When Kate Connolly and her husband Jim join members of a new moms group called Roo and You on a dinner cruise on the San Francisco Bay, their evening turns much more interesting than they expected. One of the cofounders of the group takes a header down a flight of stairs, and the San Francisco police department decides to crash the party.

Many readers will remember Kate, Jim and their baby Laurie from Bundle of Trouble, the first book of the Maternal Instincts series by Diana Orgain. In the first book, Kate decided she didn’t want to go back to work full time, but instead find something she could do to work from her home. An unexpected crime occurred and Kate fell into her new profession as a private investigator. Fortunately, Jim landed a large contract and Kate’s dream of being a stay at home mom was realized.

In Motherhood is Murder, Laurie is now two months old and spending the night with Kate’s mom so that the couple can enjoy an evening out. While the police are holding everyone on the cruise boat after Helene’s fall while keeping mum on the details, Kate’s P.I. instincts already start kicking in when she runs into the medical examiner.

Because Kate has not yet obtained her P.I. license, with her mom’s help she is able to work under the supervision of Senior P.I. Albert Gagliani who was instrumental in her first case.

Diana Orgain’s Motherhood is Murder is a welcome addition to her new series. The complicated plot and well-scripted story line moves swiftly to a surprising end with several well-placed red herrings along the way. It is obvious how much Orgain has grown as a writer.

An interesting side note is that the Maternal Instincts Mysteries are written to tie in baby Laurie’s development with Kate’s growth as a P.I. For example, book one (Bundle of Trouble) is the first six weeks of a baby’s development. Book two follows month two of development.

An anticipated book three will follow a baby’s third month of development and so forth, as Kate’s skills as a P.I. are also developing. Orgain’s website at dianaorgain.com explains the dual timeline in greater detail for those who are interested.

If you enjoy this series, you will undoubtedly look forward to future Kate Connolly cases as we follow Kate and Laurie’s growth, and as we feel more like we are becoming a part of this PIs inner circle.

A special thank you goes to Berkley Prime Time for providing a complimentary copy of Motherhood is Murder for us to review. If you are interested in purchasing either book, you can find them at Amazon.com.