In for a Penny: A Humorous Amateur Sleuth Cozy Mystery

Written by Kelsey Browning and Nancy Naigle

Narrated by Pam Dougherty

The Golden Girls meet Dirty Harry…

from USA Today bestselling authors

When Lillian Summer Fairview’s husband up and dies on her, it leaves the last living member of the most prestigious family in the small town of Summer Shoals, Georgia, in a hot money mess. Desperate to keep up the family name and give the man a decent burial, penniless Lil cooks up a shady deal that lands her smack-dab in the slammer.

Burdened by her shameful secret and a crumbling family estate, Lil entrusts Summer Haven’s care to her best friend, Maggie, who recruits two more over-fifty ladies to help. But when Maggie discovers that Lil’s restitution is ten times the amount she “borrowed” from the federal government, she’s convinced Lil has taken the fall for someone else’s crime.

Will these gals be able to get some vigilante justice for Lil, or will the swindler get away with hoodwinking a sweet little old lady?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kicksass Creations
• Release date: Jun 5, 2014
• ISBN: 9781944898380

Reviews for In for a Penny

[jenniferrobb · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I don't think I've read any other books by this author. It was an engaging read but not quite what I expected. I did feel a bit lost at first--knowing that Lillian was planning for something but not quite sure what. I did think it was funny that they sort of tricked the officer into doing work for them, and I didn't guess what the "special" tea was until it was revealed later in the book. At first I just thought it was tea but when it kept being referred to as "special tea" I knew there had to be more than just tea to the equation. I didn't quite figure out how they knew about the copper allergy. I did wonder how Lillian thought she'd get away with defrauding social security, but I also figured that what she did wasn't the whole story.

[cissa_5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although it had a slow start, I really enjoyed this novel. Various women Of A Certain Age- 50s-70s- join forces to help each other and to uncover a series of serious crimes and bring the criminal to justice.This does not solve all the problems! Lil is still in prison, and hr home still needs a LOT of work to restore it to its proper state... so I am eager to read #2 in the series! The sample just whetted my interest.The characters are very individual- some quirky, but not annoyingly- and vividly drawn, even the Bad Guy. The plot was twisty, and managed to put people in danger without killing anyone. Yoga helped.After its slow start, this was one of the most engaging mysteries I've read recently. And currently, it if free for Kindle readers!

[joab-892289 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book! It was hilarious!Lillian is in a financial mess. After her husband, Harlan, died she found out he had spent the family fortune on lottery tickets. Because Lillian is the last living member of the Summer family in Summer Shoals, it's her responsibility to keep the family name in good standing, so she doesn't let on that she's broke. She borrowed money from Nash making a deal to pay him back with her husband's Social Security checks. Yes, he's dead, so the checks should have stopped. Lillian didn't tell the government about that, so she landed in jail. Meanwhile, she leaves two friends to look after her home, Summer Haven. One of her friends sees the amount Lil was accused of taking was much, much more than Lil said it was so the friends investigate, hoping to clear Lillian's name.What a hoot to watch these grannies become sleuths to help their friend. The three of them were very different from each other but worked together to find the truth. I liked that some of the things each of the women did even surprised the others. But it worked.It did have a bit of a slow start, but I quickly fell in love with these grannies and was chuckling all the way through.

[wearylibrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Quirky senior citizens solve crimes. Lil cashes a few of her husband's social security checks after his death in order to give him a proper burial. The town that her family founded could never know that her husband squandered their money on lottery tickets. Now Lil is in prison and Maggie, Sara, and Abby Ruth are having a hard time keeping the town from finding our her location. They also decide to find out who stole all the social security checks Lil was accused of cashing. Funny, these old gals will leave you laughing, shaking your head, and rolling your eyes.

[susan0316 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I just finished In for a Penny by Kelsey Browning and Nancy Naigle and I loved it. This was the first cozy mystery that I've read but it won't be the last because I have already ordered books 2 and 3 in the Granny series. This book was a hit for several reasons but the main one for me was that the main characters were my age. They were strong women who could manage to run a house, pound a nail, cook a meal, do yoga and solve a few crimes all at the same time. It was so refreshing to read a book with older strong female characters that were so much fun and so likable.