Planners, Poison & the PTA

Sydney Yoshida is a mom of two who spends her days organizing her family – planning carpool, dinner, and work as vice president of the PTA around her husband's work schedule and her daughter's soccer, cheer, and basketball schedules, all while trying to squeeze in a bit of time for herself. Her gated community is usually quiet so when sirens break the silence one morning she finds herself out on the street with the rest of her neighbors, horrified when news of the death of fellow cheer mom and PTA president Trisha becomes apparent. In between helping the widower plan the funeral and helping take care of Trisha's children, Sydney also struggles with the police investigation that has targeted her neighbor and best friend Beth. Sydney is forced to take a closer look at people she considered friends to get to the bottom of Trisha's death while trying not to get herself killed in the meantime.

I had a blast with this book. I'm a sucker for a fun cozy mystery and this was right up my alley. I'm addicted to my planner (I'd be lost without it) and hoard office supplies like it's the end of the world, so the little mentions of pens, washi tape, and stickers made me laugh. Also, being a mom myself I could relate with the frustrations of the main character – trying to balance a home life with volunteer commitments, connecting to other moms through their children's school and extracurricular activities, and even maintaining a healthy relationship with her husband while being pulled in a dozen different directions.

This book had the typical bumps that come with first-in-a-series books and especially from a first-time novelist. Some of the character and place descriptions felt forced rather than being introduced more organically, and the book could have benefited from a more “show, not tell” approach. There were also references to name brands that were a humorous nod toward the “planner girl” community that might be lost on readers who aren't familiar with it. After about half-way through the book, however, the bumps had passed and the story itself was engrossing and the ending was entirely believable. Like any good mystery it was full of red herrings and had me guessing the murderer's identity and then changing my guess as I realized I was wrong.

This was a fun book that I would recommend to any cozy mystery lover, especially if you love crafting or depend on a series of lists to keep your life together. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

(Thank you to Ms. Tom for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.)