What do you think?
Rate this book
Kadence MacBride Mystery #1
Death of an Idiot Boss: A Kadence MacBride Mystery
Ever had a boss you'd happily kill?
Somebody beat her to it.
Corporate climber, Kadence MacBride, is smashing the glass ceiling with her size ten pumps, or so she thinks. Not only does she get passed over, her promotion goes to her idiot employee, and he becomes her new boss.
Worst day ever, or so she thinks. Worst doesn't have a floor, and idiots tend to get themselves killed.
Losing a promotion--bad
Becoming the prime murder suspect--CATASTROPHIC
Police Captain Cooper has hit his own glass ceiling. Solving this case quickly will break him through it, so Cooper doesn't care what's true. Since Kadence makes the easiest target, he's gunning for her.
Long buried secrets from the Civil Rights era seek vengeance from the grave. Kadence has more recent secrets to keep.
There are some things you don't delegate. Adding amateur sleuth to her resume, Kadence sets out to find the real killer. If she fails, she'll trade her red power suit for an orange jumpsuit.
Somebody beat her to it.
Corporate climber, Kadence MacBride, is smashing the glass ceiling with her size ten pumps, or so she thinks. Not only does she get passed over, her promotion goes to her idiot employee, and he becomes her new boss.
Worst day ever, or so she thinks. Worst doesn't have a floor, and idiots tend to get themselves killed.
Losing a promotion--bad
Becoming the prime murder suspect--CATASTROPHIC
Police Captain Cooper has hit his own glass ceiling. Solving this case quickly will break him through it, so Cooper doesn't care what's true. Since Kadence makes the easiest target, he's gunning for her.
Long buried secrets from the Civil Rights era seek vengeance from the grave. Kadence has more recent secrets to keep.
There are some things you don't delegate. Adding amateur sleuth to her resume, Kadence sets out to find the real killer. If she fails, she'll trade her red power suit for an orange jumpsuit.
- GenresMysteryCozy Mystery
Unknown Binding
First published March 19, 2015
60 people are currently reading
136 people want to read
About the author
Janice Croom
10 books25 followersJanice Croom is the author of the Kadence MacBride mysteries. Death of an Idiot Boss and Death of an Island are available now. Book three, Death of a Diet Queen, will be available this fall. In addition to novels, she also writes short stories and has had 15 of them published. The latest, The Phoenix, is included in the science fiction fantasy anthology Athena’s Daughters II by Silence in the Library publishing.
She loves to cook, is active in her church where she teaches Sunday School and Children’s church, and is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
When not writing she’s a voracious reader and views writing as reverse reading. Toni Morrison said, ‘If there’s a story you want to read that hasn’t been written, you must write it.’ Janice has written the stories she wanted to read and hopes you enjoy reading them as much as she’s enjoyed writing them.
She loves to cook, is active in her church where she teaches Sunday School and Children’s church, and is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
When not writing she’s a voracious reader and views writing as reverse reading. Toni Morrison said, ‘If there’s a story you want to read that hasn’t been written, you must write it.’ Janice has written the stories she wanted to read and hopes you enjoy reading them as much as she’s enjoyed writing them.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 6, 2017
I really enjoyed this murder mystery. Love the plot twists and turns. And the African-American lead character with her family and their history raised a lot of interesting issues and gave the book depth.
May 3, 2018
I enjoyed this read from the title (who hasn't had a boss they may want to do away with, at least in story form?) to the end. Though humorous at points, what grabbed me was the unexpected depth. The story tackles some difficult issues and leaves you thinking. The mystery was well paced and though the author left enough hints to point the reader toward the resolution, the full wrap-up was a clever twist. Well written, three dimensional characters, and a fun read. I would definitely recommend it and read more from this author.
January 19, 2020
This is everything I love about a cozy mystery. Characters were interesting and realistic, the world building was down to earth, and the mystery was exciting with plenty of twists and turns. I loved how complex the story was compared to other cozies. It's quite common for cozies to be more shallow and exist to be a simple feel good story for an easy read. Some cozy fans may not like it because they read these novels as an escape from more difficult subject matters. But personally everything I dislike about cozies is how simplistic they can be. From them always being set in a small town, to how over the top unlikeable the murder victim is, to the basic-ass romances there's a lot to dislike. They're about as ridiculous as the average spy novel, I think, but without the grit. Which is a funny thing to admit. I'm very attracted to the plot structure of this genre and yet most times I just think most of them are so-so. I guess I keep reading them because I see the potential for an amazing series. Most of the time I'm disappointed. This one might be the best one I've ever read based just on the depth that exists here that isn't usually in other books.
I also liked the portrayal of the police. Typically the police are portrayed as stupid to make the amateur detective look better. But in this novel the police are just down right bad. I liked it. I also liked be added civil rights stuff. And of course the addition of family.
I've just come off a cozy mystery bender so I'm taking a break, but once I get back to it I'm definitely reading book 2 in the series.
I also liked the portrayal of the police. Typically the police are portrayed as stupid to make the amateur detective look better. But in this novel the police are just down right bad. I liked it. I also liked be added civil rights stuff. And of course the addition of family.
I've just come off a cozy mystery bender so I'm taking a break, but once I get back to it I'm definitely reading book 2 in the series.
November 25, 2016
Being an African-American and a woman in the corporate world is hard work but Kadence MacBride has proven that she has what it takes to make it.
Kadence is ready to accept her hard won position as VP at Trans Global Communications only to find that her boss has passed over her and given the position to her idiot employee, who is also his nephew. She is expected to answer to and train the nephew at the same time. She manages to hammer out a compromise that will leave her financially richer and free of both the nephew and job in 90 days. While touring a supplier's plant, the nephew is killed in a freak accident and Kadence becomes the top suspect.
She works hard to dig thru all the history of her boss, the nephew, the owner and employees at the suppliers plant. African-American Police Captain, Larry Cooper sees that railroading Kadence as the killer is the fastest way to get his final promotion before he retires.
Kadence is a strong woman who hides her weak spots well but now she has to rely on family and friends to get thru this murder investigation and claim her promised retirement package. With history that goes all the way back to the Civil Rights Movement, Kadence uncovers many secrets.
I loved Kadence and her family and friends. All the characters were well done, as was the corporate setting background. The murder plot was extremely well plotted with twists and turns at every step. I am looking for to reading the next book in this series.
Kadence is ready to accept her hard won position as VP at Trans Global Communications only to find that her boss has passed over her and given the position to her idiot employee, who is also his nephew. She is expected to answer to and train the nephew at the same time. She manages to hammer out a compromise that will leave her financially richer and free of both the nephew and job in 90 days. While touring a supplier's plant, the nephew is killed in a freak accident and Kadence becomes the top suspect.
She works hard to dig thru all the history of her boss, the nephew, the owner and employees at the suppliers plant. African-American Police Captain, Larry Cooper sees that railroading Kadence as the killer is the fastest way to get his final promotion before he retires.
Kadence is a strong woman who hides her weak spots well but now she has to rely on family and friends to get thru this murder investigation and claim her promised retirement package. With history that goes all the way back to the Civil Rights Movement, Kadence uncovers many secrets.
I loved Kadence and her family and friends. All the characters were well done, as was the corporate setting background. The murder plot was extremely well plotted with twists and turns at every step. I am looking for to reading the next book in this series.
July 28, 2018
A pretty good mystery, characters that jump off the page, and an eye-opening book for those of us who aren't black.
As someone who has always had lots of advantages, it's honestly hard for me to comprehend what growing up black must mean. There's the constant and deserved suspicion of the whites, even (or maybe especially) the do-gooder whites, even the best of them. There are the blacks who will sacrifice for other people, even white people. There are the blacks who will turn on their own people if it helps them get ahead in the white world.
This is not a bad mystery story, though I wasn't terribly surprised by the end. In addition to the mystery, I picked the book up because it promised to be funny, which it kinda was, especially at the beginning; less so later on. If it were just mystery and humor, I'd probably give the book 2 or maybe 3 stars--not bad. But the characters--they just come off the page. And it's not the characters in isolation, but the whole community--that was eye-opening for me. The family with its quirks (and quirky relatives), the churches, the various friendships, etc.
I went into the novel looking for some entertainment and a few laughs, and came out with a deeper appreciation of what people who aren't like me must be thinking. At least I hope it's a true deeper appreciation; the author is certainly in a position to know what it's like. And I'm grateful that she communicated that, in a way that I could take it in.
As someone who has always had lots of advantages, it's honestly hard for me to comprehend what growing up black must mean. There's the constant and deserved suspicion of the whites, even (or maybe especially) the do-gooder whites, even the best of them. There are the blacks who will sacrifice for other people, even white people. There are the blacks who will turn on their own people if it helps them get ahead in the white world.
This is not a bad mystery story, though I wasn't terribly surprised by the end. In addition to the mystery, I picked the book up because it promised to be funny, which it kinda was, especially at the beginning; less so later on. If it were just mystery and humor, I'd probably give the book 2 or maybe 3 stars--not bad. But the characters--they just come off the page. And it's not the characters in isolation, but the whole community--that was eye-opening for me. The family with its quirks (and quirky relatives), the churches, the various friendships, etc.
I went into the novel looking for some entertainment and a few laughs, and came out with a deeper appreciation of what people who aren't like me must be thinking. At least I hope it's a true deeper appreciation; the author is certainly in a position to know what it's like. And I'm grateful that she communicated that, in a way that I could take it in.
August 24, 2017
Death of an idiot boss or even an idiot subordinate is a dream we all can probably relate to, but in Croom's world it comes with a lot of complications when you have to solve the murder mystery yourself. Some characters are hard-headed to a fault, as was this protagonist. It grated on me a bit, but not so much that the overall story was going to be denied the five-stars I gave it.
February 8, 2018
The best book I have read in a long time, possibly ever.
This book is very easy to read and very hard to put down. Once you start reading you'll struggle to stop. I would most definitely recommend it.
This book is very easy to read and very hard to put down. Once you start reading you'll struggle to stop. I would most definitely recommend it.
February 6, 2018
It's not a overly suspenseful murder mystery but Kadence MacBride is great. She funny and resourceful. She doesn't take abuse from anybody. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
July 20, 2020
Fun book with some serious subtexts.
February 1, 2016
This book was absolutely delightful! Being part of the same writing group as Ms. Croom, I knew she had talent. But it wasn't until I read a full work from her that I realized how truly talented she is. Her characters were colorful and do interesting and unpredictable things. Her clever turns of phrase kept me entertained. I started highlighting passages I particularly liked, and then found I was highlighting every third page or so. For instance, there is this jewel: "Collagen lips, silicone breasts, and no way the Lord gave her that sista-girl butt. With all those after market parts, she probably needed a tune-up every five thousand miles." Love it! But it's not only the wording, the plot is solid, too. She keeps you guessing who the killer is until the end. And the tension--worrying about Kadence and how she was going to get out of this scrape--really kept you emotionally involved in your reading. I can't say enough about this book and I read the first chapter of the next in the series provided at the end and can't wait for more!
July 2, 2015
Death of an Idiot Boss is the first of a wonderful new murder mystery series. This novel features an African-American professional woman with attitude. Kadence MacBride goes to work one day thinking she’s fixing to get promoted when instead, the idiot she’s been supervising gets the job. When someone murders him, Kadence is the #1 suspect. Kadence soon finds that if she doesn’t work to clear herself, she’s going to wind up in the hotseat. This novel is about as perfect as one can be. As a writer myself, I can’t turn off the editorial part of my brain, but couldn’t find anything to complain about! The voice is fresh and funny. The quips are original and kept me chuckling. The characters are colorful.
I’ve known the author since 2004 when we met at Writers Retreat Workshop in Marydale, KY. I’m so happy Janice has finally gotten her books up and out there. I look forward to reading the whole series.
I’ve known the author since 2004 when we met at Writers Retreat Workshop in Marydale, KY. I’m so happy Janice has finally gotten her books up and out there. I look forward to reading the whole series.
April 2, 2016
This is a cozy mystery with all the right elements - humor, family, confusion, loyalty, an eccentric cast of sharply drawn characters, a murderee who really deserved it, and a sharp, ambitious, but understandably paranoid heroine who really, honestly didn't do it but can't prove it. As this is the first mystery in the series, it took a few chapters for Ms Croom to establish her tone, but I expect the rest of the series to be spot-on. I enjoyed it immensely.
December 22, 2015
Quite a decent first in series, with some good characters.
April 16, 2017
I loved the original title, Death of an Idiot Boss. The uniqueness of the cover also grabbed my eye. I thought it excellent. A way better than average first book in a series was a fabulous introduction to the works of Janice Croom.
The ending was great. The questions set to the reader and the revelation of an alternate ending plus a recipe from the story made for a great close. I’d be happy to read more works by this author.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews