Review of Class Reunions are Murder by Libby Klein

Newly widowed and stuck in a middle-aged funk, Poppy has been running on cookies, infomercials, and one-sided chats with her cat for months. There’s no way on earth she’s attending her twenty-five-year class reunion—especially after receiving a very bizarre letter from Barbie, the popular cheerleader who taunted her all through high school. At least, not until Poppy’s best friend practically drags her to the event . . .
Using the dreaded homecoming as an excuse to visit her eccentric Aunt Ginny, Poppy vows to leave Cape May with pride and Spanx intact. Too bad Barbie is still the queen of mean at the reunion. And worse, that her dead body is lying right in front of Poppy’s old locker. Singled out as the killer, it’s up to Poppy to confront her past and clear her name. But between protecting her aunt from disaster and tackling a gluten-free diet, can Poppy crack the case before she’s voted “Most Likely to Die” by the murderer?  (Amazon)

 

This is Book 1 in the Poppy McAllister Mystery series.

 

 

What would you do if the cheerleader who made your high school existence a nightmare invited you to a ‘special meeting’ at your school reunion?  I’d probably say “No thank you!”

That’s just what Poppy wants to do but her best friend Sawyer convinces her it’s a good idea to attend the reunion, meet with Barbie, lay ghosts to rest and get out of her funk.  Problem is Barbie ends up dead and Poppy is the main suspect.  Now high school friends Connie, Kim and Sawyer must work together to help Poppy out of this pickle.  The self-appointed leader of this sleuthing team is Poppy’s eccentric Aunt Ginny, who steals the show.

 

Class Reunions are Murder has been racking up positive reviews across the board and I’m here to add one more.

The characters are great.  Poppy, Aunt Ginny and Sawyer are well-described in this debut novel.  Poppy is introduced to us while still suffering from depression over her husband’s passing.  She feels as if life has simply happened to her as opposed to her living it, and perhaps this is true.  Poppy begins a transformation, however, to embrace her life and determine her own destiny.  This transformation is hilariously shown as she meets jail bench warmers, interacts with a holistic therapist, starts paleo and stands up for herself against former bullies, all the while fighting to prove her innocence.

Aunt Ginny is the intrepid octogenarian whose eccentricities rear themselves at the most opportune times… well, opportune for the reader’s benefit, even if not for Poppy’s.

The mystery is interesting.  Many different angles are explored.  Several viable suspects are introduced.  Motives and opportunities for each suspect are cleverly revealed.  I had a very strong suspicion as to who the real killer was but didn’t figure out the motive until nearer the end.  I was very happy to keep guessing.  There is a secondary mystery about who is trying to get Aunt Ginny committed to a home for the elderly.  This mystery is well-delivered and separate from the main story.

The love interest: Poppy reunites with a former fiancé and sparks are still flying.  However, sparks are flying between her and the town’s handsome, eligible coffee barista as well.  How that story will play out will be revealed in future books.

 

Some things I liked:

• Aunt Ginny’s outfits are hilarious.
• The food descriptions and recipes at the end.
• I’m not a fan of love triangles but I think the potential for two love interests for Poppy works in this setting.
• Poppy’s meetings and conversations with her therapist.
• Poppy’s relationship with Figaro the cat.
• Poppy’s difficult relationship with her mother-in-law is shown and set up for resolution in a later book.

 

Something I didn’t like:

• One little issue was trying to figure out the many characters that were introduced within the first few chapters. In the end, it wasn’t too bad.

 

This book is funny and entertaining.  An excellent cozy mystery to curl up with.

 

4.5/5 Espresso Shots for this one.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Kensington Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.