Always Murder

Oh my gosh. Poor, poor Millie. Her family turned out even more harrowing than I could've imagined. Think Cinderella's wicked stepmother and stepsisters - belittling, dismissive, cruel. I WAS GETTING HIVES.

Their dysfunction aside (so. much. dysfunction.), I appreciated getting some much-needed context into Millie as a person, as well as a greater perspective on her relationship with Keme. The latter shift came about in the last book largely off-page, so this lent more to their plausibility as a whole, at least in this cozy context. I also really loved the ways Dash and Bobby demonstrated how far they've come as individuals and as a couple through the realism of their conflicts.

Now I'm one of the meager few who do read GA's books for the mystery. I'm honestly so impressed by his ability to come up with what seems like an endless stream of fresh plots without feeling repetitive. There were certainly some logistics that could've done with some fleshing out to make it more probable for the reader to suss out the answer before the Final Encounter, but this one carried quite the clever twist.

Thank you to the author for providing a complimentary copy of this book; this is my honest review :)

——-pre-release thoughts——-

MARK JUNE 2, 2025 ON YOUR CALENDARS! (Queen Millie so commands it!)

Can you believe this makes #9? As the second half of the series expands its focus on the other stalwart Last Picks members, I've been chomping at the bit for each silent drop to know which character happens to get the (unfortunate) chance to, uh, fall on the sword that comes nicely wrapped in the mystery genre - and lo and behold, it looks like the baton will be making its way to Millie next. I have a feeling learning more about her family's dynamics (including the chaos from which she's arisen) will endear her to me more...