Cozy Mystery Book Review: An Amateur Sleuth's Guide to Murder

An Amateur Sleuth's Guide to Murder

An Amateur Sleuth's Guide to Murder is a well-written mystery with a great island setting, a relatable sleuth, and an interesting hook.

• Series: Bainbridge Island Mystery (Book One)

• Written by: Lynn Cahoon

• Published by: Kensington Cozies

• Publication date: June 24, 2025

• Mystery type: Cozy mystery

Plot Overview

Meg Gates is a seriously unlucky twenty-something whose bridesmaid just ran off with her fiance. While the two traitors enjoy Meg's would-be honeymoon, Meg moves in with her family on Bainbridge Island. She starts working for a rich and famous mystery writer who gives her strange but fun assignments. 

In her spare time, Meg is writing her own book that breaks down the process of solving a mystery. She never dreams that she'll need it to solve a murder mystery on the island and clear her new boss's name. 

Spoiler-Free Review

An Amateur Sleuth's Guide to Murder is a wonderful kickoff to a new cozy mystery series by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lynn Cahoon.

The mystery is set on Bainbridge Island, a small island with a tight-knit community and loads of charm. The houses have cute names like Happy Hour, Summer Break, and Seagull Roost.

Bainbridge is only 35 minutes from Seattle by ferry, but it is isolated. This isolation helps the mystery, forming a classic "closed circle" atmosphere where suspicion is confined to a small group of familiar faces.

The mystery is thoughtfully crafted. Clues are nicely seeded, and readers have a fair shot at untangling them before the reveal.

Meg is a great cozy mystery sleuth. She's relatable, clever, and emotionally grounded. Her love of Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, and Trixie Belden, make her familiar with mysteries and give her some credibility as an amateur sleuth.

Meg also has a great supporting cast that includes a best friend, a potential love interest and a cocker mix rescue named Watson.

There’s even a touch of meta fun, as Meg drafts her own investigative guidebook alongside solving real puzzles. The rules in this book are fun and double as chapter titles. A few of them include:

• TIP #1: WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU COUNTS AS WORK EXPERIENCE

• TIP #2: WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW – OR WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW

• TIP #3: BEWARE OF UNKNOWN DANGERS

If you love mysteries with strong female protagonists, seaside towns, dogs, bookstores, and characters you’d want to befriend, this cozy is a perfect win.

Disclosures: Cozy Crime Reads received an advanced reader copy of An Amateur Sleuth’s Guide to Murder from Net Galley. This did not influence the review. This page may contain affiliate links. Cozy Crime Reads may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.