book.

Reread - Review stands as written.

[Amber Gilchrist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I would have rated it a 5 but it had some typos that were incredible easy fixes and really drew me out of the story.

[Kaye · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just another author who has no clue about the correct use of pronouns. Book needed some serious proofreading.

[Kristina Trawick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is funny!

This author and title were mentioned in another book, MAD LIBRARIAN; ENGULFED was touted as funny, and that is no joke. (No pun intended.) I had never read Kathleen Cosgrove before, sure happy I took the chance.

Great characters, a plot so twisted you don't know whodunit until the end, and descriptions of the Gulf weather so spot on you can feel the humidity rolling off the pages. Can't wait to dive into Entangled.

[Lisa Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

funny mystery

I enjoyed this book. There are several laugh out loud parts to this book. It is also a mystery that kept me wondering who done it.
There were parts that got confusing, and that is why it is 4 stars instead of 5. For example, I thought she needed a bodyguard, and she had one for a while, then she didn’t. I would recommend this book to others that need a light read.

[Richard Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder mystery



Engulfed by Kathleen Cosgrove is a comedic murder mystery starring Maggie Finn an Albuquerque news paper columnist turned reluctant Miami detective.

A very witty often hilarious (one particular chapter was so funny I read it twice) investigation marked with Serendipity.

Not only do I recommend this book, I'm looking forward to her next one.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was funny in places, but really convoluted and unbelievable. And when I started spotting bad editing, such as ‘deserts’ instead of ‘desserts’ on page 86, I gave up. I really didn’t care ‘whodunnit’ or what happened to the main character.

[bex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but would benefit from polishing.

[Sheila Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good cozy mystery but the resolution was kind of convoluted.

[Sharon Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Move over Janet Evanovitch. Kathleen Cosgrove's debut novel Engulfed will have you laughing and rooting for poor beleaguered Maggie Finn as she finds herself neck deep in murder and some really strange characters. All she came to Florida for was to move her parents into a retirement village. Instead she finds herself a murder target. Her characters are well developed, and each is unique. If you enjoy realistic situational humor, and a good plot, this is the book to get.

[Angela Trumbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great and funny read. The main character, Maggie, is so adorable and oh at the stuff she gets herself in to. She has some great friends who help along the way. I love Zig and his mom, Dorothy - old school enchantress! The underlying attraction between Maggie and Detective Nathan Gonzales is refreshing. Kathleen Cosgrove has done an exceptional job with this story which is both intriguing and entertaining. I look forward to reading the sequel, Entangled.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another bumbling female detective. Sort of like a later in life Janet Evanovich book; when Stephanie gets to mid 50s. Could be very funny at times but lots of editing errors and a general feeling that the main character is somewhat pathetic. I wouldn't want to hang out with her, I'd avoid her.

[Rosina]

Just awful. Good ear for dialogue, but this plot was hilariously unlikely to day the least, and I don't mean funny. I did read the whole thing, thinking I must be missing something since amazon.com had the nerve to charge for it. I was wrong. One of the worst pieces of drivel I've ever read. Save yourself; don't waste your time like I did!!
My rating: NEGATIVE stars.

[Sally Herman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't expect Nathan to continue in the second book

I enjoyed this book and immediately purchased the next in series (?). Big disappointment. Just read and enjoy this one.
For the second book expect a continuation of a couple of years later that explains nothing.

[Kumi Seo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful.

[Elli · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great cast of characters and nice, breezy writing style but,what was with the editing errors? Really detracted from the experience.

[Kay Van Slyke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was kindof a fun read. I would give it a 3.5 if I could. I particularly enjoyed the scenes with the seagull. It did have some editting errors but I've seen much worse.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't bother. Grammatically odd, silly convoluted plot, and an extraordinarily inept and unlikable heroine. The only thing going for it was that it was a quick read.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

the way this involves the whole retirement center and the staff is all about the murder.the moffa and the drugs

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect mix of humor and suspense. Despite the several typos, the writing was superb.