by Sarah Erwin & Duffy Brown

This week we have a review of the first book in a brand new series by Duffy Brown along with a fun guest post by Duffy. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a fun 4 of a King tote bag, and a link to purchase the book from Amazon.

Murder, Mayhem and 4 of a Kind by Duffy Brown
Review by Sarah Erwin

In Duffy Brown’s newest cozy mystery, Murder, Mayhem and 4 of a Kind (the first in a new series called High Cotton Mysteries), readers are in for a hilarious treat. Think about the antics of Janet Evanonvich’s Stephanie Plum and Grandma Mazur characters, combined with the southern charm of Miranda James’ Southern Ladies Mystery series, and you have Duffy’s latest.

Nola, a straight and narrow real estate attorney from Atlanta, gets a call from her Aunts Flossie and Adaline to return to Savannah. When she arrives, she finds Payton Wilder, the no-good husband to Aunt Adaline, dead on the veranda of their beautiful High Cotton house. Payton had been trouble for years and was out to steal Adaline’s money and property.

Of course, both aunts are considered suspects. And while Nola may question their judgment at times, she must prove their innocence and keep them out of jail. Soon after Payton dies, his mistress is found dead and Nola becomes more determined than ever, even if it means straying from her strict path just a little.

Thrown into the mix is handsome Jasper Jones, local bar owner, whose mother is involved in some questionable financial situations involving Payton’s mistress. Jasper unintentionally joins Nola’s investigation and the pair finds themselves not only in some tight situations, but they also feel a few sparks.

This was an absolutely delightful read–the perfect escape that will have readers laughing out loud several times. Intermixed with perfect Dolly Parton quotes, is the story of a small town, outstanding main and side characters, and a mystery that at first appears rather straightforward, but is actually far from it. This will have readers asking is it murder or “murder-ish?” I read this with a grin on my face and can’t wait to get my hands on the next entry. In the meantime, I’ll be reading the numerous titles from Duffy’s backlist.

Sarah Erwin started her career as a children’s librarian, later becoming a public library director and now she’s a stay at home mom. While her career might have changed, her love of reading has been a constant since 4th grade and she reads over 200 books a year. Read along with her on her blog Sarah Can’t Stop Reading or on Instagram. Sarah lives in St. Louis, MO with her two kids, her husband and a family dog and cat.

It’s All About the Characters
By Duffy Brown

It’s not that FrancieAnne Cottonwood, aka Kitty Love, was a bad mother; she just lived life on her own terms and took me along for the ride. Her self-written obituary went something like “bawdy, redheaded, talented, gregarious grifter who arrived in the Big Easy at age eighteen and fell in love with bayous, bourbon, and burlesque and not necessarily in that order. Her hobbies were pier fishing, rolling joints and buying dirty magazines. She died knowing Monty Python and the Holy Grail was the best movie ever, Bruce Springsteen the best recording artist, Clint Eastwood the baddest man on the planet. She had few regrets including that she never quite mastered pole dancing, or making a good martini, and no videos exist of her prowess on stage or in the bedroom.”
Excerpt from Murder, Mayhem and 4 of a Kind

Cozy mysteries are about the mystery, of course, but the essence of a good cozy is all about great characters, how we relate to them, and how we fall in love with them. Nola Cottonwood, the main character in Murder, Mayhem and 4 of a Kind, is Kitty Love’s daughter. Being raised in New Orleans by the-one-and-only Kitty makes Nola a colorful character from the get-go.

Think of the mystery books you’ve read, the movies you love. Sherlock Holmes’ mysteries are terrific, but without Sherlock and Dr. Watson they would not be nearly as memorable or beloved. We form a bond with them, go on adventures with them, want to make them succeed, and bite our fingernails off when they are in trouble.

Duffy Brown

Consider Nancy Drew. Her mysteries are great reads. Who doesn’t love The Secret in the Old Clock or The Hidden Staircase? It’s fun putting the clues together and figuring out the mystery, but most of all it’s about being with Nancy. We all want to be Nancy, at least I did. I’m sure this had something about her being so smart and being a girl. When the Nancy Drew books first came out, it was a man’s world. Nancy was an anomaly. Nancy was my hero and still is.

Consider the Hardy Boys. Many of us read the Hardy Boys growing up. They solved a lot of great mysteries, but it was that they were brothers and what they did together that really drew us into the stories. We wanted to be with them. We wanted to be part of their next adventure. We all wanted to be Indiana Jones in some way. Not just because he found those amazing artifacts and solved the mysteries, but because he was Indiana Jones. Hey, he had a hat and a whip and a cool name. Who doesn’t want that!

Cozy mysteries are a great read because they suck us into their family. We feel as if we are friends. We know the characters’ quirks, fears, strengths, and weaknesses just like we know the same things about our real life friends and family. That cozies are usually written in first-person, meaning that they are written as if we are the main character, adds to the intimacy of cozy characters. We feel as if we are the ones solving the mysteries and going on the adventure. We are there with the characters.

There are other great features about cozy mysteries, of course. The settings play a big part, the time period, the mystery that sets the stage, but the characters are what make the story and want us to read the next book and the next. We want to see what our friends are up to next. We want to visit with them. That is what makes a cozy mystery a cozy mystery.

To enter to win a 4 of a Kind tote bag, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “tote” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen November 11, 2023. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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.

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Duffy Brown loves anything with a dead body, five suspects, lots of humor, and a few pets. She’s been writing for nearly thirty-five years and now self-publishes cozy mysteries with Amazon.

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.