Needled to Death is the first book by Annelise Ryan that I have read and it will not be my last. It is a fun cozy mystery that has a potential romance, a great dog, some humorous moments, and of course, a good mystery. One plus for me with the mystery is that the police detective that Hildy talks with welcomes her help instead of constantly pushing her away. Oh, but that doesn’t keep her from doing some unapproved investigation on her own.

Although her day job is referred back to throughout the story, most of the book is devoted to the mystery. As a result, the reader really sees little of Hildy working in her profession as a social services worker in a hospital. The characters are well rounded and we get to know them as just more than a social worker or detective. I enjoyed meeting Hildy’s young neighbor and dog walker.

The pace of the book picked up as I got further into the story. Parts of the puzzle came together for me before the end, but there were plenty of surprises, too.

If you enjoy a good cozy mystery, then give this one a try.

I received my copy of Needled to Death in a Facebook book group drawing with no request made or promised of writing a review. This is simply my opinion and nothing more. ( )

*Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Motivated by her own difficult past, Hildy has an unparalleled commitment to supporting troubled clients through grief and addiction in Sorenson, Wisconsin. But when a distraught group therapy member reveals disturbing details about her late son’s potential murder, Hildy goes from dedicated mental health professional to in-over-her-head amateur sleuth . . .

Alongside her loyal therapy Golden Retriever, Hildy stumbles through incriminating clues—and an unlikely partnership with Detective Bob Richmond, the irresistibly headstrong cop who shares her passion for helping others. With signs of foul play surfacing all over town, can Hildy and Detective Richmond pinpoint the deadly traits of a sharp-witted killer before another seat gets filled at grief therapy?

This is a great intro to what seems to be a very promising new mystery series! This has all sorts of little details I've never seen in a cozy mystery before. ( )

Cute. Hildy has possibilities; a troubles past but a willingness to work through the residual personal quirks. Not whiny. Seems nice. Love her dog and PJ. ( )

Needled to Death is the first book in A Helping Hands Mystery series which is a spin-off of A Mattie Winston Mystery series. Needled to Death can be read as a standalone though. Hildy Schneider is a social worker, pleasantly plump, single, and has some quirks. Hildy’s mother was murdered when she was seven years old. She then found herself in the foster care system where Hildy was a less than an ideal child. She moved from home to home until she aged out of the system. Being in the foster care system left Hildy with an odd habit or two that she has been unable to shed. When Sharon Cochran asks for the grief support group’s assistance in proving her son was murdered, Hildy wants to help because her mother’s case is still unsolved. Hildy talks with Mattie Winston and then teams up with Detective Bob Richmond. Hildy became assertive with Bob regarding the case and also worked up the courage to ask him out on a date. Bob is a handsome and has been working out since he was shot. Hildy is surprised to learn he is fifty-two (he does not look his age). Jonas Kriedeman, an evidence technician, is attracted to Hildy and invites her to dinner. The mystery is multilayered with a twist or two. Hildy stumbles upon an interesting find that, in my opinion, was the best part of the mystery. I was happy that all the details of the case are revealed providing a satisfying conclusion. I found it fascinating when Hildy was trying to lift a print and how she was able to utilize it. I did find Needled to Death to be a slow starter and I did not like the repetitive details (that Hildy was in the foster care system, bad homes, she has no family, her mother’s history). I like that the author took the time to establish the main characters and there are descriptive details on each character. I did not like that Needled to Death is written in the first person (it was unappealing to me). P.J., the neighbor’s daughter, was a delightful addition to the book. I liked her frank nature. Roscoe, Hildy’s golden retriever, is a protective and comforting dog. He was a sweetie. Those readers who enjoy A Mattie Winston Mystery series will be delighted with A Helping Hands Mystery series. Needled to Death has a protective pooch, a dashing detective, a cold case, a perplexing puzzle and a caring counselor. ( )

I don't remember reading this author in the past, but I might have.

While I can understand Sharon Cochran going to a grief support group after losing her son, I have no idea why she would think a grief support group could help her investigate the case and/or find something that the police didn't. (It turns out she's right, but . . .) For that reason, I struggled with the beginning of this novel--and at one point,I wondered if I'd give up on it.

WARNING: POTENTIAL SPOILERS (READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION)

Hildy is a social worker and the facilitator of the grief support group. (I like that she's short, like me, and could relate to many of the things related to her height--clothes that don't fit right, having to hurry to keep up with taller people, etc.) I was glad to see Bob get her started working out. I also appreciated learning about Hildy's past and why she has some of the quirks she has.

Apparently, this book is a spin off of another series by this author, so maybe it is no surprise that the supporting characters are fairly well fleshed out even though this is the first book of the series. I'm not so sure about the two child characters (PJ and Sofie) though--they both seem to be "older than their years" which makes me wonder if the author isn't able to write true child characters for some reason.

Hildy ends up with 2 potential love interests--Detective Bob Richmond and Forensic Expert Jonas--a bit awkward since the two men work together.

Hildy seems to enjoy her job through the hospital (not that we get to see her do much of it), but she also seems to have some desire to investigate crimes/injustices. It seems she may get to do both in her new role (assuming she gets the job that's hinted at toward the end of the novel). I wonder if that job will eventually become full-time or more full-time (given that we are told the hospital is cutting back). I also am not sure I can see Hildy continuing to work for her boss when the boss tried to get the position with the police department that Hildy wanted--and that Hildy had told her about.

I wonder what the police chief thought when Hildy's boss applied for a position that hadn't even been advertised?

On the one hand, I can't blame her for applying. She knows the hospital is cutting back and as she said, no one's job there is secure--perhaps she was even rattled by the fact that her department was affected when she thought it would not be. It does make me wonder if the questions she asked Hildy about how she would handle working two jobs were to try to figure out how to do it herself, rather than because she was truly worried about Hildy or about Hildy's job performance if she was burning the candle at both ends.

On the other hand, I thought she was disloyal to Hildy by applying for a job that Hildy told her about and obviously wanted--at least without mentioning she was going to do so to Hildy prior to putting her application in.

I did guess there was some traumatic event in young Cochran's life that led to his breaking up with his girlfriend--but I didn't guess exactly what it was. I also guessed that he was planning to reveal what he knew and that someone killed him to prevent that--but again, I didn't guess correctly about who the murderer(s) was(were). ( )