Exercise is Murder (McKinley Mysteries, #12)

by Carolyn Arnold

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

Carolyn Arnold sure knows how to write a good mystery, be it a cozy or police procedurals. She creates magic with her pen. Every time I pick up one of her books, I know I would be entertained and she would have me guessing from start to finish. Exercise Is Murder was no different. This is the twelfth book in the McKinley series. Readers can the series out of order as the author provides sufficient background information, so readers can follow the lives of the main cast.

The title captured my attention. As we, all know exercise can be brutal but rarely is it fatal, unless there is some underlying health condition. However, it proved fatal for Katie Carpenter, not because of an underlying health condition, but because someone pushed her to her death while she went jogging.

Once again, Sean and Sara McKinley are called on to investigate, as the police had closed the case, ruling it as an accident. On the face, one may consider it an accident, but as the McKinley’s dug deeper, there was more to Katie’s than they first realized. Who would want Katie dead and why?

The large pool of suspects, which ranged from a fitness instructor to a lover, proved that this would not be an open and shut case. Ms. Arnold kept me guessing at each page turn. Just when I thought I knew who the guilty person was, the author places another plausible suspect on my radar and I find myself re-thinking who it could be, several times throughout the story.

I had a great time re-visiting with the main characters. Sean and Sara (former police officers) are enjoying married life with few minor disagreements. Working, exercising and having fun together helps to cement their relationship. James, an investigator, and Adam their technical adviser are a riot. Their interactions with each other were fun and snarky. Persons who are not familiar with them may think they are trading insults, but it was their way of showing respect for each other skills. Then there was the grumpy medical examiner, Dr. Needham who happens to get along with the dead more than he does with the living.

Conclusion/Recommendation
Exercise Is Murder was an entertaining and addictive read. Overall, this was another great addition to the series. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, then you should give this series a chance.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.