Class Reunions Are Murder

Class Reunions are Murder by Libby Klein is the first installment in A Poppy McAllister Mystery series. Poppy McAllister is a widow of six months. Since her husband passed away, she has stayed cooped up in her home watching cooking shows, overindulging in sweets, talking to her cat (Sir Figaro Newton) and avoiding her overbearing mother-in-law, Georgina. She receives an invitation for her twenty-fifth high school reunion along with a strange note from her high school nemesis, Barbie Pomeroy Clark. The last thing Poppy wishes to do is attend, but her friend Sawyer insists she attend (responds to the invitation for her). It does give Poppy a chance to visit her unique Aunt Ginny and see how she is faring. After purchasing a new (hideous) dress that fits, Poppy is off to the reunion. Barbie has not changed one iota since high school (mean, nasty, bully). Poppy’s friend, Sawyer gets into an altercation with Barbie. When Poppy goes to check on Sawyer, she finds Barbie dead in front of her old locker. Amber, another high school nemesis, is now a police officer and arrests Poppy of the crime. Poppy is soon released (thanks to old high school boyfriend) and she sets out to prove her innocence. The suspects list is quite long since Barbie made enemies on a daily basis. Poppy must also help her Aunt Ginny deal with an aggressive social services worker and cope with her new diet/exercise regimen prescribed by the holistic doctor (to help with her depression). Poppy needs to locate the murderer before she ends up celebrating her 30th reunion behind bars. Class Reunions are Murder is a debut novel from Libby Klein. The book opens with middle aged Poppy McAllister a hot mess. She is grieving the loss of her husband (understandable) and dealing with a difficult mother-in-law (who objects to Poppy spending any of her inheritance). Poppy has been eating donuts, fudge, cookies, brownies and other sweet (unhealthy but delicious) treats for the last six months (gained 60 pounds). She spends her days in workout/yoga clothes that are ill fitting and stained while watching cooking shows (and talking to Figaro). The last thing she wants to do is return to Cape May, New Jersey for her high school reunion (I do not blame her). Circumstances (and a conversation with an inmate while she was in the local jail) in Cape May force Poppy out of her funk. There is a murder (she is being railroaded by an angry police officer), a social services worker is trying to force Aunt Ginny into an assisted living facility, a holistic doctor puts her on the Paleo diet and suggests Poppy try yoga, and none of her clothes fit her. Aunt Ginny is a lively, eccentric and lonely woman. I believe she has missed having family nearby and that is why her home has been neglected. There are two love interests for Poppy (which I found odd since she is still grieving her husband). The handsome barista, Giampaolo and her old high school boyfriend, Tim. The mystery was interesting with several suspects (her high school class had a number of mean girls). The clues are sprinkled throughout the book to aid readers in identifying the culprit. Poppy does not take to sleuthing right off, but gets better as the story progresses. She is fortunate to have help from her friends and Aunt Ginny. I believe many readers can relate to high school drama with the bullying mean girls, the jocks and good friends. I like the point the author made about perception. Every story has two sides with each person having a different perspective. The various storylines were nicely wrapped up at the end of the book. I did find a repetition of information (a common problem lately in cozy mysteries), and I felt the book was a too long (407 pages). A little editing would have enhanced the story. Class Reunions are Murder is a light, humorous cozy mystery that will have readers chuckling through the whole book.

Widowed and stuck in a middle-aged funk, Poppy has been running on cookies, infomercials, and one-sided chats with her cat for months. The last thing she wants to do is attend her 25th class reunion. After receiving a bizarre letter from Barbie, the popular cheerleader who taunted her all through high school, she is positive that the reunion is going to be a horrible experience. Her best friend practically drags her to the event only to end in Barbie being murdered. Using the dreaded homecoming as an excuse to visit her eccentric Aunt Ginny, Poppy vows to leave Cape May with pride and Spanx intact and as quickly as possible. Too bad Barbie is still the queen of mean at the reunion. Worse yet, her dead body is lying right in front of Poppy’s old locker, where Poppy finds her. Singled out as the killer, it’s up to Poppy to confront her past and clear her name. But between protecting her aunt from disaster and tackling a new lifestyle change, Poppy must crack the case before she’s sent to prison for murder or becomes the next victim? -- Series: A Poppy McAllister Mystery Author: Libby Klein Genre: Cozy Mystery/ Culinary Publisher: Kensington Class Reunions Are Murder is a thought-provoking and interesting take on class reunions and everything bad that happened to us as students in high school. It shows how the past catches up with everyone, even the bullies we dealt with on the road to adulthood. Poppy is a wonderful, well-rounded character with flaws and insecurities on a grand scale. After the death of her husband, she sinks into a routine of watching television infomercials, eating anything sweet and brooding about life. She is older, with half her life gone and has no desire or ambition to change things. But when she returns home and renews her friendships and confronts the past, she realizes that she still has dreams and wants to start over. Her outlook on life is very relatable for any reader who has experienced the heartbreak and devastation of life’s turmoil. Aunt Ginny is wonderfully eccentric with an attitude that people half her age envy. She has everything Poppy doesn’t, spunk, motivation and a way of doing things her way regardless of what anyone thinks. She makes readers hope that they are like her when they grow older. The supporting cast of characters are interesting and entertaining, some of which such as Bebe and Tawnika should have their own series. They are funny and very likable, even under the circumstance of being behind bars. The setting of the story is described in enough detail that the reader wouldn’t mind visiting and spending time discovering. It is the perfect location for this story, and hopes are that the author will flesh it out more in future installments. Overall Class Reunions Are Murder is an enjoyable book. However, it isn’t as fast-paced as many would like and is a bit on the long side. There is a lack of real action until the end, and this makes it difficult to keep turning the page. The reader will dislike many of the characters and will have no empathy for those that the writer may have intended to come off as someone you would have compassion for. They might also have trouble figuring out the clues to the killer’s identity. The romantic interests are a bit confusing as the reader is never sure who the main interest is though they will cheer for one over the other. This book is recommended to anyone who has the time to sit down and read the story uninterrupted, and with the knowledge that not everything will be easy to figure out. That said, the plot is interesting and the story although a bit complex is fun to read. The recipes in the back are great to try!

Cozy who dun it. Comical and keeps you turning pages. I loved it.