Review: Motherhood is Murder

Summary: Nights out are hard to come by for new mommy Kate Connelly. So when Kate and her husband are invited to a dinner cruise hosted by her new mommy club, Roo & You, they jump at it. But when the president of the club takes a deadly spill, everyone becomes suspect-and Kate's on deck to solve the mystery. -- Berkley

Last summer, I read and reviewed a very cute cozy mystery called BUNDLE OF TROUBLE: A MATERNAL INSTINCTS MYSTERY by Diana Orgain. It was the first in a series, and I have been looking forward to the next book MOTHERHOOD IS MURDER for quite a few months. I was so excited when I found out that it was recently released.

I don't read many cozies anymore, but I used to be addicted to them. While my tastes have changed through the years, I still enjoy kicking back with a light, fun mystery every now and then. MOTHERHOOD IS MURDER definitely hit the spot. It picked up right where the first book left off (although it can be read as a stand-alone!) This book had all the elements I enjoyed from the first novel including quirky characters and an unpredictable storyline.

MOTHERHOOD IS MURDER begins innocently enough with Kate and her husband taking a night out away from baby Laurie. They go on a dinner cruise with some of Kate's new friends (from her mom's club Roo & You) and their husbands. Unfortunately, one of the women ends up dead and it's ruled a homicide. Kate, who just recently solved another murder mystery, can't help herself and quickly becomes involved in the investigation.

All of Kate's new friends and their husbands are potential suspects. As Kate begins to learn more about her friends and their lives, she begins to see that any of them could be the murderer. Their relationships with each other and their spouses are much more complex than first meets the eye, and Kate really has to do some major investigating to get to the truth. There are lots of twists and turns in this story, and I admit that I didn't solve the mystery while reading the book.

There are definitely some entertaining characters in this story. I liked that Kate's mom seemed to have a bigger role in this novel. They author let some of her quirkiness shine through, and I found it very funny that she's juggling two men at her age! I also liked that Kate's best friend (who is very pregnant) returned from France to play co-detective with her. I have a feeling that we'll be seeing more of these two fun characters in future books.

New moms (and even the not-so-new moms) will appreciate Ms. Orgain's humor. She has a great way of highlighting those new mom feelings especially the anxiety and nerves. I can laugh at Kate's character now that my youngest is almost six years old, but I can so remember having many of the same nervous feelings about being a first-time mom -- was my child too big, too small, just right?, was she hitting the developmental milestones?, was she behind other babies?, etc.

I definitely recommend the Maternal Instincts Mystery series if you are a fan of light mysteries. I find that I enjoy these books, but I also think they are absolutely perfect for new moms. They are cute books that are also quick reads -- ideal for moms who can barely find the time to read a book!

Thanks to the author for sending me a review copy.