Mavis Miller: Book 2
Publication Date: July 8, 2025
A clever and hilarious new mystery about a mother who thinks she has to do it all—even solve a murder—from the author of It’s Elementary
After rage quitting her job, Mavis finally has time to get all the rest she’s been putting off. Or she should have the time. Hypothetically. Except she’s taken on a new role: Supermom. Her hours are filled with chauffeuring her daughter, Pearl, around to her extracurricular activities, somehow ending up class mom, and…investigating another mystery?
When Coach Cole, the director of the kids’ soccer program, drops dead on a sunny Saturday morning, no one suspects foul play. However, the police soon discover something suspicious left on the field, making it clear that someone had it in for the coach. But who? Sure, parents got mad when he made their precious star athletes sit on the bench, but not that mad.
Mavis is determined to find out, even if it takes her into the dark, dangerous underbelly of gentle parents and MLM girlbosses. Plus, it’s an easy distraction from everything else going on. Like the panic attacks she keeps brushing off. Or the fact that she’s unemployed and totally lost as to what her purpose and path in life should be. And then there’s her ex-husband who’s back in town and doing everything she’s ever wanted, just as she’s beginning a new relationship. Mavis knows a murder investigation probably isn’t the self-care she needs right now. But how exactly are you supposed to take care of yourself when you don’t even know who you are anymore?
The Game is Afoot by Elise Bryant is the second book in the Mavis Miller series, and I’m looking forward to reading more. Not having read the first book, I was still able to piece together enough background information to understand the main characters and the backdrop of the neighborhood and the school.
Mavis is quite the character. An amateur sleuth, a single mom with an adorable daughter who sometimes acts like a little adult, her ex is always around due to the said daughter, a boyfriend, some friends, and a multitude of neighborhood and school activities. It’s a good thing she’s currently unemployed! Many of the secondary characters were extremely likable, but some of the PTA moms left a lot to be desired. And there is something about Bethany’s marketing campaign that seems like a pyramid scheme.
Once again, Mavis gets involved in a mystery to be solved, much to the chagrin of the police detectives assigned to the case, as well as her boyfriend. She collects suspects left and right and is sad when she has to dismiss them, but not before giving the detectives the clues she’s picked up. The detectives don’t seem to understand how she gets some of her information. Some of the many stories have laugh-out-loud moments, along with some cringeworthy ones. The story was sometimes choppy, but it had a lot of action. There is closure when she solves the crime, and some other information is brought to light, but there are a few loose ends.
The Game is Afoot is a mystery filled with suspects, clues, and red herrings. Endearing characters, especially those in Mavis’ inner circle, had me turning the pages to figure out whodunnit but also to see what Mavis would be up to next.
Elise Bryant is the NAACP Image Award-nominated author of Happily Ever Afters, One True Loves, Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling, and It’s Elementary. For many years, Elise had the joy of working as a special education teacher, and now she spends her days reading, writing, and eating dessert. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Long Beach, California.
