Mystery Book Review: Thick As Thieves

Thick As Thieves

Thick As Thieves is a laugh-out-loud Southern mystery with a kind and clever female sheriff and endearing supporting characters.

• Series: A Kenni Lowry Mystery (Book 11)

• Written by: Tonya Kappes

• Publication date: February 23, 2025

• Mystery type: Cozy mystery

Plot Overview

Sheriff Kenni Lowry is planning her wedding to her steadfast fiance, Finn, and investigating a baffling case involving a dead judge in her hometown of Cottonwood, Kentucky. The investigation takes her to high-stakes poker games and through long-forgotten tunnels.

Spoiler-Free Review

This mystery was a hoot to read. The story sucked me in immediately, and the dialogue in the first chapter alone had me laughing out loud. Author Tonya Kappes is incredibly talented and has a real knack for creating lovable characters.

Sheriff Kenni is kind, thoughtful, clever, tough, and brave. The love she feels for her community shines through in every action she takes and every interaction she has with those around her. This was definitely one of my favorite aspects of the story.

Other highlights included her ghostly Poppa, a former sheriff who stuck around after his death to give Kenni welcome (and unwelcome) advice and help her solve cases. She also has a trusty hound named Duke, who brings a dose of comedy and cuteness to every scene he’s in.

The relationship between Sheriff Kenni and her mama is also quite enjoyable. Mama is dramatic and pushy as can be. She believes things should be done a certain way, and she isn’t afraid to take charge of every situation to make that happen. She is in her element as she helps Kenni plan a wedding and makes demands at every turn.

The mystery itself was well done and tricky to solve. The ending was fantastic and made me want to keep going with this series.

This is the first Kenni Lowry Mystery I’ve read. I did not have trouble jumping right into the series. It can be read as a stand-alone. However, now that I’ve read one, I am quite keen to backtrack and read the first 10 books in this series (and any others that come after this one).

Read an excerpt of Thick As Thieves.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced reading copy. I also downloaded my own copy with Kindle Unlimited subscription. This page contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission at no cost to you if you make a purchase.