Moving Is Murder: A Mom Zone Mystery (Ellie Avery Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Sara Rosett (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ellie Avery Mysteries | Publication Date: April 1, 2006

Moving four times in five years has honed Ellie's considerable skills. But unpacking with a newborn daughter, record-breaking heat wave, and the realization that their dream neighborhood is known as Base Housing East is enough to make her turn to chocolate for comfort. She and her husband, Mitch, moved off-base for privacy and peace of mind. Now half of their neighbors are with the 52nd Air Refueling Squadron. Forget privacy. Forget peace of mind, too. Driving home from her first squadron barbecue, Ellie finds neighborhood environmental activist Cass Vincent dead on the side of the road. The police call it an accident - Cass, fatally allergic, was stung by wasps - but Ellie's not so sure. Cass' husband said she always had an EpiPen in the car. Unfortunately, all Ellie found was a cup with sugary gunk and bits of bees at the bottom. She saw Cass argue violently at the barbecue with Mitch's buddy Jeff about something mysterious...and it just so happens Jeff knows a lot about bee-keeping. Hoping to clear Drew before the police get around to suspecting him, Ellie starts snooping in earnest. What she finds shocks her - alcoholism, blackmail, betrayal, secret debt...even illicit medical treatment the Air Force would never tolerate. But what's the connection to Cass? When suspicious "accidents" start happening in her own backyard, Ellie realizes she's getting closer to the killer...maybe too close!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Packed with helpful moving tips, Rosett's cute cozy debut introduces perky Ellie Avery, who prides herself on knowing her way around crying babies, poopy diapers and air force bases. Ellie, pilot hubby Mitch and baby daughter Livvy have hardly settled into their Vernon, Wash., off-base digs when Ellie discovers the body of another 52nd Air Refueling Squadron wife, Cass Vincent, by Cass's SUV alongside the road after a get-acquainted barbecue. Cass is the apparent victim of a nasty allergic reaction to numerous wasp stings, but Ellie later finds evidence that the flirty environmentalist may have been murdered. Though extraneous details sometimes slow the plot to a crawl, the appealing heroine and the intriguing insider peek into air force life (the author is married to an air force pilot) more than compensate. (Apr.)
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Review

"A fun debut for an appealing young heroine." -- Carolyn Hart, Agatha Award winner:

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (April 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758213360
• ISBN-13: 978-0758213365
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,381,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I write the Ellie Avery mystery series. You can find out more about my books at my website, http://www.SaraRosett.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great new mystery, May 24, 2006

By 

Beverly L. Archer "Booklady123" (Colorado Springs, CO) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Moving Is Murder: A Mom Zone Mystery (Ellie Avery Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I am an army wife, but some things are the same no matter what branch of the service you are in. If you like mysteries or if you want a peek into the life of a military spouse this is a book you should read. I truly appreciated her even handed portrayal of military spouses. Trying to solve the mystery was fun, too.

I started reading this book as the packers were packing up my home for the move to our next duty station. I wish I had read it sooner. I could have used her moving & organizational tips.
I hope this is just the first in a series and that there will be more to follow.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Despite Some Flaws, There is Some Promise as Well, November 1, 2006

By 

Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Moving Is Murder: A Mom Zone Mystery (Ellie Avery Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Since her husband Mitch is in the Air Force, Ellie Avery has grown used to moving. His latest assignment takes them to Washington State. Since he's going to be there a while, they purchase a house off base. They're excited about having a break from squadron politics, until they discover that the majority of their neighborhood is in Mitch's squadron.

Unpacking with a newborn in the house is difficult, so a squadron BBQ is a welcome break. The fun atmosphere is lost when environmentalist Cass Vincent starts a nasty argument with Mitch's friend Jeff. On the way home, Ellie sees Cass pulled to the side of the road. When Ellie stops to see if she can help, she finds Cass dead.

Cass was highly allergic to bee stings, so the police are quick to rule her death by wasp sting an accident. Ellie has little reason to believe otherwise but begins to find evidence to the contrary. When suspicious accidents start happening to her, Ellie knows she must figure out the truth to stay alive.

This is the first book in a new series. Unfortunately, it shows a little. Other then Ellie and Mitch, most of the characters are two dimensional at best. It makes it hard to keep them all straight. I didn't really start to feel for any of them until near the end, when Ellie began to figure out their secrets.

The plot was a little slow taking off. Ellie spends part of the book stumbling over evidence by accident. Once she decides to investigate, the book picks up speed. The further into the book I got, the more interested I became in the plot. And the climax was surprising, logical, and very suspenseful. Additionally, there are great tips for moving after almost every chapter.

The book overcame the flaws to be enjoyable. I plan to give the next book a try as well.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Promising first mystery, August 10, 2006

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Moving Is Murder: A Mom Zone Mystery (Ellie Avery Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Ellie Avery had really hoped that this move would get her away from base, away from the politics and obligations of the military wife. Unfortunately, the nice neighborhood she moved into turned out to be full of airmen and the spouses groups were in full swing. Not being good at saying no, Ellie finds herself recruited to help out--even though she really needs to pay attention to her 4-month-old baby. When one of the wives/neighbors suffers an allergic reaction to wasp stings and died, Ellie is called on to help out even more. But no one could have expected that helping out would include discovering that the "accident" was really murder.

Convinced that the local police and the Air Force OSI are blowing off her suspicions, Ellie starts snooping. One of the wives sneaks out of her house at night. One of the airmen is trying to get into the pants of all the wives. Another of the airmen is secretly visiting an off-base doctor. And Ellie's best friend's husband had a fight with the dead woman just before she was killed. Things get really bad, though, when accidents start happening near Ellie. Could someone be so afraid they want her dead?

Author Sara Rosett combines moving tips with mystery in a story that gives plenty of insight into the way that military wives adjust to common moves and the notion that they somehow must support their husbands--even at the cost of their own careers and ambitions. MOVING IS MURDER is well written and makes for an enjoyable light read.

I thought the story relies a bit too much on coincidence in the early goings as Ellie discovers clue after clue--when the dog knocks over the neighbor's trash, when she decides to vacuum the inside of the neighbor's van, when she happens to see the moonlighting wife in both of her jobs, etc. Like a good amateur sleuth, though, Ellie never gives up. Fans of the genre will also appreciate that she avoided the 'too-stupid-to-live' syndrome of never telling anyone where she was going.

MOVING IS MURDER is a promising first mystery. Rosett has a way to go in building suspense and differentiating characters, but I'll look forward to seeing more by this author.