Flea Market Fatal

Missy DeMeanor #1

by Brianna Bates

Missy DeMeanor just found the perfect cabinet to repurpose for next week’s Tri-County Flea Market. Too bad she also just found the owner of said cabinet dead in his house.

She hasn’t seen her high school sweetheart, Tyler Brock, in years, and under normal circumstances she’d be excited to reconnect with him. But these aren’t normal circumstances because Missy is the prime suspect in the town’s first murder in years.

Now with the help of her best friend, Noreen, and her mother (assuming Mom will actually share everything with her), Missy must prove her innocence and find the killer. But as she delves deeper into the investigation she uncovers some shocking secrets about the town, and her own family.

Can this big, beautiful woman find the killer in time…and still be ready for the Flea Market?

Flea Market Fatal is the first in the new Missy DeMeanor cozy mystery series. Look for Book Club Bloodshed, Diet Club Death, and Scrapbooking Slaying also.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Collections, Amazon, Ebooks

189 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 8, 2016

Reviews

[Julia Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main reason why this big is only getting 3 stars is because of the emphasis the author put on weight for the main character. It would have been a two because I was so put off by it, but toward the end she laid off on the emphasis. Overall, I enjoyed the premise. There were some editing mistakes, nothing too drastic, and it moved along quickly enough. I was disappointed there wasn't more related to the whole flea market setup but I'm interested enough to consider reading the next book.

[Tony Hisgett · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a free offer I thought I would give a try, ‘nothing ventured nothing gained’. I am not adverse to a cozy mysteries, but I need the heroine to have something special about them.
Unfortunately concerns over weight gain and ‘good looking’ men seemed to be Missy’s main interests.
As for the story, my first problem was a culture clash, what is a ‘crop’ and what is its purpose? The next problem was as well as being fairly ridiculous the story was a bit boring. It wasn’t terrible, but I don’t think I will be trying anymore of these books.

[Lin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marriage can go sideways but when you screw people over, it can come back to haunt you.

Melissa DeMeanor continues to step on the feet of Detective Tyler Brock; ex-boyfriend in school and current person investigation the murder of Albert Switzer. When he arrests her mom, Missy is out to show up the inept detective.

A delightful, fast paced read!!!

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 1 out of 5]

kindle unlimited, the first of at least 6 {and set} that is vapidly mindlessly moronic is so many ways to point would want to throw it but on electronic book reader. Please note this and every other cover picture where this 'overweight/cubby/almost obese/bbw' etc looks actually rather small and tiny, and considering she's supposed to be tall for a female that doesn't come across nor does any weight, no extra chin not even puffed out face in any way, NOTHING indicates supposedly overweight in ANY way except the constant whining and winging on about weight as she constantly does next to nothing to exercise or watch what she's eating in any way, with the choices she makes totally wrong for ANY diet much less permanent type solution.


Missy DeMeanor just found the perfect cabinet to repurpose for next week’s Tri-County Flea Market. Too bad she also just found the owner of said cabinet dead in his house. She hasn’t seen her high school sweetheart, Tyler Brock, in years, and under normal circumstances she’d be excited to reconnect with him. But these aren’t normal circumstances because Missy is the prime suspect in the town’s first murder in years.

Now with the help of her best friend, Noreen, and her mother (assuming Mom will actually share everything with her), Missy must prove her innocence and find the killer. But as she delves deeper into the investigation she uncovers some shocking secrets about the town, and her own family. Can this big, beautiful woman find the killer in time…and still be ready for the Flea Market?


Flea Market Fatal 1
Book Club Bloodshed 2
Diet Club Death 3
Scrapbooking Slaying 4
Tea Room Toxin 5
Exercise Expired 6
Missy DeMeanor Cozy Mysteries Vol. 1-6

[Ruby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings on the book, I liked it quite a bit, however, from time to time a word or two seemed to be missing. And The plot felt a bit messy at points.
I loved her interactions with her dog, the work she does, and how she isn't a push over etc. But couldn't understand why she couldn't back off of putting herself down and body shaming herself in almost every other page. I also didn't like seeing how she came off as independent one moment and like a shy child the next.
As for the towns people and other characters I could not understand her mothers actions, and feel people seem to just go out of there way to act like they did the crime even when being honest, or just handling things like an adult would be best. Her best friend seemed kind of off putting, and her Ex boyfriend seems interesting but miss leading at times.

I did, however, love the mystery and had fun sorting out who did it, at the start it seems clear but a few good "bad guys" are added to the mix that it is easy to pick another person. This is a short, cute, and interesting cozy mystery series, not the best but not the worse and I can't wait to read more from this series.

[SANDYE · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the storyline was fairly good, there was way too much emphasis on the main character's self esteem and body image in my opinion. It took away from the murder mystery part of the story quite a bit. I can understand touching on it every once in a while to establish and maintain the character profile. Truly though I got the story because I enjoy a light mystery with touches of humor sprinkled in. There was just too much of her doubting her looks, and not enough suspense and mystery for my taste. It was well written overall though. There also could've been better editing, although the few mistakes that were easily found were just as easily ignored by the reader (unless you have an OCD issue with things like the wrong word being used, etc.). At some point I will give this author another chance, and will read the next title or two in this series. Hopefully I will enjoy them a little more.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad cozy mystery. Only problem that I had with the book is near the opening of the book, the main character mentions her fuller figure and how it took her some time to come to terms with her body but she likes it now. Great, I can relate, I have had that problem too. Except, for someone being okay with her weight, every page, maybe every other once in a while, is just LITTERED with her mentioning her weight gain since high school (character is also hung up on highschool, which was 20 years ago), or how her jeans don't fit, or taking offense to a comment that didn't even sound like a hint at her weight in a couple of cases. This got very old, very fast. I almost stopped reading because of how often it is mentioned. I got through it though, and it is a nice light read.

[Debi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable book. The story flowed nicely and the characters were real and interesting. It was a bit predicable but still good. My only complaint was she needs a better editor. I have already pre-ordered the second book and look forward to seeing what comes next.

[Brenda Byers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Good cozy mystery

I enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more books from this author. This is a great example of light easy read on those days when you just want to relax on the sofa with your feet up.

[Bettina Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only thing I did not like about this book was the constant mention of Missy's weight problem and her lack of self-esteem, it was becoming really annoying and would have been a much better book without it.

[Ruth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just ugh.

I'm giving up less than 1 chapter in because of the total disregard for standard rules of grammar, subject/verb agreement, and the author's refusal to stay in one voice.
Highly recommend to English teachers who want to encourage students to become proofreaders.

[Susan Kasza · Rating 3 out of 5]

The whole series of six were free on Kindle unlimited. I’ll probably go ahead and read all of them, because sometimes you need a mindless, entertaining read. Agree with other reviewers that there was too much emphasis on Missy’s weight.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast read

Easy and smooth to read book. I read it in a few hours today. Purchased the entire series so I am going to start book 2 now.

[Tom · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely, unequivocally could not put up with Missy's mental jabbering about her weight issues not to mention her detective skills were dubious at best.

[JoAnne McMaster (Any Good Book) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Missy DeMeanor works at a used bookstore and in her spare time sells items she's refurbished and found at garage sales, at a local flea market. One morning she's determined to purchase a cabinet from an elderly friend, and they strike a deal. The cabinet is in the yard with the rest of his garage sale items, but when she needs change to pay him, she finds his dog Cody barking like crazy and his door open. When she steps into the home she discovers him dead, and immediately calls 911.

The arriving officer is her ex-boyfriend Tyler Brock, recently returned from Philadelphia and now a detective with the local force. After questioning her, she's allowed to leave, taking Cody with her. Somehow, she's acquired a dog, when she never knew she wanted one. But when she discovers that not only she, but her mother is also a suspect, her best friend Noreen convinces her to investigate the murder, they start making a list of suspects. Unfortunately, every time she questions someone, Tyler finds out and warns her to stay out of it. But Missy isn't going down without a fight -- in fact, she's not going down at all...

This is the first book in the series, and new to me. The blurb sounded interesting, so I thought I would read the book. There are pluses to this book, and negatives as well. What I didn't like was the fact that Missy knew what she was doing was wrong -- or she would apologize to Tyler every time she saw him -- but she kept on doing it. Why investigate if you're going to be wishy-washy about it? I also didn't like Noreen pushing her to be someone she wasn't. And I really didn't like the fact that Missy kept on thinking she was fat. Low self-esteem, anyone? I also didn't understand why, since she's obviously in her late thirties, her mother was keeping secrets from her. How can they have a close relationship like that?

But I did like the plot, even if I knew who the killer was the moment that person stepped onto the page. It was pretty obvious even if Missy didn't get it. I would have liked her to explore this area more, but she never did. The story was entertaining enough to keep me reading in one sitting, and I did like the ending, even if it leaves a loose end or two (not cliffhangers, at least!). When the murderer is discovered, the climax is believable enough, and it gives us something to look forward to in the next book.

[Luisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

⚫️Liked the setting: Pennsylanvia
⚫️Hated the focus on Missy’s weight it was overwhelming when the focus should have been more about the mystery at hand
⚫️It’s a mystery novel series not a weight conquering romance novel
⚫️ Has a way with describing things; however Bates at time loses her reader with not giving proper direction
⚫️ I didn’t like her words or choice of words at times to form sentences. It was difficult to understand her construction at times.
⚫️ So many typos- She needs a new editor. It was pretty ridiculous actually; that there were so many!
⚫️ She was repetitive. How many times will you point out that Gordon was a bodybuilder or that Melisa has body image issues I THOUGHT THIS WAS A MYSTERY NOVAL!
⚫️ The break between the end of chapter 26 to the beginning of chapter 27 (last two chapters of the book) showed Bates’ horrible transitioning from chapter to chapter especially when it was the final two chapters of this first book. Disappointing!
⚫️ The ending felt completely rushed and hurried! I felt like she needed to expand more on how things happened in that moment that Gordon attacked Missy and Tyler had arrived to the house. It basically just cut off.

Over all Bates gets two stars ⭐️ ⭐️ from me in this first book. It’s sad because I had high hopes being as it’s rated nearly 4 stars on Goodreads. But I was left underwhelmed. Bates needs improvement in her writing. Let’s see what her other books have to offer I have the whole series so I can’t stop now. I have to finish want I start no matter how horrible. On to book #2 Book Club Bloodshed...

(BTW: This is one persons opinion which I am entitled to)

[Barbara Hackel · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a find for her to resell at the flea market leaves Missy discovering the owner dead, she is thrust into a murder as a person of interest. Somehow her mother, who is known as the nicest person in town, is arrested and jailed on suspicion of murder. Now that's hitting below the belt, and Missy along with her best friend Noreen try to find out who really is the murderer.

The good? The mystery aspect was interesting with several possible people that they considered. Any one of them sounded mean and definitely the type to settle an issue physically. Also good was Missy adopted the dog of the deceased man. A well trained and loving dog who apparently had no issues with the change of ownership, since she was protective of Missy. Another good thing was the former boyfriend who was a police officer and still apparently interested in Missy...but nothing is ever simple.

Ok, now the bad? Missy obsessed over her body. It was to the point of almost an unhealthy obsession, then she would swing back and be proud of the way she looked. On and on throughout the book this went and it served no purpose. It didn't strengthen her character or have anything to do with the murder. A mention or two would have been ok, but this was too much.

[Jayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of editing issues.

As for the story: Not a bad one, but I could not handle the constant references to Missy's weight. We get it, she's overweight, but we don't need to hear about it every other paragraph. It was distracting and annoying.

Missy works at a used bookstore (but somehow a rather prosperous one I gather since it has several employees and also pays enough for Missy to make a mortgage payment). She also does "Flea Market Flip" style furniture renovations to make a few extra dollars. She also gets together with friends/foes to have "crop" parties (scrapbooking).

She finds the dead body of man she was buying a piece of used furniture from. Naturally that makes her the #1 suspect. It turns out that the victim had a long history with her family which she was unaware of (which makes her more of a suspect).

Naturally there is the potential suitor - Missy's old flame from high school who has returned to work for the small town police department. Missy has a good friend and partner in crime. Their relationship is a nice addition.

Will read the next installment (provided it is on Kindle Unlimited). Hoping that the weight issue is discussed less.

[Marietta Slater · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an adorable cozy mystery series. I love Missy (and the name pun) as she is smart, but doesn't always know when to keep her mouth shut and to stay out of the way of one certain police detective that just happens to be her old high school sweetheart. There is a catch here, though, as he is now married (but in a rocky relationship with his wife). I can relate to Missy because she too struggles with her weight. I love it that this protagonist doesn't have the perfect slinky body.
Now on to the summary: Missy finds a body when she goes to buy an old piece of furniture that she wants to refurbish. Since she found the body and looks like she was the last person to have spoken with the deceased, the police think she is the murderer. Missy gets busy to find the real killer. While I knew immediately who the killer was when that person was first introduced in the book, I still enjoyed how the entire plot/ending came together.

[Hilary (A Wytch's Book Review) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun start to what looks to be a great series, these are novellas rather than full length but no worse for that, they are still page turners!Melissa DeMeanor (aka Missy) works at a second hand book shop (Books and Crannies) and whilst it is a great job it isn't the best paid in the world and so she also does up furniture for selling at a local flea market.  She has managed to negotiate a decent deal on a cabinet but when she goes to pick it up and pay for it she discovers the owner dead! Now with her high school sweetheart in charge of (what turns out to be) the murder, her own mother getting arrested and herself being the prime suspect she needs to figure out who wanted the man dead and why (oh and try and lose some weight at the same time!) unless she wants to be sewing mail bags whilst wearing an orange jumpsuit.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read.

I received this book free from one of the book sites. I do not remember which one! This is my honest review.
I really enjoy the first book in a series. New characters, plots, and murders. This is a good book. There is the amateur sleuth, clues from every direction, and here a gorgeous Irish Setter.
Missy has a BFF named Noreen who encourages Missy to investigate the murder of which she is a suspect. Through her investigation. Missy finds out that her parents had a history with the victim. Missy's usually normal days of refurbishing furniture for the flea market & working at Books and Crannies become emeshed with murder and suspicions.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good cozy mystery.

[Krystyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

You might end up with more than you bargained for!

Great read but just be aware it is only 86% of the page count. She loves getting bits and pieces that she does up and flips. However her last purchase might be more than she bargained for when she discovers the owners dead body. She is confident but very aware that she is bigger than most girls. He is the new police officer in town, but not a newcomer. They had been high school sweethearts before he left her. Now all eyes are on them and her name is numero uno on the suspects list. Can they find the real culprit before she ends up as collateral damage? Nice plot, a bit obvious but nevertheless an enjoyable read with good, human, characters.

[Celest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never go to yard sales with large bills, instead of finding change you could find a body.

This is my first book by Brianna Bates and I wasn't disappointed. The characters were well developed and very likeable. Well not all of the characters were likeable, a couple of them needed a good killing, lol. That is just how well this author can write, showed us how terrible some people can be. This was a great mystery and I truly enjoyed it. I can't wait to read the next book in this series. Yes there needs to be some more editing, but I loved it anyway.

[Sue Flaig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I forced myself to finish this book. I didn't care about the character. She spent too much time moaning about her weight. Despite the title, this Cozy series doesn't seem to revolve around the Flea market theme. The mystery itself was think, although admittedly, about halfway through I rushed to get to the end. Also, I found enough grammatical errors that I felt as though the author should have hired a better editor.

[Ruth Caves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fat

Fat, or full figured, it is all about self confidence. It's funny how others can see you as a confident and strong when you feel indecisive and conflicted.
This story shows both options, even as it deals with solving a murder. Just goes to prove that things are not always what they appear to be at first glance.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whodidit

A man is murdered in his home just as Missy arrives to pick up a cabinet she purchased from the victim. Arriving at his home, she finds the cabinet out front and the man's dog barking excitedly. Following the dog into the house, she finds the man, Albert Spitzer, dead. Nothing special, just another cozy.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

New cozy mystery series.

New series. Developed quite well. The characters have great quirks and personalities. An unexpected who dun-IT.
5 STARS. Already recommended this book to others. Fun read.

[susan billings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! The people that disliked the way the main character obsessed over her weight? So what! As I was reading this book, I felt like it was describing ME! I am exactly like Melissa! I am enjoying every word! (Except the dead people parts! I never solve crimes!) Thank you!!!

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book!

I totally loved everything about this book. The characters were a lot of fun...Missy DeMeanor what a great name, and I found the storyline enjoyable. Looking forward to reading the next book.

[Ruth Mccurry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good story

I guessed the murder real quick.

I found quite a few mistakes in this book. The author needs to have the people who read and look for mistakes, read a bit slower.