A Deadly Chapter by Essie Lang

Book Summary

A Deadly Chapter by Essie Lang has Shelby Cox waking up to a thudding against her houseboat.  She investigates and finds a man floating facedown in the water.  This is not the first time Shelby has found a body since returning to Alexandria Bay, New York.  When Shelby is shown a picture of the victim, she recognizes the man from the castle bookshop.  He had been in two different times looking for a woman.  When the victim’s daughter arrives in town seeking answers, Shelby begins searching for answers.  Shelby uncovers some good suspects and some interesting leads.  She needs to be careful, though, or Shelby could end up the next victim.

My Thoughts

A Deadly Chapter by Essie Lang is the 3^rd novel in A Castle Bookshop Mystery series.  You can read A Deadly Chapter on its own if you are new to the series.  I thought A Deadly Chapter was easy to read with developed characters.  I enjoy the description of the castle bookshop and of Alexandria Bay.  I love Shelby’s houseboat (if I did not own so many books, I would love to live on one).  Shelby is happy in Alexandria Bay with house home, job, Aunt Edie, and her boyfriend, Zack Griffin.  The whodunit is mixed bag for me.  The mystery was thought out with subtle clues and several suspects.  The problem for me was that I could identify the guilty party at the beginning of the book.  I wish the mystery had been more of a challenge to solve.  Shelby was originally going to stay out of the case (you knew that would not last long), but unanswered questions bothered her.  Then the victim’s daughter comes town needing answers.  Shelby is soon knee deep in the case.  She does not even let an injury slow her down.  A Deadly Chapter is a busy book.  Shelby’s boyfriend, Zack Griffin gets a promotion, and it will mean big changes for him.  What does it mean for Shelby?  Shelby’s mother disappeared from her life when she was a child and now she is back in town.  Can Shelby handle seeing Merrily?  Plus, Shelby is busy helping to organize a mystery event with the library.  What does the future hold for Shelby?  You will need to read A Deadly Chapter to find out.  I would have liked more focus on the whodunit and less on Shelby’s personal life.  A Deadly Chapter is a lively cozy mystery with a chummy cat, a perturbed police chief, a crafty killer, a disturbed daughter, and a busy bookstore.  

A Deadly Chapter can be obtained from Amazon*.  The first two books in A Castle Bookshop Mystery series are Trouble on the Books and Death on the Page (ebook is currently $2.99 on Amazon).  Thank you for reading my review today.  Tomorrow I am discussing Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke.  It is the 27th A Hannah Swensen Mystery.  I hope that each of you have a cheery day.  Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Death on the Page by Essie Lang

Welcome!  I hope you and your family are staying healthy, safe and sane.  One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak releases on April 7 along with The Stolen Letter by Paige Shelton and The Haunted Lady by Mary Roberts Rinehart.  Murder in the Storybook Cottage by Ellery Adams comes out April 28.  It is the sixth A Book Retreat Mystery.  I just love this book themed series.  Which one of these new books appeals to you?

Death on the Page by Essie Lang has true crime writer, Savannah Page visiting Bayside Books in Alexandria Bay, New York to celebrate her latest release.  Co-owner, Shelby Cox is surprised when she hears that the board of directors for Blye Castle are allowing Savannah to stay in a guest suite over the weekend.  It seems that Savannah wants to research the cold case involving prohibition era rum runner and mobster, Joe Cabana.  At the book signing, a woman confronts Savannah claiming the best-selling author stole her book idea which Savannah denies.  The next day, Savannah signs books at Bayside Books inside Blye Castle before enjoying her weekend inside the beautiful historic property.  Shelby arrives at work the next day to learn that Savannah is missing.  She is later found at the bottom of a staircase inside a secret passage that Shelby did not know exist which arouses her curiosity.  With her inquisitiveness stirred, Shelby begins making inquiries and snooping around the castle.  Shelby has additional duties since Aunt Edie is out of commission.  A cat tripped her up and she injured her knee falling down her back steps.  Will Shelby survive another investigation?

Death on the Page by Essie Lang is the second novel in A Castle Bookshop Mystery series.  It can be a standalone if you have not read Trouble on the Books.  Shelby Cox co-owns Bayside Books in Alexandria Bay, New York with her aunt, Edie Cox.  They have an auxiliary location in Blye Castle on Blye Island which is one of the Thousand Islands.  It is the 35^th anniversary of their bookstore and Savannah Page has agreed to do a signing of her latest true crime novel.  Savannah also got the board of directors of Blye Castle to allow her to stay at the castle over the weekend.  The author plans on researching Joe Cabana, a prohibition mobster, whose murder was never solved.  Shelby arrives to open the bookstore on Sunday to learn that Savannah is dead at the bottom of a staircase in a secret passage.  Shelby is curious about the secret passages and the author’s death, so she begins asking questions.  There are a variety of suspects from the castle’s caretaker to the author’s fiancé.  Shelby asks questions of people involved in the case despite being told by her aunt, boyfriend and Chief Stone to stop being a nosey parker.  The mystery is straightforward, and readers will have no problem solving the whodunit before the solution is revealed.  When Shelby is not sleuthing, she is working at the bookstore, visiting friends or her aunt, spending time with Zach Griffin (the Coast Guard agent she is dating), or indulging in coffee at Chocomania. I wish the story had contained more action.  I found the pace to be on the slow side (for me).  I would like to see Shelby become more mature especially with regards to her relationship with Zach.  It would be nice is the author fleshed out the main characters (Erica, Matthew, Aunt Edie, Zach).  I also wanted more sleuthing at the castle.  I felt the author lost out on an opportunity   to make this an intriguing mystery with Shelby sneaking around the castle and finding clues in the secret passages.  The ending seemed abrupt and lacking in a solid conclusion to the mystery (I have questions).  Those readers who prefer more cozy than mystery will enjoy reading Death on the Page.  Death on the Page has secret stairs, chocolate coffee, pocketed objects, injured individuals, tricky thieves, and a cagey killer.

Death on the Page can be obtained from Amazon* along with Trouble on the Books.  Thank you for stopping by today.  I will return tomorrow to feature The Runaway Bride by Jody Hedlund.  It is the second novel in The Bride Ships series.  Now for a little book related joke. . .Why did Shakespeare always write in pen?  Because pencils were confusing to him.  2B or not 2B.  Take care, stay safe and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*This post contains affiliate links.

Trouble on the Books by Essie Lang

Good Day!  It is National Everything You Do is Right Day and Worldwide Quilting Day.  On this day in 1926, Dr. Robert Goddard launched the  world's first liquid fueled rocket.  Courage of the Witch by Deanna Chase,  the fifth book in Witches of Keating Hollow series, is now available (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks).  Canyons, Caravans and Cadavers by Tonya Kappes releases on March 25.  It is the sixth A Camper & Criminals Cozy Mystery.  I wonder what Mae West is up to this time in Normal, Kentucky!

Trouble on the Books by Essie Lang is the first A Castle Bookshop Mystery.  Shelby Cox returned home to Alexandria Bay, New York to help her aunt, Edie Cox, who is recovering from knee replacement surgery, with Bayside Books.  Shelby has learned that she is part owner in the bookshop and will be running their new location on Blye Island inside Blye Castle.  Loreena Swan, Curator of Exhibits, comes into the shop the day before the opening and complains that her guidebook is not in stock.  They end up having a loud disagreement with Loreena leaving in a huff.  Loreena wastes no time in complaining to Andrew Truelove, president of the Alexandria Bay Heritage Society who leases them the shop space.  Later that day, Shelby is taking a walk before heading home on the ferry and finds herself in the grotto that was used in the 1920s by smugglers.  Shelby soon discovers she is not alone in the grotto when she looks down to find Loreena floating in the water.  When Edie’s friend and castle caretaker, Matthew Kessler becomes the prime suspect, she requests that Shelby do a little digging into the case.  Shelby needs little encouragement since she has been curious about the case from the beginning especially after Special Agent Zack Griffin (US Coast Guard Investigative Services) stopped by to talk to her.  She wonders if smugglers have taken to using the grotto as a hideout like Joe Cabana in the 20s.  Follow Shelby as she assembles the clues to get a clear picture of Loreena’s killer in Trouble on the Books.

Trouble on the Books has an intriguing premise with a bookshop in an old castle on an island (love it).  Shelby Cox is twenty-nine years old and has been working as an editor for Masspike House in Massachusetts.  When Aunt Edie needs Shelby’s assistance, she takes a leave of absence and returns to Alexandria Bay.  Shelby is living on a houseboat until winter and managing the new satellite location of Bayside Books on Blye Island inside the historic Blye Castle (it would have made more sense to live with Aunt Edie who needs her help getting around).  I knew Loreena Swan would end up dead after the altercation with Shelby and the way she treats the volunteers at the castle.  The murder occurs early in the book.  There is little investigating by Shelby until later in the story when Shelby asks various people questions (people she does not know).  I wish the mystery had been more of a focus with more complexity.  I found it a snap to solve this crime.  Shelby’s attention is split because she is determined to learn more about her mother.  Her father would not discuss her mother who died when she was three, and Shelby is hoping to learn more about her from the people that knew her in town plus Edie.  Shelby is searching the local cemeteries for her mother’s grave.  I was curious why Shelby did not research her mother online (death certificate would pop up).   The pacing of the book was lethargic which made it hard for me to stay interested.  The author is a detail oriented which slowed down the pace (an example is making tea—getting the kettle, filling it with water, putting in on the stove, turning on the stove, etc.).  Add in a daydreaming main character with a significant amount of internal dialogue and repetition of information.  Shelby also has trouble remembering people’s names and figuring out a person’s age (makes it hard for a reader).  She states she is not a people person, but Shelby is working in a bookshop frequented by tourists (an oxymoron).  I felt that Trouble on the Books needed more pizzazz (oomph).  The characters failed to come alive for me.  We are not given many details on them which I found disappointing.  I hope the characters will be fleshed out more in the next installment.  I did enjoy the descriptions of the castle, island and bookshop (it sounds like a cozy space).  Trouble on the Books could have benefited from further editing (there are inconsistencies).  A Castle Bookshop Mystery series has potential which I hope the author will achieve. 

Essie Lang aka Linda Wiken has also written A Dinner Club Mystery series.  Under the non de plume of Erika Chase she has published The Ashton Corners Book Club Mysteries (I miss this series).  I appreciate you visiting today and reading my review.  I hope you have a day filled with joy and good books.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

Called the "Cocoon".  Find out more here