by Sandra Murphy

This week we have a review of On Borrowed Crime by Kate Young, along with an interesting interview with Kate. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book, and links to purchase it.

On Borrowed Crime: By Kate Young
Review by Sandra Murphy

Sweet Mountain, Georgia, is home to Lyla Moody and the Jane Doe murder mystery book club. The club is an embarrassment to Lyla’s proper mother. Ladies, especially Southern ladies, do not concern themselves with murder, a cold case study, or otherwise.

Mother also does not approve of Lyla’s job which is working for her uncle, a private investigator. Lyla is really the receptionist but longs to investigate, too. When her uncle is out of town on a job, a new client calls and Lyla accepts the job on her own.

Carol, one of the Jane Does, has gone missing, reported by her husband. As luck would have it, Lyla had just seen Carol drive by with someone in the car with her. Lyla’s own car is beyond repair, her BFF is on vacation with half of Lyla’s wardrobe, and Lyla’s ex has just moved in across the street and with Lyla’s own cousin. Nothing like a missing persons case to take her mind off all that.

Just when Lyla thinks things can’t get any worse, Carol’s body is found. In Lyla’s apartment. The club, of course, wants to investigate, but soon, they find out a murder on paper is a lot different than investigating the murder of a friend.

It seems Carol had developed an interest in real life Jane Doe cases. A dumping ground held the bodies of a number of unidentified women. From hints Carol left, she thought she knew the identity of one of them. Was this what got Carol killed? Will following Carol’s clues lead the killer to Lyla?

This is the first book in a new series. Lyla’s mother and father are not the warm and fuzzy type, more along the lines of hovering, knowing what’s best for her, not a welcome idea to Lyla. She’s fiercely independent, unafraid to take a risk, and determined to find the killer in their midst—before the killer can find her.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. A Murder of Crows, edited by Sandra Murphy (a popular title so you need her name to search), has twenty-one cozy stories. Each features the collective name of an animal and a crime. The animals range from tarantulas, koalas, wolves, bears, jellyfish, toads, cats, dogs, alpaca, goats, penguins and more. No animals were harmed. The people weren’t so lucky. Available at the usual outlets, print or ebook.

Interview with Kate Young:

KRL: How long have you been writing?

Kate: I’ve always written. Honestly, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t working on some story, but I really became serious about it about six years ago.

KRL: When did your first novel come out?

Kate: My first traditional novel released on May 28, 2019. It was called Southern Sass and Killer Cravings, and the series follows our southern belle foodie, Marygene Brown, who returns home to Peach Cove Island, GA to help her sister run their family diner. Marygene is prepared to rebuild her life but discovering that she can see her mother’s ghost who is warning her of danger, was not part of the plan. When the prophecy comes true and a regular diner is poisoned and her sister charged with the crime, Marygene soon finds out her southern sleuthing grit is her saving grace.

KRL: Have you always written mysteries/suspense?

Kate: No. Though all my stories were full of twists and surprises. When I wrote indie, I focused on paranormal romances and dark fantasy. I found out I was better at killing people and plotting mysteries rather than making them fall in love! Lol

Kate Young

KRL: What brought you to choose the setting and characters in your latest book/series?

Kate: A few years ago, I moved to a little town of Cartersville, Ga. The charm and setting of the historic downtown district begged to be the backdrop of story. I obliged it.

KRL: Do you write to entertain or is there something more you want the readers to take away from your work?

Kate: I’m a storyteller. I never set out to alter anyone’s views or inspire. If my characters do inspire or comfort, it’s an amazing coincidence.

KRL: Do you have a schedule for your writing, and do you outline?

Kate: I do outline, though it’s a fairly broad one for each story. If I go too deep, the creativity my creativity is stifled. If not, do you have some other interesting way that you keep track of what’s going on, or what needs to happen in your book when you are writing it?

KRL: If you had your ideal, what time of day would you prefer to write?

Kate: I like to write early mornings or late in the evenings. My house stays busy, especially now when everyone works and schools from home. The early mornings are quiet and late in the evenings everyone is preoccupied, so it works best.

KRL: Did you find it difficult to get published in the beginning?

Kate: I got lucky with the Margene series. Six weeks after I signed with my agent, I got a deal, though I’ve had several proposals turned down after the series. You never know what’s going to strike the fancy of an editor.

KRL: Do you have a great rejection/critique or acceptance story you’d like to share?

Kate: My favorite signing experience is at an indie store called The Sun Dog in Seaside Florida. You get set up on the front porch in the middle of the little square across the street from the beach. People are always milling around from all over the country and you meet a lot of wonderful people.

KRL: Future writing goals?

Kate: I hope to break out into the thriller genre, but we’ll see. I think all my future stories will always have a mysterious background to them and it’s what I enjoy.

KRL: Writing heroes?

Kate: Oh my. So many, but my top two right now are Ruth Ware and Kristin Hannah.

KRL: What kind of research do you do?

Kate: Depends on the story. With On Borrowed Crime, I was inspired by true crime events. The Dumping Grounds as they are dubbed is real. I researched the cases of Jane Does and followed the GBI’s effort to solve them. I did my background on private investigators and learned how they work. The process of research is always fascinating and enlightening.

KRL: What do you read?

Kate: Everything! I love thrillers, suspense, historical, mysteries, and just about everything in between. I’m not particularly into romance at the moment but used to read a lot of them.

KRL: Favorite TV or movies?

Kate: I tend to watch a lot of streaming shows. Things on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, or HBO Max. Comedies–Seinfeld, Veep, and Schitt’s Creek. I adore The Crown, love Haunting on Hill House. Oh, and a recent favorite was The Queen’s Gambit. I watch a lot of true crime docuseries’ as well.

KRL: Any advice for aspiring or beginning writers?

Kate: Never stop writing.

KRL: Anything you would like to add, such as – what is something people would be surprised to know about you?

Kate: I bake when I’m stressed or blocked.

KRL: Website, Facebook, Twitter?

Kate: kateyoungbooks.com
twitter.com/kayoungbooks
www.facebook.com/AuthorKateYoung

To enter to win a copy of On Borrowed Crime, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “borrowed,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen November 28, 2020. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If you are entering via email please include you mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. You can read our privacy statement here if you like. BE AWARE THAT IT WILL TAKE MUCH LONGER THAN USUAL FOR WINNERS TO GET THEIR BOOKS DUE TO THE CURRENT CRISIS.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify. A new episode goes up next week!

You can use this link to purchase this book from indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy, and KRL gets a portion of the sale:

On Borrowed Crime: A Jane Doe Book Club Mystery

You can use this link to purchase these book from Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.