Murder and Mayhem in this funny murder mystery

Diner Knock Out (A Rose Strickland Mystery) (Volume 4)

By: Terri L. Austin

Rating: 5 of 5

While this is the fourth in the Rose Strickland series, “Diner Knock Out” is the first book I have read by Terri L. Austin. I have now purchased the three earlier books in the series and I plan to have fun reading them in the near future. You certainly did not have to read all of the books to enjoy this one. The author gave enough information to provide the reader a background without giving away the plots of the earlier works. I really appreciate that as a reader because now those books will be, for the most part, fresh and new for me.

In this story, Rose Strickland is a young woman who has turned her back on her well-to-do roots and is currently working two jobs: first and foremost, as a waitress in an older diner and her second job is assisting at a private investigator’s office. At first glance, you would think that these two jobs have nothing in common, but the author skillfully meshes the two together in this very funny book.

Rose wants to do more in her second job – she thinks she is ready to do PI work rather than simple background checks. When an opportunity suddenly drops into her lap, she grabs hold of it even though she knows that it will put her job at risk. Using her friends and contacts in two jobs and in her former life of leisure, Rose starts tracking down the whereabouts of a missing person. The story evolves from that point with a number of dangerous and deadly scenarios.

The whodunnit was not obvious to me but it was solvable. I figured it out only pages before the reveal which is exactly how I like my mysteries. The characters are fun and likable and the plot was believable (in cozy mystery land.) I really enjoyed reading the book and look forward to more in the future by this author.

I received a digital ARC copy of this book from the publisher, Henery Press, via Netgalley.