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Merritt & Blunt Mysteries #2
The Forty-Year Grudge
When the World's Greatest Detective reunites with her college friends, she discovers that time doesn't heal all wounds.
It's been four decades since the women of Sigma Delta Tau were last together. The years have been kind to some but not to others.
Still this is supposed to be a pleasant diversion for former sorority member and current private investigator Aubrey Merritt. She's come to New Mexico to reconnect with old friends, and she's brought her personal assistant Olivia Blunt along with her to help with her bags.
But when one of the sorority sisters is murdered, all eyes turn to the World's Greatest Detective to solve the case. It's going to take both Aubrey and Olivia to cut through the knot of old hurts and current grievances to find the killer.
It's been four decades since the women of Sigma Delta Tau were last together. The years have been kind to some but not to others.
Still this is supposed to be a pleasant diversion for former sorority member and current private investigator Aubrey Merritt. She's come to New Mexico to reconnect with old friends, and she's brought her personal assistant Olivia Blunt along with her to help with her bags.
But when one of the sorority sisters is murdered, all eyes turn to the World's Greatest Detective to solve the case. It's going to take both Aubrey and Olivia to cut through the knot of old hurts and current grievances to find the killer.
344 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 9, 2026
About the author
Liza Tully
2 books130 followersLiza Tully lives in Boston, MA with her husband and their dog, Fred. She is a firm believer in reading escapist fiction that makes you laugh as well as think. She also writes suspense as Elisabeth Elo and literary fiction as Elisabeth Panttaja Brink. Her novels have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus; have been featured on NPR and People Magazine; and have been honored as an Indie Next Pick and a Book of the Month Club selection. She likes to hike to coffee shops and do many other things, but mostly she likes books. She has been reading and writing all her life and still feels like she has just begun.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I was excited to read The Forty Year Grudge by Liza Tully, unfortunately this one was not the right fit for me, and I made the decision to DNF around 25%.
I went into this hoping for a fun, engaging cozy mystery with strong momentum and interesting character dynamics. While I could see the intent behind the quirky dialogue and reunion centered setup, K personally struggled to stay invested in either the characters or the mystery itself.
Diving into the story, there isn't even a clear threat. The characters are assuming there MAY be a threat based off a hand written note on the back of one of the reunion invitations. The large portion of the book felt very dialogue driven, but much of that dialogue didn't deepen my emotional connection to the characters or feel like it was significantly moving the plot forward. By the point I stopped reading, the central threat still felt vague, which left me feeling more confused than intrigued. There were many names, conversations, and pieces of background information introduced, but I never felt as though that was moving the story forward.
I did enjoy the premise of old sorority friendship, long held grudges, and the reunion setting. Readers who enjoy slower paced cozy mysteries with conversational banter may connect with this more than I did. Unfortunately, I was personally looking for stronger stakes and a clearer sense of direction earlier in the story.
While this one did not work for me, I appreciate the opportunity to have read and reviewed it. I gave this book a 3 star rating based off the average of 3.79 on Goodreads at the time of my review.
PUBLISH DATE: June 9, 2026
BOOK TITLE: The Forty-Year Grudge
SERIES: Merritt & Blunt Mysteries #2
AUTHOR: Liza Tully
PUBLISHER: Berkley Publishing Group
FORMAT: ebook
PAGES: 352
I received a complimentary digital ARC [Advanced Readers Copy] of this book via NetGalley. Thank you to the Publisher and the Author for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. As always, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I went into this hoping for a fun, engaging cozy mystery with strong momentum and interesting character dynamics. While I could see the intent behind the quirky dialogue and reunion centered setup, K personally struggled to stay invested in either the characters or the mystery itself.
Diving into the story, there isn't even a clear threat. The characters are assuming there MAY be a threat based off a hand written note on the back of one of the reunion invitations. The large portion of the book felt very dialogue driven, but much of that dialogue didn't deepen my emotional connection to the characters or feel like it was significantly moving the plot forward. By the point I stopped reading, the central threat still felt vague, which left me feeling more confused than intrigued. There were many names, conversations, and pieces of background information introduced, but I never felt as though that was moving the story forward.
I did enjoy the premise of old sorority friendship, long held grudges, and the reunion setting. Readers who enjoy slower paced cozy mysteries with conversational banter may connect with this more than I did. Unfortunately, I was personally looking for stronger stakes and a clearer sense of direction earlier in the story.
While this one did not work for me, I appreciate the opportunity to have read and reviewed it. I gave this book a 3 star rating based off the average of 3.79 on Goodreads at the time of my review.
PUBLISH DATE: June 9, 2026
BOOK TITLE: The Forty-Year Grudge
SERIES: Merritt & Blunt Mysteries #2
AUTHOR: Liza Tully
PUBLISHER: Berkley Publishing Group
FORMAT: ebook
PAGES: 352
I received a complimentary digital ARC [Advanced Readers Copy] of this book via NetGalley. Thank you to the Publisher and the Author for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. As always, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
April 6, 2026
Second book in the Olivia Blunt detective series. This book can be read as a standalone. The story focuses on a sorority reunion and 3 “crimes”. Are they the same perpetrator or completely different people? That is what Olivia and her boss, Audrey Merritt, have to figure out. The story was okay, but at some points I felt like the story moved too slowly. This book was not as good as the first book so I was a bit disappointed.
June 27, 2026
Mystery-wise this was better than the first I thought, but I’m still annoyed at Olivia using ChatGPT for something a basic web search could’ve told her, so we’re docking a star for that. Also still unsure how I feel about Trevor.
June 21, 2026
2nd book
pov: 1st, assistant
new York
Pecos, New Mexico
10 months since hired the assistant. there was an invite for a 40 year reunion with college sorority but she refused to go.
Assistant got married 1 months ago, 2 weeks honeymoon, actor husband finally got some roles.
Then detective decided to go to the reunion for the case she got.
Husband was kinda annoyed she needs to leave NYC for New Mexico same day.
Joan, Sorority friend, large woman. nickname General, worked in the army.
Fitz husband, into art.
Jenny-Lou McPhee, manager of the Fitzroy Fine Art Gallery.
general got some threats in the mail.
9 guests were going to be present besides the above ones.
Barry, ranch manager, 40 yo.
1. Eve Exeter, phd, married, no kids.
2. husband Conrad Zander, PhD. professor & co founder with his wife of a supplement company.
3. Barbara Korn, recruiter, obsessed with her dog more that kids & grandkids.
4. Jacob Korn, husband.
manager at Google.
fortnite fan.
5. Kathy Lafferty, retired teacher with many awards.
6. Dave, husband & retired cop.
4 children, 8 grandchildren.
7. Bree Jumper, author. ya fantasy. divorced.
8. Peter, 18 yo son & welder. loves guns & conspiracies.
9. Nova Olsen, came solo, therapist working with grief & ptsd.
parents died, son due to suicide, divorced.
all but one over 60 yo.
Kathy said Eve ruined her life. Bree agreed.
Bree seemed prettier protective.
They did some skeet shooting, with Fitz teaching everyone. Nova shot disks well.
Only Kathy did not had wealthy parents and was on scholarship.
Therapist Nova also convinced her to confront Eve.
She did confront saying Eve stole her future career and ruined her life. Eve denied. Had sangria spilled on her head.
Bree was on her side, Barbara on Eve's.
Kathy's husband came angry waving a gun but was stopped by the general.
General & her husband slept in different bedrooms. She also sprained her ankle on the stairs at night by stepping onto something. No longer could swim the next day.
Next morning Olivia heard a pop & found a body in the pool, Eva who swam at the time when the General does and in her swimming cap.
Sheriff Casey, rude man, was in charge of the case.
Dismissive, 2nd cop
"Nathan Roundtree’s face arranged itself into a crooked frown. I got the impression that he was disappointed by his boss’s dismissive attitude, that he would have enjoyed joining forces with a celebrated PI from NYC."
Conrad, the widower, seems sad.
“What about competitors, people who might want to cripple Lifespan?” “As far as competitors go, there are none. Our product is unique and patented. No other company in the world right now is doing what we do.”
he also said that he is not a fan or Barbara but she and her husband were an early investor, and company is due to go public on October 1st.
Kathy & Dave drove away before body was found, police think he is the suspect but not Audrey.
Barbara was sad, husband
"Jacob does IT consulting for Conrad in addition to his regular job at Google.” “Really? Conrad didn’t mention that you’re an employee.” “I’m a consultant, not an employee,” Jacob corrected stiffly. “I see. How long have you been doing that?” “Couple of years, I guess.” “You’re interested in the supplement industry?” “I couldn’t care less about supplements. People want to waste their money on that snake oil, that’s their business. The only reason I agreed to consult for Conrad is because my wife sank practically all our money into his company, so I feel motivated to do what I can to help it succeed.” “It was my money, not ours,”
couple seems to hate one another, so much fighting.
everyone was still stuck at the village per Sherrif.
Nova the therapist offered the 5 sorority sisters and the assistant to do a grief group to help with stress, all the men left.
General has good words about the dead, Aubrey did not like her much, Barbara said she was the only one who liked her and cried a lot.
Kathy came back.
Barbara was called an ass kisser.
"I happen to know you were guilty as charged. I have concrete evidence that you plagiarized Eve’s senior thesis and tried to pass her research off as your own.” She smirked."
Bree protected Kathy.
Bree jumped in. “It could have been any of us. Including me. I hated Eve. She was mean and cheap and a killjoy and a bully. She would have taken candy from a baby with no problem. When all that stuff happened between her and Kathy at the end of senior year, I totally believed Kathy, and I still do. Because Kathy isn’t a cheater, and Eve definitely was. Eve stole her work, submitted it as her own, and was awarded a prestigious fellowship as a result. And when Kathy complained, Eve accused Kathy of plagiarism, which was the very thing she herself had done! Kathy got expelled a month before graduation and had to make up the credits at a community college, while Eve went on to achieve fame and fortune thanks to Kathy’s research. Kathy ended up wasting her amazing brain as an obscure middle school science teacher in upstate New York."
Bree said she has actually envied how happy Cathy ended up to be.
she said they left in the morning, ate, and were driving to Phoenix when police stopped their van, arrested her husband, and also interrogated her.
the widower compimented the assistant and then tried to see what she knows by bribing her with a spot in the business school and his connection for a better higher paying job.
"What I’m suggesting is a very simple partnership that will benefit us both: You pass on the information you have to me; I’ll pass on the information I have to you, and, as a bonus, I’ll make sure there’s a place for you in Sloan’s incoming class. Or if there’s something else you’d like that I can do for you, I’ll do my best to make it happen.” He leaned back and casually ran his fingers through his wavy salt-and-pepper hair. He was preening, I realized. Congratulating himself on my assumed capitulation. “I have a one-word tip to leave you with, Mr. Zander.” “What’s that?” “Tweezers. Tweezers will get that big tuft of gray hair out of your ear canal.”
“met Eve as she was concluding her preliminary research. She confessed to me that, as a research scientist, she wasn’t sure what to do next. I saw the potential immediately, of course. It was clear to me that a wonder supplement like Sirt-X, discovered via legitimate scientific research in a laboratory of a world-class institution such as MIT, could hardly fail. Eve and I married, Lifespan was born, and the rest is history.”
Olivia found a scorpion in General's bed. Then 4 more.
The 6 people with the waiter as the fastest caught them all.
Clearly a murder attempt.
At night assistant went to eat and saw Bree, pretty frantic.
Said that General yelled at the art assistant as her dog's ball wasthe reason she twisted her ankle.
That it's hard when 2 women share a man.
Apparently, her son always loved violence and no medicine or therapy helped. Besides guns likes poisonous scorpions.
put the bowl aside, lay down on the bed, closed my eyes, and pretended I " Just a single name: Nova Olsen. Nova: Bree Jumper’s sorority sister. Who happened to be a therapist. Who gave free advice over the phone. Who also had a difficult son. According to Bree, Nova’s son had died by suicide several years after a boot camp injury drove him out of military service. The last part repeated itself: An injury drove him out of military service. Forget Peter Jumper. My suspicions immediately clustered around the therapist."
After that got addicted to drugs, killed himself, divorce after.
" visit to that website yielded nothing at first, but when I eventually stumbled upon a page that listed past base commanders, I saw the name Brigadier General Joan Battersea. The dates indicated that the General had been in charge at Fort Sill when Owen Olsen was in basic training there."
It was Nova who wrote the threat, flew 4 days before, as a way to take revenge as son was wrongly accused of sexual harassment she thinks.
Assistant & detective barely escaped the rattlesnake.
"..Fitz hurried over as we entered the house, saying he had important news to share. Apparently the police had discovered incriminating evidence and had formally charged Dave Lafferty with the murder of Eve Exeter. Dave would be arraigned at the Santa Fe courthouse the next morning."
“Oh, Nova. Dear friend. I’m so sorry. Did you try therapy?” Barbara innocently inquired. Nova shook her head miserably. “Physician, heal thyself,” Bree murmured. Merritt summarized icily, “So instead of confronting your own pain and loss, you concocted a harebrained, bogus psychological theory that would allow you to harm another person and feel righteous about it.” Nova stiffened but said nothing. The General charged into the breach. “Aubrey, please. No harm was done. Nova confessed and I forgave her. Let’s move past this now.”
Kathy was the one to place the scorpions she caught and knew were not the most poisonous as others and also changed the clock time to take the suspicions off her husband, Generak forgave her.
Sherrif arrived, apparently his evidence again Kathy's husband was just bullets residue on clothes but Aubrey told him half the guests have them too, that she needs 30 mins to find the culprit.
" Even the people who weren’t present could have been told by others who were. But who knew that Joan had sprained her ankle and canceled? Only Eve, because Joan told her via text; and Barbara, because Eve texted her and Barbara replied to the text, so we know she read it. “The change of plans happened after midnight, so it’s reasonable to assume that the news of Joan’s cancellation would not have traveled beyond Eve and Barbara. Unless, of course, either one or both of the women mentioned it to their husbands. “The suspect list was now quite short. Only three individuals could have fatally shot Eve: Barbara Korn, Jacob Korn, and Conrad Zander.”
Solved the case within 24 hours, assistant did not sleep this long.
It was Barbara's and Eva's husbands:
“True. Each detail is minor and can be explained away. But taken together, they formed a pattern: You wanted to be seen.” Jacob started to protest, but Merritt barreled on. “I suspect you did something else too. I think you silenced your wife’s phone so her alarm wouldn’t go off. You knew that after several unaccustomed glasses of sangria and the jet lag she was still complaining of, silencing her alarm was all you needed to do to prevent her from showing up at the pool. And who would ever know you’d done it? Keeping a phone on silent mode is a mistake anyone can make. You figured Barbara would blame herself. And she did.” “Oh no, no way.” He waved off the accusation. “That’s pure speculation. There’s no way you can prove that.” “I didn’t need to prove it. I only needed to create a theory of how the crime might have unfolded, and follow that path where it led.” “Theory of what? A theory that I shot my wife’s friend? You know I couldn’t have done it. My alibi is solid. I was here at the hacienda the entire time.” “Never fear, Mr. Korn. I know you didn’t murder Eve. You were just an accessory. Your job was to keep Barbara away from the pool, and you did your job quite well. You silenced her phone, and then, knowing what would soon happen, you went about the business of giving yourself an airtight alibi."
Motive;
"Negative product reviews for Sirt-X had started cropping up on a Reddit discussion board. Customers were complaining of rashes that varied in intensity from mild to severe. Eve had been quite concerned and had told Barbara all about it. She suspected that Sirt-X was triggering an immune response, and she wanted to do more testing. Unfortunately, the kind of testing she wanted—double-blind, placebo controlled—was extremely expensive and time-consuming, and would indefinitely delay the long-awaited IPO presently scheduled for October. Conrad had vehemently opposed the idea of further testing. He was ready and eager for the big payday they’d all been working for. But Eve was adamant. She refused to go forward until the safety issues were addressed."
Jacob burried the negative reviews.
"The blood was invisible to the naked eye. First, because it was very faint, having come from the blood-tinged pool water the wounded Eve Exeter had splashed onto the concrete as she tried to escape the shooter. Second, because Zander’s canvas boat shoes were a dark gray color that hid stains. But those things were no hindrance to Angel, upon whom Evolution, ever wise and generous, had bestowed an olfactory superpower. As the spaniel was reveling in his discovery, I approached Merritt and whispered what I thought was going on. She glanced over at Conrad Zander, who was shuffling his feet about in an ineffective effort to avoid the canine’s nose. I couldn’t tell if he understood what was happening. Merritt spoke privately to Sheriff Casey and, as everyone was leaving the living room, no doubt disappointed by the great detective’s failure to solve the case, the lawman asked Zander to remain. Zander was taken to the police station in Pecos for questioning. When the blue glow of luminol revealed traces of blood on his shoes, he was put in a cell, the same one Dave Lafferty was released from. Merritt and I were confident that DNA analysis would identify the blood as Eve Exeter’s. Zander’s arrest caused a stir among the guests. People couldn’t stop talking about it, but as afternoon shifted to evening, and the muted colors of dusk softened the air, an atmosphere of quiet calm suffused the household"
Barbara announced the divorce.
pov: 1st, assistant
new York
Pecos, New Mexico
10 months since hired the assistant. there was an invite for a 40 year reunion with college sorority but she refused to go.
Assistant got married 1 months ago, 2 weeks honeymoon, actor husband finally got some roles.
Then detective decided to go to the reunion for the case she got.
Husband was kinda annoyed she needs to leave NYC for New Mexico same day.
Joan, Sorority friend, large woman. nickname General, worked in the army.
Fitz husband, into art.
Jenny-Lou McPhee, manager of the Fitzroy Fine Art Gallery.
general got some threats in the mail.
9 guests were going to be present besides the above ones.
Barry, ranch manager, 40 yo.
1. Eve Exeter, phd, married, no kids.
2. husband Conrad Zander, PhD. professor & co founder with his wife of a supplement company.
3. Barbara Korn, recruiter, obsessed with her dog more that kids & grandkids.
4. Jacob Korn, husband.
manager at Google.
fortnite fan.
5. Kathy Lafferty, retired teacher with many awards.
6. Dave, husband & retired cop.
4 children, 8 grandchildren.
7. Bree Jumper, author. ya fantasy. divorced.
8. Peter, 18 yo son & welder. loves guns & conspiracies.
9. Nova Olsen, came solo, therapist working with grief & ptsd.
parents died, son due to suicide, divorced.
all but one over 60 yo.
Kathy said Eve ruined her life. Bree agreed.
Bree seemed prettier protective.
They did some skeet shooting, with Fitz teaching everyone. Nova shot disks well.
Only Kathy did not had wealthy parents and was on scholarship.
Therapist Nova also convinced her to confront Eve.
She did confront saying Eve stole her future career and ruined her life. Eve denied. Had sangria spilled on her head.
Bree was on her side, Barbara on Eve's.
Kathy's husband came angry waving a gun but was stopped by the general.
General & her husband slept in different bedrooms. She also sprained her ankle on the stairs at night by stepping onto something. No longer could swim the next day.
Next morning Olivia heard a pop & found a body in the pool, Eva who swam at the time when the General does and in her swimming cap.
Sheriff Casey, rude man, was in charge of the case.
Dismissive, 2nd cop
"Nathan Roundtree’s face arranged itself into a crooked frown. I got the impression that he was disappointed by his boss’s dismissive attitude, that he would have enjoyed joining forces with a celebrated PI from NYC."
Conrad, the widower, seems sad.
“What about competitors, people who might want to cripple Lifespan?” “As far as competitors go, there are none. Our product is unique and patented. No other company in the world right now is doing what we do.”
he also said that he is not a fan or Barbara but she and her husband were an early investor, and company is due to go public on October 1st.
Kathy & Dave drove away before body was found, police think he is the suspect but not Audrey.
Barbara was sad, husband
"Jacob does IT consulting for Conrad in addition to his regular job at Google.” “Really? Conrad didn’t mention that you’re an employee.” “I’m a consultant, not an employee,” Jacob corrected stiffly. “I see. How long have you been doing that?” “Couple of years, I guess.” “You’re interested in the supplement industry?” “I couldn’t care less about supplements. People want to waste their money on that snake oil, that’s their business. The only reason I agreed to consult for Conrad is because my wife sank practically all our money into his company, so I feel motivated to do what I can to help it succeed.” “It was my money, not ours,”
couple seems to hate one another, so much fighting.
everyone was still stuck at the village per Sherrif.
Nova the therapist offered the 5 sorority sisters and the assistant to do a grief group to help with stress, all the men left.
General has good words about the dead, Aubrey did not like her much, Barbara said she was the only one who liked her and cried a lot.
Kathy came back.
Barbara was called an ass kisser.
"I happen to know you were guilty as charged. I have concrete evidence that you plagiarized Eve’s senior thesis and tried to pass her research off as your own.” She smirked."
Bree protected Kathy.
Bree jumped in. “It could have been any of us. Including me. I hated Eve. She was mean and cheap and a killjoy and a bully. She would have taken candy from a baby with no problem. When all that stuff happened between her and Kathy at the end of senior year, I totally believed Kathy, and I still do. Because Kathy isn’t a cheater, and Eve definitely was. Eve stole her work, submitted it as her own, and was awarded a prestigious fellowship as a result. And when Kathy complained, Eve accused Kathy of plagiarism, which was the very thing she herself had done! Kathy got expelled a month before graduation and had to make up the credits at a community college, while Eve went on to achieve fame and fortune thanks to Kathy’s research. Kathy ended up wasting her amazing brain as an obscure middle school science teacher in upstate New York."
Bree said she has actually envied how happy Cathy ended up to be.
she said they left in the morning, ate, and were driving to Phoenix when police stopped their van, arrested her husband, and also interrogated her.
the widower compimented the assistant and then tried to see what she knows by bribing her with a spot in the business school and his connection for a better higher paying job.
"What I’m suggesting is a very simple partnership that will benefit us both: You pass on the information you have to me; I’ll pass on the information I have to you, and, as a bonus, I’ll make sure there’s a place for you in Sloan’s incoming class. Or if there’s something else you’d like that I can do for you, I’ll do my best to make it happen.” He leaned back and casually ran his fingers through his wavy salt-and-pepper hair. He was preening, I realized. Congratulating himself on my assumed capitulation. “I have a one-word tip to leave you with, Mr. Zander.” “What’s that?” “Tweezers. Tweezers will get that big tuft of gray hair out of your ear canal.”
“met Eve as she was concluding her preliminary research. She confessed to me that, as a research scientist, she wasn’t sure what to do next. I saw the potential immediately, of course. It was clear to me that a wonder supplement like Sirt-X, discovered via legitimate scientific research in a laboratory of a world-class institution such as MIT, could hardly fail. Eve and I married, Lifespan was born, and the rest is history.”
Olivia found a scorpion in General's bed. Then 4 more.
The 6 people with the waiter as the fastest caught them all.
Clearly a murder attempt.
At night assistant went to eat and saw Bree, pretty frantic.
Said that General yelled at the art assistant as her dog's ball wasthe reason she twisted her ankle.
That it's hard when 2 women share a man.
Apparently, her son always loved violence and no medicine or therapy helped. Besides guns likes poisonous scorpions.
put the bowl aside, lay down on the bed, closed my eyes, and pretended I " Just a single name: Nova Olsen. Nova: Bree Jumper’s sorority sister. Who happened to be a therapist. Who gave free advice over the phone. Who also had a difficult son. According to Bree, Nova’s son had died by suicide several years after a boot camp injury drove him out of military service. The last part repeated itself: An injury drove him out of military service. Forget Peter Jumper. My suspicions immediately clustered around the therapist."
After that got addicted to drugs, killed himself, divorce after.
" visit to that website yielded nothing at first, but when I eventually stumbled upon a page that listed past base commanders, I saw the name Brigadier General Joan Battersea. The dates indicated that the General had been in charge at Fort Sill when Owen Olsen was in basic training there."
It was Nova who wrote the threat, flew 4 days before, as a way to take revenge as son was wrongly accused of sexual harassment she thinks.
Assistant & detective barely escaped the rattlesnake.
"..Fitz hurried over as we entered the house, saying he had important news to share. Apparently the police had discovered incriminating evidence and had formally charged Dave Lafferty with the murder of Eve Exeter. Dave would be arraigned at the Santa Fe courthouse the next morning."
“Oh, Nova. Dear friend. I’m so sorry. Did you try therapy?” Barbara innocently inquired. Nova shook her head miserably. “Physician, heal thyself,” Bree murmured. Merritt summarized icily, “So instead of confronting your own pain and loss, you concocted a harebrained, bogus psychological theory that would allow you to harm another person and feel righteous about it.” Nova stiffened but said nothing. The General charged into the breach. “Aubrey, please. No harm was done. Nova confessed and I forgave her. Let’s move past this now.”
Kathy was the one to place the scorpions she caught and knew were not the most poisonous as others and also changed the clock time to take the suspicions off her husband, Generak forgave her.
Sherrif arrived, apparently his evidence again Kathy's husband was just bullets residue on clothes but Aubrey told him half the guests have them too, that she needs 30 mins to find the culprit.
" Even the people who weren’t present could have been told by others who were. But who knew that Joan had sprained her ankle and canceled? Only Eve, because Joan told her via text; and Barbara, because Eve texted her and Barbara replied to the text, so we know she read it. “The change of plans happened after midnight, so it’s reasonable to assume that the news of Joan’s cancellation would not have traveled beyond Eve and Barbara. Unless, of course, either one or both of the women mentioned it to their husbands. “The suspect list was now quite short. Only three individuals could have fatally shot Eve: Barbara Korn, Jacob Korn, and Conrad Zander.”
Solved the case within 24 hours, assistant did not sleep this long.
It was Barbara's and Eva's husbands:
“True. Each detail is minor and can be explained away. But taken together, they formed a pattern: You wanted to be seen.” Jacob started to protest, but Merritt barreled on. “I suspect you did something else too. I think you silenced your wife’s phone so her alarm wouldn’t go off. You knew that after several unaccustomed glasses of sangria and the jet lag she was still complaining of, silencing her alarm was all you needed to do to prevent her from showing up at the pool. And who would ever know you’d done it? Keeping a phone on silent mode is a mistake anyone can make. You figured Barbara would blame herself. And she did.” “Oh no, no way.” He waved off the accusation. “That’s pure speculation. There’s no way you can prove that.” “I didn’t need to prove it. I only needed to create a theory of how the crime might have unfolded, and follow that path where it led.” “Theory of what? A theory that I shot my wife’s friend? You know I couldn’t have done it. My alibi is solid. I was here at the hacienda the entire time.” “Never fear, Mr. Korn. I know you didn’t murder Eve. You were just an accessory. Your job was to keep Barbara away from the pool, and you did your job quite well. You silenced her phone, and then, knowing what would soon happen, you went about the business of giving yourself an airtight alibi."
Motive;
"Negative product reviews for Sirt-X had started cropping up on a Reddit discussion board. Customers were complaining of rashes that varied in intensity from mild to severe. Eve had been quite concerned and had told Barbara all about it. She suspected that Sirt-X was triggering an immune response, and she wanted to do more testing. Unfortunately, the kind of testing she wanted—double-blind, placebo controlled—was extremely expensive and time-consuming, and would indefinitely delay the long-awaited IPO presently scheduled for October. Conrad had vehemently opposed the idea of further testing. He was ready and eager for the big payday they’d all been working for. But Eve was adamant. She refused to go forward until the safety issues were addressed."
Jacob burried the negative reviews.
"The blood was invisible to the naked eye. First, because it was very faint, having come from the blood-tinged pool water the wounded Eve Exeter had splashed onto the concrete as she tried to escape the shooter. Second, because Zander’s canvas boat shoes were a dark gray color that hid stains. But those things were no hindrance to Angel, upon whom Evolution, ever wise and generous, had bestowed an olfactory superpower. As the spaniel was reveling in his discovery, I approached Merritt and whispered what I thought was going on. She glanced over at Conrad Zander, who was shuffling his feet about in an ineffective effort to avoid the canine’s nose. I couldn’t tell if he understood what was happening. Merritt spoke privately to Sheriff Casey and, as everyone was leaving the living room, no doubt disappointed by the great detective’s failure to solve the case, the lawman asked Zander to remain. Zander was taken to the police station in Pecos for questioning. When the blue glow of luminol revealed traces of blood on his shoes, he was put in a cell, the same one Dave Lafferty was released from. Merritt and I were confident that DNA analysis would identify the blood as Eve Exeter’s. Zander’s arrest caused a stir among the guests. People couldn’t stop talking about it, but as afternoon shifted to evening, and the muted colors of dusk softened the air, an atmosphere of quiet calm suffused the household"
Barbara announced the divorce.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Two books in, this has already become a favorite series. Everything about this series sparkles – the characters, the storytelling, and the setting. The two central characters are 60 something Aubrey Merritt, a world-renowned private investigator, and her young, green, recently married assistant. Olivia Blunt (who, it must be said, does the lion’s share of the work). Blunt is in training to become a detective but so far Merritt is a bit scornful of her talents. She is eager, thorough, and good at research, however, and she arrives at the solution at *almost* the same time Aubrey does.
In this adventure, the two women are headed to Santa Fe to meet up for Merritt’s 40 year reunion with her Sigma Delta Tau sisters. Merritt had no intention of going (despite Blunt’s efforts in this direction) but there’s a plea for help from her hostess’s husband, as well as the fact that the hostess – retired Brigadier General Joan Battersea – is the one person Merritt wouldn’t mind seeing again. Merritt despises emotion and sentiment as they impede logic, but when Joan’s husband says there’s a threat to Joan’s life Merritt relents, and she and Blunt are on a plane almost before they have time to pack.
When they arrive, Joan insists the threat is nonsense, but her husband, showing the two investigators a death threat scrawled on the back of a reunion invitation, insists his wife take it seriously. Then the rest of the women arrive, indeed bearing grudges (in one case, an absolute doozy). All of them are staying at Joan’s spacious desert estate and Blunt is reunited with her childhood fear of snakes and a new one is added: scorpions. Its not long before the worst occurs and Merritt and Blunt switch into full on detective mode.
They have a hard time protecting Joan who is stubborn and sure of being able to take care of herself (she was a Brigadier General, after all) but the two detectives prevail in their insistence on her safety. They continue to investigate despite a sheriff who jumps to an obvious conclusion and arrests someone the two women feel is probably innocent. After a few other incidents – one involving, oh the horror, scorpions – the two edge toward a solution, despite Blunt’s lack of sleep, nourishment, and annoyingly ignoring her new husband’s pleas to look at the apartment links he keeps sending her as he tries to find them a new place in ultra competitive New York City.
What makes this book sparkle is the prickly relationship between Merrritt and Blunt, which absolutely has a Holmes and Watson feel to it, and the characters which surround them and make up the stories. In this outing the characters of the ageing sorority members who remember quite well the grudges and slights forty years past are a great cast of characters. The desert setting, so foreign to Blunt (who narrates the story) comes to life and assumes the part of a character in the proceedings.
The mystery part and the solution to it was clever and I enjoyed the traditional summing up by the two detectives at the end, which of course also reveals the killer. I like that author Tully utilizes traditional tropes but makes this form her own, by obviously updating it and having the assistant be so young she’s the guide for what’s occurring in the modern world, something Merritt doesn’t fully understand and often has contempt for. And they are two women operating without the police. They have their cooperation but they, like many, many other fictional detectives, are professionals solving crime. Merritt’s standing alone gives them agency to investigate. She’s as famous as Poirot or Holmes were in their day. And the formula just works. I enjoy the company of these two women, I like the way Tully tells a story, and I was plunged into the swirl of drama that was a class reunion.
In this adventure, the two women are headed to Santa Fe to meet up for Merritt’s 40 year reunion with her Sigma Delta Tau sisters. Merritt had no intention of going (despite Blunt’s efforts in this direction) but there’s a plea for help from her hostess’s husband, as well as the fact that the hostess – retired Brigadier General Joan Battersea – is the one person Merritt wouldn’t mind seeing again. Merritt despises emotion and sentiment as they impede logic, but when Joan’s husband says there’s a threat to Joan’s life Merritt relents, and she and Blunt are on a plane almost before they have time to pack.
When they arrive, Joan insists the threat is nonsense, but her husband, showing the two investigators a death threat scrawled on the back of a reunion invitation, insists his wife take it seriously. Then the rest of the women arrive, indeed bearing grudges (in one case, an absolute doozy). All of them are staying at Joan’s spacious desert estate and Blunt is reunited with her childhood fear of snakes and a new one is added: scorpions. Its not long before the worst occurs and Merritt and Blunt switch into full on detective mode.
They have a hard time protecting Joan who is stubborn and sure of being able to take care of herself (she was a Brigadier General, after all) but the two detectives prevail in their insistence on her safety. They continue to investigate despite a sheriff who jumps to an obvious conclusion and arrests someone the two women feel is probably innocent. After a few other incidents – one involving, oh the horror, scorpions – the two edge toward a solution, despite Blunt’s lack of sleep, nourishment, and annoyingly ignoring her new husband’s pleas to look at the apartment links he keeps sending her as he tries to find them a new place in ultra competitive New York City.
What makes this book sparkle is the prickly relationship between Merrritt and Blunt, which absolutely has a Holmes and Watson feel to it, and the characters which surround them and make up the stories. In this outing the characters of the ageing sorority members who remember quite well the grudges and slights forty years past are a great cast of characters. The desert setting, so foreign to Blunt (who narrates the story) comes to life and assumes the part of a character in the proceedings.
The mystery part and the solution to it was clever and I enjoyed the traditional summing up by the two detectives at the end, which of course also reveals the killer. I like that author Tully utilizes traditional tropes but makes this form her own, by obviously updating it and having the assistant be so young she’s the guide for what’s occurring in the modern world, something Merritt doesn’t fully understand and often has contempt for. And they are two women operating without the police. They have their cooperation but they, like many, many other fictional detectives, are professionals solving crime. Merritt’s standing alone gives them agency to investigate. She’s as famous as Poirot or Holmes were in their day. And the formula just works. I enjoy the company of these two women, I like the way Tully tells a story, and I was plunged into the swirl of drama that was a class reunion.
June 13, 2026
The world’s greatest detective, Aubrey Merritt, has been invited to a 40-year reunion of her college sorority, Sigma Delta Tau. She’s not planning on going, even through her (just okay) assistant Olivia Blunt is encouraging her to. It would be good for her to take a break and reconnect with her old friends, like the retired US Army Brigadier General Joan Battersea, who is hosting it at her ranch in New Mexico.
It’s not until Joan’s husband Fitz shows up in Merritt’s office asking for help that Aubrey decides to go after all. And even though Olivia has just gotten married, she agrees to pack up and head out to New Mexico that night for the weekend reunion. Merritt hasn’t told her what she and Fitz had talked about (Olivia had joined them at the end of their talk), but Olivia does know that it’s a work trip, so clearly something is afoot.
And while there are plenty of things on the ranch that could cause them harm, like rattlesnakes and scorpions, it’s the death threat written on the back of the reunion invitation and left it in the General’s mailbox that is the reason for the detective to show up in New Mexico at all. As Merritt and Blunt investigate everyone who has come back for the weekend, they keep that threat foremost in their minds.
The General has enemies all over the world, as she fought to make the Army safer for the women soldiers, trying to curtail the harassment and worse that they can face. But maybe she also has an enemy or two among her guests, There are successful Barbara and Jacob Korn; Eve Exeter and her husband Conrad Zander, who are about to take their health care business public; Kathy Lafferty, a science teacher, and her police officer husband Dave; fantasy author Bree Jumper and her teenage son Peter; and therapist Nova Olsen.
It was a varied group of people, and Olivia did her best to find out what she could about them. And when she heard the gunshot and raced out to the pool to find a woman dead, Olivia knew they had to find the killer before the weekend was over. And she thinks she can do it. She can solve the case, catch the killer, and finally impress Merritt. But not everything is as it seems, and Olivia will have to figure out how to see what’s there and what’s not there to figure it out.
The Forty-Year Grudge is book number 2 in the Merritt & Blunt Mystery Series from Liz Tully. These mysteries are bitingly smart. This one shows a little more of Merritt’s humanity, as she offers Blunt a chance to solve the crime but also as some of her past comes to light. And Olivia’s humanity is certainly on display, as she and her new husband start their lives together.
I love these characters for the way they interact. Merritt is an excellent teacher, even when she seems harsh. And Olivia brings the details that helps connect all the dots. The wry humor through these books add a sense of absurdity, but there is warmth underneath it (sometimes very deep, but it’s there). I loved The Forty-Year Grudge, and I can’t wait for another book starring these two women and their individual strengths.
Egalleys for The Forty-Year Grudge were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.
It’s not until Joan’s husband Fitz shows up in Merritt’s office asking for help that Aubrey decides to go after all. And even though Olivia has just gotten married, she agrees to pack up and head out to New Mexico that night for the weekend reunion. Merritt hasn’t told her what she and Fitz had talked about (Olivia had joined them at the end of their talk), but Olivia does know that it’s a work trip, so clearly something is afoot.
And while there are plenty of things on the ranch that could cause them harm, like rattlesnakes and scorpions, it’s the death threat written on the back of the reunion invitation and left it in the General’s mailbox that is the reason for the detective to show up in New Mexico at all. As Merritt and Blunt investigate everyone who has come back for the weekend, they keep that threat foremost in their minds.
The General has enemies all over the world, as she fought to make the Army safer for the women soldiers, trying to curtail the harassment and worse that they can face. But maybe she also has an enemy or two among her guests, There are successful Barbara and Jacob Korn; Eve Exeter and her husband Conrad Zander, who are about to take their health care business public; Kathy Lafferty, a science teacher, and her police officer husband Dave; fantasy author Bree Jumper and her teenage son Peter; and therapist Nova Olsen.
It was a varied group of people, and Olivia did her best to find out what she could about them. And when she heard the gunshot and raced out to the pool to find a woman dead, Olivia knew they had to find the killer before the weekend was over. And she thinks she can do it. She can solve the case, catch the killer, and finally impress Merritt. But not everything is as it seems, and Olivia will have to figure out how to see what’s there and what’s not there to figure it out.
The Forty-Year Grudge is book number 2 in the Merritt & Blunt Mystery Series from Liz Tully. These mysteries are bitingly smart. This one shows a little more of Merritt’s humanity, as she offers Blunt a chance to solve the crime but also as some of her past comes to light. And Olivia’s humanity is certainly on display, as she and her new husband start their lives together.
I love these characters for the way they interact. Merritt is an excellent teacher, even when she seems harsh. And Olivia brings the details that helps connect all the dots. The wry humor through these books add a sense of absurdity, but there is warmth underneath it (sometimes very deep, but it’s there). I loved The Forty-Year Grudge, and I can’t wait for another book starring these two women and their individual strengths.
Egalleys for The Forty-Year Grudge were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.
June 14, 2026
Book rating: 4/5 ⭐️
Genre: murder mystery
Themes: betrayal, sorority sisters, settling scores, scorpions, death threats
📖 Read if you like: Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone, The Primrose Murder Society
Thank you @BerkleyPub this #gifted book. It was certainly a reunion to remember!
#BerkleyPartner #BerkleyBookstgram
Merritt is a brilliant detective and Blunt is her neophyte assistantdetective. While steely eyed Merritt is a chameleon who can throw on charm over her designer ensemble swathed in sophistication and confidence, Blunt wears her emotions on her sleeve and employs feelings in her reasoning. She wants appreciation and thanks for the small things, while Merritt wants to push her to be better and to perceive the truth behind the smiles. It is a boomers versus GenZ combination that poses butting ideologies and behaviours, yet the combination really works.
Merritt may be the brilliant savant who is easy to idolize, but I liked that Blunt approached the investigation as a reader would. She was wandering around in the dark making observations with genuine concern, but without great leaps in deduction making the line of reasoning all the more appealing. They made for an entertaining duo within an ensemble of complex characters that made this who done it plump with betrayals and resentments. I believed the history and dynamics between these sorority sisters selling the passive-aggressive undertones and emotional investment. It was engaging with great characters and a twisty plot.
The novel is told through the newly married assistant Olivia Blunt who is accompanying her boss Audrey Merritt to the 40th reunion of the Sigma Delta Tau sorority in New Mexico. Despite the passage of time these women are holding onto old hurts and swirling emotions making this reunion a stomping ground to settle scores. It was an event Merritt had no interest in attending until her oldest friend the General received a death threat. When the unexpected murder of a sorority sister occurs, the detectives will need to determine if the murder and the threat are connected, or if there are two culprits on the compound. It is a closed door murder mystery with a myriad of scorpions and several doses of therapy. From the hairy beasts to misogynist erudites and catty sisters there are plenty of suspects and motives to go around.
I thought that the examination of human nature was an interesting perspective seen through varying ages. It was well written with some profound snippets interspersed within the murder mystery that really made me think of how formative relationships can leave scars and old wounds can fester. I was able to guess part of the solution, but I liked that it was given layers and masks. It was easy to read and entertaining with a storyline that balanced tension and humour well. Looking forward to the next one already!
Genre: murder mystery
Themes: betrayal, sorority sisters, settling scores, scorpions, death threats
📖 Read if you like: Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone, The Primrose Murder Society
Thank you @BerkleyPub this #gifted book. It was certainly a reunion to remember!
#BerkleyPartner #BerkleyBookstgram
Merritt is a brilliant detective and Blunt is her neophyte assistantdetective. While steely eyed Merritt is a chameleon who can throw on charm over her designer ensemble swathed in sophistication and confidence, Blunt wears her emotions on her sleeve and employs feelings in her reasoning. She wants appreciation and thanks for the small things, while Merritt wants to push her to be better and to perceive the truth behind the smiles. It is a boomers versus GenZ combination that poses butting ideologies and behaviours, yet the combination really works.
Merritt may be the brilliant savant who is easy to idolize, but I liked that Blunt approached the investigation as a reader would. She was wandering around in the dark making observations with genuine concern, but without great leaps in deduction making the line of reasoning all the more appealing. They made for an entertaining duo within an ensemble of complex characters that made this who done it plump with betrayals and resentments. I believed the history and dynamics between these sorority sisters selling the passive-aggressive undertones and emotional investment. It was engaging with great characters and a twisty plot.
The novel is told through the newly married assistant Olivia Blunt who is accompanying her boss Audrey Merritt to the 40th reunion of the Sigma Delta Tau sorority in New Mexico. Despite the passage of time these women are holding onto old hurts and swirling emotions making this reunion a stomping ground to settle scores. It was an event Merritt had no interest in attending until her oldest friend the General received a death threat. When the unexpected murder of a sorority sister occurs, the detectives will need to determine if the murder and the threat are connected, or if there are two culprits on the compound. It is a closed door murder mystery with a myriad of scorpions and several doses of therapy. From the hairy beasts to misogynist erudites and catty sisters there are plenty of suspects and motives to go around.
I thought that the examination of human nature was an interesting perspective seen through varying ages. It was well written with some profound snippets interspersed within the murder mystery that really made me think of how formative relationships can leave scars and old wounds can fester. I was able to guess part of the solution, but I liked that it was given layers and masks. It was easy to read and entertaining with a storyline that balanced tension and humour well. Looking forward to the next one already!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Liza Tully and The Forty-Year Grudge honestly made me question whether there is anything more terrifying than being trapped at a forty-year sorority reunion with people who still remember every weird thing you did in college. Add one murder, decades of resentment, awkward small talk, passive-aggressive comments over dinner, and enough emotional baggage to fill an airport carousel, and suddenly this whole trip becomes my personal nightmare fuel.
Huge thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the gifted ARC.
I really enjoyed the first Merritt & Blunt mystery, so I was excited to jump back into this series because the best part for me is still Aubrey Merritt and Olivia Blunt together. Aubrey is brilliant but emotionally locked down so tightly it’s honestly almost impressive, while Olivia feels much more relatable — smart, observant, slightly anxious, occasionally overthinking literally everything. Their dynamic just works for me. There’s this dry humor between them that sneaks in naturally and keeps the story feeling cozy even when someone’s getting murdered.
This mystery definitely leans more classic detective story than thriller, so don’t go in expecting nonstop twists and car chases. The pacing is slower and more methodical, but honestly that kind of fit the whole vibe of the book. Half the tension comes from old friendships, old betrayals, and the uncomfortable realization that some people never actually move on from who they were in college.
And wow… these women brought baggage to New Mexico like the airline was offering free checked luggage.
I also liked that the mystery itself felt believable. Everyone had history. Everyone had secrets. Everyone seemed at least mildly annoyed with each other at all times. It made the murder investigation feel messy in a good way because the emotional drama was just as important as figuring out who did it.
I will say there were a few moments where the story slowed down a little too much for me with some longer conversations and inner thoughts, but overall I still had a good time with it and absolutely flew through certain sections trying to piece everything together.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This series really feels like if a cozy mystery and women’s fiction had a very sarcastic little detective-book baby.
Also… be honest. If your college friend group reunited after forty years, how long would it take before somebody started crying in the bathroom or bringing up ancient drama at dinner? Because I’m giving it maybe twenty minutes. 😂
#TheFortyYearGrudge #LizaTully #CozyMystery #MysteryReader #BookReview #Bookstagram #NetGalley #MysteryBooks #DetectiveFiction #ReadersOfInstag
Huge thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the gifted ARC.
I really enjoyed the first Merritt & Blunt mystery, so I was excited to jump back into this series because the best part for me is still Aubrey Merritt and Olivia Blunt together. Aubrey is brilliant but emotionally locked down so tightly it’s honestly almost impressive, while Olivia feels much more relatable — smart, observant, slightly anxious, occasionally overthinking literally everything. Their dynamic just works for me. There’s this dry humor between them that sneaks in naturally and keeps the story feeling cozy even when someone’s getting murdered.
This mystery definitely leans more classic detective story than thriller, so don’t go in expecting nonstop twists and car chases. The pacing is slower and more methodical, but honestly that kind of fit the whole vibe of the book. Half the tension comes from old friendships, old betrayals, and the uncomfortable realization that some people never actually move on from who they were in college.
And wow… these women brought baggage to New Mexico like the airline was offering free checked luggage.
I also liked that the mystery itself felt believable. Everyone had history. Everyone had secrets. Everyone seemed at least mildly annoyed with each other at all times. It made the murder investigation feel messy in a good way because the emotional drama was just as important as figuring out who did it.
I will say there were a few moments where the story slowed down a little too much for me with some longer conversations and inner thoughts, but overall I still had a good time with it and absolutely flew through certain sections trying to piece everything together.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This series really feels like if a cozy mystery and women’s fiction had a very sarcastic little detective-book baby.
Also… be honest. If your college friend group reunited after forty years, how long would it take before somebody started crying in the bathroom or bringing up ancient drama at dinner? Because I’m giving it maybe twenty minutes. 😂
#TheFortyYearGrudge #LizaTully #CozyMystery #MysteryReader #BookReview #Bookstagram #NetGalley #MysteryBooks #DetectiveFiction #ReadersOfInstag
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
One-word review: Classic
Emojis: 🕵️♀️🔍🤨
Rating: 3.5 🌟s
My thoughts:
The Forty-Year Grudge by Liza Tully is a smart, classic-style mystery with major old-school detective vibes. It has that polished, almost noir-movie feel, where everyone has a history, everyone has a reason to be annoyed, and one reunion turns into a murder investigation. Casual sorority catch-up? Not so much. More like grudges with appetizers.
This is the second book in the Merritt & Blunt Mysteries series, but I had no trouble reading it as a standalone. Aubrey Merritt, known as the World’s Greatest Detective, reunites with her former Sigma Delta Tau sorority sisters in New Mexico, with her assistant Olivia Blunt along for the trip. When one of the women ends up dead, Aubrey and Olivia are pulled into a case full of old hurts, present-day resentment, and the possibility that the wrong person may have been targeted.
I enjoyed the setup and thought the plot itself was interesting. This is definitely one for fans of Benoit Blanc, Poirot, Miss Marple, and Sherlock Holmes. It leans into that traditional detective style, with clues, motives, social tension, and a room full of people who all seem capable of hiding something. I liked watching Aubrey and Olivia work through the knot of relationships and old grievances to figure out what really happened.
That said, it was a little difficult for me to get into at first. Some of the characters were fairly off-putting, which made it harder to fully settle into the story right away. I also expected a bit more drama considering the grudge had been simmering for forty years. Forty years is a long time to let resentment marinate, so I wanted a little more emotional explosion from that setup. Give me the dramatic table flip of unresolved sorority trauma. I was ready.
The pacing was solid overall. It moved at a steady medium pace, and once the investigation got going, it became an easy read. The mystery was well-written, the structure worked, and the story had enough intrigue to keep me interested, even if it did not completely pull me under.
Overall, The Forty-Year Grudge is a solid, classic mystery with an appealing detective duo, an interesting reunion-gone-wrong premise, and a traditional sleuthing style that cozy and classic mystery fans will enjoy.
Emojis: 🕵️♀️🔍🤨
Rating: 3.5 🌟s
My thoughts:
The Forty-Year Grudge by Liza Tully is a smart, classic-style mystery with major old-school detective vibes. It has that polished, almost noir-movie feel, where everyone has a history, everyone has a reason to be annoyed, and one reunion turns into a murder investigation. Casual sorority catch-up? Not so much. More like grudges with appetizers.
This is the second book in the Merritt & Blunt Mysteries series, but I had no trouble reading it as a standalone. Aubrey Merritt, known as the World’s Greatest Detective, reunites with her former Sigma Delta Tau sorority sisters in New Mexico, with her assistant Olivia Blunt along for the trip. When one of the women ends up dead, Aubrey and Olivia are pulled into a case full of old hurts, present-day resentment, and the possibility that the wrong person may have been targeted.
I enjoyed the setup and thought the plot itself was interesting. This is definitely one for fans of Benoit Blanc, Poirot, Miss Marple, and Sherlock Holmes. It leans into that traditional detective style, with clues, motives, social tension, and a room full of people who all seem capable of hiding something. I liked watching Aubrey and Olivia work through the knot of relationships and old grievances to figure out what really happened.
That said, it was a little difficult for me to get into at first. Some of the characters were fairly off-putting, which made it harder to fully settle into the story right away. I also expected a bit more drama considering the grudge had been simmering for forty years. Forty years is a long time to let resentment marinate, so I wanted a little more emotional explosion from that setup. Give me the dramatic table flip of unresolved sorority trauma. I was ready.
The pacing was solid overall. It moved at a steady medium pace, and once the investigation got going, it became an easy read. The mystery was well-written, the structure worked, and the story had enough intrigue to keep me interested, even if it did not completely pull me under.
Overall, The Forty-Year Grudge is a solid, classic mystery with an appealing detective duo, an interesting reunion-gone-wrong premise, and a traditional sleuthing style that cozy and classic mystery fans will enjoy.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thanks to NetGalley and the Berkley Publishing Group for this advance reader’s copy, in exchange for an honest review. “The Forty-Year Grudge” is scheduled for release on June 9, 2026.
Liza Tully’s second installment in the Merritt & Blunt mystery series (I did not read or review the first) features an interesting premise. Unfortunately, the story itself does not deliver what it promises.
It has been four decades since the women of Sigma Delta Tau were last together. Some have done well for themselves, others not. A reunion in New Mexico that should be a pleasant gathering of old friends turns ugly when one of them is found dead floating in the swimming pool.
One of the sorority sisters is Aubrey Merritt, heralded as the World’s Greatest Detective. She and her protégé, Olivia Blunt, are now tasked with solving the crime. And they’re working against the clock and a local sheriff who wants nothing more than to solve the case quickly.
The problem, almost from the beginning, is that the narrative plods along at almost glacial speed. The story is told through Olivia’s eyes. And it’s readily apparent that she’s just as enamored with her boss as she is frustrated with the way she’s treated. Aubrey Merritt, it’s clear, is one crusty old broad. If there’s a soft spot in her makeup, it’s not apparent.
The other sorority sisters and their respective others are not exactly likeable characters either. They’re also flat, one-dimensional people who are challenging, at best, to care about. As a reader, that keeps me from caring about anyone involved in the story.
But back to the narrative and story flow, which did not entice me to move excitedly through the pages eager to help solve the mystery. Because there is no excitement. No suspense. And way too many chapters focusing on terrorizing scorpions.
The ending was so dull and anticlimactic it made me yawn and say, “Who cares?”
One star (and that’s being generous) for “The Forty-Year Grudge.” And zero interest in checking out the first installment.
And you can read all my reviews at my Raised on Reading (www.raisedonreading.com) blog site. A new review posted every Monday.
Liza Tully’s second installment in the Merritt & Blunt mystery series (I did not read or review the first) features an interesting premise. Unfortunately, the story itself does not deliver what it promises.
It has been four decades since the women of Sigma Delta Tau were last together. Some have done well for themselves, others not. A reunion in New Mexico that should be a pleasant gathering of old friends turns ugly when one of them is found dead floating in the swimming pool.
One of the sorority sisters is Aubrey Merritt, heralded as the World’s Greatest Detective. She and her protégé, Olivia Blunt, are now tasked with solving the crime. And they’re working against the clock and a local sheriff who wants nothing more than to solve the case quickly.
The problem, almost from the beginning, is that the narrative plods along at almost glacial speed. The story is told through Olivia’s eyes. And it’s readily apparent that she’s just as enamored with her boss as she is frustrated with the way she’s treated. Aubrey Merritt, it’s clear, is one crusty old broad. If there’s a soft spot in her makeup, it’s not apparent.
The other sorority sisters and their respective others are not exactly likeable characters either. They’re also flat, one-dimensional people who are challenging, at best, to care about. As a reader, that keeps me from caring about anyone involved in the story.
But back to the narrative and story flow, which did not entice me to move excitedly through the pages eager to help solve the mystery. Because there is no excitement. No suspense. And way too many chapters focusing on terrorizing scorpions.
The ending was so dull and anticlimactic it made me yawn and say, “Who cares?”
One star (and that’s being generous) for “The Forty-Year Grudge.” And zero interest in checking out the first installment.
And you can read all my reviews at my Raised on Reading (www.raisedonreading.com) blog site. A new review posted every Monday.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
📱📖 Read on Kindle
📃 352 pages
⏱ 5 hours
🏷️ Publisher: Berkley
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. To be published June 9, 2026.
Here's the thing about reunion stories: they live or die by whether you actually believe these people have history. Liza Tully absolutely nails it. The sorority backstory in The Forty-Year Grudge doesn't feel like a plot device, it feels like sediment. Forty years of small betrayals, unspoken resentments, and friendships that calcified into obligation. By the time the murder happens, you've already got a shortlist of suspects just from the passive-aggressive dinner conversation. That's good writing.
And then there's Merritt and Blunt, doing their thing. If you read the first book, you know the dynamic: Merritt is your armchair genius, sharp and frustratingly still, while Blunt is out here hustling for clues like she's submitting extra credit. What I love is that Tully gives Blunt her moments this time around. She earns a few of those clues herself, and it genuinely matters to the resolution. Watching Blunt grow into her detective instincts while Merritt runs her quiet, brilliant magic is the real pleasure of this series. The emotional stakes are higher here too, Merritt is protecting a friend, and she KNOWS she's not objective, which adds a wonderful layer of tension to every deduction she makes.
The mystery itself is solid: twisty enough to keep you guessing, though not impossible to piece together if you’re paying attention. And then there’s the atmosphere of old friendships, buried grudges, and that delicious sense that no one here is entirely innocent. Liza Tully balances humor and tension well, keeping things light without losing the emotional undercurrent. Cozy, yes, but with just enough bite.
Would I recommend it?
The sorority grudge plot is juicy without being soapy, the Merritt & Blunt dynamic keeps getting better, and the ending ties it all up with a satisfying snap. It’s a warm, engaging follow-up that builds on what worked in the first book while giving us a slightly deeper emotional hook.
📃 352 pages
⏱ 5 hours
🏷️ Publisher: Berkley
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. To be published June 9, 2026.
Here's the thing about reunion stories: they live or die by whether you actually believe these people have history. Liza Tully absolutely nails it. The sorority backstory in The Forty-Year Grudge doesn't feel like a plot device, it feels like sediment. Forty years of small betrayals, unspoken resentments, and friendships that calcified into obligation. By the time the murder happens, you've already got a shortlist of suspects just from the passive-aggressive dinner conversation. That's good writing.
And then there's Merritt and Blunt, doing their thing. If you read the first book, you know the dynamic: Merritt is your armchair genius, sharp and frustratingly still, while Blunt is out here hustling for clues like she's submitting extra credit. What I love is that Tully gives Blunt her moments this time around. She earns a few of those clues herself, and it genuinely matters to the resolution. Watching Blunt grow into her detective instincts while Merritt runs her quiet, brilliant magic is the real pleasure of this series. The emotional stakes are higher here too, Merritt is protecting a friend, and she KNOWS she's not objective, which adds a wonderful layer of tension to every deduction she makes.
The mystery itself is solid: twisty enough to keep you guessing, though not impossible to piece together if you’re paying attention. And then there’s the atmosphere of old friendships, buried grudges, and that delicious sense that no one here is entirely innocent. Liza Tully balances humor and tension well, keeping things light without losing the emotional undercurrent. Cozy, yes, but with just enough bite.
Would I recommend it?
The sorority grudge plot is juicy without being soapy, the Merritt & Blunt dynamic keeps getting better, and the ending ties it all up with a satisfying snap. It’s a warm, engaging follow-up that builds on what worked in the first book while giving us a slightly deeper emotional hook.
June 14, 2026
The Forty-Year Grudge had an interesting premise: a sorority reunion, old grudges, a threatening message, and a murder mystery to solve.
Aubrey Merritt is a highly regarded private investigator who reluctantly returns to her sorority's forty-year reunion when one of her former sisters receives a troubling threat. Accompanying her is Olivia Blunt, her assistant, who hopes to one day become a detective in her own right.
Unfortunately, this one wasn't quite the right fit for me.
I found the story very slow to get going, with a lot of detailed explanations and conversations that made it difficult for me to stay engaged. There are also a large number of characters to keep track of, which sometimes made it challenging to follow who was who and how everyone connected to the mystery.
I also struggled to connect with the characters. In particular, I found Aubrey's treatment of Olivia frustrating at times. Since Olivia dreams of running her own agency someday, I wanted to see more respect and support between them rather than the constant criticism and tension.
The dynamic among the sorority sisters also felt unusual to me. Much of the group didn't seem to genuinely enjoy each other's company, which made it harder for me to become invested in their reunion or the relationships driving the story.
While the mystery eventually unfolds, I found myself wishing for a stronger emotional connection to the characters and a faster pace to keep me engaged.
Overall, this was a slower mystery than I typically enjoy, and while the premise intrigued me, the story and characters ultimately didn't pull me in the way I had hoped.
Thank you to Berkeley Publishing Group and NetGalley for an early electronic copy to read and review.
Aubrey Merritt is a highly regarded private investigator who reluctantly returns to her sorority's forty-year reunion when one of her former sisters receives a troubling threat. Accompanying her is Olivia Blunt, her assistant, who hopes to one day become a detective in her own right.
Unfortunately, this one wasn't quite the right fit for me.
I found the story very slow to get going, with a lot of detailed explanations and conversations that made it difficult for me to stay engaged. There are also a large number of characters to keep track of, which sometimes made it challenging to follow who was who and how everyone connected to the mystery.
I also struggled to connect with the characters. In particular, I found Aubrey's treatment of Olivia frustrating at times. Since Olivia dreams of running her own agency someday, I wanted to see more respect and support between them rather than the constant criticism and tension.
The dynamic among the sorority sisters also felt unusual to me. Much of the group didn't seem to genuinely enjoy each other's company, which made it harder for me to become invested in their reunion or the relationships driving the story.
While the mystery eventually unfolds, I found myself wishing for a stronger emotional connection to the characters and a faster pace to keep me engaged.
Overall, this was a slower mystery than I typically enjoy, and while the premise intrigued me, the story and characters ultimately didn't pull me in the way I had hoped.
Thank you to Berkeley Publishing Group and NetGalley for an early electronic copy to read and review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
When I finished "The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant" last year, I was enthralled by the story but even more so by the characters, and I hoped there would be further books featuring the two protagonists, Aubrey Merritt (the great detective) and Olivia Blunt (her okay assistant). I was thrilled to see The Forty-Year Grudge is coming out in June 2026 and even more excited to get an opportunity to get a sneak peek of this highly anticipated mystery!
Once again, Liza Tully has delivered an engaging story and great characters, this time including several of Merritt's sorority sisters convening for a forty-year reunion in the New Mexico desert.
The plot develops quickly and the short chapters kept my interest, making for a fast read. The mysteries are interesting and I enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on. The only criticism I have is that some passages were a bit too long and also mostly unnecessary, such as Blunt and her husband discussing divorce statistics for several pages, or Blunt's lengthy and pointless inner monologues about scorpions or mothers or whatever. But I enjoyed the story for the most part and I am looking forward to more books in this series.
Fans of the first book will probably enjoy this second installment; those unfamiliar with the fledgling series might want to read the first book prior to this one, but it certainly would not be impenetrable for reading as a standalone novel.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Once again, Liza Tully has delivered an engaging story and great characters, this time including several of Merritt's sorority sisters convening for a forty-year reunion in the New Mexico desert.
The plot develops quickly and the short chapters kept my interest, making for a fast read. The mysteries are interesting and I enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on. The only criticism I have is that some passages were a bit too long and also mostly unnecessary, such as Blunt and her husband discussing divorce statistics for several pages, or Blunt's lengthy and pointless inner monologues about scorpions or mothers or whatever. But I enjoyed the story for the most part and I am looking forward to more books in this series.
Fans of the first book will probably enjoy this second installment; those unfamiliar with the fledgling series might want to read the first book prior to this one, but it certainly would not be impenetrable for reading as a standalone novel.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
We get to meet our MCs, Aubrey Merritt and Olivia Blunt, for a second time in this, the second book in the Merritt & Bunt Mysteries series. They are in the midst of a rare dry spell at Merritt's private investigation business and it's driving Merritt crazy because she is used to working all the time, so when Olivia spots an invitation for Aubrey to meet up with some of her old sorority sisters from forty years ago, she tries to get her to accept it. Because she's Aubrey, she says no thanks, but she changes her mind when she finds out that one of her close friends is being threatened. She and Olivia head out to New Mexico to keep her safe, even if it means she will have to spend time with the other ladies. It becomes even more important to keep her friend, Joan, safe when one of her other sorority sisters is murdered, and it's up to Aubrey and Olivia to solve this mystery and find the killer, or killers, before they can strike again.
I enjoyed this book and felt it fit well with the first book in the series. I thought the characters were all nuanced and well defined, as well as relatable and easy to connect with, and I thought the premise was interesting. The book was well written so it was easy to read, and the pacing was steady, which moved the story along nicely. I found the ending satisfying, as well.
All in all, I enjoyed this bo0k and look forward to the next one in the Merritt & Blunt Mysteries series.
4/5 stars
*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Liza Tully for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I enjoyed this book and felt it fit well with the first book in the series. I thought the characters were all nuanced and well defined, as well as relatable and easy to connect with, and I thought the premise was interesting. The book was well written so it was easy to read, and the pacing was steady, which moved the story along nicely. I found the ending satisfying, as well.
All in all, I enjoyed this bo0k and look forward to the next one in the Merritt & Blunt Mysteries series.
4/5 stars
*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Liza Tully for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really liked the first book in this series. The concept is clever and full of snark, which I enjoy. I like the back-and-forth between Merritt and Olivia, and enjoyed watching them work together to solve the first mystery. All that is to say that I went into this second book with high hopes. I still enjoyed the back-and-forth, although it's getting tough to keep reading Olly's insecurities page after page. I also didn't find the underlying mystery as compelling this time around (sorority sisters, 40 years later), and felt like there was a lot of drawn-out mini-drama here which kept causing my attention to lag.
The pacing just wasn't as even this time, and that definitely drew me out of the action and mystery repeatedly. I did find the ending, with Merritt's cryptic comments about the future, to be particularly intriguing though, and would pick up the next installment just to see where things are headed - but I'm hoping it'll move at a more even pace and there will start to be some development of Olivia's personality, because at some point constant second-guessing gets monotonous...
Still, on the whole it was an enjoyable read and one I can recommend, albeit with the caveat about pacing - and a mention that skimming some of those pages of details won't affect understanding or enjoyment of the overall story at all.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
The pacing just wasn't as even this time, and that definitely drew me out of the action and mystery repeatedly. I did find the ending, with Merritt's cryptic comments about the future, to be particularly intriguing though, and would pick up the next installment just to see where things are headed - but I'm hoping it'll move at a more even pace and there will start to be some development of Olivia's personality, because at some point constant second-guessing gets monotonous...
Still, on the whole it was an enjoyable read and one I can recommend, albeit with the caveat about pacing - and a mention that skimming some of those pages of details won't affect understanding or enjoyment of the overall story at all.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Forty-Year Grudge by Liza Tully is the second book in the Merritt & Blunt Mysteries series and can be read as a standalone.
Despite their different personalities, it is an interesting story, although I expected more drama given it was a forty-year grudge. Aubrey initially did not plan to attend her forty-year reunion at the home of her college friend, Joan Battersea, until Joan’s husband, John Fitzroy, asks her to attend because Joan has been threatened. Once there, they do all they can to protect Joan; however, one of their classmates, Eve, ends up dead. Is it a case of mistaken identity because she is in the pool at Joan’s normal time and wearing her swim cap? Aubrey and Olivia investigate all the people who are attending the reunion to find the killer (especially since the sheriff “knows” who the killer is and will not listen to them).
It feels reminiscent of a film noir movie, but in written form. Aubrey’s personality is a tad abrasive, but not enough to put me off the book. I feel for Olivia’s husband as he is desperately trying to find them an apartment on his own and Olivia is too busy to respond, which in New York, timing is everything. The “killer” is obvious and the real killer less so, though not unexpected. It was an easy read and okay story, and I would read the next installment in this series.
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Despite their different personalities, it is an interesting story, although I expected more drama given it was a forty-year grudge. Aubrey initially did not plan to attend her forty-year reunion at the home of her college friend, Joan Battersea, until Joan’s husband, John Fitzroy, asks her to attend because Joan has been threatened. Once there, they do all they can to protect Joan; however, one of their classmates, Eve, ends up dead. Is it a case of mistaken identity because she is in the pool at Joan’s normal time and wearing her swim cap? Aubrey and Olivia investigate all the people who are attending the reunion to find the killer (especially since the sheriff “knows” who the killer is and will not listen to them).
It feels reminiscent of a film noir movie, but in written form. Aubrey’s personality is a tad abrasive, but not enough to put me off the book. I feel for Olivia’s husband as he is desperately trying to find them an apartment on his own and Olivia is too busy to respond, which in New York, timing is everything. The “killer” is obvious and the real killer less so, though not unexpected. It was an easy read and okay story, and I would read the next installment in this series.
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 25, 2026
Overall, I really enjoyed this one—definitely an improvement over the first book in the series.
It took me a little while to get into the story, and some of the early dialogue felt a bit stiff, but once it found its rhythm, it really worked. What stood out most to me was the attention to detail and the research and small, layered clues made the mystery feel grounded and realistic. This isn’t a fast-paced, twist-heavy thriller; instead, it builds slowly, piecing things together in a way that feels believable and satisfying.
There’s a large cast of characters, which did get a bit confusing at times, but I ultimately liked the ensemble and how they contributed to the story.
As for the characters: Merritt, the main detective, came across as a little too closed sometimes. I wanted just a bit more from her. She’s like this genius but we don’t get to see it all that much. The assistant was likable and engaging, though she had some airheaded moments that stood out. And her husband…honestly, kind of frustrating. Your wife is actively involved in solving a murder, and you’re upset about not getting a text back? It pulled me out of the story at times.
That said, the strength of the mystery and the thoughtful pacing made this a solid read for me. If you enjoy more methodical, detail-driven mysteries, this one is worth picking up
It took me a little while to get into the story, and some of the early dialogue felt a bit stiff, but once it found its rhythm, it really worked. What stood out most to me was the attention to detail and the research and small, layered clues made the mystery feel grounded and realistic. This isn’t a fast-paced, twist-heavy thriller; instead, it builds slowly, piecing things together in a way that feels believable and satisfying.
There’s a large cast of characters, which did get a bit confusing at times, but I ultimately liked the ensemble and how they contributed to the story.
As for the characters: Merritt, the main detective, came across as a little too closed sometimes. I wanted just a bit more from her. She’s like this genius but we don’t get to see it all that much. The assistant was likable and engaging, though she had some airheaded moments that stood out. And her husband…honestly, kind of frustrating. Your wife is actively involved in solving a murder, and you’re upset about not getting a text back? It pulled me out of the story at times.
That said, the strength of the mystery and the thoughtful pacing made this a solid read for me. If you enjoy more methodical, detail-driven mysteries, this one is worth picking up
June 10, 2026
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for gifting me the second in this fun mystery series by Liza Tully. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!
It's been four decades since the women of Sigma Delta Tau were last together. The group is having a reunion at one of the sisters' ranches in New Mexico, and private investigator Aubrey Merritt is planning on reconnecting with her friends. She brought along her assistant, Olivia Blunt, to help her with her bags. But then one of the sorority sisters is murdered, and it's up to Aubrey and Olivia to solve the case.
This is a fun, cozy-style mystery series, with great characters and I enjoyed my second adventure with them. Aubrey is a bit surly but is trying to train Olivia to be a good investigator. There are multiple mysteries here to solve and plenty of suspects with motives. What makes this series shine is the relationship between the two - Aubrey is old school where Olivia relies heavily on technology for her research. There's plenty of drama but also that something more. I'm looking forward to more from this pair!
It's been four decades since the women of Sigma Delta Tau were last together. The group is having a reunion at one of the sisters' ranches in New Mexico, and private investigator Aubrey Merritt is planning on reconnecting with her friends. She brought along her assistant, Olivia Blunt, to help her with her bags. But then one of the sorority sisters is murdered, and it's up to Aubrey and Olivia to solve the case.
This is a fun, cozy-style mystery series, with great characters and I enjoyed my second adventure with them. Aubrey is a bit surly but is trying to train Olivia to be a good investigator. There are multiple mysteries here to solve and plenty of suspects with motives. What makes this series shine is the relationship between the two - Aubrey is old school where Olivia relies heavily on technology for her research. There's plenty of drama but also that something more. I'm looking forward to more from this pair!
June 22, 2026
HOLMES AND WATSON RIDE AGAIN -- A ranch just outside of Santa Fe is the perfect setting for a college reunion. It is also the perfect setting for a murder. The famous detective Aubrey Merritt and her apprentice Olivia Blunt team up to solve a crime in which General Joan Battersea, a college classmate of Merritt's, seems to be the intended victim. When someone else is murdered, they have to rethink first premises. This is a gripping story, with plenty of spiteful characters, who might well be inclined to kill the general or one of her classmates. As in the first book in the series, Merritt is brilliant but imperious and reluctant to praise her assistant. Blunt is earnest and resourceful but not as quick as her boss would like her to be. The Forty-Year Grudge is a closed-circle mystery and a cozy. Some scenes are wickedly funny. And the relationship between Blunt and her boss gives new meaning to the phrase "tough love." The pairing of Merritt and Blunt, like Holmes and Watson definitely holds your interest.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Liza Tully’s second outing for the World’s Greatest Detective, Aubrey Merritt, and her just okay assistant, Olivia Blunt, is an elegantly constructed Golden Age murder mystery. Honoring the ethos of fair play mysteries, Tully lays out clues and herrings for readers and detectives alike to feast on. As they work through multiple apparent crimes, Merritt as a logical, results-oriented Boomer and Blunt as a feeling-forward Millennial volley acerbic wisdom and emotional rejoinders at each other to delightful effect. Unfortunately, Tully repeatedly refers to Merritt’s coterie as if they are frail nonagenarians rather than the vibrant, active sixty-somethings they are — a jarring note in an otherwise affectionate and assured character portrait. Ageism aside, The Forty Year Grudge is a welcome addition to the mismatched buddy mystery genre and a delight for readers who like their clues fairly planted and their detectives endearingly impossible to work for.
June 10, 2026
Thank you to Penguin Random House for sponsoring the giveaway through Goodreads for the opportunity to read an ARC of the The Forty-Year Grudge by Liza Tully. All opinions are my own. Slight spoilers ahead.
As someone who hasn't read the first book in the Merritt & Blunt series, I was pleasantly surprised that this had little recall to the first book and could easily be followed without having that backstory in place. The mystery of the book had a lot of false avenues that made the reveal a true one and not easily guessed before the ending.
That being said, while Aubrey Merritt was on point, I had a more difficult time getting into Olivia Blunt. Both of their tones, speech patterns and inner monologues read exactly the same on paper, which I found hard to believe given the age gap. While some emulation could be explained by Aubrey being Olivia's mentor, I felt that some of the younger influences were missing and didn't make her as believable as a character.
As someone who hasn't read the first book in the Merritt & Blunt series, I was pleasantly surprised that this had little recall to the first book and could easily be followed without having that backstory in place. The mystery of the book had a lot of false avenues that made the reveal a true one and not easily guessed before the ending.
That being said, while Aubrey Merritt was on point, I had a more difficult time getting into Olivia Blunt. Both of their tones, speech patterns and inner monologues read exactly the same on paper, which I found hard to believe given the age gap. While some emulation could be explained by Aubrey being Olivia's mentor, I felt that some of the younger influences were missing and didn't make her as believable as a character.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2026
THE FORTY-YEAR GRUDGE scratches my itch for a grumpy mentor and a seemingly impossible mystery.
Genre: Mystery, Whodunnit
Language: I read it a few days ago, and I don't remember much cursing.
One of the things I love about this series is the banter! We usually think of banter between people in love, but in this case it is with the unlikely friendship between these women who are sort of friends, but they definitely fit the bill for a mentor and mentee. But who does the work? Does the mentor really know what's going on?
This one delves into the past and the dynamics from an old school friend group. And as you can imagine, there are jealousies, rivalries, hurt feelings, and 100% you will find grudges. But whodunnit? I loved trying to figure this one out.
You don't absolutely have to read these in order, but to "get" the dynamic between the characters, I think it's helpful.
Happy Sleuthing!
My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group.
Genre: Mystery, Whodunnit
Language: I read it a few days ago, and I don't remember much cursing.
One of the things I love about this series is the banter! We usually think of banter between people in love, but in this case it is with the unlikely friendship between these women who are sort of friends, but they definitely fit the bill for a mentor and mentee. But who does the work? Does the mentor really know what's going on?
This one delves into the past and the dynamics from an old school friend group. And as you can imagine, there are jealousies, rivalries, hurt feelings, and 100% you will find grudges. But whodunnit? I loved trying to figure this one out.
You don't absolutely have to read these in order, but to "get" the dynamic between the characters, I think it's helpful.
Happy Sleuthing!
My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5 stars
This is a nice addition to the series debut, featuring 20 something investigator in training Olivia Blunt and her acerbic but astute boss, nationally famed detective Aubrey Merritt.
The dynamic is that Olivia, who is very bright but not very confident and has a stellar background in research, gets hired by Aubrey. Aubrey is demanding and very much wants the newly-married Olivia to succeed.
Aubrey and Olivia are attending a small 40 year reunion of Aubrey's college sorority at the urging of one of her sorority sister's husbands. The host of the reunion, a brusque and impressive retired Army general, has been receiving threats.
There is a lot of old baggage from their college days, and current angst with spouses and family. Olivia gets a bit angsty sometimes but hopefully as she gains experience that will lessen. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is a nice addition to the series debut, featuring 20 something investigator in training Olivia Blunt and her acerbic but astute boss, nationally famed detective Aubrey Merritt.
The dynamic is that Olivia, who is very bright but not very confident and has a stellar background in research, gets hired by Aubrey. Aubrey is demanding and very much wants the newly-married Olivia to succeed.
Aubrey and Olivia are attending a small 40 year reunion of Aubrey's college sorority at the urging of one of her sorority sister's husbands. The host of the reunion, a brusque and impressive retired Army general, has been receiving threats.
There is a lot of old baggage from their college days, and current angst with spouses and family. Olivia gets a bit angsty sometimes but hopefully as she gains experience that will lessen. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This is the second mystery featuring Baby Boomer, Audrey Merritt and Gen Zer, Olivia Blunt.
I listened to the first book in the series (THE WORLD’S GREATEST DETECTIVE AND HER JUST OKAY ASSISTANT). You can easily read this newest book as a stand alone.
Audrey is the world’s greatest detective and Olivia is her assistant.
The book is told in Olivia’s point of view.
This book is set when Audrey takes a case at her 40 year sorority reunion. The host of the reunion has received a death threat. Audrey and Olivia are there to investigate.
There ends up being several mysteries to solve and I really liked that. I also liked that this feels like a traditional mystery but has that spin of the age gap and all the potential issues that entails.
I listened to the first book in the series (THE WORLD’S GREATEST DETECTIVE AND HER JUST OKAY ASSISTANT). You can easily read this newest book as a stand alone.
Audrey is the world’s greatest detective and Olivia is her assistant.
The book is told in Olivia’s point of view.
This book is set when Audrey takes a case at her 40 year sorority reunion. The host of the reunion has received a death threat. Audrey and Olivia are there to investigate.
There ends up being several mysteries to solve and I really liked that. I also liked that this feels like a traditional mystery but has that spin of the age gap and all the potential issues that entails.
June 12, 2026
An enjoyable mystery placed in a setting that I enjoyed far more than I expected.
This is fairly straightforward detective fiction, and for the most part a fair play novel.
I was not expecting to particularly enjoy the dude ranch setting, but it worked surprisingly well and fit nicely with the plot.
Structurally this is well crafted, and it moves pretty well for a mystery that doesn’t have a ton of action aside from the murder and sticks to a single location.
I’m not wild about the detectives, particularly the woman in charge, whose condescension toward her assistant is far more irritating than funny. I didn’t mind the narrator, though major points deducted for a detective using chatGPT. I actively cringed.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
This is fairly straightforward detective fiction, and for the most part a fair play novel.
I was not expecting to particularly enjoy the dude ranch setting, but it worked surprisingly well and fit nicely with the plot.
Structurally this is well crafted, and it moves pretty well for a mystery that doesn’t have a ton of action aside from the murder and sticks to a single location.
I’m not wild about the detectives, particularly the woman in charge, whose condescension toward her assistant is far more irritating than funny. I didn’t mind the narrator, though major points deducted for a detective using chatGPT. I actively cringed.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
June 9, 2026
I blew through The Forty-Year Grudge! Liza Tully created a stellar private investigator in Aubrey Merritt. I enjoyed how this book showed more of her personality by revealing old friendships. The mystery here is phenomenal and kept me clicking the kindle pages quickly. This story is for readers of The Thursday Murder Club books and The Marlow Murder Club books, two of my favorite series that are perfectly in my wheelhouse!
4.5 stars for me. I really recommend this series (start with book 1!!) for anyone with similar tastes as me. I read an e-arc on my kindle, thank you Berkley and Netgalley for my copy!
4.5 stars for me. I really recommend this series (start with book 1!!) for anyone with similar tastes as me. I read an e-arc on my kindle, thank you Berkley and Netgalley for my copy!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book was an intriguing mystery! When renowned detective Aubrey Merritt is invited to a reunion with her college sorority sisters, she almost doesn't go, until one of them receives a threat. Once Merritt and her assistant Oliva Blunt arrive at the reunion they, of course, are embroiled in a murder investigation. This book contains an eclectic cast of characters and there were twists and turns as we find out there are mysteries within the investigation and emotions run high as grudges, slights and deceptions from the past are dug up. I really enjoyed watching this mystery unfold!
June 19, 2026
Another great story featuring famed detective Aubrey Merritt and her younger assistant, Olivia Blunt. Loved the story and its twists and turns. Makes a great audio book. Did not like how a bunch of women in their mid to late 60s were constantly referred to as old women. Even with the backstories, I felt like the author was writing about octogenarians with one foot in the grave. Also absolutely hate the relationship between Olivia and Trevor. Wanted them to break up in the first book. Disappointed that they actually got married and their relationship still sucks.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I had a lot of fun writing this book. Loved the characters and especially the relationship between Aubrey and Olivia where Olivia starts to come into her own as a detective. The mystery they have to solve isn't easy. There are actually three crimes to sort out, and the ending asks the question "What do you do when you've figured out who did it, but you can't prove it?" That's when Olivia steps up.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you, Berkley Publishing Group, for providing the copy of The Forty-Year Grudge by Liza Tully. I loved the dossier on the reunion attendees Olivia assembled. It gave me quick insight to each of the reunion attendees, but more character development would have helped. I liked the story, even though it bogged down a couple of times, and made the book feel long. I’m not sure this was the book for me, but lovers of cozy mysteries might love it! 3 stars
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