Oct 21, 2024

Death by the Book By Lucy Connelly

Hello my cozy friends, 

Today I am reviewing “Death by the Book ” by Lucy Connelly the 2nd instalment in the " A Mercy McCarthy Mystery" series. I enjoyed this book and think it’s a great sequel to this series.  

Irish scones, shamrock shortbread, a local literary festival… and a rather dead author? Join Mercy McCarthy on her next case!

Mercy and Lizzie McCarthy are settling in to the charming seaside village of Shamrock Cove on the west coast of Ireland. Lizzie throws herself into organizing a book festival and mystery writer Mercy even agrees to come out of her bookish hidey-hole to do get involved. But then the star author for the event is found dead. James Brandt was killed by a falling bookshelf in his own cottage…

The local detective is not convinced by Mercy’s suspicion of murder but when someone else turns up dead, the police cannot ignore it. There’s just one problem: Mercy and Lizzie’s beloved dog Mr. Poe sniffs out the second body in the storeroom of their own bookstore. And now all of the gossips seem determined to pin the murder on Mercy!

Convinced the police are focusing on a red herring in this real-life case, Mercy needs to act fast to clear her name. A meddling mayor, a cheerful chef and a bashful botanist make her suspect list, but it’s not until Mercy discovers a tatty old photograph in the local library archive that she is onto the killer’s trail.

With the police keen to shut her out of the murder investigation, can Mercy play this case by the book, or will she be the next to fall off the shelf…?

A totally gripping and twisty cozy crime novel, perfect for readers who love Agatha Christie, Carlene O’Connor or Faith Martin! This incredibly fast-paced and fun murder mystery will whisk you off to Ireland and won’t let you go until the final page!
I really enjoyed visiting Shamrock Cove, Ireland again and the cottages on the court.  I enjoy the relationship between Mercy and Lizzie, although I noted some repetitive themes, such as Mercy's concerns about Lizzie's fragility (also present in book 1). Thankfully, this didn't detract from my enjoyment. I loved watching the sisters embrace their new life in Ireland and become integral to the 'Court' family.  

It was entertaining, full of twists and turns and I didn’t completely guess whodunnit until Mercy did.  

I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends and I can’t wait for book 3 to come out!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I requested and received an advanced readers copy from Bookouture 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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