Amazon First Reads – May 2025

When the Amazon First Reads came out at the beginning of May, I wasn’t initially drawn to any of them and didn’t make a selection. I got an email a couple of days ago reminding me about them, however, so I took another look and decided to take advantage of the offer.

For the book, I chose a cozy mystery that sounds like fun. Homemaker, by Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare, is about a midlife mother called Prairie Nightingale who gets intrigued when another mom goes missing and begins investigating.

There was a bonus short story, a thriller, which I also downloaded. Death Row by Frieda McFadden is about a woman named Talia Kemper who is on death row for murdering her husband despite having an alibi and no known motive. One day in the visiting area she sees a man who she thinks is her husband and has to convince everyone of what she saw.

Plymouth Undercover

If you are looking for a light read for a trip or just a relaxing weekend afternoon, Plymouth Undercover by Pamela Kelley fits the bill. In this cozy mystery, a mother and daughter inherit a PI agency, Court Street Investigations in Plymouth, MA.

Most of the cases revolve around cheating spouses or workman’s comp fakers, but then they get asked to find a missing woman. Very shortly, the woman turns up dead, and now they are investigating a murder.

I really liked both Emma and her mother Cindy, as well as Mickey, the eighty-year-old part-time employee of the agency. The mystery perhaps came together a bit too quickly at the end, but it was still a fun read from an author I enjoy.