Ukulele of Death by E.J. Copperman

Series Name: Fran and Ken Stein Mystery Book #1
Genre: Private investigator
Release: May 2, 2023
Format: Print, Digital

Meet Fran and Ken Stein – a private investigator duo who refuse to let a little thing like being not entirely human stop them from doing their jobs.

After losing their parents when they were just babies, private investigators Fran and Ken Stein now specialize in helping adoptees find their birth parents. So when a client asks them for help finding her father, with her only clue a rare ukulele, the case is a little weird, sure, but it’s nothing they can’t handle.

But soon Fran and her brother are plunged into a world where nothing makes sense – and not just the fact that a very short (but very cute) NYPD detective keeps trying to take eternal singleton Fran out on dates.

All Fran wants to do is find the ukulele and collect their fee, but it’s hard to keep your focus when you’re stumbling over corpses and receiving messages that suggest your (dead) parents are very much alive.

Ukuleles aside, it’s becoming clear that someone knows something they shouldn’t – that Fran and Ken Stein weren’t so much born, as built . . .

The Ukulele of Death is the first in a new series of light-hearted, paranormal tinged mysteries that are filled with off-beat humor, heart and the wry wisdom that’s E.J. Copperman’s signature style.

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Dru’s Short Musing:
This was a fun and zany explosion of mischief and mayhem involving sibling private investigators and a missing instrument and murder.

When the assumed missing ukulele is auctioned and later their client is murdered, something is amiss and Fran and sometimes Ken, is determined to learn the truth which involves crashing a funeral, going out to dinner, and reaching out to another source that will bring this case to its conclusion. Along the way, this mystery kept me entertained with visually descriptive narrative, engaging dialogue, especially when Fran steps out to chat with the reader, and a vibe that made this a comfortable read. Oh, and the humor, ever so delightful. The author did a great job in providing a variety of clues to keep me guessing with all the red herrings tossed in to enhance my reading pleasure. The pacing was on par with how well this story was being told. I enjoyed watching this all play out as things fell into place and one by one we knew who was doing what to whom. Nice job. Overall, a great entre into the traditional field. 

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.