This book is the first in the Eve Appel series, of which I hope to read more of. Eve is the owner of a second hand shop called Second to None, that caters to down on their luck formerly rich women who want to sell their clothes and accessories on consignment but do not want their cronies to know that their luck has changed. Eve then, with the help of her employee Madeleine, resell the merchandise to woman wanting quality slightly used clothing at a discount.

Eve has just opened up shop for the day when she discovers a woman dead in the backroom of the shop. The woman is a West Palm socialite and as it turns out, Eve has had a previous encounter with the woman. Eve becomes a suspect and she is determined to find out what is going on and who the real murderer is. So along with Madeleine, Alex, who is a PI, Eve's Grandy and her husband and a full cast of zany and dangerous characters makes this cozy mystery a fun read. With laugh out loud scenes and some scary moments, this book is so hard to put down and when the end did come, I found myself wondering what madcap adventure awaits the reader in the next book. I loved it!! ( )

In A Secondhand Murder, the first book of the Eve Appel Mystery Series, author Lesley A. Diehl weaves an entertaining cozy mystery that will keep the reader laughing-out-loud. Set in the rural town of Sabal Bay, Florida, and written in the first person narrative, the reader follows the madcap adventures of Eve Appel and best friend Madeleine Boucheau, as they try to solve the murder of a West Palm socialite that occurred in the dressing room during the grand opening of their consignment shop, Second to None. When Eve is targeted as the suspect in the murder, she is determined to find out who the real murderer is with the help of a gang of amateur sleuths: best friend Madeleine, a sexy PI named Alex Montgomery, her estranged husband Jerry, a shady mobster, and some hot cowboys. Can Eve and her quirky gang of misfits solve the murder mystery?

This was such a fun book to read! I really enjoyed following sassy Eve, clutzy Madeleine, and the rest of the quirky cast of characters on their zany adventure to solve the murder mystery. The author easily draws the reader into the story with a mixture of drama, mischief, and suspense that keeps them guessing what would happen next. The author does a great job of providing clues about the murder mystery, while adding a sexy romance between Eve and Alex into the mix. I really enjoyed the lighthearted humor that is so prevalent throughout the story.

A Secondhand Murder is a fast-paced cozy mystery that has enough drama & mischief, suspenseful twists and turns, and a slow-building romance that is sure to keep the reader entertained. It is an enjoyable story that will tickle your funny bone.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.

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A Secondhand Murder by Lesley A. Diehl is the first of a series of new cozy mystery series.

Eve Appel moves from Connecticut to set up secondhand clothing soft in rural Florida. She is catering to the high society women in the area who are experiencing a little less cash in these bad economic times. On opening day, the body of one of town’s society women is found in the dressing room with a knife in her back. Eve is flustered as she fears that this may be bad for business. Then she finds out that she is a person of interest and decides to find the murderer in order to not be charged.

She is separated from her husband and expected to be divorced soon. Even though she knows that her husband, Jerry should be good riddance, she still has some lingering feelings for him.
Eve is tall, skinny and daring. Madeleine is her best friend and works in her shop. She is severely accident prone, petite and beautiful. There are plentiful of potential love interests for both of them in this town.

It does cross the line a little for cozies. There is a little more sex than usual but not more violence. But I really enjoyed the page turning action that even involved getting help from a Mob boss. The story was complex but very easy to follow. The quirky characters including Eve lead the reader through lots of excitement. I want to read this next book in this series to see if anything comes of a possible beau for Eve. At the beginning the humor seemed a little forced but that seemed to go away as the story progressed.

I heartedly recommend this cozy for all cozy mystery readers.

I received this book from the author after choosing this book to review from Partner’s in Crime Tours. That in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings in this review. ( )