🏠 Book Review: Staged by Elle Cosimano (Kindle Edition, Busybodies Collection #1)
A playful, cozy mystery short with a home-staging twist—Elle Cosimano blends lighthearted banter, quirky amateur sleuthing, and a dash of HGTV energy into a quick, satisfying read.
🧠 Overview
First published on October 15, 2024, Staged is a 43-page novella and the opening entry in Amazon Original Stories’ Busybodies Collection—a set of standalone, quirky mysteries featuring everyday people stumbling into unexpected investigations.
The story follows Lyda, a newbie real estate broker, and her friend Dani, a TikTok-trained home stager, as they prepare a crumbling Victorian for sale. Their plans for a picture-perfect open house are derailed when they discover the landscaper’s dead body in one of the bedrooms.
The victim, a notorious local flirt, leaves behind a long list of jilted lovers and business rivals—meaning suspects are everywhere. With the open house looming, Lyda and Dani decide to solve the murder themselves before it scares off potential buyers.
🔍 Key Themes & Highlights
- 🏡 Home staging meets whodunit: The cozy mystery premise gets a fresh spin with real estate and renovation details
- 👯 Dynamic duo: Lyda’s cautious practicality balances Dani’s social-media-savvy boldness
- 🕵️ Amateur sleuthing: Red herrings, quirky suspects, and light investigative hijinks
- 🎭 Humor in the mix: Cosimano keeps the tone breezy despite the murder plot
- 📏 Compact pacing: Moves quickly, with just enough character flavor to keep you invested
“Is it harder to find a killer or land a buyer?” — Tagline from the Goodreads blurb
💬 Reader Reception
- ⭐ Goodreads rating: 3.25/5 from over 5,000 ratings
- 📖 Many readers enjoyed the fun premise, banter, and red herrings that kept them guessing
- 💬 “A quick, fun read… serious enough to be a mystery, but with just the right amount of humor”
- 🧾 Some wished for deeper character development, but most agreed it works well as a one-sitting cozy
⚠️ Considerations
- 📄 Short format: At under an hour’s read, it’s more of a vignette than a full-length mystery
- 📚 Standalone: No prior reading needed, but shares tone with other Busybodies stories
- 🧠 Light stakes: Best for readers who prefer charm and humor over gritty crime
🏁 Final Verdict
Staged is a breezy, clever cozy mystery short that’s perfect for fans of light amateur sleuth tales with a unique setting. Elle Cosimano uses the home-staging backdrop to add fresh flavor to the genre, making it an ideal pick for a coffee-break read or a palate cleanser between heavier books.
