Toil and Trouble

A Geeks and Things Cozy Mystery #0.5

by Sarah Biglow

The mystery that started it all for Kalina Greystone is here.


All Hallows Eve brings out the weird and the mysterious as Kalina Greystone and her nephew stumble upon a badly injured sorority girl at the autumn festival in Salem, MA.


Someone has taken the spirit and history of the town too far and Kalina aims to find out why.


With time running out before the event ends, can Kalina track down the attacker before they simply melt into the crowd forever?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy, Cozy Mystery

Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2021

About the author

Author also writes under S.E. Biglow

Sarah is a USA Today Bestselling author as well as a licensed attorney and works for a state agency in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. When not working on her next novel or reading the latest installment of one of the many series she follows, she is busy watching TV and running a TV recap blog with her friend. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and son.

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Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toil and Trouble was a really fun little prequel. It was short, and it definitely could have been longer, but it made for a good cozy mystery with some light nerd fodder.

The story had just enough twists and turns to keep me interested. It was too short to really give much time to do much in the way of guessing, but it all made cohesive sense. I was glad to see that AJ returned alongside Kalina, and I hope he stays on as her sidekick throughout the series. I preferred the first book more, but mostly just because I wanted there to be a bit more length. I would rate it more like 3.5 stars.

I'm definitely inclined to recommend this to anyone looking for a cozy mystery with some nerd vibes. I still intend to read the rest of the stories in the series.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very short story that sets the scene for what will follow in this series that will appeal to younger amateur sleuth mystery readers. Kalina Greystone is one of the coolest aunts ever. Part of it is because she owns a comic book store, but also because she lets her nephew, AJ, hang out there and takes him on fun adventures.
Autumn in New England brings about thoughts of witches and magic. For AJ, there's an added benefit of meeting sorority girls.
When you are first on the scene and find a body or injured person, it is natural curiosity to want to find out how it happened, right? Curiosity is fine until it puts you up front and too close with a potential murderer. Will AJ's mother think her sister is still cool?

[Vicki or Dennis Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very short (prequel novella) introduction to a new series by this author. A well written and definitely attention grabbing story that will pull you into the story hook, line and sinker in the early pages. The relationship and characters are developed in such a way that you can feel the familia ties that exit between Kalena and her nephew. A good novella that I would recommend if you enjoy cozy mystery.

I received an ARC copy of this book, but this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Susan Moody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Story

I enjoyed the introduction to this cozy mystery series. Looking forward to reading the next book.

[Juanita E. Arp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great intro to a new series. Can't wait to read more from this author. I received this book 📚, as a FREE copy to read and I voluntarily leave this review.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5⭐: not a bad short

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice short story that is free for subscribing to the authors mailing list. It looks like it is a nice intro to the series.

[Lin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book that started the “A Geek and Things” series. Kalina Greystone has moved back to town from the big city and is ready to settle back into a simpler lifestyle. She is re-connecting with her nephew, A.J. by taking him to Salem for some fun.

While starting to enter a maze, can you believe they find a young female in a stressful situation? Will Kalina and A.J. find out who hurt Tasha? Can they do this in a few hours before A.J. needs to be back home with Kalina’s sister Jillian? Can A.J. help Kalina with investigating without Jillian finding out?

Good taste of the series!!!

[Chelsy Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and simple. Nice prequel to the rest of the series.