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Cozy Mystery Fifteen-Book Set
If you love cozy mysteries, this is the boxed set for you. This collection features 15 different cozies * College Can Be Murder * Deadpan Murder * Killer Amnesia * Murder in Happy Creek * Killer Injustice * Murder of a Restaurant Critic * Murder of a Movie Producer * The Killer Holiday Office Party * Murder Hits Close To Home * Hurricanes Can Be Murder * A Deadly Dessert Disaster * Murder and Delicious Halloween Candy * Christmas Gingerbread Cookies with a Side of Murder * Cheesecake Bars with a Side of Murder * Raspberry Chiffon with a Side of Murder Don't delay. Buy your copy right now!
1045 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 14, 2020
284 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Meredith Potts
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You can check out my Amazon author page here: https://www.amazon.com/Meredith%20Pot...
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 12, 2021
I'm actually surprised I finished all 15 stories. To be fair to myself, I read them at night to put myself to sleep, and read other books in between.
The pros (and why I didn't just delete the book from my Kindle): it was very easy reading. The writing flowed smoothly, and the characters were fairly understandable. To try to explain: everyday conversational language, believable dialogue, sentences and paragraphs of reasonable length. If the stories hadn't been mysteries, I'd have given it an extra star.
However, these were "mysteries." All but one of the books, despite being from a couple different series, with different characters, were identical:
1) A murder occurs
2) The police and our heroine, who is related to the police detective but not one herself, but is somehow always allowed at crime scenes, "investigate" by glancing around, saying "yep, it's a murder," and then declaring there's no evidence.
3) Around 3 suspects are identified based on motive. Sometimes there are 4 suspects, once or twice there were only 2.
4) The suspects are interviewed, and these interviews are all identical: accusing the suspect based on the motive, asking them for an alibi, declaring that since they can't prove their alibi they're probably guilty. The suspects are uniformly incensed that they're not taken at their word and object to the word "suspect."
5) Our heroine and her police detective companion declare it's a difficult case and are very depressed about it, requiring large quantities of chocolate or pastries. (This is generally the same day or the next day, by the way.)
6) Deputies are assigned to follow each of the suspects 24/7 and sometimes a press conference occurs asking the public to come forward with information. Information usually takes the form of gossip.
7) A piece of gossip or something similar prompts follow-up interviews with the suspects, during which the suspects will accuse each other. The heroine and police detective simply repeat their original accusations and the accusations from the other suspect.
8) One suspects cracks under the pressure, presumably from the inane tedium, and confesses to murder.
9) Our heroine and the police detective congratulate themselves on solving yet another difficult case with more chocolate or pastries. The whole thing takes less than a week.
The one story that didn't follow this format had the heroine from one of the series keep thinking that an acquaintance who died had been murdered, but there was no actual mystery. I'm not sure what the point of that story was.
I grew up on Agatha Christie and Rex Stout. I don't expect every mystery series to live up to that bar, and I'm resigned to the trope of cozy mystery heroines being sugar addicts, but these just aren't mysteries, cozy or otherwise. There's a complete lack of any attempt at detection, and no attention to any clues other than murder weapon, motive, and alibi.
The pros (and why I didn't just delete the book from my Kindle): it was very easy reading. The writing flowed smoothly, and the characters were fairly understandable. To try to explain: everyday conversational language, believable dialogue, sentences and paragraphs of reasonable length. If the stories hadn't been mysteries, I'd have given it an extra star.
However, these were "mysteries." All but one of the books, despite being from a couple different series, with different characters, were identical:
1) A murder occurs
2) The police and our heroine, who is related to the police detective but not one herself, but is somehow always allowed at crime scenes, "investigate" by glancing around, saying "yep, it's a murder," and then declaring there's no evidence.
3) Around 3 suspects are identified based on motive. Sometimes there are 4 suspects, once or twice there were only 2.
4) The suspects are interviewed, and these interviews are all identical: accusing the suspect based on the motive, asking them for an alibi, declaring that since they can't prove their alibi they're probably guilty. The suspects are uniformly incensed that they're not taken at their word and object to the word "suspect."
5) Our heroine and her police detective companion declare it's a difficult case and are very depressed about it, requiring large quantities of chocolate or pastries. (This is generally the same day or the next day, by the way.)
6) Deputies are assigned to follow each of the suspects 24/7 and sometimes a press conference occurs asking the public to come forward with information. Information usually takes the form of gossip.
7) A piece of gossip or something similar prompts follow-up interviews with the suspects, during which the suspects will accuse each other. The heroine and police detective simply repeat their original accusations and the accusations from the other suspect.
8) One suspects cracks under the pressure, presumably from the inane tedium, and confesses to murder.
9) Our heroine and the police detective congratulate themselves on solving yet another difficult case with more chocolate or pastries. The whole thing takes less than a week.
The one story that didn't follow this format had the heroine from one of the series keep thinking that an acquaintance who died had been murdered, but there was no actual mystery. I'm not sure what the point of that story was.
I grew up on Agatha Christie and Rex Stout. I don't expect every mystery series to live up to that bar, and I'm resigned to the trope of cozy mystery heroines being sugar addicts, but these just aren't mysteries, cozy or otherwise. There's a complete lack of any attempt at detection, and no attention to any clues other than murder weapon, motive, and alibi.
September 26, 2020
Cozy Mystery Fifteen Book Set was a great read by Meredith Potts. This box set consists of; College Can Be Murder, Deadpan Murder, Killer Amnesia, Murder in Happy Creek, Killer Injustice, Murder of a Restaurant Critic, Murder of a Movie Producer, The Killer Holiday Office Party, Murder Hits Close to Home, Hurricanes Can Be Murder, A Deadly Dessert Disaster, Murder and Delicious Halloween Candy, Christmas Gingerbread Cookies with a Side of Murder, Cheesecake Bars with a Side of Murder, and Raspberry Chiffon with a Side of Murder. I can’t wait to read more by Meredith Potts.
March 5, 2021
15 book detective stories
I enjoyed reading this 15 book set. Although I have read quite a few book sets, this one is somewhat different. Each book in this set is basically the same story over and over. There is not much difference in them. I also would have liked to have been reading about the same detective in each book. However, instead there were three other sets of detectives working in their own books. Even though it was a little disconcerting, I would certainly recommend this book set to anyone who enjoys reading detective stories.
I enjoyed reading this 15 book set. Although I have read quite a few book sets, this one is somewhat different. Each book in this set is basically the same story over and over. There is not much difference in them. I also would have liked to have been reading about the same detective in each book. However, instead there were three other sets of detectives working in their own books. Even though it was a little disconcerting, I would certainly recommend this book set to anyone who enjoys reading detective stories.
September 10, 2021
WonderfulI
A cracking good read a wonderful set of books, I really enjoyed these stories they are brilliant , really well written and enjoyable to read I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cosy mystery stories.
A cracking good read a wonderful set of books, I really enjoyed these stories they are brilliant , really well written and enjoyable to read I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cosy mystery stories.
May 29, 2020
Great box set!
I always enjoy the Meredith Potts books. Interesting and enjoyable reads. I highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery.
I always enjoy the Meredith Potts books. Interesting and enjoyable reads. I highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery.
February 21, 2022
Great read
Kept me glued to the book. Didn't want to put it down. I love her Daley Buzz books have read almost all of them.
Kept me glued to the book. Didn't want to put it down. I love her Daley Buzz books have read almost all of them.
April 18, 2024
Review
Good clean murder mysteries. Same characters throughout most of the books. Quite a few of the "who done it" questions throughout each and every book.
Good clean murder mysteries. Same characters throughout most of the books. Quite a few of the "who done it" questions throughout each and every book.
December 30, 2021
Story was not bad, but the writing is meh. I may try the second story, see if it improves.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews