What can be worse than returning home to a cousin’s wedding, and facing a judgmental mother and older sister? For Sandy Moss, in E.J. Copperman’s My Cousin Skinny, it’s seeing the bride-to-be covered in blood while insisting she wants Sandy as her attorney.

There are multiple reasons Sandy Moss left New Jersey for LA. Now, she’s made a life for herself there. Her best friend, Angie, came with her. Angie now works for Sandy’s boyfriend, actor Patrick McNabb. And, Sandy’s a practicing criminal defense/family law attorney there. The three of them fly to New Jersey after Sandy gets a last-minute invitation to her cousin Stephanie’s wedding. But, Sandy can only think of her with her childhood nickname, Skinny. And, Sandy really doesn’t want to be there, but knew she’d face family pressure if she declined the invitation. Now, she’s dreading the rehearsal dinner where she’ll see family and friends she isn’t inclined to enjoy spending time with. The puzzling part are multiple trips made to the kitchen by various people, including Stephanie. Then, everything crashes to a standstill when a woman screams and Stephanie emerges from the kitchen in a bloody dress, and she has a knife.

Can it get any worse? Yes, Skinny insists that Sandy defend her. Sandy insists her life and work are all in LA, but family pressure in unbearable. But, why would the county prosecutor, Richard Chapman, insist on taking the case? Maybe it has something to do with the reason Sandy fled New Jersey. She’d worked with Chapman, and slept with him, until she discovered he was married. Then, she told his wife. Now, Chapman seems to have a vendetta against Sandy, and he’s taking it out on her cousin.

As usual with the Jersey Girl Legal Mysteries, there are wonderful characters. Sandy is a hard-working, excellent attorney who understands her opponent. She doesn’t understand her cousin, Skinny, at all. Skinny seems determined to take terrible plea deals, and she’s communicating with Chapman more than Sandy would like. There’s something strange there.

Sandy, Patrick, and Angie are wonderful characters. Chapman is sleazy as can be. And, Skinny? I’m sorry. I was reading the mystery to see how Sandy gets out of this situation. I couldn’t stand her cousin, Skinny. But, I’ll keep watching for this series from E.J. Copperman. I don’t usually read legal mysteries, but the humor and touch of romance are added treats in the Jersey Girl Legal Mysteries and My Cousin Skinny.

E.J. Copperman’s website is https://www.ejcopperman.com/

My Cousin Skinny by E.J. Copperman. Severn House, 2023. ISBN 9789781448309719 (hardcover), 240p.

FTC Full. Disclosure – I received a galley through NetGalley to review for a journal.