Book Review: Well Read, Then Dead by Terrie Moran

In Terrie Moran's debut mystery series she creates murder and mayhem with a unique setting in Well Read, Then Dead. Mary "Sassy" Cabot and Bridget Mayfield are best friends and together run the Read 'Em and Eat Bookstore Cafe. Life is pretty tranquil in their sunny town of Fort Meyers Beach. It seems the most rowdy it gets is at the heated discussions of the book club, especially when fellow book club member Rowena Gustavson starts debating each book. However life in the small town is about to become very interesting when the the quietest member of the book club, Delia Batson, is found dead. Delia's cousin, Augusta, is absolutely distraught by her death, and asks Sassy for help on finding her killer!!

I want to pack myself on a one-way trip to the Read 'Em and Eat Bookstore Cafe. The second I walked through those doors in the first chapter of Well Read, Then Dead I was absolutely smitten. Everything from the delicious food and drinks to the tables that each sport on articles, photos and excerpts of all my favorite mystery authors! I was in book lover heaven. I knew any mystery that started with this setting had to be a good one and I was right!!

Sassy takes us into her life as owner of Read 'Em and Eat Bookstore Cafe and the lives of her friends and residents of Fort Meyers Beach. They're an eclectic bunch and it was a delight to meet them and try to solve a mystery.

Apart from the delectable treats and the cozy atmosphere of the bookstore cafe, what I loved the most were the surprises! Delia was the last person I expected to be the victim! When a story starts with a boisterous personality like Rowena, I for sure had her pegged as the victim. I couldn't fathom why anyone would want to kill Delia, and I knew both Sassy (and me!) had our work cut out for us trying to find the killer!!

I'm about 8 months behind everyone else that has been raving about this series. With so many cozies on my shelf I hadn't gotten to this one before now, and I really wish I had squeezed the time in to read it when it was released, last August. Terrie Moran delighted me to little itty bitty pieces with this mystery full of southern charm and friendship. I felt the anguish that Augusta felt at the loss of her cousin and the triumph that Sassy feels when she finally solves the case!

If you haven't picked up Well Read, Then Dead pick it up today. You will be delighted by the charm of the Read 'Em and Eat Bookstore Cafe and all the residents of Fort Meyers Beach.