Review: Die Buying by Laura DiSilverio

Die Buying (A Mall Cop Mystery #1)
by Laura DiSilverio
narrated by Andrea Emmes

My Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: m/f

Blurb:
Emma-Joy Ferris likes mall cop work, even though it’s a bit more humdrum than the military policing she did in the army. But there’s no time to be bored when someone “liberates” a fifteen-foot python from the Herpetology Hut, and a mannequin turns out to be a very real corpse.

My Review

I received a free copy from Tantor Audio and voluntarily reviewed it.

This one sounded interesting and I am glad I got a copy. Die Buying is a cozy mystery set at a mall where main character EJ Ferris works as a mall cop. This setting was quite different from the usual small town setting of most cozies, but I thought it made for a fun chance of location. I liked reading about the mall and in a sense the mall felt a bit like it’s own little town.

This book grabbed my attention from the start, the unique setting and the writing style both worked for me and I quickly got pulled into the story. There are plenty of suspects and some interesting twists and turns. The mystery kept me guessing, although I did manage to guess the killer correctly. I liked how the main character mostly figures it out before the killer confronts her. I enjoyed seeing the mystery progress and the way EJ investigated things. There is some clashing with the law enforcement that felt a bit typical for the genre and I don’t particular care for, but at least the detectives seemed competent enough.

I liked reading about EJ Ferris, I thought her characterization was well done and her actions all felt in-character. There were times I didn’t always like her behavior, she could be a bit judgemental and argumentative at times, but I always felt it made sense the way she acted and fit her character. She felt real with her struggles and past, the way she used to be in the military and now a mall cop and how she felt about that. I thought it made sense why she got involved in the mystery. She handled things in a smart manner most of the time and the times she didn’t, it made sense given her thoughts and emotions in those scenes.

Besides EJ there are some interesting side characters, from her co-worker Joel to her grandfather who is a retired CIA operative. Not all characters are likable, but there is a nice cast of characters with varying personalities and I liked seeing the characters come to life.

This was a new to me narrator and I enjoyed Andrea Emmes style for this book. It was pleasant to listen to and enough variety in voices for all the characters. I would happily listen to books she narrates again.

To summarize: I had a great time listening to this cozy mystery. The mall setting felt fresh and was fun to read about. The mystery kept me guessing for a while, but I managed to figure out who the killer was before the main character did. I like how the main character figured most of it out before the confrontation. I liked reading about EJ Ferris, she felt like a realistic character and it made sense why she acted the way she did. There were a few times I didn’t like her behavior especially when she acted judgmental or argumentative, but I felt her behavior made sense given her personality and the situation. The narrator was pleasant to listen to and I liked the variety in the voices she did. I look forward to continuing the series!

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon
– Audible
– B&N
– Kobo

You can also read my review on Goodreads and Bookbub.