Thursday, April 4, 2019

Book Review: The Plot is Murder by V.M. Burns

Samantha Washington has dreamed of owning her own mystery bookstore for as long as she can remember. And as she prepares for the store’s grand opening, she’s also realizing another dream—penning a cozy mystery set in England between the wars. While Samantha hires employees and fills the shelves with the latest mysteries, quick-witted Lady Penelope Marsh, long-overshadowed by her beautiful sister Daphne, refuses to lose the besotted Victor Carlston to her sibling's charms. When one of Daphne's suitors is murdered in a maze, Penelope steps in to solve the labyrinthine puzzle and win Victor. 

But as Samantha indulges her imagination, the unimaginable happens in real life. A shady realtor turns up dead in her backyard, and the police suspect her—after all, the owner of a mystery bookstore might know a thing or two about murder. Aided by her feisty grandmother and an enthusiastic ensemble of colorful retirees, Samantha is determined to close the case before she opens her store. But will she live to conclude her own story when the killer has a revised ending in mind for her?[summary via Amazon]

While I've been away from reviewing cozy mysteries, there has been so many new series published. The fun part of being away is discovering these fantastic new series, many of which already have 2-3 books in the series already. One of the new series I picked up is the Mystery Bookstore Mysteries, by V.M. Burns. If this first book is any indicator, this series has just become my new favourite series!

In The Plot is Murder we are introduced to recently widowed Samantha Washington, who has traded her job as a high school teacher to follow her dreams of owning a mystery bookstore. Samantha becomes embroiled in a real life mystery when her realtor turns up dead. As if starting her own bookstore and trying to clear her name isn't enough, by night Samantha is writing her first cozy mystery.

I love, loved, really loved this first book in the Mystery Bookstore Mysteries. I instantly connected with The Plot is Murder, and practically read it in one sitting. Everywhere I went, this book was in my hands. That's how much I enjoyed it.

The setting was perfect - who doesn't love a good bookstore, especially a mystery one? The mystery itself was really interesting and kept my attention. However it was the characters that really sold me on this series. Samantha has a little help in solving the mystery - the Sleuthing Seniors, who are made up of her Nana Jo and Nana Jo's senior friends. These girls are an absolute right and add just the right amount of laughs to the story. Together with Sam, they do what they need to do to solve the mystery - which even includes dating suspects!

There is also the added bonus of reading the story within the story - the historical cozy mystery that Samantha is writing. I was so enthralled with both stories - the modern day mystery involving the realtor and the historical mystery involving a dead suitor - and I didn't want either of them to end.

The Plot is Murder is a top notch, first class mystery and one you don't want to miss.

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