Killalot by Cindy Brown

Ivy Meadows is in the audience for a Renaissance Faire with her boyfriend, her brother, and her brother's girlfriend. She's delighted to learn that her friend Riley is also there; he's participating in the jousting tournament against the man who used to be his mentor. But the time comes for the bout, Riley is not the opponent who walks onto the field and his mentor is the one who ends up dead.
An okay addition to the series but didn't capture me as much as earlier books. Still looking forward to the next one in the series.

Three stars
This book came out November 6
ARC kindly provided by Edelweiss; Opinion is my own

The Phantom of Oz by Cindy Brown

Ivy Winters is worried about her friend Candy MoonPie (now going by Candace Moon). The once
pleasingly plump and vivacious actor is but a wisp of her former self, in size and in personality. Ivy goes to meet Candy at her new production, the Phantom of Oz, and barely misses getting hit by the heavy, antique chandelier that goes crashing to the floor. Is it just an unfortunate accident or an escalation in the series of unfortunate events that have been plaguing the production? When the issues end in the death of an incredibly toxic Hollywood-type and Candy's disappearance, Ivy is on the case.
I think regular readers will be happy to continue the series. I would suggest newer readers start earlier in the series.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out January 30
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley
Follows Ivy Get Your Gun

Ivy Get Your Gun by Cindy Brown

Ivy is still working on figuring out her life. I missed one of the books in the series but I didn't feel like I missed too much of the story.
Still working for her uncle's detective agency but also working as an actress, Ivy is trying out for "Annie Get Your Gun." She is somewhat sidetracked by the appearance of Arnie's son (supposedly). Nathan has borrowed money from Arnie (actually, it was Marge's money) to start a live-action Western town. Add to that, Arnie and Marge's pug, Lassie, has recently run away to run with a pack of feral Chihuahuas.
So, Ivy's working at the town, trying out for a play, searching for Lassie, and trying to figure out how to keep her relationship going when her boyfriend live  an hour away. It's a good book, much in keeping with the first one. A fast, fun, and fluffy read, it's perfect for a summer pick.

Four stars
This book comes out May 16
Followed by The Phantom of Oz

The Sound of Murder by Cindy Brown

I hadn't read the first book in this series (at least according to Goodreads, but the character sure felt familiar). I will be looking for "McDeath" to read though because I quite enjoyed this book. There were issues (didn't see a lot of character development (part of the first book?), story was a big convoluted, took some time to ) but I overall liked Ivy Meadows (real name Olive Ziegwart) and her zany antics (car catches fire? No problem, that's why she carries a fire extinguisher.)

The mystery is that several residents of a retirement community seem to be committing suicide. And Ivy, as a part-time consultant  in her uncle's detective agency, is asked to help. She's also house-sitting and performing in a mash-up of "The Sound of Music" and "Cabaret." There was a lot going on in the book (also Ivy has a brother (with whom she has a complicated history), she's dating a new guy, and... and... and...). It crossed zany into overwhelming a few times but I plowed through the book in one sitting and was fairly happy when it was done.