Genre: Mystery
Rating:

Maggie Gerber-one of the founding members of the Good Buy Birls- loves her quiet life in St. Stanley, Virginia. But all that changes when Sam Collins, her old flame, moves back to town as the new sheriff. On top of that, Claire Freemont, a librarian and the newest member of the Good Buy Girls, starts acting utterly strange.

When Maggie goes to visit her the next day at the library, she finds the body of a very dead man. Turns out the man is someone from Claire's past. As the handsome new sheriff zeroes in on Claire, it's up to Maggie and the rest of the Good Buy Girls to use their bargain-hunting skills to hunt a killer-while making sure they don't pay too much in the process...

 

Review

The Good Buy Girls of Saint Stanley, Virginia, led by best friends Maggie Gerber and Ginger Lancaster, are the ultimate bargain shoppers. From clipping and trading coupons to mapping out strategies for finding the best deals at super sales, this thrifty group of friends is serious about shopping. Maggie and fellow Good Buy Girl, Claire Freemont, get more than they bargained for when they bring some old books to the basement of the library where Claire works and discover a dead body at the bottom of the steps. The victim is a man, and he is a stranger to Maggie. Afterwards, Claire starts acting strangely and it’s obvious to Maggie and Ginger that it’s more than just the stress of discovering a body. They’re surprised to learn Claire knew the victim before she moved to Virginia and are shocked to find out she actually has a motive for the murder. The Good Buy Girls are determined to prevent Claire from being punished for a crime she didn’t commit, so they decide to do a little sleuthing in addition to shopping to prove their friend’s innocence.

50% off Murder is the first book in a new series by Josie Belle, which is a pen name for Jenn McKinlay. The book isn’t perfect, but the series has a lot of promise. I like the premise of a group of friends who share tips on saving money and getting the best deals with coupons and sales for necessities such as food, coping thrift stores for designer dresses or men’s suits, and teaming up with friends to get the best deals on designer shoes at a store sale. There are shopping tips throughout the book and then a few extras at the back of the book.

The murder investigation is interesting and the author provides the clues to the solution so well that I figured out the identity of the murderer before Maggie or the police! Besides the shopping tips, my favorite part of the book is the funny, but realistic dialogue. The expressions used fit the ages of the various characters and I found myself laughing out loud quite often. Maggie is the main character of the book and is likeable, but considering all she has been through in her life, she is immature in many ways. She tends to make snap judgments followed by very poor decisions, such as dumping ice cream on the head of her nemesis Summer Phillips. Actually all of the scenes between Maggie and Summer show Maggie’s immaturity and are a bit too slapstick for me.

While I liked Maggie, I related more to her best friend Ginger. Ginger is married and the mother of two and is as fun as Maggie, but more level-headed. Maggie is better when she is with Ginger and the two best friends make a good team for shopping and sleuthing! Joanne Clarimotta, is the Good Buy Girl we get to know the least, but she is a good friend to Maggie, Ginger, and Claire, and perhaps she will have more of a role in future books.

While the Good Buy Girls are asking questions of their own, the official police investigation is being led by Sam Collins, former St. Stanley football hero and new sheriff. Maggie and Sam have a history and from the way Maggie reacts to him from the very beginning, you know it’s not a good one. There is definitely chemistry between them, but even Maggie’s friends know she and Sam haven’t gotten along since grade school. This complicates the investigation and makes things harder for Claire since

Maggie can’t be in the same room with Sam without antagonizing him. When it comes to Sam, Maggie acts like the injured party throughout the book, but there is more to their story than it first appears, which means it could get very interesting between the two of them in future books. Overall this is an enjoyable cozy and fun new series that readers of Jenn McKinlay’s other books and also fans of Elaine Viets’s mystery shopper series will enjoy.

Reviewed by Christine K.

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