LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, AND MURDER

Larkin Day returns in the second entry in Dieker’s mystery series, following Ode to Murder (2022).

After solving her first case, grad student Larkin is considering going into business as a private detective for hire and making Pratincola, Iowa—a Cedar Rapids suburb—her permanent home. Still living in her mother’s guest bedroom, she’s eager to make a fresh start in the new year. Her first case is the online “murder” of Bonnie Cooper, a fitness instructor and influencer who’s alive and well but whose social media, email, and cellphone accounts have been mysteriously erased from existence: “About as murdered as you can be without being dead,” as Bonnie describes it. Larkin’s job is to rescue Bonnie from this purgatory before she loses her sponsors, her subscribers, and her job at the local fitness center. Another person having career trouble is Larkin’s mother, Josephine Day, the dean at Howell College; she’s started receiving threatening messages in the form of yard signs after word gets around about her romantic relationship with police officer Claire. Larkin follows a social media trail to track down her culprits, but her personal life may be the most tangled case of all. Why is she putting off filing paperwork to be an officially licensed detective? Has she given up on working in theater? How’s her tentative relationship with music professor Ed going? Does her best friend Anni have a boyfriend? Overall, this is a charming mystery that offers readers a welcome twist on the typical cozy mystery plot. If readers haven’t read the first book, the author makes it as easy as possible for them to catch up by offering plentiful references to past events. Larkin’s journey will particularly speak to millennials who find themselves navigating the problems of the baby boomers and members of Gen Z in their lives while also trying to figure things out for themselves. The cast of secondary characters is entertaining and diverse, and the pacing is brisk. Clever humor and engaging relationships keep the tone light but satisfying throughout.

A charming and delightful cozy whodunit that will leave fans eager for the next installment.