Murder by the Book
Ratings8
Average rating3.3
15
Ratings8
Average rating3.3
Addie Greyborne loved working with rare books at the Boston Public Library—she even got to play detective, tracking down clues about mysterious old volumes. But she didn’t expect her sleuthing skills to come in so handy in a little seaside town . . . Addie left some painful memories behind in the big city, including the unsolved murder of her fiancé and her father’s fatal car accident. After an unexpected inheritance from a great aunt, she’s moved to a small New England town founded by her ancestors back in colonial times—and living in spacious Greyborne Manor, on a hilltop overlooking the harbor. Best of all, her aunt also left her countless first editions and other treasures—providing an inventory to start her own store. But there’s trouble from day one, and not just from the grumpy woman who runs the bakery next door. A car nearly runs Addie down. Someone steals a copy of Alice in Wonderland. Then, Addie’s friend Serena, who owns a nearby tea shop, is arrested—for killing another local merchant. The police seem pretty sure they’ve got the story in hand, but Addie’s not going to let them close the book on this case without a fight . . .
Reviews with the most likes.
There were lots of puzzles, so it felt a bit like Sherlock. That makes this book different than some cozy detectives.
There were moments where the grief felt real, but other times I forgot about it. So I didn't feel as sad for Addie as I expected to.
There were lots of mean people, but her BFF, love interest, and employee helped mitigate that. I really liked their relationships and that might have been my favorite part of the book. That or the puzzles. So I really enjoyed the book, but it might not be for everyone.
A mystery, where our protagonist runs a bookstore and dealt with rare books in a previous career? I was hooked!
Murder by the Book is a cozy mystery that borders on romantic suspense to me. Addie Greyborne is new in town, having just inherited the estate of an aunt she didn't know she had. She's lost both her father and her fiance to mysterious deaths that were ultimately deemed accidental, and to make a fresh start, she's opening a used bookstore in Greyborne Harbor. She doesn't expect to make an enemy of a fellow shop owner in town, and she certainly doesn't expect to find herself at the center of a police investigation.
There's a LOT going on in this book. Addie's new store is broken into her first day there. Her home is also broken into more than once. Martha, another business owner, is trying to run her out of town, saying Addie was involved in criminal activity and has brought it to the town. Serena, Addie's new friend, finds herself a murder suspect, and Serena's brother Marc is trying to stay impartial on that front and investigate all of Addie's unfortunate events, too. It all got to be a little confusing at times. However, it is the first in a series, and I felt like a good bit of this might be necessary to lay the groundwork for future books.
The Marc/Addie relationship has potential, although it feels like he needs to commit to either wanting her help with an investigation or telling her to stay out of police business. He seemed to waffle back and forth between wanting her to help and telling her she needed to leave the scene now. A good defense attorney would have a field day with that if any of these cases ever went to trial.
I love the friendship between Addie and Serena. I also love that Addie has hired Paige, the daughter of her new nemesis, as her part-time help. I hope to see Paige develop more as a character. She seems to have some spunk to her, and I'm curious as to why she and her mother are on the outs.
I'm giving this 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. I look forward to seeing how other books in the series develop.
