Pawsibly Guilty by CeeCee James

Pawsibly Guilty by CeeCee James
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

A secret book club. A celebrity murder. And a boss that hates books…

When Laura Lee and her club stumble on the dead body of Mrs. Fitzwater’s nephew, (famous photographer to the stars, Andy) snooping takes on a whole new meaning. Especially when one of the house staff—and member of the book club—swears they saw the nephew later that night… very much alive. From whispers of espionage to the motive of a spurned lover, the book club collective isn’t sure which way is up. Even worse, time is running out as the killer makes them the next target. Someone doesn’t want to be found out and is willing to do anything to keep their secret.

This was a really fun read for me. Who wouldn’t love a group of household staff crowding together to meet for Book Club in a secret room filled with a glorious collection of books? I loved the amateur sleuths. The kitchen and scullery maids, cook, even the house manager all hiding away in a beautiful hidden library. I even loved the upper echelon, most of whom were kind.

This is a very odd setting. Kitchen maids are scolded for not remembering a flower on a breakfast tray for the “mistress” and they text one another on their cell phones to tell each other about day-to-day events. The staff stays in a beautiful Manor with a gruff but lovable house manager that is upset the staff doesn’t know the difference between a high tea and an afternoon tea. Yet you can call someone on your cell to see if you can drop by. Seems as if there should be a carriage ride in there somewhere, doesn’t it?

For me, even though this was somehow out of context, it all still worked. I think part of the reason is because of the setting CeeCee James has created, as well as her characters. What emerged was a quick enjoyable read with enough twists and turns to keep the mystery part of it interesting. I love CeeCee James’ work but am not sure if I’ve read this series. Will make a point to read some more right away.