I really enjoyed this one and I loved the fact that I couldn't guess who the murderer was! I've read so many mysteries that now an author has to toss out some pretty clever 'red herrings' to fool me and this author did a great job with that! The writing is fun and breezy, the main character is likeable and she has a great bunch of friends. And her 2 little dogs! They have such adorable and mischievous personalities--love em! I'm already looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

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Wonderful idea for a series although I think it could use more examples of organization - I certainly could use them! Definitely had me off target although I had about 12 theories right up until the end. Enjoyable!

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First Line: "Is this some kind of death wish?"

Charlotte Adams has moved back to Woodbridge, New York, and is trying to get her personal organizer business firmly established. That is the sole reason why, against everyone's advice, she accepts the job from "Hellfire" Henley, the school teacher everyone in town loves to hate. Things can't get much worse when Charlotte goes over to have Henley sign a contract and finds the former teacher's body buried under a mountain of clutter. You see...her former best friend is now a police officer and would love nothing better than to pin the crime on Charlotte. Charlotte's got to organize her own investigation to stay out of prison.

Maffini surrounds her main character with a cast of interesting friends and acquaintances, as well as giving readers organizational tips at the beginning of each chapter. Charlotte's landlord is her friend, Jack, who's never met a meal he didn't want to mooch and who constantly tries to get Charlotte to adopt homeless animals. How in the world she could adopt any more when she's already got her hands full with two misbehaving Dachshunds named Truffle and Sweet Marie is beyond me.

This is a traditional cozy mystery in which both the plot and the mystery take a backseat to the characters. Maffini's characterization is skilled, and I grew to like Charlotte, especially when she befriends an elderly shut-in, Rose, who bakes a mean batch of cookies.

Will I continue on with the series? I'm not sure. I used to love cozies, but within the past couple of years, I've found myself moving away from them and steering myself toward darker and heavier fare. Would I recommend this series to readers who love this genre? You bet! With the cast of characters Maffini has created, I can see Charlotte organizing investigations in many a mystery yet to come.

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A professional organizer who has a heart of gold is the main character of this cozy that I believe will turn into a series. Many of the characters were introduced into the story line in a way that makes me believe there will be more trips to Woodbridge, New York for cozy mystery fans.

I was clueless until the end although I had several suspects in mind, so the plot was a success even if choppy at times. It was an enjoyable read but not an author or character I will collect.

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Charlotte Adams is a professional organizer. Nothing is out of place in her closets, but her life's a mess. So she's dumped her cheating fiance, moved back home and started making up to-do lists, some of which include solving the occasional murder... In this book she has to solve the murder of the most hated school teacher she ever had, Miss Helen "Hellfire" Henley who was disliked by pretty much everyone in Charlotte's home town.

The author even throws in organizing tips for free. A good plot keeps this book on target.

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I picked up this book because I wanted to read a cozy mystery series with a professional organizer protagonist, which this book delivers on: Charlotte Adams is new to pro organizing, but definitely knows what she's doing.

Far from the trope of friend of the force, Charlotte only has an enemy (though former friend).

I didn't figure out the killer before or with the sleuth: I was totally stumped!

The Positives:

Good story, good pacing, and engaging, unique characters.

Also, the succinct organizing tips were fun little nuggets I enjoyed reading throughout the book.

I laughed at the amount of junk food that Charlotte bought, but I genuinely feared for her budget and waistline after a while, and then I'd be back to laughing again!

The Negatives:

Nothing about the story itself. There were some admittedly nitpicky things about the stylistic choices that got to me...

Starting sentences with He said, "Then doing the dialogue here." It was just a bit odd, even jarring as a reader.

There were some errors that weren't picked up by the editors, but that's just something that is going to happen.

Finally, I felt like a few details got beat over my head within a few paragraphs when introducing some characters. A little needless.

Overall, I give the story five stars. I didn't want to put it down and I really enjoyed it. I'm also about to start the second book of the series: The Cluttered Corpse. Wondering what Charlotte dare get herself into and refuse to let alone this time...

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