On Flashback Fridays I will share with you
the books I was not able to review
when they were first released that have been screaming at me
from my To-Be-Read bookshelf.
DM Me for Murder: A Trending Topic Mystery
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Delaware
Publisher : Level Best Books (February 13, 2024)
Paperback : 296 pages
ISBN-10 : 1685125573
ISBN-13 : 978-1685125578
Kindle ASIN : B0CRYJFHT6
Audiobook ASIN B0CT3S6TPG
Audio CD ASIN : B0CS62JK3H
A social media collab turns deadly for influencer Coco Cline.
Cordelia “Coco” Cline is over the moon when she learns mega-influencer LaTàge wants Center of Attention Consulting to handle her rebranding campaign. But things come crashing down when Coco arrives for a brainstorming meeting only to find LaTàge dead on the floor of her rented mansion. While the Central Shores police don’t suspect Coco of the disturbing crime, the Internet has other ideas. Coco is horrified to see the hashtag #CocoClineistheProblem trending everywhere on socials, with anonymous accounts accusing her of having a hand in LaTàge’s tragic death.
Armed with her phone and her fabulous friends (dubbed the Sleuth Squad), Coco dives into LaTàge’s glamorous, over-the-top world of influencer-turned-celebrity. Who in Central Shores would want the LA native dead? What skeletons had LaTàge been hiding?
Join crime-solving influencer Coco Cline for her most outrageous case yet as she and her friends uncover long-buried scandals trending just below the surface.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Mega-influencer LaTàge has contacted Cordelia “Coco” Cline’s Center of Attention Consulting to represent her for her rebranding campaign. But that connection was not meant to be. When Coco arrives for the introductory meeting at the palatial home LaTàge is renting in Central Shores she finds her prospective client dead. It’s not the first time she has found a dead body and she is not a suspect in this murder but the internet trolls are taking her to task. #CocoClineistheProblem is trending and some are even accusing her of killing the influencer.
The Sleuth Squad (Coco and her friends) are banding together to get all the information they can about LaTàge’s life in LA to determine who would want the celebrity influencer dead and why she was killed in Central Shores instead of on the West Coast.
Coco is very good at her job. She is open, friendly, and super tech-savvy. Her talents also make her an excellent amateur sleuth and certain members of the police force know it and want her help. She has Amanda Highgrove on staff to help her with Center of Attention Consulting and until a recent development, she was also ready, willing, and able to help Coco track down leads and follow clues. She also has her pals Jasper and Charlotte at her beck and call. They are The Sleuth Squad. Hudson is away on a press tour for most of this book but he and Coco make an effort to connect every day keeping their relationship a priority. In this story, Hudson’s mother is receiving an award so his sister Willow and her wife Reade fly in from California for the event and are staying with Coco. They too get caught up in the murder mystery. All the characters are fun and engaging but Jasper is my fave. He never fails to crack me up.
The murder mystery started off pretty straightforward and immediately in the first chapter. LaTàge’s entourage were not happy campers and all were suspects. But then a major secret is revealed which opens of the suspect pool. Coco spends time looking into everyone’s social media presence and then explains all she learns to the police. They can’t get a break with one key piece of evidence until Coco is able to contribute to the case in a meaningful way that blows the case wide open. But beware there is another doozy of a twist coming and Willow and Reade are right there with Coco when she makes an important observation. I enjoyed tagging along each step of the way.
There is another surprise after the mystery is wrapped that made me smile. Like Coco, I had no idea and fell for the ruse hook, line, and sinker.
I appreciated all the almost current pop cultural references, such as Twitter, now referred to as X, and Musk running it. After the last few weeks in real life, Coco may be heading to BlueSky more than X in the future. All the hashtags and her knowledge of searching social media accounts for information are always interesting. I always learn something.
In DM Me for Murder, Ms. Burr continues to make trending and technology cozy with entertaining characters that work and play together so well. The mystery was well-plotted and written and had my theories changing until the end. I do think this entire series has the ability to introduce a new generation to the cozy mystery genre while keeping us older folks on board as well. I am hoping for more Trending Topic Mysteries in the future. Technology is always evolving.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to Level Best Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent
About Sarah E. Burr
Sarah E. Burr is the award-winning author of the Glenmyre Whim Mysteries, Trending Topic Mysteries, and Court of Mystery series. She currently serves as the social media manager for the New York/Tri-State chapter of Sisters in Crime and is the creative mind behind BookstaBundles, a content creation service for authors. Sarah is the co-host of The Bookish Hour, a live-streamed YouTube series featuring author interviews and book discussions. When she’s not spinning up stories, Sarah is singing show tunes, reading everything from mystery to manga, and enjoying walks with her dog, Eevee.
Author Links
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Purchase Links –
Also written by Sarah E Burr
Find all of Sarah’s Books HERE.
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I am giving away a Kindle Copy of
DM Me for Murder!
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.”
