Need a fun, cozy mystery with characters you’ll fall in love with? I think you’ll love Making Friends Can Be Murder.
The Summary
Thirty-year-old Sarah Jones gets caught up solving a murder in her new neighborhood after unknowingly befriending a dangerous con artist (whoโs nothing like what she seems) in this playful, twisty mystery from acclaimed author Kathleen West.
It feels like kismet when Sarah Jones, newly relocated to Minneapolis after abruptly calling off her engagement, gets invited to join a group of women who share her same (very common) name. For years Sarah has received all types of correspondence intended for different Sarah Joneses, but now it seems that this mistake has given her the opportunity for an instant community.
What starts as a low-stakes meet-up called โThe Sarah Jones Projectโ soon turns sinister when another local Sarah Jones is found dead, under suspicious circumstances, at the base of the downtown Minneapolis bridge. After fielding numerous calls from concerned loved ones ruling out their Sarah as the victim, the surviving Sarahs decide to take matters into their own hands.
Aided by the dead womanโs nanny, a newly commissioned (and very handsome and eligible) FBI agent, and a cloistered nun with a complicated past, the motley crew of unlikely friends are determined to get to the bottom of the murder of one of their own.
My Review
This was so fun to read. I loved the story, the whole idea for the story, and the characters.
Speaking of the characters, author Kathleen West is a teacher, and it showed in how well she writes the hilarious quips by the teenage Sarah Jones. I loved her, and loved how she created a group of women with the same name in response to being reprimanded at school.
I liked the other Sarahs, too, although I think that in terms of other Sarahs, nun Sarah stood out to me the most. Especially when her crime-fighting past is talked about…she’s a badass nun.
The mystery hums along at a good pace, and I really liked how it all came together and is gradually revealed. I also enjoyed that there was some reasoning behind what happened that tugs at your heartstrings a bit. I don’t want to say too much about it, though, because I don’t want to give anything away!
Overall, Making Friends Can Be Murder was definitely one of the most fun-to-read books I logged in 2025. If you’re in the mood for something fun with heart, I highly recommend it.
Oh, and did you know that Kathleen West used to write for LQ? It’s true! Check out her posts.
Other reviews of Kathleen West’s books:
Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes
Are We There Yet?
Home or Away
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More About Me
- Review: Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West - November 13, 2025
- What We Read in October 2025 - November 8, 2025
- What We Read in August 2025 - September 11, 2025