This week AJ and Tara dive back into the chaotic wonderland that is Goodreads reviews, and honestly? The reviewers gave them plenty to work with. From people dramatically announcing they’re “done” with the series (while continuing to read every single book), to complaints about Peabody’s “cringe” badass moment, to someone somehow claiming Somerset wasn’t even mentioned in the book… the chaos level is HIGH.

Highlights include:

• AJ discovering that one reviewer who swore they were quitting the series absolutely did not quit the series.

• Tara defending Peabody with her entire soul.

• A surprisingly passionate discussion about whether Roarke’s financial digging is actually illegal.

• AJ going on an unexpectedly deep tech rant about disks, cloud storage, privacy, and why the In Death universe may actually make more sense now than it did in 2020.

• Multiple reviewers acting personally victimized by recurring character traits like Feeney eating candied almonds and Eve drinking coffee.

• The phrase “pleasantly free of interior decorating” making AJ completely lose it.

• Tara discovering AJ has apparently transformed into a Renaissance Faire character after saying “Huzzah.”

Also discussed:

• Miracle on 34th Street

• Maureen O’Hara appreciation

• GIFs or JIFs… the debate continues)

• Why people on the internet insist on hate-reading things they clearly don’t enjoy

Plus, podcast updates! AJ and Tara talk about upcoming episodes, including their upcoming crossover with the ladies from Romancing the Shelf, plans to revisit early books like Naked in Death, and the upcoming move to a bi-weekly release schedule as they navigate life near the end of the series.

Basically: if you enjoy sarcastic commentary, passionate defense of fictional detectives, and two hosts slowly losing their minds over Goodreads reviews, this episode is for you.