Little Bookshop of Murder by Maggie Blackburn
Series: Beach Reads Mystery #1
Genres: Cozy Mystery
A Shakespearean scholar inherits a beachside bookshop--and a murder mystery--in this delightful new cozy series for fans of Kate Carlisle and Ellery Adams.
Summer Merriweather's career as a Shakespeare professor hangs by a bookbinder's thread. Academic life at her Virginia university is a viper's pit, so Summer spends her summer in England, researching a scholarly paper that, with any luck, will finally get her published, impress the Dean, and save her job. But her English idyll ends when her mother, Hildy, shuffles off her mortal coil from an apparent heart attack.
Returning to Brigid's Island, NC, for the funeral, Summer is impatient to settle the estate, sell her mom's embarrassingly romance-themed bookstore, Beach Reads, and go home. But as she drops by Beach Reads, Summer finds threatening notes addressed to Hildy: "Sell the bookstore or die."
Clearly, something is rotten on Brigid's Island. What method is behind the madness? Was Hildy murdered? The police insist there's not enough evidence to launch a murder investigation. Instead, Summer and her Aunt Agatha screw their courage to the sticking place and start sleuthing, with the help of Hildy's beloved book club. But there are more suspects on Brigid's Island than are dreamt of in the Bard's darkest philosophizing. And if Summer can't find the villain, the town will be littered with a Shakespearean tragedy's worth of corpses--including her own.
I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Review
I love when a book has a book theme, especially a cozy mystery that does. I really liked Summer although she does have some moments where I felt she acted more like a teen who is angry with her mother. Her mother has died and Summer is ready to settle the estate but things aren’t what they seem to be.
At the end of the book I liked Summer much more than at the beginning. I will say I wished the characters had better backgrounds but perhaps that is something that is coming in future books. This series has great potential in my opinion it just needs a little nurturing.
I did enjoy how the murder of Summer’s mother wasn’t obvious until the evidence is shown. The sad thing was I figured out who the killer was right away. It didn’t make it worse but I would have enjoyed a little more suspense.
Like I said this series has great potential and the next book may be one that just blows my socks off. We will have to wait and see.
This book sounds like it has a great plot and the cover is really really good.
Sounds like a great book. Also, I dont know why but I love the name Hildy so much!
A beachside bookshop sounds both summery and cozy. I love that contrast! It sounds like a good book choice for September!
Thanks for sharing your review!
I’m not much into cozy mysteries. However, this sounds like an interesting read.
I’m interested in this… i love cozy mysteries. I’m not the best at solving mysteries though, so I might be in for a ride.
Sounds like a very interesting read.
I really like the premise of this story and it’s direction but it doesn’t sound like it reaches it’s full potential. Given your review I probably won’t be reading it bit it definitely an author I’ll be keeping an eye on.
Love the cover, sounds like a book that I would definitely enjoy reading.
I am so excited to read this book.
Sounds like an interesting read.
Great review, I think this is my kind of book & I can’t wait to read it!
Thanks for the great review! It sounds like an interesting book, and I now have it on my reading list.
This sounds like a good story. I would love to own a bookstore.
This sounds like a classic sherlock-investigative book wherein you as a reader would be eager to know who killed who! An interesting read!
Sounds like a great read based on your review will have to check it out.
I enjoy Ellery Adams so I think I’d enjoy this book. Thanks!
This is one to go on my reading list!
Thanks for the review. I’ll take a look at his cozy!
Little Bookshop of Murder sounds like a good book! Thanks for sharing your review and have a sunshiny day!
nice review
Thank you for sharing your honest review of Little Bookshop of Murder, I do think that I will give reading this story a try and I will keep my eyes peeled for your reviews of the next stories from the series
This sounds like a fun book, I love the cover!
This does sound like a fun read!