I went into this expecting a tighter blend of cozy charm and mystery. While it didn’t fully deliver on that, I still enjoyed it. The premise is charming, the writing is easy to settle into, and the tone stays light. I especially appreciated the warmth of the family dynamic, even if I wanted it more central to the mystery. It may not be a traditional cozy, but it’s still an enjoyable read.

I began reading Stakeouts and Strollers by Rob Phillips and I wanted to quit by the end of the first chapter. If the story aimed for humor, it missed the mark for me. Charlie appeared to lack effectiveness as a private investigator, often dedicating much of his time to monitoring his six-month-old daughter via an app, which also caused his phone battery to deplete rapidly. Charlie awkwardly navigates the mystery, which is simple enough that anyone could solve it (early in the story). The author’s portrayal of Baby Callie as unusually advanced made me question his familiarity with infants. The portrayal of female characters strongly suggests authorship by a male writer. The narrative contains explicit language that I found distasteful. Stakeouts and Strollers felt like a rough draft instead of a published novel. I reluctantly finished the story and decided that I am not the right audience for Stakeouts and Strollers.