The Con: An Organized Crime Cozy Mystery

by Jackie Layton

Professional organizer Kate Sloan is hired by Ben Houser to organize his office at Seaside Hideaway Resort on Fox Island. Ben tells everybody he’s planning to revamp the resort. Ben throws money around and convinces people to invest with him. The first problem is, Ben’s a con man. The second problem is, Kate finds his dead body.

The killer believes Kate has incriminating evidence, and she must solve the mystery before she’s next on the hitman’s list.

314 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 27, 2024

Reviews

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engaging, well-plotted mystery with wonderful characters! As a reader of many cozy mysteries, I find the concept of a professional organizer unique and interesting. Jackie Layton has created a series in which the characters alone make me want to read future installments to see where their relationships take them. Looking forward to book three, Killer Secrets.

[Tracy Condie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in a new Jackie Layton series. I just want to start by saying how much I like that the series is titled “Organized Crime” as a play on the word organized, as in organizing spaces. Cozy sleuth’s usually have regular day jobs, like café owner, librarian, baker, even pet care specialist but never an organizer. To add to the uniqueness of our new sleuth, Kate has hearing loss in one ear making her even more interesting and true to life as a character who is not perfect. Even though it is the second book in the series, you are not lost as to who players are or what has brought Kate back to Fox Island, Georgia. There is plenty of background and the solution to the series starter is not revealed so you can go back and read Clutter Free.
The Con starts off with Kate being hired by Ben Hauser the new owner of the historic resort, spa, and golf course. Ben’s office is a bit of a mess with stacks of papers and miscellaneous items everywhere. When Kate arrives for their first onsite appointment she overhears Ben in a heated discussion with another man. This is but one of several altercations that Kate witnesses involving Ben all in the same day. These encounters set the stage for why more than one person is tee’d off with Ben and why it is no surprise that Kate finds him dead in a golf cart.
As with other cozy sleuths, Kate feels like she needs to do something to find the killer or to at least help her brother Paul to narrow down the suspect list. Suspects range from a family member to possible business partner(s) and at least one person with ties to Ben’s past. So is the murder a result of a current con or a past transgression? How does the rather expensive coastal guide book figure into this mystery?
The clues are well organized (Kate is an organizer after all) and the story moves along at a good pace. There are all sorts of cozy aspects from a sweet rescue pet to a sweet romance with high school sweetheart Reid. There are also helpful family members such as the chief of police who happens to be her brother Paul, and it looks like Kate’s son, Ethan has moved to town just in time to try and keep an eye on his mom or to at least help her with her latest investigation endeavor. This is definitely a page turner with a bit of excitement when you least expect it. I am looking forward to the next Organized Crime Cozy mystery.

[Priscilla Bettis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate is a professional organizer in a small town on the coast of South Carolina. Ben, the owner of a resort, is one of her clients. He’s not a nice guy. He’s conned so many people, so when he winds up dead, there are many people who have motives. Kate, her boyfriend, Reid, and her son, Ethan, seek clues to help the police narrow down the suspects.

I love the setting. Layton includes details that place the reader in Kate’s small, coastal town … things like seagulls, small cottages, sea turtles, sand, marshes, fish, and a lighthouse. It sounds like a beautiful place to live.

During the course of the story, danger keeps ramping up. When the villain eventually goes after Kate, I was so scared for her, especially since the villain thinks up a particularly unique way to knock her out of the picture. Tense scene!

I’m glad to see a romance (or two) in the plot. There may be a wedding planned before the end of the story, or there may be some broken hearts.

There is a Christian thread running through the story. Kate and her friends have a strong sense of right and wrong. They go to church. They sit on the beach to think and pray.

With a cozy mystery, I enjoy trying to solve the mystery before the amateur sleuth does (in this case, Kate). Well, The Con mystery was so clever that I totally picked the wrong suspect. But it was great fun following Kate to her final conclusion.

Overall, this is an excellent cozy mystery with likable characters, a romance subplot, and a clever mystery. Fun read!

[Rose Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking for a cozy mystery that ticks all the boxes, this is one to read.
It has all the elements for a cozy mystery, and they're well-crafted in a page turning mystery!
I recommend this book (and the first book in the series too).
I like the main character, Kate Sloan. She's an older woman (50+) who's come back home to Fox Island and is building a small business as an organizer with a friend. Kate is smart, loyal, protective of people she thinks need help. She doesn't let people push her around and she stands up for herself and others.
There are plenty of secrets about the murder victim and his acquaintances to keep you guessing about who did it. And there are plenty of suspects. I like how the author takes us through Kate's reasoning to figure out who the killer is and why.
There's also a love interest, as Kate has reconnected with her first love.

A satisfying read where justice prevails, and things work out well for our main character.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Karen Lakis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun whodunit by Jackie Layton!

Professional organizer Kate Sloan has moved back to her hometown on Fox Island where she was hired to organize the office of Ben Houser at Seaside Hideaway Resort. What she didn’t expect was to find his dead body on a golf cart. As Kate unravels the clues, she finds that Mr. Houser has conned more than a few people. Suspects abound!

This story has everything I look for in a cozy mystery—a well-crafted puzzle to solve, a charming setting, a cheer-worthy, gutsy heroine, family dynamics, and a touch of romance. I recommend this to readers who love a fun, cozy mystery.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy cozy mysteries, you'll want to read The Con, book 2 in the Organized Crime mysteries. Kate Sloan is a professional organizer. She's hired to help organize an office at a resort and discovers a body. What can she do but solve the mystery? The setting is lovely and the characters are great. I recommend all of Layton's books. They just get better and better. I purchased a copy.

[Cynthia Slaughter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romance and mystery

Katie is visiting a client when she finds another body. She writes down her observations and thoughts on the murder to share with her family. Her son has just arrived from Texas and her romance with Reid is moving forward quickly. The last thing she needs is to get involved in another murder investigation.

[Darlene C Robold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable and certainly plenty of suspects. The story did seem to go on a little long, and Reid and Ethan surprised me when they and both policemen left her alone near the end of the book. I liked all the twists and turns BUT, for people running their own businesses they certainly take a lot of time away from them.