Book Review: A Fatal Chapter by Lorna Barrett

New York Times bestselling author Lorna Barrett presents another page-turning chapter in her Booktown Mystery series. This time mystery bookshop owner Tricia Miles is about to find out murder is no walk in the park…

While out walking Sarge, her sister’s bichon frise, Tricia is led by the agitated dog to a man lying in a gazebo. She’s startled when she recognizes Pete Renquist, the president of the Stoneham Historical Society, who appears to be suffering from cardiac arrest. When Pete later dies in the hospital, the discovery of a suspicious bruise and a puncture mark on his arm suggests he may have been murdered.
Haunted by Pete’s enigmatic last words to her, Tricia begins to consider who had a motive to kill her friend. Did Pete take his flirting too far, only to have a jealous husband teach him a lesson? Or did he discover something in the town’s historical records that his killer wanted kept secret? Tricia is determined to get to the bottom of things before someone else becomes history…[summary via Goodreads]

The Booktown mysteries were some of the first cozy mysteries I read when I discovered cozies beyond the Agatha Christie novels I loved. They certainly were the first that I read in order, and realized the beauty of the cozy. Since those early days I've always looked forward to reading each story in the Booktown mysteries. I've watch Tricia settle into Booktown and her sister join her then. Along the way there has been murder, mayhem and secrets, but none so like the latest book in the series.

Tricia stumbles upon the body of Pete enquist, the president of the Stoneham Historical Society, while taking her sister's dog for a walk! As she investigates the murder, she discovers more about Pete's life than she ever knew, making it hard to narrow down the suspects.

I did enjoy the whodunnit a lot. For me, part of the thrill of mysteries is trying to find out who the murderer is. I really enjoy it when no matter how hard I guess, I can't figure out who do it. This was the case with the murderer in A Fatal Chapter. I definitely didn't figure it out before Tricia.

However, what I really love about this series is all the secondary stories, involving Tricia, her sister and the residents of Stoneham. In A Fatal Chapter the identity behind NRA Realty is revealed, and that certainly took me by surprise! Lorna Barrett has been leading up to this, and it was interesting watching it unfold. Lorna Barrett tells a good story, and all the storylines combined together to keep me on the edge of my seat through the entire story, and the ending left me completely breathless.

I never hesitate in recommending this series. It's a great cozy mystery series, with a memorable cozy town, and one that you readers will want to visit again and again.