Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!
I am sharing my thoughts about
A Matter of Pedigree by Leslie Meier today.
This was a hard one.
A Matter of Pedigree (A Carole and Poopsie Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Rhode Island
Publisher : Kensington Cozies
Publication date : September 30, 2025
Hardcover
Print length : 256 pages
ISBN-10 : 149675302X
ISBN-13 : 978-1496753021
Kindle
ISBN-13 : 978-1496753045
ASIN : B0DTJNQXDN
Audiobook ASIN B0FLKHRRY6
The author of the popular Lucy Stone mysteries returns with this brand-new series about two newly wealthy Rhode Island empty-nesters.
Carole Capobianco has always counted her blessings, but it’s even more fun now that she and her husband Frank are finally making serious money, thanks to Frank’s newly patented Bye-Bye Toilet. With the kids finally on their own, Carole and Frank are empty-nesters, which will give her uninterrupted time to add to her impressive shoe collection—and lavish care on Poopsie, her beloved, very spoiled Brittany spaniel. The cherry on top is a hefty bid on a luxury co-op in a prestige building . . .
But that dream is quickly flushed when the offer is refused by venture capitalist Hosea Brown. Hearing the claim that the Capobiancos won’t fit into their wealthy, snooty community, Frank is outraged enough to roar something about killing that “old Yankee” on his way out the door. Three months later, Carole is shocked by the news that Hosea has been bludgeoned to death.
When Carole learns Hosea was one of the backers of a big new construction project for which Frank’s company has also been contracted, she’s worried. And that worry grows with every new twist in the case that’s discovered. Armed with her favorite Jimmy Choos and her beloved, if quirky, Poopsie, Carole sets out to clear Frank’s name—and just maybe save their lives . . .
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Empty-nesters Frank and Carole Capobianco are excited to make a change in their lives. With Frank’s recently patented Bye-Bye Toilet, they can afford to do so. Of course, their pup, Poopsie, will be spoiled more than ever, and a woman can never have too many Jimmy Choos or Manolo Blahniks, but what they really want is a condo in the prestigious Prospect Place.
The condo dreams go down the toilet when one of the current tenants torpedoed their offer. Hosea Brown, a venture capitalist, has decided Carole and Frank are not the “right sort” to fit in as his new neighbors. Frank lets off a steam when leaving the property about killing “that stuck-up old fossil of a Yankee”. Three months later, Hosea Brown is dead, and Frank is arrested for his murder.
As more evidence comes in, it doesn’t look good for Frank. Can Carole and Poopsie dig up evidence to reveal the real killer? Or will the killer take them down first? She slips on her Jimmy Choos and sets out to plunge through the clues and flush out a murderer as fast as she can with her Brittany spaniel, Poopsie putting her nose to use.
In this first Carole and Poopsie Mystery, we are introduced to Carole, Frank, their children, Frank Jr. (who wants to be called Frank O), and Connie, Frank’s parents, Big Frank and Mom, and Carole’s mom, who wants to be called Polly and Poopsie. We also met the residents of Prospect Place. Knowing everything that goes into creating a new series, I can understand the characters lacking depth, but I could not find one thing about any of these characters that made me want to get invested in their lives. They were dry, inconsiderate, and lacking any warmth.
The mystery had promise and kept me from giving up on the story, but it was pretty basic, without the usual twists and turns or red herrings I expect in a cozy mystery. Carole takes plenty of walks with Poopsie throughout the story, but during the last one, she could have met her demise. It was an exciting takedown that brought the story to an abrupt end. The questions were all answered, but there was no hook to make me want to read the next installment of the series.
I had enjoyed the books I have read in Ms. Meier’s Lucy Stone mysteries. I have gotten behind on them; many are waiting on my TBR shelf, so I was really looking forward to this new series and getting in on it the moment the books were released. However, it hurts to say A Matter of Pedigree was a miss for me. It feels like a different Leslie Meier wrote this story. I am rounding my rating up to 3 stars.
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 Kensington and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
About the Author
LESLIE MEIER is the New York Times bestselling author of the Lucy Stone Mysteries and the Carole and Poopsie Mystery series. She has also written for Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, and like her series protagonist, Lucy Stone, she worked as a New England newspaper reporter while raising her three children. She lives outside of Boston and can be found online at LeslieMeierBooks.com.
Find all of Leslie Meier’s Books HERE.
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