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Maternal Instincts Mystery #4
Nursing A Grudge
A laugh-out-loud page-turner
Bringing up baby
Sleep deprivation, diaper blowouts, and breastfeeding mishaps are status quo for new mom Kate Connolly. But when she decides to turn private investigator in order to work from home, her To-Do List expands exponentially:
1. Buy diapers.
2. Get back in shape.
3. Order lock pick set…
Bringing down a killer Her friend Jill’s boyfriend falls to his death under questionable circumstances. Juggling mommy duties and unorthodox investigation techniques, Kate must determine whether the scathing review Jill wrote about a local restaurant is connected to his untimely death…and whether the killer might strike again.
Investigation, Mommy-style Kate races to solve the case before Vicente Domingo, the new, sexy PI in town swoops in and saves the day. He’s drop-dead gorgeous, but she’d like to tell him to drop dead for poaching her last client. As bodies pile up faster than dirty diapers, can Kate uncover the truth about what happened to Jill’s boyfriend between nap times, diaper changes, and playdates? Or will Become A Bonafide P.I be the last entry she makes on her To-Do List?
“An over the top, good-time cozy mystery. With a feisty heroine and with lots of humor, plenty of intrigue and suspense, and a little baby cooing, this novel is a delightful treat to read.”
—Fresh Fiction
“You’ll love keeping up with this amazing mother and sleuth in this fun, fast-paced series.”
—Camille Minichino, author of the Miniature Mystery Series
1. Buy diapers.
2. Get back in shape.
3. Order lock pick set…
Bringing down a killer Her friend Jill’s boyfriend falls to his death under questionable circumstances. Juggling mommy duties and unorthodox investigation techniques, Kate must determine whether the scathing review Jill wrote about a local restaurant is connected to his untimely death…and whether the killer might strike again.
Investigation, Mommy-style Kate races to solve the case before Vicente Domingo, the new, sexy PI in town swoops in and saves the day. He’s drop-dead gorgeous, but she’d like to tell him to drop dead for poaching her last client. As bodies pile up faster than dirty diapers, can Kate uncover the truth about what happened to Jill’s boyfriend between nap times, diaper changes, and playdates? Or will Become A Bonafide P.I be the last entry she makes on her To-Do List?
“An over the top, good-time cozy mystery. With a feisty heroine and with lots of humor, plenty of intrigue and suspense, and a little baby cooing, this novel is a delightful treat to read.”
—Fresh Fiction
“You’ll love keeping up with this amazing mother and sleuth in this fun, fast-paced series.”
—Camille Minichino, author of the Miniature Mystery Series
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 13, 2013
1097 people are currently reading
1597 people want to read
About the author
Diana Orgain
73 books332 followersDiana Orgain is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Maternal Instincts Mystery Series. She is also the Author of the Love or Money Mystery series and The Roundup Crew Mysteries (Yappy Hour and Trigger Yappy).
Diana is the New York Times Bestselling co-author of the Scrapbooking Mystery Series with Laura Childs.
Diana's latest release is 4 Sleuths and a Bachelorette, a fun collaboration with USA Today Bestselling Authors, Leslie Langtry, Traci Andrighetti, and Arlene Mcfarlane. Right now she's working on the next release in the Maternal Instincts Mystery, Murder Comes Crawling.
To keep up to date with the latest releases visit Diana at www.dianaorgain.com
Series:
* Maternal Instincts Mystery
Diana is the New York Times Bestselling co-author of the Scrapbooking Mystery Series with Laura Childs.
Diana's latest release is 4 Sleuths and a Bachelorette, a fun collaboration with USA Today Bestselling Authors, Leslie Langtry, Traci Andrighetti, and Arlene Mcfarlane. Right now she's working on the next release in the Maternal Instincts Mystery, Murder Comes Crawling.
To keep up to date with the latest releases visit Diana at www.dianaorgain.com
Series:
* Maternal Instincts Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 157 reviews
December 30, 2013
I read a lot of murder mysteries and this one was particularly bad. I'm surprised they were able to make a series of this.
If you're looking for a murder mystery with no character depth, an easy "mystery", and bad writing this would be a good one to start. The main character is really shallow, and just manages to have everything work out really well for her. Magically, she has a husband and mother who are always there to help her care for her 4 month old daughter, even when she wants to run away at the drop of a hat to "investigate" an idea she had. If they're not available, her adolescent musical genius neighbour is always willing to help watch the baby. All of this, and several other things, makes the main character completely unbelievable and unsympathetic.
An example of why I disliked the writing is I believe three times in the novel it was written "our nursery which doubles as an office" at least three times in a few chapters. Yes, I realise it doubles as an office, it's not that long of a book, I didn't forget.
If you're looking for a murder mystery with no character depth, an easy "mystery", and bad writing this would be a good one to start. The main character is really shallow, and just manages to have everything work out really well for her. Magically, she has a husband and mother who are always there to help her care for her 4 month old daughter, even when she wants to run away at the drop of a hat to "investigate" an idea she had. If they're not available, her adolescent musical genius neighbour is always willing to help watch the baby. All of this, and several other things, makes the main character completely unbelievable and unsympathetic.
An example of why I disliked the writing is I believe three times in the novel it was written "our nursery which doubles as an office" at least three times in a few chapters. Yes, I realise it doubles as an office, it's not that long of a book, I didn't forget.
January 4, 2022
Book 4 This one is great one. Kate is a proud mommy to a baby Laura. But she is working to be a PI. A older man ,( that Late mom is dating) is helping her with becoming a great PI. Jill is in town ( Kate's friend) She is a good critic and has TV show coming too. Jill gave a restaurant a very poor review. Kate saw a man on the street looking like he was a stalker. He was wearing a skull cap. Kate told Jill but Jill said don't worry. Anyways Jill had a phone call that her boyfriend Perry had fallen off a cliff. Jill ran out of resturant. All the employer s were looking at Kate. They accused her of being the bad food reviewer. Kate said no that was not me. The owner Brent and his wife they could not stand Jill. Well Kate was trying to unravel the fall of Perry. She met his sister Melanie and she was abused by her biyfriend. So Kate thought it could be him that pushed him. Another PI Vic was on the case and Kate was kinda jealous cause the one who hired him said he would give Kate a try. Well Melanie got killed too. So was it something that the skull cap guy did or was someone paying Jim to do it. I love the bond with little baby Laura and Kate it is precious. The characters are great
April 15, 2014
I don't need to read anymore of this series. Giving a donut to a 4 month old is ridiculous.
November 17, 2020
Nursing a Grudge: Maternal Instincts Mystery Series Book 4 by Diane Orgain. This mystery series is combined with a comedy to make people laugh at both PI’s and having a baby. The main characters in all the books are Jim, Kate, her Mom, Paula, Albert Galigani, and Inspector Patrick McNeary. Kenny, the neighbor boy takes a larger part as the series continues.
A friend, Jill, comes to visit Kate and Kate notices she is being followed by a man wearing a Smith and Wesson hat. Jill doesn’t think so. She receives a call that her boyfriend, Perry, was hurt in a hiking accident and is in the hospital. She leaves as does the man. Kate gets a phone call from Jill which is cut off by a cry from Jill. Kate rushes to the hospital only to learn that Perry died. Then when his sister goes to his apartment to find his cat and she is mugged there. Who killed Perry and why? Who beat up Melanie? Kate decides to find out what is going on.
A friend, Jill, comes to visit Kate and Kate notices she is being followed by a man wearing a Smith and Wesson hat. Jill doesn’t think so. She receives a call that her boyfriend, Perry, was hurt in a hiking accident and is in the hospital. She leaves as does the man. Kate gets a phone call from Jill which is cut off by a cry from Jill. Kate rushes to the hospital only to learn that Perry died. Then when his sister goes to his apartment to find his cat and she is mugged there. Who killed Perry and why? Who beat up Melanie? Kate decides to find out what is going on.
August 27, 2017
Will probably read the rest of this series on maternity leave this winter
March 26, 2018
I did not finish. This book began to lose sight of the plot and I could not keep up with the author. After numerous attempts I had to conclude that I could not finish it.
April 14, 2014
This book was terrible...which is probably why it was free! I'm guessing that the author has never had or been around children herself. As a mother if three, the "mommy" parts of the book were completely implausible. When I read the author bio at the back, there was no mention of being a mother--and what would be better in a juggling motherhood book for the author to commiserate about all the trials and tribulations that come with parenthood? The book promises "sleep deprivation, diaper blow outs and breast feeding mishaps" but seems to forget all of that and plow through the story without them. Here are just a few of the scenarios which make it hard to suspend disbelief and really get into this book:
1: the nursing 4-month-old conveniently nurses whenever mom feels like it, and is fine in between, no matter if it's all day or just a couple of hours. Mom mentions leaving bottles, but those must magically appear because she never pumped or prepared them in the story
2: the 4-month-old baby also ate toast and a donut
3: the nursing mom is able to run around San Francisco all day, or sleep through the night, and never has engorged and leaky boobs--now that's a breast feeding mishap if I've ever heard of one.
4: what 4-month-old can sit up on its own in the middle of the living room?
5: the mom walks into a home midday where the owner has 3-day stubble & is drinking coffee and mentions how nice it must be to be wealthy--really? In the whole story, the husband takes two meetings and is otherwise home with the baby, the mom is driving around town, which means they own a car and a home with a garage in the city and are able to pay for it presumably without doing any real work, plus support their 17-year-old neighbor/babysitter and order in or eat out the whole time
I could go on, but won't--you get the picture. Maybe some of my concerns are addressed in the previous 3 books, but this one was bad enough that I will never go back and find out.
1: the nursing 4-month-old conveniently nurses whenever mom feels like it, and is fine in between, no matter if it's all day or just a couple of hours. Mom mentions leaving bottles, but those must magically appear because she never pumped or prepared them in the story
2: the 4-month-old baby also ate toast and a donut
3: the nursing mom is able to run around San Francisco all day, or sleep through the night, and never has engorged and leaky boobs--now that's a breast feeding mishap if I've ever heard of one.
4: what 4-month-old can sit up on its own in the middle of the living room?
5: the mom walks into a home midday where the owner has 3-day stubble & is drinking coffee and mentions how nice it must be to be wealthy--really? In the whole story, the husband takes two meetings and is otherwise home with the baby, the mom is driving around town, which means they own a car and a home with a garage in the city and are able to pay for it presumably without doing any real work, plus support their 17-year-old neighbor/babysitter and order in or eat out the whole time
I could go on, but won't--you get the picture. Maybe some of my concerns are addressed in the previous 3 books, but this one was bad enough that I will never go back and find out.
January 18, 2014
Maybe the concept of a nursing mother (baby is 4 months old), doubling as a Private Detective Intern (to excuse her lack of basic know-how?), is just too much for me to grasp. I love nursing mothers who put their baby first. Had a hard time believing some of this protag's choices that put her in danger with an infant at home. Beyond that, the murder mystery was easier getting started than it was to finish, only because I didn't feel involved with any of the characters. I suspect a reader nearer the protag's age and family position would relate better than I did.
May 4, 2014
Fun plot & people. No gore, or graphics, light cussing, otherwise, pleasant. Have read series, same goes for all. (mom/detective doesn't grow much, continually chastens herself mentally - makes her sound like the test of us.) TTS-enabled eBook. ©2013
December 22, 2020
Kate Conolly is a P.I. wannabe with a new baby and a small group of supporters who help her with her cases – sometimes. Kate took up the private eye business because she thought it sounded easy; all she needed to do was ask questions, right? But she is really too innocent for the job. She keeps going into situations that may be dangerous, and only after she is trapped in the middle does it occur to her that this might be the case.
Kate’s cases are frequently comedies of errors, but in some ways, this seems to be one of the worst – for errors, that is. While she is meeting a friend at a child-friendly coffee shop (where, curiously, the waitress is not very friendly at all), one of the hospitals calls with news that her friend’s boyfriend has fallen from a cliff on a nearby hiking trail. Kate notices a suspicious-looking man following her and immediately assumes her friend is in danger.
The situation quickly escalates. The boyfriend died of his injuries. His sister, stopping by his apartment to retrieve his cat, is beaten up. Kate jumps in and volunteers to take the case – pro bono since there is no paying client.
Then complications happen. A second P.I. turns up on the case, working for someone Kate has worked for before, and she spends an inordinate amount of time worrying about that. She takes her mentor, Gagliani, on a hike to investigate the mysterious cliff, and he breaks his ankle
Near the end, things turn deadly, and in a surprising twist, people are suddenly not who Kate thinks they are.
Kate’s cases are frequently comedies of errors, but in some ways, this seems to be one of the worst – for errors, that is. While she is meeting a friend at a child-friendly coffee shop (where, curiously, the waitress is not very friendly at all), one of the hospitals calls with news that her friend’s boyfriend has fallen from a cliff on a nearby hiking trail. Kate notices a suspicious-looking man following her and immediately assumes her friend is in danger.
The situation quickly escalates. The boyfriend died of his injuries. His sister, stopping by his apartment to retrieve his cat, is beaten up. Kate jumps in and volunteers to take the case – pro bono since there is no paying client.
Then complications happen. A second P.I. turns up on the case, working for someone Kate has worked for before, and she spends an inordinate amount of time worrying about that. She takes her mentor, Gagliani, on a hike to investigate the mysterious cliff, and he breaks his ankle
Near the end, things turn deadly, and in a surprising twist, people are suddenly not who Kate thinks they are.
October 12, 2021
When I first started the book, I thought it was a new author, so I overlooked some things, but then I went back and saw that she has written quite a few books including various series, so I was a bit disappointed. My biggest problem was with her protagonist. She seemed like a simpleton, lacking common sense, rather than just being a novice investigator (which I think was the author's intention). The lack of empathy for someone's loss (especially a friend) was jarring as well.
Also, whoever did the proofreading missed a lot of grammatical and/or structural mistakes. However, I will try another one of hers to see if this one was just a fluke.
Also, whoever did the proofreading missed a lot of grammatical and/or structural mistakes. However, I will try another one of hers to see if this one was just a fluke.
August 9, 2024
Worst audio narrator ever. Bring the author back to read her books. You could hear an echo when the narrator was speaking, like she was in an empty room. And the voices she used need practice. I was really bummed to find out books 4-6 have this audio narrator.
I laughed towards the end of the book when the narrator said "lost long friends" instead of "long lost friends."
I do like that the books are sharing more of the scenery around where Kate works - Alcatraz and running along the beach.
I did not like the storyline of the crimes having to do with food critics. Just didn't appeal to me.
I laughed towards the end of the book when the narrator said "lost long friends" instead of "long lost friends."
I do like that the books are sharing more of the scenery around where Kate works - Alcatraz and running along the beach.
I did not like the storyline of the crimes having to do with food critics. Just didn't appeal to me.
October 7, 2020
This is book 4 of a series I have not read before. I found this book to be entertaining, but without much substance. It was a fun read for a couple of days, but the ending was a bit too abrupt. Kate is a new mother and Private Investigator trainee. She is asked to look into an incident of a young man falling from a cliff overlooking San Francisco Bay. Someone thinks it's not an accident. I won't say more so as not to give away any plot points. I liked the book, but I'm not interested in continuing in the series.
March 29, 2023
Kate wants to be a PI so she can stay home with her new baby. She gets a job with with her mentor, Galigani, and the bodies start piling up. if a job as a PI was supposed to keep her home with her baby, it doesn't seem to have worked. She is often out tailing someone or breaking into someone's residence. She jumps to conclusions about people and sometimes she's right.
The end to this book feels rushed and contrived like her publisher was at the door saying "Wrap it up". But it was a fun read.
The end to this book feels rushed and contrived like her publisher was at the door saying "Wrap it up". But it was a fun read.
August 19, 2017
Very disappointing storyline. Guessed the end straightaway. A wannabe P.I. with no Licence or talent to do the job. She couldn’t even get into a car without breaking the key.!! She relied on a group of people to look after her four-month-old daughter, while she was playing detective. It was supposed to be humorous. I found her incompetence, and her reliance on men to do her job, and rescue her annoying not funny.
August 30, 2017
Oof. I liked the premise behind this, but I like my heroines to be competent. I can deal with klutzy, I can deal with accident prone - I mean I love Steph Plum - but Kate is clueless, doesn't know the basics of what she's doing and doesn't seem to be learning, she's entitled and just downright annoying. The characters are one dimensional and the mystery isn't that great. I'm not sure I'll bother giving this author another chance. Thank goodness I picked it up for free.
September 30, 2017
Kate Connolly is a trained for the stage, nursing mother, and wannabe PI. She's really not that good at reading clues, jumps to the wrong conclusions, and makes too many mistakes. You'd think she'd spend a little more time with her 4-month old but seems to call the teenage boy neighbor whenever she wants to go chase down a new clue.
The characters are pretty much 2-dimensional, the plot thin - this might qualify as a novella - the ending abrupt.
This is a minimal brain activity diversion.
The characters are pretty much 2-dimensional, the plot thin - this might qualify as a novella - the ending abrupt.
This is a minimal brain activity diversion.
April 21, 2018
While Kate is having lunch with an old friend, the friend gets a call that her boyfriend has fallen to his death, Kate's best friend goes into labor and Kate scrambles to get to the hospital to help both of her friends. When Kate tries to help by investigating the boyfriend's death, things get really interesting. People aren't always what they seem. Can Kate, her friends and family get this figured out before another person is dead, maybe Kate?
May 7, 2022
super cute PI story
Thus is a first for me fir thus author. So with that said this is book 4 of this series but I don’t wasn’t lost due to not reading the others. Do I want to read the others now I’ve read this one? You bet! This is creative and fun with lovable characters. You can try and figure out “who done it” before the author reveals it.
Great story. No blood or goor no sexual references or language so anyone I can recommend to read this.
Thus is a first for me fir thus author. So with that said this is book 4 of this series but I don’t wasn’t lost due to not reading the others. Do I want to read the others now I’ve read this one? You bet! This is creative and fun with lovable characters. You can try and figure out “who done it” before the author reveals it.
Great story. No blood or goor no sexual references or language so anyone I can recommend to read this.
August 16, 2017
Becoming a PI is not an easy task. One has to learn how to pick locks, follow clues, use technology to trace people and things, AND not show up at every crime scene and become a suspect. This was a cute story about a young woman, with a six month old baby finds herself wanting to discover and start her own PI business. She doesn't know as much as she thinks she does.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2017
Not that humorous
This author has written many cozy mysteries - many. This was supposed to be a humorous series - laugh out loud, according to the info. Not that funny, way too disconnected to enjoy, and not that good a plot. Nothing here that I can suspend my disbelief in the characters or plot. Not likely to try any others by her.
This author has written many cozy mysteries - many. This was supposed to be a humorous series - laugh out loud, according to the info. Not that funny, way too disconnected to enjoy, and not that good a plot. Nothing here that I can suspend my disbelief in the characters or plot. Not likely to try any others by her.
August 31, 2017
Who says if you're a mother with a four-month-old baby, that you can't also be a budding Private Eye? Kate, the heroine of the story, with her innate sense of curiosity couldn't help herself. There was a murder to be solved and she definitely wanted to solve it.
Lots of surprises as she stalks the suspects...
A well written humorous cozy mystery.
Lots of surprises as she stalks the suspects...
A well written humorous cozy mystery.
February 9, 2018
A cute cozy mystery. Kate hits the pavement running, learning about being a P. I. business. Hopefully she will learn not to skip some important steps along the way. I figured out what was going on long before Kate did. I've read the first and now this one, planning to read more of Kate's adventures.
February 18, 2018
Funny, loving and surprisingly interesting!
I received this book for free to read from Amazon. A quick, entertaining read that would appeal to the young married, mother set. San Francisco is the setting with an unusual PI and two murders to help the plot along. All in all a good read.
I received this book for free to read from Amazon. A quick, entertaining read that would appeal to the young married, mother set. San Francisco is the setting with an unusual PI and two murders to help the plot along. All in all a good read.
August 9, 2017
Excellent book!
I have so far loved all of Diana Orgain's books! She does a great job developing characters and the plots. I would recommend her books to anyone that loves reading cozy mysteries!
I have so far loved all of Diana Orgain's books! She does a great job developing characters and the plots. I would recommend her books to anyone that loves reading cozy mysteries!
August 15, 2017
Musing a Grudge
A way humorous and delightful story. Loved the characters in this, Kate a new mom, a newer PI in training. Books about how she gets into trouble, and tries to figure out who the killer is. Good reading!
A way humorous and delightful story. Loved the characters in this, Kate a new mom, a newer PI in training. Books about how she gets into trouble, and tries to figure out who the killer is. Good reading!
December 3, 2018
Great fun quick read
Fast paced book full of light mystery, action and conversation. No profanity or sex scenes. A page turner I couldn't put down easily once I started reading. I would definitely recommend this book!
Fast paced book full of light mystery, action and conversation. No profanity or sex scenes. A page turner I couldn't put down easily once I started reading. I would definitely recommend this book!
August 19, 2019
Orgain's books just keep getting better.Kate's old friend Jill learns her boyfriend has been in an accident while K ate and Jill are having a "catch-up" luncheon. Always ready to advance her PI career, Kate jumps in to investigate. Fast read and a fun book too.
January 22, 2021
Fun read
I liked it. Keeps you guessing long enough to maintain your interest. The main character makes mistakes that really nobody who ever watched murder mysteries would make, but she's got great intuition.
I liked it. Keeps you guessing long enough to maintain your interest. The main character makes mistakes that really nobody who ever watched murder mysteries would make, but she's got great intuition.
July 7, 2022
Being a PI
I had this book for a while. Since I retired I have started reading again. This is the first by this author. I find I really like reading cozy mysteries. This author kept me reading till the end. Now on to see what else she has written
I had this book for a while. Since I retired I have started reading again. This is the first by this author. I find I really like reading cozy mysteries. This author kept me reading till the end. Now on to see what else she has written
Displaying 1 - 30 of 157 reviews