Murder by the Seashore by Samara Yew

Hello my cozy friends, 

Today I am reviewing Murder by the Seashore by Samara Yew the 1st instalment in the "A  California Bookshop Mystery" series.  I enjoyed this book and I can’t wait for book 2!

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Perfect for fans of Jenn McKinlay and Ellery Adams, Scarlett Gardner’s dream was to open a bookshop in Southern California, but it soon becomes a nightmare when she finds the dead body of a customer—and becomes the prime suspect.

Southern California is where dreams come true—or so Scarlett Gardner thought. When she moved there and opened the Palm Trees and Page Turners bookshop, she thought her boyfriend and business partner would be part of the story. When he leaves her for a better job, Scarlett finds herself struggling to keep her new business afloat. That’s not the only thing she has to worry about—she discovers something underneath the pier by her bookshop that she didn’t outline for her life’s story: the dead body of a book-buying customer.

After Scarlett gives a statement to the police, she thinks her life can go back to business as usual. But when a lawyer, representing someone named Lorelai Knight, tells Scarlett that she now stands to inherit a small fortune, she’s left with more questions than answers. Before she can make sense of any of it, the police bring her in for questioning; the body she found was Lorelai Knight. And the evidence they have against Scarlett doesn’t look good. Business is booming as Scarlett returns to Palm Trees and Page Turners, but for all the wrong reasons – curious tourists don’t want books, they want a glimpse of the Bookshop Killer.

Who could really be behind all of this? And why frame Scarlett? To clear her name, she’s going to have get creative—and hope she can remain one page ahead of the killer.

I found the story to be a promising start to a new series. I liked Scarlett and her friends, and it will be interesting to see how things develop in book 2.

It was entertaining, full of twists and turns and I did guess who the killer was but it didn’t distract from the story. 

I recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends and I can’t wait for book 2 to come out!

I requested and received an advanced readers copy from Crooked Lane and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

Please join the conversation and comment below.  Have you read… If so what did you think/like

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I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

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Sleight of Hand: A Maisie Doss Mystery by Tonya Kappes

Hello my friends,

Today I am reviewing Sleight of Hand by Tonya Kappes  the first instalment in A Maisie Doss Mystery series. What a fantastic start to a new series from one of my favorite authors.  

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Maisie Doss knew the weight of secrets all too well. Once a troublemaker in her small Kentucky town near Cincinnati, she struck a dangerous bargain to become a confidential informant for the police. But when betrayal led her to send a family member behind bars, the lines between right and wrong blurred. Unable to bear the weight of her actions, she fled into the secluded heart of Appalachia, praying her past wouldn't catch up.

For a time, the hills kept her secrets. Determined to atone, she tried to lead a quiet life, but old habits die hard. When Maisie stumbles upon a mystery that begs her attention, she can't resist diving in. Yet, this isn't just any crime; it's tangled with threads from her concealed past. And as fate would have it, a detective from her old life discovers her hidden refuge.

Now, he presents her with a chilling Return to her role as a CI and face the ghosts of her past or find herself behind bars.

In a game of cat and mouse, where trust is a luxury Maisie can't afford, she must use every sleight of hand she knows to outwit the law, uncover the truth, and keep her freedom.

I’m a huge fan of the authors other mystery series set in Kentucky so had to get this one and boy was I not disappointed, it’s a bit edgier than her cozy mysteries but still has her traditional trademarks of southern charm and humor.

The mystery is interesting and had lots of twists which kept me guessing till the very end. I was very surprised by the ending!  I quickly picked up book 2 to see what happens next for Maisie.

I highly recommend this book to all my Mystery loving friends.

All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

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Booked for Murder by P. J. Nelson

Hello my cozy friends, 

Today I am reviewing Booked for Murder by P. J. Nelson.  What a great start to a new series, I enjoyed this book and look forward to book 2.

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In this atmospheric southern cozy debut, Madeline Brimley returns to the bookstore she inherited, discovering that small towns hold deadly secrets.

Madeline Brimley left small town Georgia many years ago to go to college and pursue her dreams on the stage. Her dramatic escapades are many but success has eluded her, leaving her at loose ends. But then she gets word that not only has her beloved, eccentric Aunt Rose passed, but she's left Madeline her equally eccentric bookstore housed in an old Victorian mansion in the small college town of Enigma. But when she arrives in her beat-up Fiat to claim The Old Juniper Bookstore, and restart her life, Madeline is faced with unexpected challenges. The gazebo in the back yard is set ablaze and a late night caller threatens to burn the whole store down if she doesn't leave immediately. 

But Madeline Brimley, not one to be intimidated, ignores the threats and soldiers on. Until there's another fire and a murder in the store itself. Now with a cloud of suspicion falling over her, it's up to Madeline to untangle the skein of secrets and find the killer before she herself is the next victim.

I did struggle through the first 25% of the story but I am so glad I persevered as it definitely got better. 

It was entertaining, full of twists and turns and I did guess whodunnit but that did not distract from the story.  I’m sure in the next book character development and plot will improve and I won’t be able to guess. 

I recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends and I can’t wait for book 2 to come out!

I requested and received an advanced readers copy from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley.  All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

Please join the conversation and comment below.  Have you read… If so what did you think/like

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!

I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs,

Follow my blog with Bloglovin