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Don’t Cross Mo Ellery
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Expected 11 Aug 26Win a free print copy of this book!
0 days and 05:44:29
50 copies available
U.S. only
A laugh-out-loud mystery following the indomitable hot mess Mo Ellery, whose job as a school crossing guard pulls her into an unhinged murder investigation.
Mo Ellery’s 29th birthday is a disaster. After one small accident—the exposure of her boyfriend’s genitals (well, maybe not that small) on a work video call—she manages to get fired, dumped, and kicked out of their overpriced Chicago apartment. Luckily, a sign appears to guide Mo to her new “Looking for flexible part-time work? Become a school crossing guard!” It’s everything Mo has been looking health insurance. How hard can it be?
A few weeks later, Mo is adjusting to her new low-paying job, her bisexual reawakening, and her new neighborhood’s wacky characters. There’s Claudia, an old woman who refuses to let Mo help her cross the street, and Marlowe, a tween cell phone prodigy whose antics terrify her. But Mo’s greatest nemesis is Poodle Dude, a guy with an SUV full of poodles who speeds through her intersection each morning. . . until the day he speeds into a sinkhole. Mo tries and fails to shield innocent eyes from his bloody corpse, but succeeds in accidentally becoming the guardian to his three poodles.
And that’s not the worst of some of the locals are convinced that Poodle Dude was murdered. Their allegations are obviously ridiculous, but Mo, desperate for distractions—and for several hot neighbor-suspects—reluctantly agrees to help. But Mo the detective is just as chaotic as Mo the underemployed adult, and the three entitled poodles are not helping. When a second local dies under mysterious circumstances, it’s going to take all of Mo’s broadly applicable and transferrable skills to find the killer.
Murderers beware. . . DON'T CROSS MO ELLERY!
Mo Ellery’s 29th birthday is a disaster. After one small accident—the exposure of her boyfriend’s genitals (well, maybe not that small) on a work video call—she manages to get fired, dumped, and kicked out of their overpriced Chicago apartment. Luckily, a sign appears to guide Mo to her new “Looking for flexible part-time work? Become a school crossing guard!” It’s everything Mo has been looking health insurance. How hard can it be?
A few weeks later, Mo is adjusting to her new low-paying job, her bisexual reawakening, and her new neighborhood’s wacky characters. There’s Claudia, an old woman who refuses to let Mo help her cross the street, and Marlowe, a tween cell phone prodigy whose antics terrify her. But Mo’s greatest nemesis is Poodle Dude, a guy with an SUV full of poodles who speeds through her intersection each morning. . . until the day he speeds into a sinkhole. Mo tries and fails to shield innocent eyes from his bloody corpse, but succeeds in accidentally becoming the guardian to his three poodles.
And that’s not the worst of some of the locals are convinced that Poodle Dude was murdered. Their allegations are obviously ridiculous, but Mo, desperate for distractions—and for several hot neighbor-suspects—reluctantly agrees to help. But Mo the detective is just as chaotic as Mo the underemployed adult, and the three entitled poodles are not helping. When a second local dies under mysterious circumstances, it’s going to take all of Mo’s broadly applicable and transferrable skills to find the killer.
Murderers beware. . . DON'T CROSS MO ELLERY!
336 pages, Paperback
Expected publication August 11, 2026
5811 people want to read
About the author
Birdie Horne
1 book25 followersBirdie Horne is the combined pen name of former enemies Eden Robins and MW Garguilo. Over the years, they have been love rivals, co-godmothers, and neighbors across an alley in Chicago. Separately, they have published over twenty books, and together they have a resume full of the kinds of jobs that genuinely worry their parents. DON'T CROSS MO ELLERY is their first outing as Birdie Horne.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 15, 2026
Review of advance digital copy received from Netgalley
Don’t Cross Mo Ellery by Birdie Horne (combined pen name of Eden Robins and MW Garguilo) is a fine, palette-cleansing, not at all serious rom com.
The start of this book is a sex, getting fired, and breakup scene that GAVE ME WHIPLASH. I could totally see early 2000s Kate Hudson being the forefront actress.
I had a really hard time with this one. It’s breezily written but MY GOD the level of secondhand embarrassment I got from this made me have to put it down often.
It was fine. I will not remember characters or plot points past this past next week. If you need a palette cleanser after a hard hitter, then sure, give this a go.
I’m more interested on how Eden Robins and MW Garguilo went from former enemies to co-authors. Next book idea?
Don’t Cross Mo Ellery by Birdie Horne (combined pen name of Eden Robins and MW Garguilo) is a fine, palette-cleansing, not at all serious rom com.
The start of this book is a sex, getting fired, and breakup scene that GAVE ME WHIPLASH. I could totally see early 2000s Kate Hudson being the forefront actress.
I had a really hard time with this one. It’s breezily written but MY GOD the level of secondhand embarrassment I got from this made me have to put it down often.
It was fine. I will not remember characters or plot points past this past next week. If you need a palette cleanser after a hard hitter, then sure, give this a go.
I’m more interested on how Eden Robins and MW Garguilo went from former enemies to co-authors. Next book idea?
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This teeters around the 3.5 range but screw it, I'll go with a four. It was a fun read and one of the few books I read over the course of just 24 hours. You can tell the author duo had a great time writing this, from the "yes, and" style plotting to characters who are both a bit much and all too real at the same time. Marlowe is the highlight of a wonderful cast that really doesn't have too many weak links. I'm excited to go back and reread her and Tasha's introductions for a lesson in how to make characters so darn likable. The formatting and humor won't be for everyone I think, but it absolutely works once you let yourself take a backseat in Mo's head and just watch her wind-up toy herself around the outskirts of Chicago.
Mo is a whirlwind and it's nice to see a detective story with someone who just has no idea what she's doing. But she's figuring it out and that's the point. She chases down leads, walks into dangerous situations with unearned confidence, and throws accusations around with ease. The mystery itself isn't too complex (complimentary), but I will fully admit I gasped when a reveal happened.
Excellent pacing is the star of the show here. I don't think I've read a "self discovery" type of character arc that zips quite like this. Mo's motivations and feelings are stated clearly and no scene feels like its dragging on as she doomspirals and shushes her way through conversations. Having three large dogs dragging her around does wonders for keeping things moving.
The book gets off to a rough start I maybe wasn't ready for and there were initial worries that the book was going to be a little too "random lolz" for me to enjoy, but things thankfully settle into a nice rhythm. I'm glad I persevered through what was mostly a prologue and now I'm hoping there's a sequel in the future!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy, I really enjoyed it.
Mo is a whirlwind and it's nice to see a detective story with someone who just has no idea what she's doing. But she's figuring it out and that's the point. She chases down leads, walks into dangerous situations with unearned confidence, and throws accusations around with ease. The mystery itself isn't too complex (complimentary), but I will fully admit I gasped when a reveal happened.
Excellent pacing is the star of the show here. I don't think I've read a "self discovery" type of character arc that zips quite like this. Mo's motivations and feelings are stated clearly and no scene feels like its dragging on as she doomspirals and shushes her way through conversations. Having three large dogs dragging her around does wonders for keeping things moving.
The book gets off to a rough start I maybe wasn't ready for and there were initial worries that the book was going to be a little too "random lolz" for me to enjoy, but things thankfully settle into a nice rhythm. I'm glad I persevered through what was mostly a prologue and now I'm hoping there's a sequel in the future!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy, I really enjoyed it.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
This book was chaotic fun. The first chapter had me laughing out loud, even as I registered that it was all a bit improbable.
Mo Ellery is one of those characters that you either find hysterical or annoying - I landed somewhere in between. She is dumped on her 29th birthday after also losing her job minutes before, for exposing her naked soon to be ex over zoom. Her best friend Hannah can't take her in, as she is part of a tricky polycule, and moving back in with her parents is too much of a step back. So, with considerable encouragement from Hannah, Mo gets a job as an elementary school crossing guard and finds a tiny studio apartment nearby.
Mo is the personification of weaponized incompetence, she falls to pieces every few minutes, virtually has a punch card at the local urgent care, and is always hyperventilating. Mo is a lot, to say the least.
She's the type of person that when she sees a car in a sinkhole, instead of calling 911, she approaches with one of the school children she's supposed to be ushering across the street. She then somehow ends up with the dead driver's 3 show poodles, taking them to her one room apartment in a building that doesn't allow pets. A fully functioning adult would not have left the scene with the dogs in the first place, let alone taken them home.
The madness goes from there, with Mo anxiously letting a loud neighborhood regular Claudia, and Marlowe the truant, force her into several ridiculous situations. At no point does Mo do anything to take control of her life, content to spiral and be told what to do by other people. And while she spins endless wild theories about what is going on, she eventually actually does figure things out, but not because she was rational or in control of any moment in her life since her birthday.
You might find yourself wanting to tell Mo to grow up already but there is never a dull moment as you read along with the hijinks.
Mo Ellery is one of those characters that you either find hysterical or annoying - I landed somewhere in between. She is dumped on her 29th birthday after also losing her job minutes before, for exposing her naked soon to be ex over zoom. Her best friend Hannah can't take her in, as she is part of a tricky polycule, and moving back in with her parents is too much of a step back. So, with considerable encouragement from Hannah, Mo gets a job as an elementary school crossing guard and finds a tiny studio apartment nearby.
Mo is the personification of weaponized incompetence, she falls to pieces every few minutes, virtually has a punch card at the local urgent care, and is always hyperventilating. Mo is a lot, to say the least.
She's the type of person that when she sees a car in a sinkhole, instead of calling 911, she approaches with one of the school children she's supposed to be ushering across the street. She then somehow ends up with the dead driver's 3 show poodles, taking them to her one room apartment in a building that doesn't allow pets. A fully functioning adult would not have left the scene with the dogs in the first place, let alone taken them home.
The madness goes from there, with Mo anxiously letting a loud neighborhood regular Claudia, and Marlowe the truant, force her into several ridiculous situations. At no point does Mo do anything to take control of her life, content to spiral and be told what to do by other people. And while she spins endless wild theories about what is going on, she eventually actually does figure things out, but not because she was rational or in control of any moment in her life since her birthday.
You might find yourself wanting to tell Mo to grow up already but there is never a dull moment as you read along with the hijinks.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
“There’s a lesson in here somewhere for me. Not that I like getting my life lessons from murderers.”
This is a fun one, y’all.
Mo Ellery’s life implodes on her 29th birthday. She finds herself jobless, boyfriend-less, and apartment-less all on the same day, as everything goes south for her in a laugh-out-loud-funny sequence of events. (Not that I like to laugh at others’ misfortune but it is all quite comical.)
Fast forward and now Mo is living in a studio apartment, serving as a crossing guard—she’s a bit of a Google-assisted hypochondriac and needs those health benefits—and facing off against her speeding, poodle-dad nemesis every morning. Well, she’s facing off against him, that is, until he ends up dead, back wheels up in the massive sinkhole in front of his stalled parking garage development right next to her crossing guard corner.
Soon she finds herself holding the reins of three show poodles and inveigled into investigating a possible murder—neither of which she is entirely equipped to handle.
It’s a comedic, late coming-of-age tale, centered around the amateur detective antics of Mo and an increasingly kooky cast of characters, in which the chaotic bisexual FMC flails about as she seeks answers, stability, and love (or at least some more hookups) before she turns 30.
It is so much fun and is bound to make you grin, chuckle, and maybe even laugh out loud.
I received an advance copy of the book from William Morrow. All review opinions are my own. #MorrowPartner
This is a fun one, y’all.
Mo Ellery’s life implodes on her 29th birthday. She finds herself jobless, boyfriend-less, and apartment-less all on the same day, as everything goes south for her in a laugh-out-loud-funny sequence of events. (Not that I like to laugh at others’ misfortune but it is all quite comical.)
Fast forward and now Mo is living in a studio apartment, serving as a crossing guard—she’s a bit of a Google-assisted hypochondriac and needs those health benefits—and facing off against her speeding, poodle-dad nemesis every morning. Well, she’s facing off against him, that is, until he ends up dead, back wheels up in the massive sinkhole in front of his stalled parking garage development right next to her crossing guard corner.
Soon she finds herself holding the reins of three show poodles and inveigled into investigating a possible murder—neither of which she is entirely equipped to handle.
It’s a comedic, late coming-of-age tale, centered around the amateur detective antics of Mo and an increasingly kooky cast of characters, in which the chaotic bisexual FMC flails about as she seeks answers, stability, and love (or at least some more hookups) before she turns 30.
It is so much fun and is bound to make you grin, chuckle, and maybe even laugh out loud.
I received an advance copy of the book from William Morrow. All review opinions are my own. #MorrowPartner
March 17, 2026
⊹ ࣪ ˖ ꒰ঌ ໒꒱ ˖ ࣪ ⊹
✨ 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★★★☆☆ ➛⋆˚࿔
🕊️ 𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 ╰┈➤ˎˊ˗ This book had a rough start and was chaotic from the start. A lot of things were happening and the story never felt dull. Mo was a silly character but she was also a little annoying and embarrassing. Her choices and relationship drama weren’t for me. The only thing I really cared about was Mo and Tasha. I was so invested in their relationship and wanted more. The ending was definitely unexpected and still not sure how I feel.
⭐️ 𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬/𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: ➛⋆˚࿔ Mo & Tasha
💭 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝? Not sure
🌙 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ╰┈➤ˎˊ˗Overall a decent chaotic read just didn’t really stand out to me
⊹ ࣪ ˖ ꒰ঌ ໒꒱ ˖ ࣪ ⊹
🪽 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧? No 🤍 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: None
✨ 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★★★☆☆ ➛⋆˚࿔
🕊️ 𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 ╰┈➤ˎˊ˗ This book had a rough start and was chaotic from the start. A lot of things were happening and the story never felt dull. Mo was a silly character but she was also a little annoying and embarrassing. Her choices and relationship drama weren’t for me. The only thing I really cared about was Mo and Tasha. I was so invested in their relationship and wanted more. The ending was definitely unexpected and still not sure how I feel.
⭐️ 𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬/𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: ➛⋆˚࿔ Mo & Tasha
💭 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝? Not sure
🌙 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ╰┈➤ˎˊ˗Overall a decent chaotic read just didn’t really stand out to me
⊹ ࣪ ˖ ꒰ঌ ໒꒱ ˖ ࣪ ⊹
🪽 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧? No 🤍 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: None
March 13, 2026
Mo was the most fun and chaotically relatable protagonist that I have read in a long time — it was a breath of fresh air! I couldn’t get enough of her, truly, and read this book in approximately 2 days.
The pacing of the ‘whodunnit’ story kept me engaged and hooked the entire time. Typically, I can predict the endings of books like these, but genuinely this kept me on my toes. The way everything was slowly dropped and woven together was EXQUISITE! I really enjoyed the twist at the end because it felt so right but unpredictable (which is the best kind of twist).
This is going on my “recommend and reread” list for sure !!
The pacing of the ‘whodunnit’ story kept me engaged and hooked the entire time. Typically, I can predict the endings of books like these, but genuinely this kept me on my toes. The way everything was slowly dropped and woven together was EXQUISITE! I really enjoyed the twist at the end because it felt so right but unpredictable (which is the best kind of twist).
This is going on my “recommend and reread” list for sure !!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I received a free copy of, Don't Cross Mo Ellery, by Birdie Horne, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Mo Ellery is starting her new calling as a crossing guard. Mo Ellery is not your typical crossing guard at all. This book was funny at times.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
I give this book 3 1/2 stars. There were a lot of chapters that I enjoyed reading, but Mo's romantic relationship chaos was not for me. Mo as a character was fun to read about. She is far from perfect and she stumbles her way into solving the mystery!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews