Review: Bundle of Trouble

Summary: First-time mom Kate Connelly is bringing up baby— and bringing down a killer. Kate Connelly may have found the perfect work-from-home Mommy job: private investigator. After all, the hours are flexible, she can bring the baby along on stake-outs, and if you’re going to be up all night anyway, you might as well solve some crimes. But when a body is pulled from San Francisco Bay that may be her brother-in-law, Kate must crack the case faster than you can say “diaper rash” in order to keep her family together. -- Berkley Prime Crime

In my youth (and even my younger days), I used to read mysteries all of the time. My tastes in books have changed over the past few years so I find that I don't read too many "cozies" these days; however, I still enjoy curling up with one of these light, quick reads. Recently, I read BUNDLE OF TROUBLE: A MATERNAL INSTINCTS MYSTERY by Diana Orgain; and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Like most new moms, Kate has to adjust not only to having a new baby but also to staying-at-home. And like me, Kate wanted to stay home with her new baby girl Laurie; but she also find that she misses the challenge of work and the money that comes along with her job -- I remember those days all too well! Mainly because of her nosiness, Kate decides to become involved in figuring out a mystery associated with her less than responsible and missing brother-in-law. One things leads to another and she eventually finds herself caught up a web of murders. During the "investigation," Kate meets a private investigator and learns how much money he makes. She ends up posing as one and thinks that maybe she could be a stay-at-home mom who happens to do a little PI work on the side.

I enjoyed BUNDLE OF TROUBLE and found myself guessing at who the murderer could be and why. I was a little surprised with the ending, but I have to admit that I didn't really spend a lot of time trying to figure things out. I got what I wanted out of this story -- a few hours of fun and entertainment. And as an added bonus, I got to reminisce about having a newborn baby; and I could even laugh about all the little things that I thought were major mishaps at the time!

I am definitely passing BUNDLE OF TROUBLE to my sister who is a more recent "new mom" than I am. I have a feeling that she will appreciate the humor that goes along with bringing home a new baby. Since the main character is a brand-spanking new mother, there is lots of insight about the changes that having a baby brings to a woman's life. It's been awhile now since I was nursing and changing diapers, but I remembered fondly (most of the time) all the things that went along with having a new-born baby like wearing clothes out of the house with spit-up stains, not fitting into my pre-baby clothes right away, and learning to use a breast pump!

BUNDLE OF TROUBLE is Ms. Orgain's debut novel, and I'm pretty sure that there will more adventures with Kate in the future. Or at least I hope there are! Prior to writing mysteries, Ms. Orgain has acted professionally in many theater roles and national commercials; and she has also written several plays. Ms. Orgain has a terrific website with lots more information about both herself and her book. Make sure you check out her site; and while you are there, you can even enter to win an adorable baby hat. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that she has included some fun discussion questions for BUNDLE OF TROUBLE!

If you enjoy cozy mysteries that are just plain fun to read, you should check out BUNDLE OF TROUBLE. It really is a great book for woman who are moms (whether that be new moms or old-pros) because it is a light, easy read that you can just sit back and enjoy in your spare time.

A big thanks to the author for sending me a copy of this book. We "met" via Twitter!