Little Bookshop of Murder
A Beach Reads Mystery
by Maggie Blackburn
About Little Bookshop of Murder
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (September 8, 2020)
Hardcover
ISBN-10: 1643854380
ISBN-13: 978-1643854380
Digital ASIN: B0818ZX2NY
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.
About Maggie Blackburn
Maggie Blackburn is the author of A Cora Crafts Mysteries, A Buttermilk Creek Mystery series, Victoria Town Mysteries, and A Cumberland Creek Mystery series under another pen name. Her books have been selected as finalists for an Agatha Award and a Daphne du Maurier Award and as a Top 10 Beach Reads by Woman's World. She has also been short-listed for the Virginia Library People's Choice Award. She is the mother of two young women who are off following their dreams in the music business. She currently lives in Waynesboro, VA, and works at the University of Virginia as a development associate.
Author Links
My Thoughts
Little Bookshop of Murder by Maggie Blackburn has Summer Merriweather returning home to Brigid’s Island, North Carolina after the death of her mother. Summer does not believe that her healthy mother suddenly dropped dead from a heart attack. Summer receives a threatening note the day of the funeral and learns her mother had been receiving them as well. Something wicked has come into their lives and Summer intends to get answers.
Little Bookshop of Murder is the debut of A Beach Reads Mystery series. Summer Merriweather is a professor of Shakespearean Literature at a university in Virginia. She has been in England doing research for her latest book (publish or perish). She returns home just in time for her mother’s funeral. Summer is dubious from the beginning at the cause of her mother’s death. The police, though, cannot act without proof. So, Summer with help from her family sets out to get the truth. There is a large cast of characters that includes Summer, her cousin, her aunt, the chief of police, fire chief, and members of the Mermaid Pie Book Club. I would like to see the characters fleshed out. They felt a little flat except for Mr. Darcy, the chatty African Grey parrot. There are various incidents that help propel the story forward and reinforce the belief that Summer’s mother may have been killed by a duplicitous individual. The suspect list is small and there are distinctive clues. The killer can easily be identified long before Summer solves the case. I hope the author ups her game in the next book. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of Beach Reads, the bookshop owned by Summer’s mother. It sounded like a haven for book lovers except for the smell of patchouli. There were some side stories like Summer’s spider phobia that never really went anywhere. I expected at least one spider episode. There is some foul language in this cozy. I am curious as to what changes Summer plans for Beach Reads which specializes in romances. I also wonder if Summer will find romance with a certain handsome fire chief. Little Bookshop of Murder transports readers to Brigid’s Island where there is a fluent fowl, a dubious death, a beautiful beach bungalow, a curious cousin, a flock of food, and one Shakespearean scholar turned sleuth.
Little Bookshop of Murder is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo. The authors next release is Masquerade Murder which publishes on September 29. It is the 2nd book in A Victoria Town Mystery series. You can find the author's other novels here. Now for the giveaway! One winner will receive a digital copy of Killer Spring Fling and a $10 Amazon Gift Card. To enter, click here or use the Rafflecopter form below (go past my signature). Do not forget to leave a comment for an extra entry. Good Luck! Thank you for stopping by today. I will return tomorrow with A Portrait of Loyalty by Roseanna M. White. It is the 3rd installment in The Codebreakers. I hope that you have a happy day. Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
Tour Participants
September 8 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW
September 8 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
September 8 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
September 8 – Thoughts in Progress – SPOTLIGHT
September 9 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
September 9 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
September 9 – Sapphyria's Books – REVIEW
September 9 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
September 10 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
September 10 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
September 10 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT
September 10 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT
September 11 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW
September 11 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
September 11 – Brooke Blogs – CHARACTER GUEST POST
September 11 – Nadaness In Motion – SPOTLIGHT
September 12 – Here's How It Happened – SPOTLIGHT
September 12 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW
September 12 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
September 12 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
September 13 – eBook addicts – REVIEW
September 13 – Melina's Book Blog – REVIEW
September 13 – My Reading Journeys - REVIEW
September 13 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
September 13 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
*This post contains affiliate links.
This sounds like a good read!
ReplyDeleteI loved Millie's Cora Craft series and was sad to see it end.
Thank you for your insights on this new book!
Darned auto correct...not Millie...Mollie! LOL
ReplyDeleteThank you for the thoughtful review! I think I'd like to give this a read and it sounds like a promising new series :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like an exciting mystery!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
ReplyDelete