Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder by Bellamy Rose

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder — Rich Girl, Frozen Trust Fund, One Dead Grandma

Author: Bellamy Rose
Genre: Cozy Mystery / Whodunit / Contemporary Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 out of 5)

Lighthearted, clever, surprisingly heartfelt — this was a really fun whodunit with a heroine I didn’t expect to love as much as I did. Rich-girl-to-barista? Murder clause in the will? Forced personal growth and a romance subplot? Yes please. ☕🔪

⚠️ TRIGGER WARNINGS

  • Murder

  • Graphic death scene

  • Alcohol abuse

  • Family trauma & emotional abuse

  • Financial ruin / homelessness themes

  • Physical assault

  • Blackmail

  • Online harassment / trolling

🚨 FULL SPOILER WARNING 🚨

This review contains a complete, start-to-finish plot summary, including the killer, motive, and ending. If you want a cozy surprise, stop here. If you’re here for the tea ☕… keep reading.

🕵️‍♀️ Meet Pomona Afton: Heiress With Zero Access to Cash

Pomona “Pom” Afton is Manhattan royalty — granddaughter of Marion Afton, iron-fisted head of Afton Hotels. Pom’s life consists of charity galas, cocktails, and ignoring her terrifying grandmother’s phone calls.

This backfires immediately.

After a night of heavy partying (including dancing on a table and blacking out — relatable, honestly), Pom wakes up to discover her grandmother has been brutally murdered in her penthouse. 🩸

And here’s the kicker:
Marion’s will includes a delightful little clause stating that if she dies an unnatural death, all family assets are frozen for a year — or until the killer is found.

Pom is instantly:

  • Penniless

  • Kicked out of her hotel apartment

  • Forced to live like a… normal person 😱

So yes — Pom is now highly motivated to solve a murder.

💸 From Penthouse to Barista Apron

Pom bounces between uncomfortable family couches before landing in a dumpy apartment owned by her former nanny’s son, Gabe Morales — a grad student who manages a coffee shop and possesses unlimited patience.

Surprise twist:
Pom’s long-lost cat Squeaky (now renamed Meatball) lives there too. 🐱

With no skills and no résumé, Pom becomes a barista under the alias Rachel Sparks — and absolutely hates every second of it. The register? Her enemy. Customers? Worse.

This is where the book really shines: watching a privileged heroine be humbled without becoming annoying or preachy. It’s funny, messy, and oddly charming.

🧩 The Suspects Pile Up (Everyone Is Shady)

Pom and Gabe decide the only way out is solving the murder themselves. Their suspect list includes:

  • The nervous CFO

  • The cousins with a mysterious exile

  • Pom’s parents

  • Her brother Nicholas and his girlfriend Jessica

  • And… Pom’s own best friend, Opal

As Pom investigates, secrets start spilling everywhere:

  • Her mother Grace was being harassed online by an anonymous troll named RibbetRabbit

  • Grandma Marion had summoned the cousins for a secret meeting before her death

  • Opal has been lying about her finances and living situation

  • Everyone seems to have been at the hotel that night 👀

👠 The Stiletto Theory & A False Confession

A major turning point comes when Pom overhears her parents discussing a shoe as the murder weapon.

Cue the realization:
Grace owns razor-sharp custom stilettos.

Pom confronts her mother in the Hamptons, and Grace confesses — kind of. She admits Marion was RibbetRabbit and that she threw a stiletto at her during a fight, but insists Marion was alive when she left.

The plot thickens when security footage reveals:

  • Nicholas and Jessica visited the penthouse

  • Jessica returned alone and stayed for 45 minutes — right during the murder window

Jessica admits she went back to blackmail Marion over family secrets… but swears she didn’t kill her.

And then Pom hears one crucial thing:
Jessica ran into Opal in the hallway that night.

Uh oh.

🔥 The Real Killer Reveal (And It’s DEVASTATING)

Pom and Gabe confront Opal in Queens, and everything finally explodes.

Opal:

  • Is Grandpa Afton’s illegitimate daughter

  • Was rejected and humiliated by Marion

  • Snapped in rage after being denied money and acknowledgment

She murdered Marion using the missing stiletto — and attacks Pom when cornered.

Pom records Opal’s confession, and Gabe’s brother (a cop) arrests her.

Justice: served. 🧑‍⚖️

🧁 One Year Later: The Cozy Ending We Deserved

After a year, the assets are unfrozen — but Pom has changed.

Instead of crawling back to hotel life, she:

  • Opens her own bakery, Pomona’s Treats

  • Keeps baking (turns out she’s great at it!)

  • Starts a charitable foundation

  • Ends up happily coupled with Gabe 💕

Growth! Romance! Murder resolution! A bakery ending!
Honestly? Very satisfying.

💭 Final Thoughts

This book is breezy, funny, clever, and genuinely entertaining. The mystery kept me guessing, the romance added warmth, and Pom’s character arc felt earned.

It’s not deep or gritty — and it doesn’t try to be. This is a comfort whodunit with bite, and I devoured it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — Highly recommend for cozy mystery lovers who enjoy humor, romance, and rich-people problems turning into real consequences.

📚 If You Liked This, Try These Next:

Want more spoiler-heavy, plot-loving chaos? You know where to find me. 😈📖

 

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