Time for a #MondayMystery

Title/Author: Trudy, Madly, Deeply (A Working Stiffs Mystery Book 1) by Wendy Delaney

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Wendy Delaney; 2 edition
Date of publish: August 2015
Pages: 302

After human lie detector Charmaine Digby scores a job as the County Coroner’s new investigative assistant, the unthinkable happens—a doctor reports the suspicious death of Trudy, a family friend and one of several elderly patients at the hospital whose heart mysteriously stopped.

With no physical evidence of foul play, Char’s on the case, much to the irritation of Detective Steve Sixkiller, who doesn’t want her to stick her pretty nose for trouble in his investigation. But she’s a woman on a mission to uncover the truth, and she’d better keep her eyes open or the next body on the way to the morgue could be hers.

“…a fun and immensely entertaining read with lovable characters, clever writing, and twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages.”
-Chanticleer Book Reviews

“Char’s sleuthing is inspired and comedic all at the same time.”
-Jack Magnus for Readers’ Favorite

“Trudy, Madly, Deeply is hysterical and riveting! Wendy Delaney had me at Page 1.”
-NYT bestseller Vicki Lewis Thompson

It must be a wonderful thing to be able to tell when someone is lying. Char Digby has been able to use this inate talent to finagle a job as a deputy coroner. Not that she spends a lot of time at her new job. When a family friend unexpectedly dies in the hospital and a local doctor calls the coroner’s office with his belief that this is just the latest in a number of suspicious deaths, Char puts her talent to test and sets out to find a killer. Along the way she introduces the reader to zany cast of quirky characters including her pseudo-grumpy short order cook uncle, his conspiracy theorist waitress and Char’s famous mother who seems to have come home for more than just the funeral.

Throughout the story she is often at odds with her new bosses, the occasional suspect and long time friend(/crush) Detective Steve Sixkiller, who in no uncertain terms warns her away from his investigations.

The book captured interest from the first page and was bursting with humor. Misconceptions, red herrings and a long list of possible, yet improbable suspects keep the mystery fresh and I love it when I can say that I didn’t see who dunnit until the end.

This should be a five star read unfortunately, in the beginning, it read like a book in the middle of a series, with characters and information that everyone in the story was already familiar with and the reader is left to play catch up for a bit. The core cast of characters is fantastic and fun, however they do come on a bit all at once, followed by a barrage of information about another group of deaths and their current connections. All important information, but a lot to take in at once and then remember when needed. Once past the distractions though, the story ran full steam ahead to a terrific ending. I am looking forward to finding time to read the other books in the series.

Wendy Delaney writes fun-filled cozy mysteries and is the award-winning author of the Working Stiffs Mystery series. A long-time member of Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America, and Mystery Writers of America, she’s a Food Network addict and pastry chef wannabe. When she’s not killing off story people she can be found on her treadmill, working off the calories from her latest culinary adventure. Wendy makes her home in the Seattle area with the love of her life and has two grown sons.