Book Review: Irregardless of Murder by E.E. Kennedy

Cover from author website

I should have loved Irregardless of Murder. I read huge volumes of cozy mysteries. Like the MC, I'm a grammar nerd who is annoyed by misusage like irregardless. While sadly the book is only a low 3 stars for me, normal readers will probably like it more, assuming they like the genre.

The mystery itself is good, although I don't like a death scene prologue. The main character is likable. The pacing is appropriate and we get straight into things. The mystery is a puzzle and we're offered a good balance of straight clues and things that lead us astray. The sleuth doesn't act like an idiot and her level of involvement is reasonable, not pushing the limits of my disbelief in any way.

Religion is noninvasive--simply a character who happens to be Christian. It never lectures or sermonizes to the reader. This means the book has appeal to readers who just want a good cozy.

However, the writing, especially early on, isn't up to modern standards and could be tightened, deepened, and improved extensively. The average reader probably won't be annoyed by it like I was. But at the same time, they may not feel as drawn into the story as they could be with a wee bit more editing. Once you get further into the story, things smooth out and you get drawn into it.

If you like cozies and aren't annoyed by a death scene prologue (it doesn't give away whodunnit but there are elements I'd rather have learned with the sleuth), I'm sure you'll find this a solid candidate for your reading enjoyment.

If a cleaner read is important to you, this book checks even more boxes. It has no sex scenes. I don't recall any profanity. The main character is Christian and she goes to church and sings in the choir.

Don't let my picky nature color your selection unless I hit on points that annoy you, too. Also note that I have read an Advance Reader Copy, so some of what annoyed me may have received further editing and be modified in the final version.

While I'm aware my tastes don't align perfectly with the reading public, I feel my reviews have most value if I'm honest about how they impact me. This way readers can better determine how likely the book is to work for them, especially when considering how I may have reviewed other books they've read.

Note: I did not purchase this book, but chose to download it from NetGalley with the intention of reviewing it.