Murder Next Door: A hilarious and heartwarming cozy mystery

Jim & Ginger #1

by Arthur Pearce

A retired librarian. A chatty orange cat. A murder in a charming seaside town full of secrets.

After being fired from the library, 68-year-old Jim Butterfield decides to retire and move to Oceanview Cove to fulfill his late wife's dream of living near the ocean. But Jim never expects that he will end up in the center of a murder mystery instead of reading about one.

On the second day after coming to the town, his neighbor is found dead, and Jim becomes the main suspect. Together with Ginger, a cat with extraordinary sarcastic abilities, Jim must untangle a web of secrets and lies hidden behind Oceanview Cove's colorful facade.

Can this duo of amateur sleuths crack the case before Jim becomes the next victim?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

243 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2024

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder Next Door (or across the street?)

I’d give this book a C if it were letter grades. It had a nice setting and a talking cat, but it was filled with time and location inconsistencies. The cat used terminology that didn’t make sense for him to even know unless he’d been exposed to a lot of very old TV shows and documentaries. The characters were pretty one-dimensional. A late attempt was made to flesh them out but it wasn’t really believable - it was too sudden. And the wacky astrologer woman never really fit in.

[Emmalynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute! I give it a solid 3.5. Jim and Ginger are hilarious with their antics, especially their B&E’s. It’s a basic mystery but the characters sell the story.

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

so, enjoyable enough. Reads a bit amatuerish, but not much the worse for that. only problem we pretty much only encountered people intrinsic to the denoument, so not hard to work out who done it early on, if not why. But I do find the juxtaposition of the cat's character and him sitting purring on anyone's knee hard to accept (talking cat's ok, purring on someone's knee isn't which probably says more about me than the book)

[Maddi Hyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect palate cleanser in between longer books. Adorable, and as a proud orange cat owner, I absolutely adored Ginger! It was a quick and easy read - perfect for a day off, a snow day, a rainy day, or any other time you need a quick, fun, and easy cozy mystery.

[Kati · Rating 2 out of 5]

There isn't actually anything wrong with the story per se. It's just absurd. And I'm not talking about the talking cat. You tell me that one of the leads is a talking cat, I tell you, "Well... alright then, buddy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯" I actually quite liked the story - until the ending. The "row boat chase" followed by the whole town - the cops included! - thanking Jim and almost carrying him on their shoulders like some gladiator hero? That was absurd. And when Jim and the cat opened a detective agency? Dude... When a talking cat is the least absurd thing in your book, I think you have a problem. Don't get me wrong, I like funny cozies but this story actually took itself so seriously that it felt like a farce.

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this! What a different and cool concept for the main character of a cozy mystery, a retired male librarian who teamed up with an unlikely sleuthing partner, a snarky cat who knew more about tech than Jim did, which was actually why he had to take retirement. I enjoyed how they sleuthed together and how Jim made a couple of good friends in Emma the local astrologer and Shawn the bar owner.

The showdown was pretty epic and of course Ginger the cat played a big part—that cat’s awesome! Can't wait to read the next book and continue on in this fun series.

[Cheri Schaefer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a phenomenal start to a fascinating series!

A truly fantastic series so far. Jim and Ginger promises to be one of my favorite series. I had to read this book in one sitting. I just couldn't put it down once I started reading it. The storyline was so interesting and intense, but it was also humorous. I know I'm definitely going to continue with this series as I love it already. Especially Ginger!!!😻❤

[Catherine Conti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little mystery but very amateurishly written. The towns people all seem to be caricatures.
The police just seem to be in the story only for development of some sort of tension between Jim and the urgency to solve the case even though there's very little reason to believe Jim killed anyone. The story is silly and rather poorly written but somehow I liked it. Its a quick read and if I'm honest, I cant help but love a story with a ginger cat.

[Theresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only part of this mystery I liked was the talking cat. The rest was poorly written and badly edited. I am disappointed because this is the first in a series and I was looking forward to reading all the books. Jim moves to the seaside after he loses his job, hoping to build a new future, but his neighbor is murdered and Jim is considered the prime suspect because he is new to the village. Jim also meets Ginger, a snarky talking cat, who helps him solve the case.

[Trish Goodgame · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable cozy mystery.

This is the first book in the Jim & Ginger cozy mystery series and my first book by this author. Jim is a retired librarian widower who moves to a coastal town where his wife grew up. I love the characters, especially Ginger, the talking cat! Read the story to see how together they solve a murder of his neighbour, Ginger's original owner. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, you will enjoy this one.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim is a retired librarian, and has just moved into his deceased wife's childhood home. On his first night he is invited for a welcome drink with his next door neighbour….and the next morning the neighbour is found dead. Jim teams up with a ginger cat to solve the mystery, as he seems to be the only person the police are interested in.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim leaves the City after the death of his dear wife.......and moves to a small down to take over the cottage left by his wife's family.
He has only been in Oceanview 2 days when his new-found neighbour is found dead. As Jim has shared a beer the night before he is of course the prime suspect.
This upsets Jim severely and then a talking marmalade cat appears!!
The cat promises to help Jim prove his innocents AND find the murderer.
Delightful story on a "retired" librarian becoming a no. 1 detective.
Highly recommend!!

[Rex Solly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good light read

The cat Ginger was a great character. And Jim seemed to grow throughout the book. My main criticism is the overuse of the word ‘chuckled’. Quite annoying by the end.

[suzanne mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun filled acts

Enjoyed the carefree feeling of the book. Real characters good and bad.
As anything is possible and a lover of animals the plot is real. Enjoy have fun and try to solve it. Nice mystery.

[Kat Walter · Rating 1 out of 5]

I mustn’t have read the same book as other reviewers . One of the most insipid books I’ve ever read. Reviews claim book was hilarious—I didn’t chuckle once and smiled only when I finished. Hard pass on rest of the series.

[Susan Chakerian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting start to a series.

I have my own orange kitty and I think he'd be great at solving mysteries. But I really love the combo of Jim & Ginger. They're interesting and have snappy banter and true friendship. Can't wait to start #2.

[Jo-Ann Lyons · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm afraid I couldn't finish it. Just... the whole talking cat thing and it's written in a very simplistic and smaltzy style. Nothing wrong with that, of course - and perfect if you need an easy, sweet read - just not for me.

[Skadams9038 Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Baker's Mistakes

Great book for young mystery lovers who love cats. Fancy and facts get blurry, but the plot is strong and the book is easy to follow.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story.

Cozy and cute but cat dialogue kind of meh. Book didn’t impress me enough to want to read any more of the series.

[Christina Donalson · Rating 5 out of 5]

love this book

I was skeptical about am old man and a taking cat. But this book surprised me in so many ways! You must read i can’t wait to read the next one!

[Laura Poppenwimer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute little cozy mystery, quick and fun to read but not much substance.

[Pam Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally cool book

This was great. Ginger the talking cat was awesome as was Jim the retired librarian. Highly recommended!!!
Can't wait to read the next installment. Jim Jim

[Charles Prentiss · Rating 2 out of 5]

Editor

Arthur needs an editor, too many "running my hand through my
thinning hair." Give me a call before you publish more repetitive phrases.

[Barbara Symons · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book

I love good investigative stories, and this looks like the beginning of a good series. I especially like talking cats who help solve crimes!

[Kathryn Clout · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy read

A pleasant way to spend an evening. A comfortable and entertaining read. Looking forward to reading more in this series

[Gillian Burles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook version. It was ok. Will consider whether to read another in the series as sometimes character development gets better as the series progress

[Ruthless · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute Idea, but a bit slow moving and bogged down a bit in the middle

[Althea Gaumont · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read, Lite and mysterious.

Fun, full and fantastic, definitely a Goodread!! Loved the talking cat, Ginger sure stole show!!!,
!! Should be a nice series to continue.😊

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly but fun read

[Shannon Strandberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute book. I just had hard time with the audiobook reader.