Staying Home Is a Killer: A Mom Zone Mystery (Ellie Avery Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Sara Rosett (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ellie Avery Mysteries | Publication Date: March 27, 2007

Air Force wife Ellie Avery is so good at organizing she's turned professional. Her tips on cleaning can send the worst case of clutter packing, dust balls fleeing, and nooks and crannies preening. But when a fellow military wife turns up dead, Ellie tackles a different type of case - murder...Diaper bag over her shoulder and an adorable toddler wriggling in her arms, Ellie Avery balances motherhood, marriage, and her own business - Everything in Its Own Place - with breezy aplomb. A maestro of organization, she sees her life as an easy checklist that does not include the untimely death of Penny Follette. Unlike the police, Ellie isn't convinced the death of Penny Follette was suicide. But when a shocking message on her answering machine confirms her suspicions, it's an uphill battle getting the officials to take her seriously. Then another spouse is strangled, and someone tries to poison an outspoken female pilot who believes sexism is alive and well in the Air Force. Poking about in closets and peeking through drawers, Ellie hopes to find the common thread typing the crimes together - not more dead bodies. And with her husband Mitch about to be deployed in the "sandbox" (that's the Mideast for us civvies), she wants some quality time with her significant other. As the schedule tightens and the mystery heightens, Ellie's out to prove home is not for killers!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When not organizing closets or toting her toddler on her hip, military wife Ellie Avery sleuths around Greenly Air Force Base in eastern Washington State, which has lately become unsafe for military wives in Rosett's satisfying, well-executed second Mom Zone cozy (after 2006's Moving Is Murder). Just hours after Ellie finds her friend Penny Follette in a strangely animated mood, the usually mousy art historian is discovered dead in her bathtub with slit wrists. Police first assume suicide, but Ellie knows Penny wouldn't have killed herself—Penny was thrilled about her new pregnancy. When another friend of Ellie's is hospitalized by an apparent poisoning, Ellie's connection to the two victims makes her a suspect in the eyes of officials. Rosett complicates the story with the murder of another military wife and with a stalker who harasses Ellie. The author, also the wife of an air force pilot, includes practical tips for organizing closets, but the novel's most valuable insight is its window into women's lives on a military base. (Apr.)
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Review

"Thoroughly entertaining...captivating." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (March 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758213387
• ISBN-13: 978-0758213389
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,362,969 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

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great reading, June 2, 2008

By 

M. A. Winter (San Lorenzo, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Staying Home Is A Killer (Ellie Avery Mysteries) (Paperback)

This book was entertaining and held my interest throughout. Looking forward to next in series.
A different slant as the characters are members of military families.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Who Killed Penny?, November 15, 2007

By 

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

Ellie, her husband Mitch, and their daughter Livvy have been stationed in Washington for over a year now. In that time, Ellie has made some new friends, including Penny Follette. Penny is usually downcast, so when she is upbeat, Ellie definitely takes notice. And when Penny dies by suicide a few hours later, Ellie doesn't buy it.

Fortunately, it doesn't take the police long to agree that Penny's death was murder. Unfortunately, they begin to zero in on Ellie as a suspect. With Mitch about to be deployed for a month, Ellie wants to spend time with him. But she begins to investigate to clear her name. Can she stay out of jail?

This book is a mixed bag. I find the life of a military family interesting. The plot was good and developed nicely. But the characters weren't that developed and I had a hard time keeping all the suspects straight. The writing, which brought the story to life, at times got too detailed. I would find myself getting bored at times as Ellie's every action was described.

I'm right on the fence with this one. The enjoyable mystery was weakened by some serious flaws.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars special Washington State cozy, April 1, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Staying Home Is a Killer: A Mom Zone Mystery (Ellie Avery Mysteries) (Hardcover)

On her way to see her husband who is with the 52nd Air Refueling squadron, stay-at-home mom Ellie Avery meets her daughter's babysitter Penny Follette. Instead of fading into the woodwork, she is all aglow promising to tell Ellie her secret later. She gives Ellie a bag of chocolate covered coffees beans and she promptly sets it down in the area where the squadron has its drinks and food.

Later that day Ellie receives a phone call from a friend saying that Penny committed suicide. When a stunned Ellie listens to her phone messages, Penny's is full of vigor as she informs her that she is pregnant. Ellie is certain that her friend didn't kill herself as the enthusiasm is too great. A tox screen shows she was poisoned. Georgia, who is part of the squadron, drinks the coffee Ellie left behind and is rushed to the hospital because she was poisoned. Ellie soon becomes a suspect as she is the only link between the two women. Things get worse when she finds a third body, the general's wife who was also murdered. In between poisonings, Ellie is the victim of serious malicious pranks by someone who wants her to turn over "it" to him; since she doesn't know what it is, she begins sleuthing in earnest to prevent anyone else especially her and her family from becoming victim number four.

Anyone who is a stay at home mom with a husband in the service who goes TDY frequently will empathize with Ellie who has to deal with all the family problems by herself. Sara Rosett is a great storyteller as she creates a magnificent protagonist who is a bloodhound once she gets the scent. The author infuses her delightful cozy with humor as a tension relieving technique that works so well that readers will eagerly awaits the next installment in this special Washington State cozy.

Harriet Klausner