Category: Flashback Friday

Welcome to Flashback Friday!
According to GoodReads, I read this book back in 2011,
but didn’t post a review.
I think that was an error, because I didn’t remember
anything about this book.
Beyond the Page reissued this series in 2021,
and that is the only copy I have. 🙂

Organize Your Corpses
(A Charlotte Adams Professional Organizer Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – New York
Publisher ‏ : Beyond the Page
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 18, 2021
Print length ‏ : ‎ 233 pages
Paperback
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1954717237
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1954717237
Digital
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1954717220
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09418HBNV

Professional organizer Charlotte Adams finds herself caught up in a very messy murder . . .

After freeing herself from a cheating fiancé and the other useless clutter in her life, Charlotte Adams moves back to her hometown in Upstate New York to make a fresh start as a professional organizer. But she’s about to learn that foul play can creep into even the most well-ordered life.

Eager to get her new career started, Charlotte agrees to take on a job from the former high school teacher who filled all her students’ lives with chaos and confusion. But no sooner does Charlotte begin digging through years of accumulated junk than she finds her first client dead—and herself named as the main suspect.

While any number of the victim’s former students had a motive for murder, Charlotte knows that death is rarely that tidy, and she can’t help meddling in the investigation to prove herself innocent and repair her sullied reputation. But the killer has a to-do list of their own, and the first item is to clean up a little mess named Charlotte Adams . . .

Organizing Tips Included!

Dollycas’s Thoughts 

Charlotte Adams needs a new start. She’s getting rid of the clutter in her life, including her cheating fiancé. She has moved back to her hometown and is ready to offer her organizing tips to the public. Her first client is a former high school teacher who made her students’ lives miserable. Hopefully, now that Charlotte is an adult, they will be able to get along because the woman has an enormous project for Charlotte to handle.

Before Charlotte can even begin to tackle the job, she finds her client buried under the clutter and her the police’s number one suspect. She knows she can build a long list of potential suspects: the woman’s years of tormented students, all with more motive to kill. She just needs to organize that list and determine who did in Miss Helen “Hellfire” Henley before they can wipe her out.

Ms. Maffini introduces a very interesting protagonist in Charlotte Adams. She is relatable and clever, with a keen mind tuned to organization and not afraid to take on monumental tasks like investigating a murder. Her friend, Sally, has her hands full with her three “darlings”. Her husband, Benjamin, wishes there was more organization to the chaos in his home. So, maybe Charlotte can help him out, and Sally can help her investigate. Her landlord, Jack, is also willing to help follow clues, run interference, or whatever Charlotte needs, when he is not trying to get Charlotte to adopt another dog. Speaking of dogs, Charlotte already has two lovable mini-dachshunds; the black one is Truffle, and the red one is Sweet Marie. Former best friend, now Detective Sergeant Pepper O’Day Monahan, seems to have it out for Charlotte and has no problem hauling Charlotte in for questioning. For the first book in this series, the characters were very fleshed out while leaving plenty of room for growth.

The mystery was complex and well-plotted with great twists and turns, and a very surprising one at the end. The killer was a planner and took their time for pieces to fall into place. They also had no problem with adding to the body count. I enjoyed the author’s descriptive writing style. She brings each person and setting to life without being overly wordy. The clues were shrewdly placed, as were the comedic moments. I had a delightful time following along for each one.

Organize Your Corpses sets this series off to a fun and entertaining start with engaging characters and a well-written whodunit. I enjoy how Ms. Maffini tells a story with depth, suspense, and humor. I may be late to the party on this series, but I have added book 2, The Cluttered Corpse, to my wish list. I hope I can squeeze it into my reading schedule soon.

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 Beyond the Page and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent

About The Author

Mary Jane Maffini is the award-winning Canadian author of three mystery series: crochety lawyer Camilla MacPhee sleuths around Ottawa. Failed romance writer, Fiona Silk hides out in West Quebec, and professional organizer Charlotte Adams sorts out people and crimes in upstate New York. Bad things happen. And sometimes funny things happen. It’s a mystery.

The six Charlotte Adams professional organizer mysteries have recently been optioned for television. Book five, The Busy Woman’s Guide to Murder, won the RT award for amateur sleuth in 2012. The recently released sixth Charlotte book, Death Plans a Perfect Trip, unfolds in Europe, and the trip gives us a glimpse of the dangerous sides of Paris, Lisbon, and Cinque Terre. The first five in the series were recently reissued with great new covers by Beyond the Page.

As Victoria Abbott, MJ co-writes the book collector series with her daughter, Victoria Maffini.

MJ lives in the tranquil village of Manotick, Ontario, with her long-suffering husband and two princessy dachshunds. Along with brave little Lily, she is a school volunteer in the Ottawa Therapy Dogs R.E.A.D. program.

Find out more about Mary Jane Maffini and her books on her website HERE. 

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