Murder Among Neighbors: A Kate Austen Mystery

"Murder Among Neighbors" is the first book in the Kate Austen Mystery Series by Jonnie Jacobs. It is a book that captures a realistic look at life in the very comfortable Walnut Hills, CA area.Kate Austen has an adorable 4-year old and is 2 months pregnant. She would be quite happy if it were not for the small fact that her handsome husband has gone off to the Swiss Alps to "find himself" in Europe.Fortunately, Kate finds herself too busy coping with the daily demands of being a mother to fall apart. Her beautiful next-door neighbors is brutally murdered and Kate haphazardly finds herself drawn into discovering clues as a result of her interactions with various neighbors in the community. A nice looking detective starts questioning Kate and finds her answers quite interesting...The characterizations of the community were very good and this book was quite interesting. My only doubt was that it mentioned several times that there were many months when Kate and Andy found it difficult to pay the monthly mortgage. Yet, Kate has no job although her daughter attends a posh preschool, and a maid comes to the home once a week. Although she does start ultimately working part-time, it would seem that money would have been a larger concern for her as her husband had been gone for almost 2 months by that time. Nevertheless, the book is quite good and plan to read the next book in the series, "Murder Among Friends" tomorrow.

Kate Austen does as much as she possibly can, without going out of her mind. Abandoned by her husband, Kate is suddenly left by herself, with her 5-year-old daughter. With carpooling, volunteering, baking, and mowing her lawn, she doesn't need any added stress. But when her rich, socialite, next-door neighbor is found murdered, Kate feels that it's up to her to save the case, even if that means getting into a bit of trouble herself.This is an entertaining first novel from the Kate Austen Mystery series. Fans of this book would also love the Susan Henshaw Mystery series, written by Valerie Wolzien, due to the fact that they both deal with suburban housewives.

This mystery was filled with wonderful, well hidden clues. The characters are all likable and have wonderful developement potential. I finished the book yesterday and I am already half way through the next Kate Austen Mystery. If you enjoy a good "cozy" mystery, you will love this one. Kate Austen is spirited, intelligent, and humorous. This is a great read!

I have a thing about reading books from a series in the order in which they were written . . . hence, this was my first Jonnie Jacobs -- and I really enjoyed it. I found it light-hearted and pleasant, yet it included enough substance to hold my interest. I am looking forward to the next in the series. I definitely recommend it, particularly to those who like mysteries with a female protagonist.

Discovering Kate Austen, who is the narrator of this mystery, is like making a new friend with whom you feel instant rapport. I loved this book and the sequel, and wish there were more. The author gives us a wry look at suburbia and human foibles while at the same time presenting an intriguing mystery with lots of good characters, a touch of romance, and a killer I never suspected (but once I knew who it was, I said "of course."