Reading Between the Crimes by Kate Young {Book Review}

**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own.  

What better time than Halloween to dig into a bracing discussion of a diabolical murder mystery? And what better choice for the Jane Doe Book Club than Agatha Christie's Crooked House? Lyla Moody and her friends are soon embroiled in debate over whether the heroine's actions are particularly believable. But not long after the meeting, sleepy Sweet Mountain, Georgia, is rocked by a murder that uncannily echoes the novel in question.

When Lyla and her grandmother arrive at the charity event that Lyla's mother is hosting, they barely have time to hang up their fall jackets before they stumble upon a body in the library. Leonard Richardson, it seems, was robbed and then hit over the head with a brass candlestick--which throws suspicion on Harper Richardson, his young widow and a friend of the Jane Does.

Lyla and the rest of the Jane Does pool their prodigious intellects to clear Harper's name. Peculiarly, all of the clues seem to have been lifted directly from the plot of Crooked House. But as Lyla probes the pages of Christie's classic whodunnit for hints on catching the killer, she uncovers secrets from her mother's past--secrets that suggest that Lyla's own house may be crooked as well.

Kate Young writes mystery novels. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Georgia Writers Association. Kate lives in a small town in Georgia with her husband, three kids, and Shih Tzus. When she is not writing her own books, she’s reading, hanging out with her family, or cooking.

Keep up with Kate at www.kateyoungbooks.com and on https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKateYoung/

Reading Between the Crimes is the second book in the Jane Doe Book Club Mystery series. I personally had not read the previous book in the series and while there were moments where I certainly did get the impression that perhaps references were made to something that was from that first book, it in no way impacted my understanding or enjoyment of this story. 

When I picked up this book, I actually expected it to be much more Halloween centered after reading the description. Had that been the reason I'd picked it out (and not just picked it out at the time that I did), I might have found myself just a bit disappointed, as there was really no reference to the holiday at all that I recalled--- perhaps just one reference to the month? Not a huge deal to me, but it certainly was a little different that what I was expecting. Still, I did find it to be a rather entertaining cozy mystery filled with loads of secrets and a houseful of quirky characters and suspects to get to know. 

Because I do primarily read and review Christian read, I will say that this would certainly not fall into that category. As a cozy mystery, it was an overall clean read, but did have some language throughout. I didn't think it was overkill, but certainly more than I do typically tend to prefer in the books I read personally. Still, an enjoyable read nonetheless and one that fans of cozy mysteries are sure to want to check out.