Saturday, August 24, 2019

Cozy Mystery Book #Review ~ Death by Diploma (Chalkboard Outlines, Book #1) by Kelley Kaye ~ @kelkay1202 #CozyMystery


Book Details:

Series: Chalkboard Outlines, Book 1
Paperback: 228 pages
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing
Publish Date: January 6, 2016
ISBN-10: 1940215625
ISBN-13: 978-1940215624
Purchase Link: Amazon

About the Book:

Emma Lovett leaves her philandering husband and crosses the country to begin her teaching career at a high school in Pinewood, Colorado.There, she meets Leslie Parker, a fellow teacher given to quoting Shakespeare to fit all situations, and the two become fast friends.

Arriving at work early one morning, Emma discovers the body of the school custodian, a man who reminds her of her late father. When the police struggle to find the killer, the ladies decide to help solve the murder. Their efforts lead them to a myriad of suspects: the schizophrenic librarian, the crude football coach, the mysterious social studies teacher, and even Emma’s new love interest.

As Emma Lovett discovers the perils of teaching high school, she and Leslie learn more than they ever wanted to know about the reasons people kill.

My Review:

Death by Diploma (Chalkboard Outlines, #1)Death by Diploma by Kelley Kaye
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Our main character, Emma, recently left her husband and finds her way to a teaching job in Colorado. She becomes fast friends with another teacher, Leslie, and finds their building's janitor, Melvin to be pleasant and hardworking. She's shocked to find Melvin brutally murdered in the school one morning. Upon learning Leslie's low opinion of the local authorities, Emma joins Leslie's campaign to investigate Melvin's murder themselves.

Emma and Leslie are great characters with a wonderfully developed friendship. They connect instantly and the author does a great job building them up. Even though this is a cozy murder mystery, the author tastefully adds humor and wit to the mix. The way Emma's accent was written was a bit off-putting. It seemed a bit over the top to me and I found myself skipping over some of the dialogue.

The world building is done well. I was able to visualize the entire story and felt like I was there helping Emma and Leslie. The story was fast-paced - never a dull moment. I enjoyed Death by Diploma.

I was provided a copy of this book to read and review.

View all my reviews