Book Review: Moving Is Murder by Sara Rosett

Moving Is Murder
Author: Sara Rosett
Series: An Ellie Avery Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Kensington Cozies; Reissue edition (March 1, 2007)

Description: Meet military spouse, soccer mom, professional organizer, and savvy sleuth, Ellie Avery!

Moving four times in five years has honed Air Force wife Ellie Avery's packing and unpacking skills. But moving with a newborn daughter and husband Mitch in tow, during a heat wave, is enough to make her turn to chocolate for comfort. And when Ellie finds a local environmentalist dead on the side of the road, her instincts tell her this was no accident …

Ellie snoops into the activist's suspicious demise, only to realize she's getting closer to the killer . . . maybe too close! This first Ellie Avery mystery launched a series that continues to win readers' hearts.

My Thoughts: This is the first in the ten-book Ellie Avery series. Ellie is an Air Force wife who has just moved to a new city with her pilot husband Mitch and her infant daughter Livie. Before the boxes are even unpacked, Ellie comes upon the body of another Air Force wife. Cass was a life-of-the-party environmentalist who was the first to welcome Ellie to the new neighborhood.

When Ellie finds Cass dead on the side of the road from anaphylactic shock, she is suspicious of the death. Where were her two EpiPens? And who put a paper cup filled with wasps in her van? And why was she seen arguing with one of the other pilots?

As Ellie investigates, she finds herself the victim of some dangerous pranks and is sure that someone has been in her house snooping around for something. She slowly manages to uncover the conspiracy as the story progresses.

The story is entertaining and suspenseful. It is also filled with tips for moving and packing from this woman who wants to become a professional organizer.

Favorite Quote:

I'd taken after my dad. I liked things lined up and in order. Nothing was in order with Cass's death. Everything was jumbled and didn't fit. I couldn't help poking and prodding, trying to make it make sense. 

I bought this one June 10, 2021. You can buy your copy here.