Interesting mystery with social media overtones

Journaled to Death (The Journaling mysteries Book 1)

By: Heather Redmond

Rating: 4 of 5

This was an interesting story. While as a mystery, I found it very easy to solve, I was surprised by the use of journaling as a way to make a living on social media.

Or not. Mandy Meadows and her daughter are becoming more highly ranked on a video social media platform (you can guess which one, though the author never said so.) For all the followers that they have, they are making only a few hundred dollars a month. Kind of puts making your fortune on social media in the right perspective.

There is a murder and Mandy is a suspect. She goes from doing her videos and selling stickers to her job as a barista at a hospital to trying to scrounge enough money to keep heart and home together.

Her has-been ex-husband has quit his job so he doesn’t have to pay child support. This forced Mandy to become a landlord to her cousin Ryan. As he is the one who becomes the murder victim, she is not only a suspect but also out the monthly rent.

Mandy makes a lot of emotional decisions that get her into trouble. Journaling as part of the mystery takes a backseat but it does make an appearance every now and then.

As a first in a series, it was a good read.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.