Book Review: GRIME AND PUNISHMENT

One of my favorite cozy writers teamed up with her daughter (again) to write a new cozy series. Sylvia Selfman and Leigh Selfman created a housecleaner amateur sleuth. Talk about a career that reveals where the dirt is piled up! Livy is uniquely positioned to know information about victims and suspects that is helpful to the attractive detective on the case.

Okay, I’ll be honest. Livy, the protag, is great and I really like what it seems to be book one in a new series. But I’m in love with the Izzy Greene series that Sylvia wrote by herself. Izzy and her ensemble of crazy characters is just the best. If you haven’t seen her “Senior Snoops” series, you are missing a treat.

But that has nothing to do with this series which stands well on its own. It employs the same sardonic tone that the Selfmans use to such great advantage in their other co-authored books. I envy them. I want to write funny, too. I admire them for that and more.

This ensemble cast of characters include a caring, worried daughter, the gay best friend who shares pet-rearing responsibilities, the detective who wants her out of it, and friends and clients with very interesting quirks. Who will still be around in book 2? Can’t wait to find out!

In Grime and Punishment, Livy finds the husband of one of her clients stabbed to death. Who could want to kill the popular celebrity plastic surgeon? The wife is always a suspect. The secret girlfriend who suddenly disappears after his death? The sister of the secret girlfriend? The nosy neighbor? A disgruntled patient unhappy with the results? Someone from his past? A burglary gone bad? My mind generated lots of suspects beyond what the authors provided. That’s a sign of a well-set up mystery when the reader anticipates possibilities.

When Livy snoops around for clues in the various homes she cleans, she, of course, puts herself at risk by drawing attention to her unwanted delving. Even a violent encounter, however, doesn’t deter her curiosity. Will she risk even more as she continues her investigation? Of course she will! But, don’t worry. Livy will survive and thrive. This is a cozy mystery.

But, the twists and turns will keep your brain considering possibilities. An entertaining way to fight incipient dementia!

Given the penchant among cozy mystery writers for punny titles, I wondered what the team’s future books will be called. Suck it Up? Wash and Died? Cleaned Out? A Rising Tide? A Dust Up? Floored? Swept under the Rug? Polished Off? So many possibilities! I wish Sylvia Selfman and Leigh Selfman the best of luck with this new series. I’m already a fan! Get your copy here!

Facebook: A delightful cozy mystery review for Sylvia Selfman and Leigh Selfman’s GRIME AND PUNISHMENT. A delight new series by this talented team. Check it out at http://bit.ly/2xiSGJj

Twitter: @SylviaSelfman and @LeighSelfman’s funny new cozy GRIME AND PUNISHMENT reviewed at http://bit.ly/2xiSGJj