Book Review: Prove It: Murder In The Mix by Hannah R. Kurz

 

Amazon Summary (Goodreads didn't have one): When a tragic mixer mishap results in the closing of a beloved bakery, new mom and upstairs neighbor Stephanie Wu is sure of two things: One, she misses their cappuccinos. And two, it was no accident. But time is running out for the sleep-deprived sleuth. Can she solve the murder and figure out pumping before her maternity leave is up? With a baby at her breast and a killer at her back, life and living above The Likable Daisy will never be the same again.

Goodreads Rating: 4.20 stars with 5 ratings

Genre Listing: Cozy Mystery

Goodreads Challenge: 42/ 60 books (I'm catching up! Sort of.)

2020 Reading Challenge: 60. Free Space. Pick any book! (Find the full challenge here)

Book Review:

Somewhat Legal stuff: The author of this book requested that I read this book and provide an honest review. I acquired the book through Kindle Unlimited.

I only have 18 more books to go for the year. I don't think it's Mathematically possible for me to hit 60 books this year.  Unless I want to get fired from my job, which I don't. If I can get to 50 books, I'll be pretty happy.

Prove it: Murder in the Mix by Hannah R. Kurz is a Cozy Mystery and is under 300 pages long. The book follows Stephanie as she figures out how to be a new mom. She and her family live above the Likeable Daisy bakery, and when the owner dies suddenly, Steph takes it upon herself to prove it wasn't an accident. 

This took me a while to really get into. Truthfully, I didn't start getting interested in it until about 55-60% in. Before that, I could only read about a chapter or two before wanting to put it down and read something else. The book is well written, but I just could not connect with Steph or Henry. Even though their friend had died, it felt like most of the story revolved around the baby, small talk with the neighbors, or discussions/descriptions of what the couple was having for dinner. I think this would appeal to some readers, but for me (read non-mother with 0 interest in having offspring), I just wanted to solve the murder. 

As far as characters go, I found Steph and Henry pretty dull. It wasn't until they started to let loose a little bit in the latter half of the book that they really grew on me. They weren't awful; they just weren't that exciting. I actually thought that Jane and Charlotte were the more interesting characters. 

One thing that I really liked about Prove it is there are different cultures/religions represented, including Islam. I admittedly don't a lot about Muslim beliefs, but based on my limited knowledge, it seems like Hannah did her research to represent it properly. I always appreciate representation in books when it is done respectfully and well. I could have potentially put this as # 58 for the challenge ( Read a book that takes place in the Middle East or is inspired by Middle Eastern culture), but I have a book picked out for that one that I'm hoping to read before the challenge ends. Also, it felt a little bit like cheating to use this for that slot. 

When communicating about this book, Hannah mentioned it'd definitely make me hungry. She wasn't kidding. I was definitely craving some baked goods while reading this. Luckily one of my friends was apparently practicing her psychic skills and brought over some Gluten-Free Banana Bread that she made me. Yum. (The loaf is not going to survive the weekend. Going to eat it all.) Anyways. I recommend snacks while reading Prove It.

I was sort of surprised at who the killer was as well as the motive. They were my second suspect, but the reason I suspected them is just that they came across as really odd. I would have never guessed the motive in a million guesses. I thought everything presented got tied up really nicely. There was a good set up to catch the murderer, and the explanation was reasonable. 

I would say that readers who either are parents or can relate to parents and like cozy mysteries would enjoy this. Because I couldn't relate to the characters, it took a while to get into. Once I managed to get into, it was interesting to read the mystery and figure out who the culprit was. The ending was surprising, which I always appreciate.