She Doesn’t Have a Clue: A Novel
Mystery/Romance/Comedy
According to the Author “murder-rom-com-franken-book
Setting – Off the Coast of Washington
Publisher : Minotaur Books (January 21, 2025)
Hardcover : 336 pages
ISBN-10 : 1250354986
ISBN-13 : 978-1250354983
Paperback : 336 pages
ISBN-10 : 125035496X
ISBN-13 : 978-1250354969
Kindle ASIN : B0CWJWYHFQ
Audiobook ASIN B0D4ZHKQSH
With a colorful cast of characters and a cellar full of wine, anything can happen—from murder to a second chance at love—in Jenny Elder Moke’s half mystery, half romance adult debut set at a lavish destination wedding.
A high-end wedding on a private island off the coast of Seattle sounds like something out of a magazine. But for bestselling mystery author Kate Valentine, it’s more like a nightmare.
Why Kate agreed to attend her ex-fiancé’s wedding is its own enigma, but she’ll plaster on a fake smile for two nights, with the aid of free champagne, naturally. And because the groom happens to be her editor, she’ll try to finish a draft of her latest Loretta Starling mystery as a wedding gift.
When the bride is poisoned and Kate stumbles across a dead body, she finds herself in a real-life mystery that eerily echoes the plot of her latest novel. And the only person who seems willing to help Kate catch the killer is Jake Hawkins, aka: the Hotstralian; aka: Kate’s biggest romantic regret.
As the wine flows and the weather threatens to hold every guest hostage, bitter resentments and long-held grudges surface amongst the colorful crowd. Anyone could be capable of murder, it seems. What would Loretta do? Unfortunately, Kate doesn’t have a clue.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Mystery author Kate Valentine’s editor is getting married on Hempstead Island off the coast of Seattle, and she has decided to attend even though he is more than her editor—he’s her ex-fiancé. With enough champagne, it won’t be awkward at all. She can be on her best behavior for a weekend, and she may have time to complete the next Loretta Starling mystery.
But a storm is moving in, and a surprise guest is on the boat when she boards for the last trip to the island. That is when the chaos begins—chaos similar to the happenings in her latest book. The bride is poisoned, a dead body is found, the storm outside is raging, and Kate is channeling her protagonist to figure out how to catch the killer because She Doesn’t Have A Clue.
Author Kate Valentine is the total opposite of her main character Loretta Starling, bartender by night, and amateur sleuth by day. Loretta is confident, fierce, and ready to stir up trouble to solve a case. Kate is clumsy, insecure, and inept when it comes to being an amateur sleuth. She can write mysteries but she needs help to solve one. Enter Jake Hawkins, former pro surfer and elite travel guide, also known as Hotstralian and the one that got away. He is ready, willing, and able to help Kate in any way he can. They are surrounded by a quirky group of authors and other literary folks, friends, family, the wedding planner, and his assistant, the bride, the groom, and the woman in charge Rebecca Hempstead.
The mystery was cozy with being set on a private island in a big spooky mansion for a wedding, a murder, a house full of suspects, and tons of family drama. A classic closed-room puzzler. Bring in a brand new amateur sleuth trying to follow clues while the killer is trying to pin the murder on her. There were many suspects to keep track of and I thought I had a good handle on them but I didn’t solve this whodunit before the killer was revealed.
Then the romance is brought in and it is not cozy, it is steamy and graphic. You could cut the romantic tension with a knife until the passion took over. I would give it a strong R rating, but this girl didn’t skim. I had to laugh when I read the acknowledgments –
To my family – I love you, you’re so supportive, for the love of Pete, please don’t read this one. And if you do read it, let’s never, ever, discuss it. I love you.
You see the author is an award-winning children’s author and this book is her adult debut. She did alright, but if you like your intimacy mentioned not described, you may want to skim over some passages. There is also strong explicit language you normally don’t find in cozy mysteries.
Now the comedy is present throughout the book. Kate finds herself in some crazy situations and she comes up with bizarre theories and wild story ideas. I totally enjoyed the character’s banter. It was spot on and at times so funny.
One thing bothered me, and I hope it was because I read an advance copy. When we were taken to Loretta’s world, sometimes the text was in italics to differentiate, but most times, it wasn’t; it just flowed as a new line of text. This was confusing and slowed down the pace.
She Doesn’t Have a Clue is a fun mashup of mystery, romance, and comedy with an amusing protagonist, a hunky love interest, a dysfunctional group of friends and family, and Fluffy. You have to read the book to find out about Fluffy. I am intrigued to see what Jenny Elder Moke has planned for her next adult venture.
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 Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
*Explicit language and scenes.
Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent

About the Author
JENNY ELDER MOKE is the author of award-winning children’s and adult literature. She enjoys fast-paced adventures with plenty of mysteries, surprising turns, and laughs along the way. When she’s not writing, you can find her knitting, puzzling, or fighting imaginary crime as a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. She Doesn’t Have a Clue is her adult debut. Jenny lives in Denver, CO. Visit her website HERE.
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using my links, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Escape With Dollycas.
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.”