A Tale of Two Freddies: An Arnie & Zellie Cozy Mystery

by Eric Small

The corpse barely missed my head. No flying cadavers, just a new case falling into the lives of our intrepid unlicensed detectives. While in dogged pursuit of a killer, Arnie and Zellie navigate the tricky waters of a full-blown romance. Solvers of a single case, they need all of that experience and more to find the murderer. How the heck did the killer get the dead guy up there? And what’s the deal with two men having almost the same name? Did one of them kill the other? Did someone else? Along the way, Arnie and Zellie encounter a real estate company with a dark side and its own enforcer, a building manager with a chip on her shoulder, and a cleaning company owner with a grudge. Not to mention a massage therapist doubling as a realtor, and a florist who may or may not have witnessed a murder. And how does the gruff but kind deli owner fit into it all? Is it worth risking their lives to find out?

284 pages, Paperback

Published April 23, 2019

Reviews

[Gina]

This is a great cozy mystery that you can read quickly. This is the second book in the An Arnie & Zellie Cozy Mystery series but can be read as a stand-alone.

Arnie & Zellie are two want to be private investigators that they find themselves smack dab in the middle of a murder scene. They didn’t plan on this case, but it sort of fell onto them, literally.

Arnie & Zellie are not just business partners though. They are also best friends and a couple. While they are working on this case their relationship is blooming more and more.

Will they get out alive to have their happy ever after or will the killer find them and snuff them out first?

[Andrea]

Cozy mysteries can all vary in their levels of amateur silliness and sleuthing. This one takes best friends who became a couple, Zellie and Arnie, and continues their exploits as amateur private investigators. Apparently they stumbled upon solving a mystery in the first novel and then became a couple. Now they want to have an actual business, but are up against the tough set of rules required to actually get your PI license and are about to get into trouble. The action gets started when they go to check out a potential new office and a dead body literally falls on top of them.

They take it as a sign and delve deep into an investigation that makes me flash back to high school English class. It also has plenty of your cheesy silliness of characters and their reactions as the story unfolds. I felt like I figured out a good chunk of it before the characters did, but not all of it.

I did read this book without having read the first one and felt like I did do okay with the story. There are a lot of references to the back story throughout. But I do think it may help if you read the first one to better understand a lot of the story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Just another reader]

This is a hilariously original take on the mystery-solving capabilities of two wannabe private investigators Arnie and Zellie, partners in business and in life. Following a success in the investigation of a case, Arnie and Zellie decide to take the business of private investigation seriously, although they aren't licensed yet. While out exploring a potential new office, a murdered dead body lands on them (literally), and before they know it, they find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation.
The narration is light, the plot has a good mix of mystery and fun, and the protagonists Arnie and Zellie are adorable. I had not read the first book in the series, and although I found many references to the first book, I had no trouble reading this book as it serves as a good stand-alone piece.
I certainly enjoyed reading this book.
Many thanks to PB Tours and the author Eric Small, for gifting me a copy of this book for an honest review.

[Sue Brooks]

I'll start by saying that if you have not read the Brazen Gambit - the first book in the An Arnie & Zellie Cozy Mystery series - that you should really read it first. It will tell you things that are referenced in book 2 - A Tale of Two Freddies.

Arnice and Zellie are a couple of want to be private investigators that keep ending up in the middle of murder scenes and are intrigued to help find out what happened. They don't have a license to be PI's but that doesn't stop them from trying to figure out the case. They are long time friends that have decided to start a relationship. I'll let you read and find out all that they go through with this case and I'm sure you will enjoy it to the end!!!

I can hardly wait for Eric Small to write the next book of the series!!!

[Nancy Quatrano]

How happy I was to see Arnie and Zellie back at it again! What a riot this adventure is and the author did a marvelous job of weaving the web of deception for both the protagonists and the readers! Bravo, Eric Small, well done. If you enjoy a fun, fast cozy read, DO NOT MISS this series!