Sleuthing for a Living (Mackenzie & Mackenzie PI Mysteries)

Perhaps my favorite book yet from Jennifer Hart. Which is saying something as I have liked them all.
This is the first of a new series about an aspiring P.I. and somewhat struggling mom. Jennifer's books are always full of interesting characters and conflicted complex heroines. This though is perhaps the best.
Written with a light hand and a sharp sense of humor you have to love Mackenzie and her daughter Mackenzie. I loved her explanation about why she and her daughter had the same name. I won't spoil it for but, get ready for a good laugh when you get to it.
I have to believe that Jennifer is a keen observer of people as I see bits and pieces of people I have known in her characters. Well written, well edited and just plain fun. If you like your mysteries with a dose of humor then Jennifer and her quirky characters will definitely fill the bill. The only problem I have with this book is now I have to wait until the next one to see what new trouble Mackenzie get's into.

I'm confused...

After reading the reviews on Amazon, I seem to be the only reader bothered by the similarities between Mackenzie and Mac and Lorelei and Rory Gilmore.

Their relationship is exactly the same, their kitchen is stocked with the same food, they wear the same clothes, Mackenzie being pregnant and unmarried at 16 is the same, and Emily Gilmore epitomizes the mother/grandmother.

The writing is certainly good and the story is a nice cozy. But as I read, I found myself getting really upset that all these things were just like one of my favorite TV shows.

Hunter, the love interest, is a bit of a cliche, but I found myself liking him anyhow. Easy to tell where that relationship was going.

If someone has never watched The Gilmore Girls and read this book, the story and the writing would be very pleasing to them. You can tell it's been well edited and it reads well. For me, the blatant use of GG was just too much for me to rate it higher.

really enjoyed

I love the first book in this new series and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more. Mac 1 and 2 were equally hilarious. I enjoyed the introduction of Hunter and the many other characters that came along. It was a well told, entertaining story that had me laughing and working to solve the mystery.

I am so glad that Jennifer L.Hart spun the characters of Mac and Mackenzie off from her laundry hag series. I love the dynamic between the mother daughter duo. Think rory and Lorelei from the Gilmore girls. I love finding out how Mackenzie became a P.I and the great case that started it all. Great secondary characters in Hunter, Len, Nona, grams and the captain. The story has a nice flow to it. Look forward to more.

I love all of Jennifer Hart's previous books and was excited that she started a new series. I definitely was not disappointed. Mackenzie and crew are awesome. Can't wait to see what is in store for them next.

Fun book, I was hooked from the the beginning. This mom and daughter team are hysterical!

This book grabbed me from page one. I loved, loved,loved this book. The relationships between mother Mac /daughter, Mac and her cop/neighbor, Mac and her elderly neighbor, Mac and her mother , Mac and her former high school squeeze, Mac and her boss, were believable. The story left me waiting for the next installment. If you're looking for a good, fast pace summer read, you've found it in Sluthing for a living".

This is the first book in what I very much hope will be a series. McKenzie is a single mom with a brainy sixteen year old daughter named after her but she is called Mac. McKenzie inherits an apartment building from her uncle and a brand new car. The uncle was a private detective and when McKenzie needing a job finds a journal written by her uncle on how to be a PI, she finds her calling. McKenzie's 1st case starts out as a simple child custody case but quickly turns to murder. As the story develops, several characters are introduced ( a sexy neighbor cop, Macs father, McKenzie's highly critical mom and a quirky neighbor lady) and personal revelations are made. I enjoyed the story line and when I started reading this book, I did not put it down until I finished it a few hours later. It was a great way to spend an afternoon.

When Mackenzie (and her mother) inherits her Uncle Al's house, Mackenzie and her daughter Mac move into one of the four apartments in the building. She finds the unpublished journal he wrote about being a PI and became inspired. Her first case has her snooping on a father in a child custody case. As she is tailing him, she ends up witnessing his murder. She becomes determined to find the killer with the help of Hunter (extremely tantalizing tenant and police detective), Agnes (her meddlesome mother), Len (her new lawyer boss), a mysterious blast from the past, and her computer genius daughter.

I loved the relationship between Mackenzie and Mac. Their constant banter was reminiscent of the Gilmore Girls with the added suspense of a murder mystery. I could relate to the inner turmoil of Mackenzie wanting to do the right thing but sometimes coming up short.

I am excited to read more about this quirky mother-daughter pair and their lovable neighbors!

I was very excited to receive an ARC of this novel from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.