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Death by Inside Job: A Hilarious Feel-Good Cozy Mystery
A basement renovation. A mountain of silica beads. And a mummified secret hidden in the walls.
After years of putting it off, Carlos is finally tearing down the cramped dressing rooms at Mamacita’s. All he expects is plaster dust, new mirrors, and a hefty contractor bill. Instead, a sledgehammer breaks through the drywall, releasing a flood of industrial drying beads and a very grim discovery.
There is a perfectly preserved body walled up inside the burlesque club.
No smell. No missing persons report. No one knows who the man in the tacky fake Rolex is, or how he ended up entombed in Carlos's basement.
Detective Mendoza quickly discovers that a desiccated corpse in the island's favorite off-the-books bar is only the beginning of another grim story. The building's oldest blueprints have been carefully altered to hide the secret space.
While Reg, Alex, and Bombay follow a trail that winds through Mamacita's backstage corridors, old property deeds, and the island’s forgotten underworld, one thing becomes
Someone on San Malvino went to incredible lengths to make sure this man was never found.
Can the island’s favorite sleuths figure out who the mystery man was and why someone buried him behind the dressing rooms before the killer returns to finish the job?
It’s demolition day at Mamacita's. Keep your boas away.
After years of putting it off, Carlos is finally tearing down the cramped dressing rooms at Mamacita’s. All he expects is plaster dust, new mirrors, and a hefty contractor bill. Instead, a sledgehammer breaks through the drywall, releasing a flood of industrial drying beads and a very grim discovery.
There is a perfectly preserved body walled up inside the burlesque club.
No smell. No missing persons report. No one knows who the man in the tacky fake Rolex is, or how he ended up entombed in Carlos's basement.
Detective Mendoza quickly discovers that a desiccated corpse in the island's favorite off-the-books bar is only the beginning of another grim story. The building's oldest blueprints have been carefully altered to hide the secret space.
While Reg, Alex, and Bombay follow a trail that winds through Mamacita's backstage corridors, old property deeds, and the island’s forgotten underworld, one thing becomes
Someone on San Malvino went to incredible lengths to make sure this man was never found.
Can the island’s favorite sleuths figure out who the mystery man was and why someone buried him behind the dressing rooms before the killer returns to finish the job?
It’s demolition day at Mamacita's. Keep your boas away.
73 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 18, 2026
Carlos decides he wants to renovate the backstage area of his bar, and he enlists Reg and Gary to help him knock down a wall. However, when Gary swings his beloved sledgehammer at the wall, a corpse falls out that's been hidden in the wall for 15 years!
I always enjoy the style of stories like this, where the team gradually follow the clues to eventually land on the correct answer, going through different people and techy processes to get there. I especially enjoyed Gary's enthusiasm with his sledgehammer here, that was fun.
My main complaint is that the twist and the ending made absolutely no sense to me. I know this entire series is very implausible, but I can accept that the rules are different on this fictional island. The perpetrator and his motive just seemed ridiculous and that ruined this one for me unfortunately.
I always enjoy the style of stories like this, where the team gradually follow the clues to eventually land on the correct answer, going through different people and techy processes to get there. I especially enjoyed Gary's enthusiasm with his sledgehammer here, that was fun.
My main complaint is that the twist and the ending made absolutely no sense to me. I know this entire series is very implausible, but I can accept that the rules are different on this fictional island. The perpetrator and his motive just seemed ridiculous and that ruined this one for me unfortunately.
August 6, 2026
Poor Carlos never figured they’d find something so weird hidden in the walls of his basement when all he wanted to do was making a nice dressing room for the performers. Gary was cracking me up with that sledgehammer while Reg tried his best to keep him under control.
What tumbled from the wall ended up being a cold case that was fifteen years old and a tangled web of crazy mystery. Angela’s always so scary-good when she gets a perp to crack, and this time was no exception. One fun thing came of the renovation, Polly got himself a brand new accessory, lol.
What tumbled from the wall ended up being a cold case that was fifteen years old and a tangled web of crazy mystery. Angela’s always so scary-good when she gets a perp to crack, and this time was no exception. One fun thing came of the renovation, Polly got himself a brand new accessory, lol.
July 22, 2026
Still love these books. They are a fast and funny read. Always happy when the next one comes out.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews