Review – Disorderly Conduct by Mary Feliz #cozy @MaryFelizAuthor
Disorderly Conduct (A Maggie McDonald Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Lyrical Underground (July 10, 2018)
Print Length: 233 pages
Synopsis
Professional organizer Maggie McDonald manages to balance a fastidious career with friends, family, and a spunky Golden Retriever. But add a fiery murder mystery to the mix, and Maggie wonders if she’s finally found a mess even she can’t tidy up . . .
With a devastating wildfire spreading to Silicon Valley, Maggie preps her family for a rapid evacuation. The heat rises when firefighters discover the body of her best friend Tess Olmos’s athletic husband—whose untimely death was anything but accidental. And as Tess agonizes over the whereabouts of her spouse’s drop-dead gorgeous running mate, she becomes the prime suspect in what’s shaping up to become a double murder case. Determined to set the record straight, Maggie sorts through clues in an investigation more dangerous than the flames approaching her home. But when her own loved ones are threatened, can she catch the meticulous killer before everything falls apart?
Review
I’m going to say right off the bat I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book. It had nothing to do with the plot line, I just didn’t understand how the day a woman finds out her husband is dead why all these people would come over that same day and Maggie would set up an atmosphere that was almost party like. I understand people paying condolences and bringing food, but within hours? There were just a few things that happened the first day that just didn’t seem logical.
All of that aside, once I got past that first day the story line picked up speed as Maggie and the crew were off trying to decipher who killed Patrick and why. The final result was quite surprising and the author does a great job of misdirection with the characters. I honestly expected the killer to be another character based on information provided. There are still the pesky neighbors that we still don’t like even into the fourth book.
Maggie remained true to her character as in previous books – a mother hen with fantastic organizational skills that is able to ferret out the true criminal.
I appreciate all the hints and tips at the beginning of each chapter. I can use all the help I can get when organizing my own life, and these tips can be quite helpful. This book even has a list at the end related to emergency preparedness for acts of nature and the like. I had no idea that the CDC in efforts to reach more people created a program that tied to what to do if there was a zombie apocalypse. Granted this will most like never happen, but if it intrigues others to become prepared then I’m all for whatever it takes!
We give this 4 paws up
About the Author
Mary Feliz writes the Maggie McDonald Mysteries featuring a Silicon Valley professional organizer and her sidekick golden retriever. She’s worked for Fortune 500 firms and mom and pop enterprises competed in whaleboat races and done synchronized swimming. She attends organizing conferences in her character’s stead, but Maggie’s skills leave her in the dust.
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lstorey
Thanks Mary! I agree that everyone grieves differently and most people just want to comfort, I just thought it odd that it happened so quickly. Had it been the next day I wouldn’t have thought twice about the event.
I like the idea of a universal translator!
Mary Feliz
Thanks so much for hosting me, and for your review! I think customs surrounding death are fascinating, probably because I’m a sociologist by training. What seems comforting to one person can seem intrusive and rude to another. And what seems respectful to one can seem cold and unfeeling to someone else. A few years ago, I had a discussion on this topic with several very close friends who’d recently lost their elderly parents in a variety of settings: hospice, hospital, nursing home, sudden tragedy. One friend was a hospice nurse, the other was a respiratory therapist who worked nights and was often on hand for families’ last hours with their loved ones. We decided that no matter how bizarre some people’s comments or behavior might seem following a death, everyone means to be comforting. But, because customs can vary so greatly, particularly in the diverse communities in Silicon Valley, it would be ideal to create some sort of universal translator device for the grieving so that weird-sounding comments and customs could be transformed into the vocabulary and customs most soothing to the bereaved.
In any case, I’m thrilled you stuck with me past the scene that seemed so foreign to you, and that you enjoyed the rest of the book!