Title: Murder by The Book

Series: Beyond The Page Bookstore

By:  Lauren Elliott

ISBN: 1496720199 (ISBN13: 9781496720191)

Author’s Website:  http://laurenelliottauthor.com/

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra                   

Summary:

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. (Goodreads)

Review:

Murder by the Book is the first book in a new series, Beyond the Page Bookstore, by Lauren Elliott. Addison Greyborne has recently moved from Boston (where she worked with rare books in the Boston Library). Her move was precipitated by a number of events – the death of her father, the unsolved murder of her fiancée and an unexpected windfall (i.e. inheritance) as a result of the passing of her great aunt Anita, who is believed to have died from natural causes. It just seemed like the right time to move. Her inheritance, which included Greyborne Manor and all kinds of rare books, allowed her the opportunity to open her own business, Beyond the Page – Books & Curios.

Having started over means that Addison (Addie) has made new friends and when Serena, her bestie, is arrested for murder, Addie steps in and works with the police chief to clear Serena’s name. Did I mention that the police chief, Marc, was Serena’s brother?

I loved Greyborne Manor, the history behind it, the books. Really, a good place for Addie to start over. It will be interesting to see as the series progresses where Addie’s previous work experience at the Boston Public Library will come into play in her new found business – Beyond the Page.

I found the mystery in this book to be intriguing. I did have moments where I second guessed my choice of perpetrator, who was following Addie and breaking into her house and her business? One thought I had was, how (as compared to other cozies where the amateur sleuth knew many towns people) was Addie going to get information on people when she was so new to town? She made herself a “murder board”. Good thinking!

The banter between Addie and Marc was quite palpable, as evidenced in this scene:

When safely away from prying eyes, Addie spun around toward him. “Okay partner, what have you got?”

He sauntered past her over to the coffee machine. “Want one?”

“No, I don’t want coffee. I want to know what’s got you grinning like the Cheshire cat.”

“Everything in good time.” He dropped a pod into the machine.

She stood back and crossed her arms, tapped her foot, and glared at the back of his head. He was silent as his coffee brewed. She opened her mouth to speak, but shut it when he slowly tore open a sugar pack and poured it into the steaming paper cup. Believing he was done, she opened her mouth again. Without turning around, he raised his finger to silence her and picked up a spoon, methodically stirring his coffee. By this time, her cheeks were burning and beads of sweat were forming inside her collar. When he finished, he placed the spoon on the counter, took a long sip, stretched out his rigid shoulders, and sighed. Her jaw tensed. She took a step toward him. He spun around, a sly grin across his face, and then he burst out laughing.

Can’t wait to see where this relationship may go in the future!

If I had to list something which was rather irksome it would be that I found Addie lacking in keeping her promises. I felt like this is one person, if she were my friend, that I might not be able to count on. She would weasel out of her promises… and lots of times when interacting with Marc!  And this is with someone she is beginning to start a relationship with. Hmmm. Does not sit well with me.

As in all good mysteries, cozy or otherwise, I am not going to delve too far into that aspect of the story as I always find that when I read mysteries I like to discover things on my own. So no spoilers from me ☺.All in all, the mystery was good as it kept me guessing throughout much of the story. I found the location intriguing and the characters had some depth.  So, if you like cozy mysteries and are willing to take a chance on this new series, then pick up a copy of Murder by the Book and settle down for a nice, cozy read by Lauren Elliott.