A Cute Little Murder, Molly Harper (Review by Darlene Smoliak)

A Cute Little Murder is filled with funny characters, an interesting setting, and a murder mystery. It was a great way to spend a few hours. The story opens with teenagers Harlow Drake and Lainey Piper solving crimes in their small town. Along the way, they build quite the online following, with Harlow as the front person and Lainey acting as the sidekick. Yet it’s really Lainey who is the brains of the whole thing—not to mention the one always taking the risks. Years later, Harlow is hosting a true crime TV show, while Lainey is a forensic accountant who has just lost her job and is drowning in debt. So when an offer comes from Harlow’s team to travel to an old, broken-down hotel, Lainey reluctantly agrees. She doesn’t want to, but she doesn’t really have a choice. Once there, she learns the project is being funded by Deke and Bryce of DBag Games, and they are the real reason she’s been brought along. The only way they would pay for Harlow and her team to be on location was if Lainey agreed to play sidekick again. Not exactly a great start, but Lainey reminds herself why she’s there. And why are they there? Decades ago, a starlet disappeared without a trace, and the mystery of what happened to her has never been solved. Harlow is determined to crack the case. She needs this to work, as she’s already in hot water with the network after messing up royally. As the investigation escalates, so does the danger—especially when one of the crew drops dead. As Lainey digs deeper, she realizes just how much danger she and the others are in. With a killer in their midst, trusting the wrong person could be deadly. While the story started on the slow side, it didn’t stay that way, and I soon found myself fully invested in what was really going on. Deke and Bryce were bumbling idiots who were hilarious, and I absolutely adored Lainey. She was sharp, funny, and had me laughing out loud more than once. I also appreciated how strong she was and how, as an adult, she finally recognized she’d had enough of Harlow pushing her around. It’s always satisfying to see a character stand up for themselves and get the recognition they deserve. The setting was another highlight. Just imagining being in this creepy, dilapidated hotel cut off from civilization sparked my interest, and solving a crime from so many years back only added to the intrigue. I really enjoyed A Cute Little Murder and its central mystery. Perfect for mystery lovers!