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Trouble on the Books by Essie Lang

Trouble on the Books by Essie Langfive-stars
Trouble on the Books by Essie Lang
Series: Castle Bookshop Mystery #1
Genres: Cozy Mystery

Essie Lang’s series debut is perfect for fans of Lorna Barrett, Vicki Delany, and book lovers everywhere.

Rookie bookstore owner Shelby Cox must hit the books to learn the ropes before she loses a killer in the stacks.

Shelby Cox never intended to become a bookseller, so when the former editor returns to her hometown of Alexandria Bay, nestled in upstate New York’s breathtaking Thousand Islands region, to take over her aunt’s bookstore, she has no idea what to expect. To her amazement, she discovers that she now owns a fifty-percent share in Bayside Books, and will also run the store’s second location in the majestic castle on nearby Blye Island.

But just as Shelby is gearing up for the start of the tourist season, the Castle volunteer coordinator is found murdered in the nearby Grotto. Castle caretaker Matthew Kessler is suspect number one, but Shelby thinks the killing may be connected to an earlier era, when violence among Prohibition-era smugglers was rampant in the region. As Shelby launches her own investigation, handsome and unnerving Special Agent Zack Griffin of the Coast Guard Investigative Services tries to quell her smuggling theory and keep her safe. But Shelby is determined to summon all her savvy as a book editor to plot the murder—and find the killer before he strikes again—in Trouble on the Books, Essie Lang’s clever and captivating series debut.

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In this series: A Deadly Chapter
Other books from this Author A Deadly Chapter

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.

Cozy mystery at its best. I wasn’t sure what to expect but loved this from beginning to end.

REVIEW

I loved this book so much. Shelby’s aunt has surgery and Shelby discovers that owns half of the bookshop. Shelby is managing the Blye Island location and going back and forth across the river from the castle to her houseboat. Everything is pretty normal until the Castle Volunteer Coordinator is murdered. Everything points to the caretaker but Shelby isn’t so sure. This leads her to her own investigation.

Let me say that the locations this book are stellar. They were so well though out and not just your standard book store. Who wouldn’t want a book store inside a castle. It is one of those things that is on every book lover’s bucket list. If not it should be. This was a wonderful book and as I said I enjoyed. I can’t wait to see what else is in store

five-stars

About Essie Lang

Essie Lang is the pen for Linda Wiken.

For 15 years, Linda Wiken owned the mystery specialty store, Prime Crime Books in Ottawa, ON. It was with sadness and a sense of anticipation that she closed the store in 2010. Now, she’s embarked on a life of crime between the pages. Her first novel in the Ashton Corners Book Club mysteries, A Killer Read, was published April, 2012 as her alter ego, Erika Chase, and was shortlisted for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel at the Malice Domestic conference. There are now five books in the series.

Her next writing adventure was as the real Linda Wiken with another series, the Dinner Club Mysteries, also from Berkley Prime Crime. There are three titles in that series.

She’s now experiencing life in a castle bookstore writing the appropriately named, Castle Bookshop Mysteries for Crooked Lane Books. Oh, yes…and she’s doing it under a new name, Essie Lang.

Her short stories have appeared in the seven Ladies’ Killing Circle anthologies (three of which she co-edited), and in the magazines Mysterious Intent and Over My Dead Body. She has been short-listed for an Arthur Ellis Award, Best Short Story, from Crime Writers of Canada.

Before life in the world of mystery, she worked as an advertising copywriter, radio producer, journalist and community education worker.

As a volunteer with the Ottawa Police Service for over 15 years, she developed a strong, sometimes scary interest in police procedures. She wrote weekly crime stats articles for the local community newspapers for them, along with stories for the OPS internal newsletter.

She is an avid chorister and loves being a choir member.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    • It was a fun read and refreshing for someone who reads a ton of romance.I love throwing a cozy mystery or two for a change of pace.

      Reply

  14. I’m glad that you mix it up by throwing in some cozy mysteries! Thank you for that. 🙂
    This looks like a really good one. And a brief note on the cozy genre: I love that cats are such a prominent part of it! ❤️

    Reply

  20. Trouble on the Books sounds like a great mystery for me to try to solve, thanks for sharing your review and have a splendid day!

    Reply

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