Book Bloggin' Princess: July 2025

They say if you want to really find a good book, go to page 69 (the middle and meat of the book) and you like what's there, it's definitely worth reading the whole book. For today's feature, I'm zooming in on page 69 of Kate Damon's new cozy mystery, Jury Duty is Murder.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

The verdict is in; a famed athlete is headed for prison. The jurors have done their job and are free to go back to their lives. But after being sequestered for four months, life as some knew it no longer exists.

HAROLD ASHMAN’s house is almost destroyed by a careless driver. Exotic dancer, CEECEE LAINE, discovers that her boyfriend is two-timing her, and she no longer has a job. Actor ALEX MANNING learns his career is down the tubes, and 72-year-old, HELEN RYDER, discovers her family is plotting to put her in an old folks home.

Then things take a turn for the worse. When former jurors start dropping like flies, CeeCee, Helen, Harold and Alex are convinced there’s a killer on the loose. Now the feuding foursome must find him before he kills them—or before they save him the trouble by killing each other.

Readers love Jury Duty is Murder:

“Hilarious and great cast!” AV_Therearenobadbooks, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"JURY DUTY IS MURDER kept me engaged.." Nancy Allen (The Avid Reader) ,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Kate Damon’s Jury Duty Murder is a fun, fast paced, riddled with humor who-dun-it, told through the eyes of four ordinary, yet distinct folks who are so incredibly relatable, you’ll feel like you know them as soon as they are introduced.” Barbara Newhart, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jury Duty is Murder is available at Amazon.

“So are you going to conduct an investigation or not?” CeeCee asked.
“I’ll make some phone calls,” Detective Kinkwell said, his gaze seeming to be stuck on CeeCee’s naval.
“Talk to the coroner.” Achoo! “But if these deaths have been ruled accidents, there’s not much I can do unless evidence to the contrary turns up.”
“Turns up?” I was mad and I didn’t care who knew it. “In other words, unless evidence of foul play waltzes
in here and introduces itself, you refuse to get off your big fat butt.”
He shot me a penetrating look. “We have to be careful about jumping to conclusions. Palm Valley is on
the FBI’s list of top ten safest cities in the nation.”
Alex, who had been pacing back and forth, stopped in front of the detective’s desk. “So?”
The corner of Kinkwell’s mouth twisted with annoyance. “The mayor and police chief will hit the roof
if we lose our ranking. Their noses—” Achoo. “—are already bent out of shape because some of the
surrounding cities rank higher than we do.”
I was confused. “But not all of the deaths occurred here in town. Only one.”
The detective shrugged. “Even that can spoil our ranking.”
“So what does that mean?” Alex retorted with open frustration. “We ignore the fact that a serial killer is on
the loose?”

What do you think? Would you keep reading?

When Kate Damon is not writing, she and her husband enjoy RVing, spending time with family and friends, raising Monarch butterflies, and playing a wicked game of bridge.

Writing as Margaret Brownley, she has published more than 40 novels and is a New York Times bestselling author. Known for her memorable characters and humor, she is a two-time Romance Writers of America Rita finalist.

Not counting the book she wrote in sixth grade, and the puzzle of the missing socks, this is her first mystery.

Website ➜http://margaret-brownley.com/

Twitter ➜https://www.x.com/katejuryduty

Facebook ➜https://www.facebook.com/MargaretBrownleyAuthor/ and https://www.facebook.com/p/Kate-Damon-61565155275435/

Instagram ➜https://www.instagram.com/katedamonbooks

BookBub➜https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kate-damon

Goodreads ➜ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4072660.Kate_Damon and https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/163681.Margaret_Brownley