Strike Out 4 Murder

by J.C. Eaton

The husband and wife team who write the Sophie Kimball Mysteries, as well as several other cozy mystery series, are on their eleventh book in this series with Strike Out 4 Murder. If you have read other books in this series you will find this one fits into the comfortable, predictable pattern of the rest. Sophie Kimball is a bookkeeper/accountant for a private detective agency in Sun City West, Arizona, where her retired mother, Harriet, lives. Newly married to one of the detectives in the agency, Sophie continues to get involved in investigations. Over time she has gotten more comfortable with searching for clues and putting together the pieces of a mystery puzzle. Sometimes she disregards the questionable legality of her actions.

The reader knows only too well Sophie’s eating habits and her need for caffeine and a good swim. Despite being a little too predictable, this cozy mystery does offer up a good plot—very complicated. It is actually too involved for even the most astute reader to be able to predict the outcome. Several times Sophie thinks she can solve the crime only to discover a missing piece of information that changes everything. Her mother’s dog Streetman, a Chiweenie, and the inclusion of a new dog character Thor, a Great Dane, both add humor, interest, and excitement. Harriet’s book club friends and the men’s pinocle club have major roles in Strike Out 4 Murder with some amusing threads involving Paul and his passion for fishing and Herb who takes up softball.

At this point in the series, I think I enjoy the books more as a reunion with characters than as a captivating mystery. It is fun and well written, but the series probably needs to draw to a close soon.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Mystery

Notes:  #11 in the Sophie Kimball Mystery Series and probably should not be read as a standalone.

Publication:  March 21, 2023—Beyond the Page Publishing

Memorable Lines:

“I can’t be deciphering initials all day long. I blame it on texting. No one can write a full word anymore that’s longer than four letters.”

Intelligence information? Is that the new euphemism for gossip-mongering?

“She can pick up gossip faster than a Hoover vacuum on full speed.”