A Sophie Kimball Mystery Book 15
Author: J.C. Eaton
Genre: Mystery
Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781966322306
Beyond The Page Publishing
220 Pages
$14.99; $5.99 Amazon
October 28, 2025
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When the seniors of Sun City West take over a garden plot, they have no idea they'll unearth a plot for murder...
At the urging of the guys in the pinochle club, the members of the Sun City West book club decide it's time to grow their own vegetables and join the local agriculture club. But when tending to their plants turns up a skeletal hand, the gang begin to feel like they're working in a graveyard instead of a garden. It's clear that whoever the bones belong to was the victim of foul play, and soon the seniors are pleading with Sophie "Phee" Kimball to step in and help them weed out the killer.
As rumors and speculation flourish, Phee begins to grow suspicious of the other members of the community garden. Certain that one of them chopped up a body and scattered the parts, she has to deal with invasive insects, sabotaged crops and her mother's hairbrained schemes as she digs for evidence. Her efforts are finally rewarded when a ring found on the skeletal hand yields a clue that will lead her straight to the culprit. The only problem is that the killer is one step ahead of her, and Phee discovers too late that she's in for a hoe lot of trouble...
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Sophie "Phee" Kimball-Gregory lives in Arizona and works for a private investigator, along with her PI husband, Marshall. Life for Phee is never normal, mainly because her mother Harriet and Harriet's book club ladies seem to find trouble no matter what they're doing.
Today Harriet and her friends are convinced by the men's pinochle group to plant their own vegetables in a community garden. But it's more than dirt they're turning up. Since Harriet brings her chiweenie Streetman with her everywhere, he's of course running wild -- until he pulls up a skeletal hand, and Harriet needs Phee to get it away from him. The only identifying item is a ring on the hand, and it's marked with strange letters that mean nothing to the officers, nor to anyone else.
But the ladies seem to think there's more body parts, even when Phee tries to tell them no. When they're convinced that one of the gardeners (not their book group, of course!) is guilty of murder, it's all Phee can do to keep them out of trouble...temporarily.
But does anyone listen? Nope. Is Phee involved again? Yep. And this time, she sees more of local fisherman Paul Schmidt than she'd like to (who wants fish smell in their office?). But does Paul have information? Is her Aunt Ina going off the deep end while reading Edgar Allan Poe? Are the seniors forming their own investigation? Is Phee at her wits' end?
With Marshall and their boss Nate out of town on a cat kidnapping caper along with her uncle Louis (who does not want to be around Ina during her week of Poe), they may need him for information for themselves. Which leads Phee to be on her own... and trying to stay alive. Because when a killer discovers that Phee just might know who they are -- they aren't going to want to let her breathe...
I have read all of this author(s) Sophie Kimball mysteries, and I have been entranced by all of them. Phee somehow manages to keep sane during her mother's imaginative scenarios, which usually turn out to be true (to an extent). She's trying to do her job and still keep the women in line, which isn't easy. And her mother manages to foist Streetman the Maniac Dog on her if she can.
This book is no different than the others. It is funny, witty, delightful, full of mystery (what cozy wouldn't be?), and hilarious characters that make you glad you don't live anywhere near them. Harriet is a hoot, along with Herb; and Ina is a throwback hippie who thinks she has it all together (she doesn't). I don't want to say anything else about this book that will spoil it for anyone else, but trust me, it's worth the trip to Sun City to see how it all turns out. Highly recommended.
I was given a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.
Goodreasds: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7990182449
More on J.C. Eaton's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/j-c-eaton/
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