Book Review: The Cluttered Corpse

The Cluttered Corpse by Mary Jane Maffini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My interest was piqued by the promise of a story about a professional organizer turned amateur murder investigator. I got what I hoped for with an outrageous organizing job being the catalyst for a murder mystery.

The story kept me guessing right up to the end. The cast of characters is big, and nearly everyone might have had some sort of motive or involvement with either the victim or the woman who claims to have killed him, though no one believes her. Red Herrings abound!

Our protagonist, Charlotte Adams is juggling crime solving with trying to keep her clients happy and tending to her odd group of friends needs. All this activity makes for a cozily cluttered story, and I enjoyed everyone’s place in the adventure—with the exception of Detective Sargant Pepper Monahan, who is beyond rude to her former friend Charlotte… and Charlotte meekly takes whatever venom Pepper spits at her. I do wish Charlotte had stood up to her and addressed that problem, but that issue would be my only complaint. In the end, I was nicely surprised. And that’s what a well-crafted mystery should give a reader. Well told!

My thanks to author Mary Jane Maffini, Beyond the Page Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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