A Plus One for Murder

Emma Westlake has always wanted to be in business for herself. As a kid, she had her own successful lemonade stand and dog-walking business. And when she entered adulthood, Emma sunk all her cash into her dream job of travel planning. But as her customers became more and more internet savvy, the need for her services declined. At a loss for what to do next, she turns to an elderly friend who suggests she try to get paid for doing something she’s really good at, being a paid companion. Emma thinks it’s a crazy idea until requests start pouring in. Big Max from down the block wants her to act as his wingman at the local senior center’s upcoming dance, nurse practitioner Stephanie needs a workout partner, and writer Brian Hill asks Emma to be his cheering section at an open mic night.

Brian will be reading from his latest work and wants to know someone will clap for him when he’s done. When Emma balks at the notion that people wouldn’t, he tells her the room will be filled with people he’s invited, most of whom will likely want him dead by the time he’s done reading. Assuming he’s joking, she laughs. But when Brian steps up to the mic and clears his throat to speak, he promptly drops dead. Emma is one of the last people to see him alive, so she becomes an immediate suspect. Now she’ll have to cozy up to a killer to save her skin and her new business.

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The Details
Series: A Friends for Hire Mystery – Book #1
Author: Laura Bradford
Genre/Category: Cozy – Amateur Sleuth/Business
Publisher: Berkley Publishing
ISBN: 0593334760
Page Count: 300
Rating:

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The Review
A Plus One for Murder is the first book in a new cozy series, “A Friends for Hire Mystery.” I like the premise of this series, which is original and fun to imagine. Just think how nice it would be to be able to hire someone to be your companion and friend, as well as your plus one at those awkward business dinners, conventions, and so forth. Or when you are old and gray, someone who you can count on to be there once in a while to just chat.

Enter Emma, independent, youngish, and needing an income. Unfortunately, the travel business isn’t what it used to be, and time is slipping away. Being the paid companion and friend to an elderly woman has its moments of interest but her worry about making ends meet gets in the way sometimes. After Dottie suggests hiring herself out as a friend, Emma laughs and tries not to think about it, as she feels it’s a ridiculous idea. But shortly after her regular afternoon tea with Dottie, she starts getting calls from people who want to hire her. Taking a risk that this friend for hire idea might work out, Emma accepts a couple of clients. Unfortunately, one of her new clients dies, and she becomes a suspect in his murder.

The characters in this series are interesting. I love Dottie and Stephanie and Big Max, but to be honest, I didn’t warm up to Emma very quickly. I found her to be a little too pessimistic about most things. The good news is, she grew on me, and by the end of the book, I could see her as a friend to her clients and someone they would enjoy being around. The suspects in the murder of Emma’s client are not too difficult to believe, and their motives were laid out very well. The clues point in several directions and allow the reader to do the sleuthing alongside Emma. I liked the investigator, and I hope all of the supporting characters from this first book continue to appear in other installments.

A Plus One for Murder is a good first book in a new series. The writing is smooth, the characters interesting, and the storytelling first-rate. In the second book, I hope that we will get some background on Emma, her family and friends, and the area where she is living and working as a paid companion /friend. I think readers will like this book and want to read the next one in the series.

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The Author
While spending a rainy afternoon at a friend’s house more than forty years ago, Laura Bradford fell in love with writing over a stack of blank paper, a box of crayons, and a freshly sharpened number two pencil.

Those early attempts at the craft had her writing and illustrating stories for young children. Wise beyond her years, Laura saved her first writing attempt in a hand-decorated shoebox (complete with sparkly stickers) and moved on to her next idea. Her second book, O’Casey’s Wish, was so utterly brilliant, she sent it off to a well-known New York publishing house at the tender age of ten. Months later, she received her first form letter rejection.

It wasn’t until Laura was home raising children that she was finally able to dust off that rainy daydream and bring it back to its original form, writing fiction. Today, she is a bestselling mystery author. She lives in New York with her family. Laura enjoys baking, playing games, spending time with her family, and being an advocate for those living with Multiple Sclerosis

Readers may enjoy checking out a similar type of cozy such as one from the “A Sarah W. Garage Sale Mystery” series, Absence of Alice/.
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