Jen Dodrill's Birds Alive! Book Review

It's the end of the month already???

I've let May get away from me between book cover designing and working on my latest mystery novel. I finished a read-through of the first draft, and now I'm all prepared to kick editing into full throttle!

*Commence unhealthy obsessing*

So many things to adjust - loose ends to weave in! I wanted to explore the use of more characters in this novel than with Safecracker, and make it a complicated whodunnit, fully immersed within a small town setting in Wyoming. 

And overall, I'm pleased with the progression of the story, in love with my characters (I know, I fit the bill of a crazy writer!), and hoping this plot is intricate and mind-blowing! Yeah, well... I can dream, can't I?

So that's where I am.

This doesn't leave as much time for reading as should be. However, I squeeze it in, with me knee-deep in The Lord of the Rings at present. The fellowship has just entered Moria, and I'm loving the subtle differences I'm discovering apart from the movies!

I used to be against reading multiple books at a time. But as I wish to keep up my mystery/thriller diet while still reading from the other genres on my extensive to-be-read list, it's been necessary to dual read. Especially as I won't be finished with The Lord of the Rings anytime soon.

So when I don't feel like plopping the huge Tolkien volume onto my lap, it helps to have a secondary book on an easily accessible device.

Which is where I read my first cozy mystery.

Birds Alive!, the first book in the Empty-nesters Cozy Mystery series by Jen Dodrill, is about a woman who finds herself an empty-nester once her youngest child has left for college. Somewhat listless and seeking to turn over a new leaf, she starts a bird-watching club and gets more excitement than she anticipated when the club's first outing involves the death of one of their members.

Peg Howard suspects foul play by the curious circumstances, launching her into a full investigation that lands her onto the scene of another deadly crime. Accompanied by her plucky mother-in-law and her faithful dog CB, Peg relentlessly digs into the secrets shrouding the murders, bringing the danger out into the open and directing them straight for her.

Birds Alive! is a lighthearted mystery and perfect for a casual read to unwind. The interaction between the characters are witty and humorous, and Peg and her mother-in-law's antics are often gutsy.

Set around Pensacola, Florida, I enjoy when authors use actual places because it gives me a chance to discover them for myself, by the writing itself and also by leading me to search the locations up on Google Maps' streetview.

The risk of an approaching hurricane and Peg's preparations and recovery once the storm has passed gave me insight into the lives of those that have to deal with those situations - a plight this in-land girl here never has had to encounter. But I have my hands full with tornados, so don't think life is all sunshine and roses!

As for the romance side of things, which you might have noticed I am particular about, I appreciate that she didn't go overboard with the illogical swoon-worthy bit, overemphasizing the attraction and reducing it to juvenile silliness. The mystery dominated the plot, and not the other way around as in the romantic suspense genre.

Personally, I like a little more hands-on investigation with the finding of physical clues, (think Nancy Drew) and don't get me wrong, the story did include some, however, it was a little more on the side of interviewing suspects to glean essential information than would be my utmost preference.

Another theme that is important that a novel should have is biblical faith, and this book did not disappoint. Peg is seen as living this out in instances when she'd go to the Lord in prayer in her distresses.

Birds Alive! held my interest, and I would recommend it for those looking for a relaxed, lighthearted mystery. As I said above, I've had no experience in the rapidly growing mystery subgenre, so I cannot tell what usually dictates a cozy mystery, but this one offered an enjoyable change of pace from my normal reading program.

I will be looking to continue the series whenever I can fit it into my overflowing TBR list!

Do you have any good cozy mysteries to recommend? I'd love to hear about it!

~Alissa