“Scheduled to Death” A Maggie McDonald Mystery By Mary Feliz

by Cynthia Chow

Details on how to win a copy of this book at the end of the review & links to purchase it.

As a Certified Professional Organizer, Maggie McDonald considers organizing to be her superpower. Her compulsive need to be agreeable and help out whenever possible is challenging her struggling new business, and that never becomes more apparent than with her newest Orchard View client. Linc Sinclair is a genius Stanford professor up for a Nobel Prize, but his hoarder-like tendencies make clearing out his Victorian home before a realtor’s showcase a massive challenge. It becomes even more insurmountable when Maggie and her best friend Tess discover the body of Linc’s fiancé electrocuted to death in his bathtub. Maggie had become close friends with school librarian Sarah Palmer, so when the Acting Detective—“Detective Awful”—immediately focuses on the absent-minded professor as his suspect, it’s impossible for Maggie to remain on the sidelines.

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A training accident and broken leg has friendly Detective Jason Mueller unfortunately sitting out the investigation while the cliché of an obnoxious, donut-swilling cop refuses to look further than his own target. This means that Maggie feels she has no choice but to investigate and discover who had reason to want either Sarah or Linc out of the picture. The Professor’s neighboring community garden is run by the Orchard View Plotters Garden Club, and their president is not shy about her opinions on the land use and more than a little protective about her volunteers. Tensions are running high as well among the academia, with some residents wanting to cut out librarians from the schools and competitive researchers at Stanford University making the laboratories equally fraught.

Image source: Lyrical Underground

Each chapter begins with suggestions from the Notebook of Maggie’s Organizing Services, and these range from practical advice on organizing socks to more philosophical tips on talking to teenagers. Maggie’s skills at compartmentalizing and scheduling aid in her investigation, as does her ability to cope with rather difficult personalities. What Maggie does struggle with is her continual need to solve everyone else’s problems, often at a cost to herself. Balancing her life as a businesswoman, wife, and mother of two adolescent boys is never easy, but her humor, good friends, and supportive family are often enough to see her through. Several complex plots are examined, with the solutions being completely unexpected but sadly plausible. A relatable heroine who gains confidence in both her skills as a mother, professional organizer, and an investigator is extremely enjoyable to follow, ensuring that readers will look forward to more of Maggie’s organizing adventures.

To enter to win a copy of Scheduled to Death, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “scheduled,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen February 18, 2017. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please included your mailing address.

You can use these links to purchase the book. If you have adblocker on you may not be able to see the Amazon link:

Scheduled to Death

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.