Voted Most Likely to Murder: A Novel by Lacey Moone #Review #Giveaway #GreatEscapesBookTour @laceymooneauthor @crookedlanebooks

Voted Most Likely to Murder: A Novel
by Lacey Moone

About Voted Most Likely to Murder

Voted Most Likely to Murder: A Novel
Cozy Mystery
Setting – Nova Scotia, Canada
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crooked Lane Books
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 12, 2026
Print length ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
Hardcover
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8892425674
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FM6T8D6X
Paperback
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8892425681
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FM6JKTPR
Digital
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8892425698
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FM6SR4BQ
Audiobook
ASIN B0GSX6Y6JV

A high school reunion comes to an abrupt end when the dead body of the class jock shocks the school’s gymnasium in this cozy mystery debut, perfect for fans of Ellery Adams and Eva Gates.

Belinda Bishop is unemployed and single. At thirty-two, her journalism career feels stuck, and let’s not even speak about her love life, which isn’t helping her look forward to her upcoming high school reunion. Stuck working at her parents’ seaside cottage and RV park in Nova Scotia for the time being, she needs time to regroup and come up with a killer story to get her career and her life back on track.

When she literally stumbles across the dead body of the philandering class jock at the reunion, the party quickly comes to a stop. At first, it seems like the perfect opportunity for Belinda to channel her inner Christianne Amanpour, until her childhood-best-friend-turned-nemesis, Jolene Dexter, is declared the prime suspect. Despite their falling out, Belinda is convinced the former pageant queen is innocent.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Belinda Bishop’s life is imploding at the age of 32. She’s “lost her job, her boyfriend, and her apartment, and now has to work for her parents”. She also believes “high school reunions should be outlawed.” If she didn’t know better, she would think the reunion committee “conspired to ensure” this reunion was held at that lowest part of her life. She didn’t want to go, but her mother threatened to embarrass her greatly if she didn’t.

Now, she wishes she had stayed home and dealt with her mother. The reunion comes to a complete halt when Belinda trips over Big Andy Perch’s body stretched out on the hallway floor in a pool of blood. Selfishly, Belinda thinks this death would be a great way to get her journalism career back on track, until a childhood friend/now enemy, Jolene Dexter, tops the list of suspects, Belinda decides to cast their differences aside to help her prove her innocence. Her BFF Stevie is ready to help her do just that.

Class reunions are in a class of their own. If you are successful, you want to strut your stuff, talk about your great job, and your wonderful family. If your life is in transition, you want to stay home and watch rom-coms or lose yourself in a book, but feel you must go, so you don’t become a topic of discussion. Will your high school friends be there to support you, or will the “mean girls” point out everything wrong in your life? Hopefully, no one ends up dead.

Belinda is so relatable. Smart, funny, and a pro with sarcasm. Her best friend, Stephanie (Stevie) Hart, has had Belinda’s back since the day they met. High school was not a happy place for Belinda. She believed the Pageant Minions (Wannabe Beauty Queens) prided themselves on making her life miserable. Jolene Dexter went from being her childhood best friend to a high school Pageant Minion. I enjoyed how these characters evolved within these pages. I found myself quickly invested in their lives.

Big Andy was a flirt; he flirted “with anything that moved”. He taught history and coached the high school team. Many affairs are rumored, and it cost him his marriage. Anyone at the reunion could have killed him. People with easy access to the school, but not formally at the reunion, could have also done the deed. I had a fabulous time following all the clues judiciously dropped within the book. The true guilty culprit caught my interest early, but I wasn’t sure until Belinda started to talk her theory through with Jolene. Because she had to be sure she was right and had actual proof, both found themselves in the killer’s sights. Would help arrive in time?

Ms. Moone has plotted a mystery that struck the perfect balance of all the cozy elements: a fun theme, a beautiful small Nova Scotia town, quirky and relatable characters, an intriguing whodunit, and humor placed liberally throughout. I can’t believe this is Lacey Moone’s debut. She is definitely an author to watch. I am excited to read her next story. This one was a Perfect Escape!

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 the author, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

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About Lacey Moone

Lacey Moone was born and raised on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. As a former military spouse, she has lived from one end of the country to the other, even as far north as the Northwest Territories. She currently resides in Alberta. She loves to write mysteries starring tenacious women who are as clever as they are sarcastic, with a focus on strong female friendships.

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS
June 22 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
June 23 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT 
June 24 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
June 24 – Salty Inspirations – SPOTLIGHT
June 25 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
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