Your Eight O'Clock Is Dead

River City Mysteries #1

by Kat Jorgensen

Becca Reynolds is having a bad day. Her grandfather’s lecture (#405: Eat a Healthy Diet or Die Not Trying) makes her late for her job at Daley & Palmer, the psychiatric group where she works as office manager – her title not theirs. But she knows her day has taken a really bad turn when she finds the firm’s eight o’clock patient dead with Dr. Daley’s letter opener opening the patient instead of the mail.

With the fledgling firm in danger of an early demise, Becca appoints herself the unofficial investigator since the police seem to be looking in all the wrong places.

The case takes Becca from the sordid depths of the Russian mafia to the upscale West End of Richmond, Virginia (known locally as River City) and even to her own back yard. In the course of the investigation, she finds herself in hot water, hot danger and with dreams of hot men.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

373 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 26, 2011

About the author

Kat lives in Richmond, VA with her two handsome black cats, Sam and Milo. She occupies her days writing cozy mysteries. At night, she knits. Her ever-growing yarn stash and her books stash vie for space in her home.

Check out the books in her River City Mysteries.
Your Eight O'clock is Dead - 2nd edition
Your Time is Up
Your Lights are Out - coming soon

Reviews

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that this author purposely wrote about a character who could be called (and was called by the perp) TSTL or Too Stupid to Live. It was brilliant, because anything that could happen to poor Becca usually did. She went sleuthing at night and did all the things that cozy sleuths do, except it was just cool that it was done intentionally along with lots of comedic bumbling. Becca was the nicest person anyone would ever want to meet though. She was amazing with the patients, er I mean clients (don't want Dr. D, er I mean Dr. Daley on my case!), and there was no one that had anything bad to say about her. Unless of course, it was her klutziness or just calling her crazy kind of in a good way.

In this book, I wasn't sure who to suspect, so it was fun to see all the sleuthing as well as the side stories, like what Becca's new friend Max had to do with the Russian mob, a quiet blonde client who might have seen something, and Granddad cozying up to a widow his age. Fun, intrigue and hilarity are guaranteed if you read this! I'm curious to read the next book and find out how things progress with the two guys, Ryder and Max who are interested in Becca as well as her quiet new friend Daisy. I got the prequel to this book, so I might read that one before I go any further.

[Diana Gail · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish. I don't like the main character enough to care.

[Ferne (Enthusiastic Reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Becca Reynolds, 25 and divorced, lives with her grandfather and his cat, Higgins, in Richmond, Virginia. A grandfather who has a litany of lectures that Becca has heard so many times she's assigned them numbers. Becca works for 2 psychiatrists, Dr. Dick Daley, and Dr. Marcy Palmer, and is nearing the end of a 6-month probationary period. She hopes her job will become permanent, but that could be in jeopardy, as Dr. Daley enumerates reasons almost daily. Recent client appointment cancellations can hardly be attributed to Becca. Can she be effective in turning this around?

I loved this cozy! It was refreshing in every way. I often smile when reading but rarely laugh, but I couldn't help laughing out loud multiple times as I enjoyed this cozy! Humor is sprinkled throughout the storyline in descriptions, dialogue, and situations.

Becca seems immature in certain situations, but at other times, she's a force to be reckoned with, including that it only took one incident with her husband to know she deserved better. Two men are attracted to Becca's treasure chest of personality and can't help attracting Becca's attention in return. How could Becca not respond to the one gentleman in her words,

"He was liquid sex with clothes attached."

I found it a sparkling delight in this cozy that neither man is on the local police force, or perhaps the certainty is only for one. I'm as curious as Becca about the man of mystery across the hall in her office building.

I look forward to reading more of this entertaining series.

[Carol DeVaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the vein of the funniest writers available, Kat Jorgensen has presented us with a witty, delightful read, and a combination of zany characters. Becca's granddad is memorable and his antics had me laughing from the moment he hit the pages! I tried, but couldn't guess the villain, and was pleasantly surprised at the ending. If you love a great mystery, Your Eight O'Clock is Dead, will entertain for hours. I can't wait for book two to hit the shelves. Kudos to Ms Jorgensen on her first book in the River City mystery series!

[Cindy Vine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cast of characters to die for, a plot with twists and turns, humor that will have you chuckling out loud - I loved Your eight o'clock is dead. There definitely was no better way for me to spend a Sunday afternoon, than to chomp my way through this delightful mystery.
Kat Jorgensen has the ability to take a ditsy receptionist and turn her into an ace detective while still making her investigation attempts farcical. Every character played their role superbly to make this book a great read!

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun read. The writing was humorus, but not silly. The plot had twists and turns and kept me guessing. Looking forward to this authors 2nd book.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, fast, read...and not too predictable that it kept me guessing..

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Your Eight O'Clock is Dead by Kat Jorgensen is a crazy clumsy mystery filled with lots of secrets and a new sleuth with a different outlook.
Will Becca figure out who is killing their clients before she loses her job?
Rebecca Reynolds
Becca, as she likes to be called, is relatively new at being a receptionist at the Daley & Palmer psychiatric group. She is young and is still getting her work ethic figured out. Although, some of that may be because she is recently divorced and currently living with her Grandfather. Let's say that Becca is still figuring out what she wants. The one thing that she is positive about is that she must keep this job.

I like Becca, although the girl seriously is a klutz and possibly a jinx. She literally trips over nothing, not that it is uncommon. I admit that I have actually tripped over my own feet in the past. One thing that bothered me was everyone, and I mean everyone, was telling her what to do. This poor girl is a mess. Becca has a heart of gold, even if she doesn't think through what she is doing most of the time.
The Mystery
Becca's life is fairly sheltered until she finds a client dead in the reception area. Then while at the police department, she meets Max, who happens to be this sexy Russian with an accent that makes Becca weak in the knees. After this, Becca starts searching for the killer, worried that she will lose her job. Ryder, the accountant across the hall from her office, saves Becca a few times. Along with Max. Oh, her Grandfather's cat helps and constantly hinders her investigation and life.

It was a good mystery. I thought the culprit could have been one of the doctors until a witness says it wasn't. It was definitely a hard one to figure out.
Four Stars
My rating for Your Eight O'Clock is Dead by Kat Jorgensen is four stars. I recommend this book to all you cozy readers. It hits all the marks with many quirky characters and a possible love triangle.


Other Books in the River City Mysteries

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Your Eight O'Clock is Dead by Kat Jorgensen.

Until the next time,



 

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

[Karen Fowler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice read

This was a nice, enjoyable read. I would have given it 5 stars, but it was a bit frustrating to immediately see what was going on in a situation, then wait for Becca, the main character to figure it out. She's made out to be quirky and ditzy, but unfortunately comes off as stupid and slow-witted. I did enjoy it enough to want to read the next, but I hope the author allows Becca to be a bit smarter.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in the series and the first time reading this author. The main character is Becca who is a mess trying to keep her job. She comes to work and find a dead man in the office. When her grandad's friend is charged she decides to find out who really did it. She ends up in more messes and almost ends up dead.
This was a good book but at times it got hard to read. Too much of her thinking this and that that you had to read.

[Candra Hodge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story stupid main character

I liked the mystery of the book when I started the book. Halfway thru I got irritated with the main character for deciding she should get involved in a murder investigation despite lack of detective skills and everyone telling her it was too dangerous. I also didn't like how the killer revealed themselves and was caught in literally the second to last chapter.
I won this book thru a goodreads.com giveaway.

[Janet Upchurch · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can't always judge a book by its cover!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Caught myself chuckling a couple of times because it was funny. I liked the tension that was thrown in. It kept me turning the pages. This was a Murder mystery. And kept me guessing almost to the end! I am thinking about getting another book by this author, since this is the second good one I got.

[Ronald Mathews · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING!!!

I've read a lot of mysteries in the last few years, and I have to say this was one of the best.Good luck if anyone who reads this can figure out who the killer is before the end of the book. I recommend this book to everyone who likes an enjoyable mystery. Bravo!!!

[Tamara Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Highly recommend. Becca has a lot snarky comments making it a funny read. Then throw in the mystery and you have great read. Have to read the next to see what Becca gets up to next.

[Janice Goldstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining, light hearted mystery. A great escape read.

[Susan Burlew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent mystery.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just okay for me.

I received an e-version of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

[Lydia Pazienza · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got this in a goodreads giveaway. The killer in the book was right when he said the main character was “too stupid to live”. I’m mad they also hurt a cat in the process .

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it hard to care about any of the characters.

[Debra McEathron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Becca saves the day

I just could not get into this story. I didn't like the main character or her employer. The good characters were Max, Ryder, and her grandfather.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging characters, fun plot and an easy, conversational writing style. Two thumbs up! "In compliance with FTC guidelines, I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads."

[Denise Zendel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Becca Reynolds is a hapless 20-something, divorced and living with her irascible grandfather and his cranky cat, who takes an instant dislike to Becca. She’s the “office manager” (or so she tells everyone; in reality, she’s a receptionist who may not make it past her probationary period) for two psychologists with a fledgling business. She arrives to work one day, late as usual and finds the firm’s eight o’clock appointment dead in a wing chair in the reception area, with her boss’s letter opener sticking out of his midsection.

She thinks the police aren’t doing a good job of investigating the murder, so she steps in to solve the case, keep the firm going and keep her job, which she really, really needs, because what 20-something wants to live with an aging grandparent? As she bumbles her way through the investigation, she begins to suspect everyone, including her crabby boss and the Russian mob (who knew Richmond, Va., had such a seamy underbelly).

This book had some potential – the grandfather’s lectures on how she should be living her life were kind of entertaining, and there were two hot, potential love interests – Ryder, the “CPA” who has an office in the same building where Becca works (he has some interesting non-financial connections), and Max, a Russian who has ties to the mob. I spent half the book wanting to slap Becca because she annoyed me, but some of her internal dialogues were pretty funny, and I did like the relationship between Becca and her granddad.

While this is billed as the first River City mystery, I could only find this one book on Amazon, so I don’t know if it continued past this book. Would I read more in this series? Yeah; I wouldn’t go out of my way to find them, but I am curious to see if Becca stops being so spastic. This was a pleasant enough read and made the time on the exercise bike go by faster.

[Jemima Pett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very funny book.

It’s pretty much a cosy mystery, although Becca Reynolds is no Miss Marple. She a ditzy air-head with a great imagination, and true Southern style, and I found her irritating, likeable, and funny in equal measures. Likeable and funny win, hands down. Exactly why she takes it on herself to investigate the reason why one of her boss’s clients is sitting in Reception, dead by person or persons unknown, rather than leaving it to the police, is hard to fathom. Natural rage against injustice? Resentment that it might cost her her (hard-won, and not yet confirmed) job? There are plenty of dysfunctional candidates to choose from (not surprisingly since her bosses are psychiatrists), and she works her way through most of them, with added complications through past history and blood-lines. If you think “Don’t do X…” she’ll do it. She’s brave, and would be fearless, so long as she doesn’t stop long enough to have second thoughts. Second thoughts don’t usually stop her, though, so it’s not surprising that calamity beckons.

It’s a fun read with plenty of red herrings and barely-linked chains of deduction. It’s well-paced, accessible and light-hearted. Full marks to Ms Jorgensen. I suspect Becca will be back, since this is listed as the first in the River City mystery series!

[Samantha March · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kat Jorgensen is on tour with Your Eight O’Clock is Dead at CLP Blog Tours. Becca Reynolds doesn’t have a good start to her morning when she is late for work, ruins patient files with the oil from biscuit breakfast, and oh yes – finds a dead client in the waiting room. Becca works as an office manager (not really, but she think it sounds better than “gopher” or “door mat,” at a struggling psychiatrists office, and the murder only makes things worse for business. Becca, in danger of losing her only income, decides to take on the murder case herself. While trying to figure out whodunit, Becca gets tied up with a sexy accountant (or is he?) and mixed up with the Russian mob. Can Becca crack the case before the killer sets their sights on her?

I thought Your Eight O’Clock is Dead was a super cute cozy mystery. Light-hearted, humorous, but still with action. Becca was a fun heroine, though sometimes a bit too ditzy – for example – how many times she corrected her inner thoughts and dialogue about calling patients “clients.” I loved the grandfather and his many list of rules, and even the tuxedo cat who seemed to steal the show for me. Overall, a cute mystery that I would recommend to chick lit fans!

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written by a friend of mine and it's my normal genre. I would call it a light hearted murder mystery with a funny, bumbling lead character. The things I didn't like about it were all related to the genre so I'll stick to the things I did like. The characters were a bit comical (in a good way) and I did find myself laughing out loud a few times. The "stick your foot in your mouth" moments were awkward and fun at the same time. With it being the first book in a series I think Kat has lots of room to play with her odd bunch of characters. If you like this type of genre then I would definitely recommend the series. I'm not going to continue on but I am glad that I read this one both because I like Kat and I was genuinely entertained.

[Mrs Mommy Booknerd http://mrsmommybooknerd.blogspot.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot begin to express how much joy YOUR EIGHT O'CLOCK IS DEAD has brought me. I absolutely loved this book from cover to cover. Becca, the main character, is somebody that I would love to have as a friend. I can only imagine all of shenanigans she and I could get into together. Becca is witty, loveable and idealistic. The minute I finished reading this book I immediately looked to see when book two is due out (Jorgensen is busy working on it now!) Jorgensen has created a story with a main character you root for, supporting characters (Ryder, Max, Granddad and even Dr. Dick) that are interesting and fun and a storyline that keeps you turning pages...to me that is one heck of a winning combination! I rate this book 4.5 stars and recommend it highly!!!

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun Book. Actually had me laugh out loud, which is something I find rare. Did get slow at some parts - but really hope there's a sequel because the characters are so well developed that I want to see them again.

[Pam · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just could not stay with this one. Sad. I was hoping for some Richmond flavor.

[Darlene]

I picked this up through Smashwords so when I say that this is 'loanable' that is only for the Amazon version.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read. Zany characters.