Book Review: Dedication to Murder by Lauren Elliott

If you read one book this year, make it DEDICATION TO MURDER! The Beyond the Page Bookstore Mysteries are the absolute epitome of the perfect cozy mystery! Village-feel with Greybourne Harbour, delightful friends that you want to visit again, and a first class whodunnit.

I've been reading this series from the very first book, and every year I'm so excited to read another instalment. Having said that, this one is the very best [so far]!

Addie is finally getting her happy ever after, with a wedding to dreamy Doctor Simon! However, not all goes to plan on her wedding day! With her world upside down, Addie must put all the clues together and solve not one, but two murders.

I love, love, loved this whodunnit! The way the ending is achieved is just amazing!!! If you've read all the prior books in this series [and if you haven't what are you doing with your life?] then you are really going to love this one!!

It's hard to review this one without spoilers, so I will leave it with.... this is a fantastic read, and not one to miss! I raved about STEEPED IN SECRETS [the author's new series] and this book is even better! I absolutely can't wait to see what she has in store for us next!

Book Review: Steeped in Secrets by Lauren Elliott

Welcome to California’s Monterey Peninsula, where life looks calm and idyllic, but there is a sinister murderer in their midst. Shayleigh Myers has returned home to Bray Harbor, after a disaster of a marriage has left her practically destitute. She soon discovers that she has been left an inheritance from Bridget Early, the previous owner of Crystals & CuriosiTEAS.  With the help of her sister and young assistant, Tassi, she's hoping to convert the shop into a teahouse. That is, until a dead body lands on her roof and she must find a killer, before her new life is ruined before it has even started.

I absolutely love Lauren Elliott's Beyond the Page Bookstore Mysteries. As soon as I heard she had a new series, I knew I had to pick it up immediately! Well let me say, this series is even better! Right from the very first page, I was absolutely smitten with Shay, the sexy Irish pub owner next door, Liam, and even sullen teen, Tassi! 

The mystery itself had me in a tangled web, that I tried to unravel, but kept getting knotted up even more! The death's of Bridget and the man on her roof, become woven into questions Shay has about her own life, and it was truly a delight to see the final denouement revealed. 

If you enjoy paranormal mysteries, this series has been on your winter "must-read" list. Alike to me, you will be turning the last page and absolutely begging for more. I can't wait to take another trip to Bray Harbor, and see what adventure Shay is going to get into next!

Book Review: A Margin for Murder by Lauren Elliott

It's time for another adventure with bookseller, Addie Greyborne. This time she's on the road with her assistant, Paige, as they travel to nearby town, Pen Hollow, for a library booksale. There appears to be tension at the booksale, as the library is closing down, and the town is very angry at both the Mayor, and the benefactor that has pulled out. Addie is planning on just buying a few books and leaving. However, when the option to buy the bookmobile turns up, Addie leaps at the chance. Her vision for driving around in the bookmobile is short lived though, when it is involved in a fatal crash. What appears to be an accident soon turns to murder, especially when the local Sheriff is determined to point the finger at Addie and Paige.

The Beyond the Page Bookstore Mysteries are one of my absolute favourites. I love books about books, and this one is a first class series. Every story delivers a tantalizing story, involving interesting books and a fascinating whodunnit. Of course, there is also the sub-plots surrounding Addie and her friends, that keep me coming back for more.

I really liked the setting of picturesque Pen Hollow, with all its history and gothic intrigue. The murder itself was interesting and difficult to solve. I didn't manage to solve it before Addie did, and  the ending left me saying "oh my". It was definitely a denouement that would make Agatha Christie proud!

I absolutely loved everything about A MARGIN FOR MURDER. Beyond the mystery, Addie's friend, Serena, is pregnant and there is a lot going on in Addie's love life. The ending gave me that "curled toes in cozy delight" feeling, and I can't wait for the next adventure!

Book Review: Under the Cover of Murder by Lauren Elliott

It's finally time for Serena Chandler and Zach Ludlow to walk down the aisle. However, as with any wedding there is bound to be a hiccup or two! This time the trouble comes in the form of a dead body found on the beach, and an uninvited guest. Will Addie Greyborne and Police Chief, Marc Chandler, be able to solve the crime before Serena and Zach's big day is ruined? Not if Addie has anything to do with it!

Ever since Addie Greyborne stepped into Greyborne Harbour in Murder by the Book I've been absolutely smitten with this series. It is a bibliophile's dream, with all the bookish treasures at both Addie's store and her house. This time the bookish treasures have moved aboard a luxury yacht, and there is the mystery of not-quite-right "first editions"!

With the murders surrounding the first editions, I love that this gives Addie a reason to "snoop"! Not that she wouldn't have tried to anyway. She sweeps up friends, Catherine and Paige, along with her, and the three make a fabulous detective trio as they follow the clues.

The mystery itself was first class! The entire time I was on the completely wrong track, and I didn't manage to solve it before Addie and Marc. I loved that the mystery was a "locked room", in that the entire group were stuck on the boat! It definitely had a very modern-day "Agatha Christie" feel to it.

Under the Cover of Murder is my favourite in this series so far! The ending gave me all the cozy "curled-toes" feeling, and I just loved trying to solve it alongside Addie! If you haven't visited Greyborne Harbour yet I thoroughly recommend you do! Start with Murder by the Book and you'll be so hooked, that you will want to read them all!

Book Review: Proof of Murder by Lauren Elliott

The seaside New England town of Greyborne Harbor is home to many grand estates, including the Queen Anne Victorian Addie inherited from her great aunt. Now one of those mansions is holding an estate sale, which is just what the bookshop owner needs to replenish her supply of rare editions—even if the house is rumored to be haunted. Assisting an overwhelmed insurance appraiser with the inventory, Addie discovers an 1887 magazine containing Arthur Conan Doyle's first Sherlock Holmes novel, A Study in Scarlet, which she estimates to be worth over one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

But when Addie later finds the appraiser dead in the estate's private library, with the door bolted from the inside, and the priceless edition missing, it's a mystery worthy of the Great Detective himself. She's certain the death and the robbery are connected—but who, other than a ghost who can walk through walls, could have gotten in to do the deed? It's up to Addie to find the key to the crime—before she's the next one cornered by a killer . . .[summary via Amazon]

Since the first book in this series, Murder by the Book, I've been absolutely smitten with the characters at Greyborne Harbor, and the mischief they find there! As with all my favourite series, I'm so happy to finally have a new adventure to read...

It's summer in Greyborne Harbor and Addie is looking forward to a book auction at a local mansion. However, things go awry when the insurance appraiser turns up dead. With a new officer in town, determined to pin the crime on Addie, she must go detecting once again and find the real killer.

Part of what makes this such a great series is that provides a real edge-of-your-seat suspense, while still fitting the cozy genre. In Proof of Murder I felt like Addie (and me, as the reader) was racing against the clock trying to solve the mystery. The mystery itself kept me stumped right until the end, and my heart was beating faster, as I was hoping Addie would solve it before she got hurt! It was definitely a thrill a minute.

Obviously I love mysteries. I started my love of mysteries with Miss Marple, but I also love Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock has been a huge part of pop culture, with so many new adaptions, and I liked learning more about his origins. The mystery partly focuses on his first adventure, A Study in Scarlet, and it was a fascinating study.

Proof of Murder is the fourth book in the series, but I feel like I have been reading this series for years. I love how all the characters have grown and developed - not just Addie's love life, but her relationship with fellow business owner, Martha, who is now a lot more friendlier with Addie. The pacing on both the mystery and sub-plots is just stellar, and its part of what I love about the series.

I cannot recommend the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mysteries enough. If you're a fan of vintage mysteries you will love the feel of vintage within modern with Proof of Murder. Add this series to your summer reading pile... you won't be disappointed!

Book Review: Murder in the First Edition by Lauren Elliott

Addie Greyborne is preparing for the holidays at her bookstore in seaside New England—but a winter storm is coming, in more ways than one . . .

Addie’s getting into the spirit for the upcoming Charity Auction—especially since she’s got an 1843 copy of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol to donate. Her former colleagues at the Boston Public Library have confirmed that its worth runs toward the high five figures, which should help with the new pediatric wing. Her mood darkens, though, when a visitor from the past appears—Jonathan Hemingway, the father of her late fiancé. His presence stirs up sad memories for Addie, but also has her fuming when Jonathan, true to his womanizing ways, runs off for a lunchtime liaison with Teresa Lang, who’s in charge of the auction. 

Soon after, Addie heads to Teresa’s office at the hospital—and finds the poor woman’s dead body. What she doesn’t find is her valuable first edition. What sort of Scrooge would steal from sick children and commit murder in the process? As a Nor’easter bears down and a mystery emerges about Jonathan’s past, Addie must find out if she can appraise people’s motives and characters as well as she can appraise rare books . . .[summary via Amazon]

It's time for another visit to Greyborne Harbour. This time it's a Christmas adventure with Addie and her friends.

Addie is getting into the spirit of Christmas by donating a rare copy of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol to a local charity auction. However it appears someone isn't in the Christmas spirit when the auction organizer turns up dead and the copy of A Christmas Carol goes missing. Addie must put her romantic troubles on hold while she tries to solve the mystery.

I really, really enjoyed the first two books in this series, and I was eager to start this Christmas-themed mystery. There is nothing I like better than a holiday-themed mystery, and Murder in the First Edition doesn't disappoint with the feeling of holidays and all things cozy in the air!! Particularly as Addie will need to tackle snow storms to find a killer!

The mystery itself is very well plotted. There is red herrings aplenty, as I had trouble trying to untangle the different suspects and find the killer before Addie. Alas, in this one, Lauren Elliott (and Addie) beat me too it, and I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't anywhere close to finding out who the killer was. This is one mystery that definitely kept me guessing again and again!

In addition to the general holiday spirit, I really appreciated how Lauren Elliott weaves Addie's emotion of the holidays into the storyline. Prior to arriving in Greyborne Manor, Addie's fiancé was murdered, and the holidays can be difficult for those that have lost loved ones. I feel like she tackled this storyline really well, and I definitely shed a tear or two towards the end.

I have no hesitation in recommending this series to cozy mystery fans, especially those that love books about books! The series is getting stronger and stronger, with each new addition, and I'm already looking forward to my next visit to Greyborne Harbour.

Book Review: Prologue to Murder by Lauren Elliott

Gossip columnists love a bold-faced name—but “Miss Newsy” at Greyborne Harbor’s local paper seems to specialize in bald-faced lies. She’s pointed a finger of suspicion at Addie after librarian June Winslow never makes it home from a book club meeting. And when June’s found at the bottom of a steep flight of stairs, Addie’s not only dealing with a busybody, but a dead body.

It’s a good thing the guy she’s dating is the police chief. But both the case and her love life get more complicated when a lanky blonde reporter from Los Angeles shows up. She’s trying her hardest to drive a wedge between the couple . . . as if Addie doesn’t have enough problems dealing with angry townspeople. Despite all the rumors, Addie doesn’t know a thing about the murder—but she plans to find out. And the key may lie in a book about pirate legends that June published. Now she just has to hunt down the clues before she becomes a buried treasure herself.[summary via Amazon]

LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! The first book in the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mysteries, Murder by the Book, really captured my attention, but this second book has my attention forever!! Yes, I really enjoyed Prologue to Murder that much!

Addie Greyborne is preparing for the Founder's Day celebrations in Greyborne Harbour. However, the celebrations take a deadly turn when the local librarian is found dead. Unfortunately for Addie a local newspaper columnist is determined to point the finger at Addie. With time against her, Addie must solve the mystery before she ends up with life behind bars!

I've come right off reading another cozy mystery featuring buried treasure (Read and Buried by Eva Gates - it's awesome, go check it out). As coincidence would have it I picked up a second story (completely unrelated) involving buried treasure. This time the buried treasure involves pirates, and not the Jack Sparrow kind!

Greyborne Harbour is celebrating Founder's Day, and there are a couple of new faces in town! Lacey Davenport, ex-fiance of police chief, Marc, and best friend to Serena, is in town to stir up trouble and try to win Marc back!! Meanwhile, there is also a new Doctor and Coroner in town, in the way of Dr Simon Emerson. With chemistry brewing between Addie and Simon, this could mean trouble for Marc!

I loved these new additions to Greyborne Harbour. Lacey is a complete love-to-hate character, and it was interesting to see how far she would go to sabotage Addie. Would Lacey go as far as murder? And Simon? Well that's the toe-curling romance I was talking about. Simon is light hearted and quick with a smile, and I'm clearly already finding myself in the Team Simon camp!

I really enjoyed the mystery. It surrounds a book that the late librarian has written, and as a fellow bibliophile, I love the detail the author puts into the research aspect. It has definitely made me curious about pirates, and wanting to do more reading about that time in history.

Prologue to Murder really has everything. It captured me with a strong history-themed cozy mystery. Add in the toe-curling romance with a dash of pirates and buried treasure, and I absolutely can't wait to come back for more.

Book Review: Murder by the Book by Lauren Elliott

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 . . .[summary via Amazon]

Addison Greybourne has fled her life in Boston, that became wrought with sadness after the unexplained deaths of her father and fiancé, and is now residing in a small town in New England. After taking early retirement, thanks to a unexpected inheritance from a great aunt, she opens up Beyond the Page, and is looking forward to enjoying books and life in a small-town. However, it seems someone has other plans for her when unexplained incidents start occurring, which makes Addie feel like someone is trying to drive her out of town. When her new friend, Serena, is charged with murder, it looks like the bad luck is continuing. Together with Marc, police chief and Serena's brother, they hunt down a killer and try to clear Serena's name.

I love books about books. They are my favourite sub-genre of cozy mysteries. I was thrilled to discover this new series, the Bookstore Mysteries, and delve into another series that features a bookstore as the centre of the mystery.

Rare and unusual books feature heavily in Murder by the Book, and aside from discovering new characters and a great mystery, I really liked finding out more about older books, and what makes them unique. I won't give away the plot, but the rare book in question, in Murder by the Book, is really fascinating. As a fan of the classical book mentioned, I found the facts behind the earlier edition very interesting.

There is a lot to the mystery, especially as we start the book with a cold case - the accident surrounding Addie's father and the murder of her fiancé. From there the reader gets taken on more twists and turns than a rollercoaster, and just like rollercoasters, I loved every second of it. It was a thrill a minute and an adventure that I can't wait to repeat!

I loved the addition of Martha, the grumpy old lady, that owns the business next door to Addie, and doesn't care for Addie at all. To the point of starting a petition to run Addie out of town! In a brilliant love-to-hate way I'm looking forward to seeing what Martha is going to try next.

Murder by the Book is a strong debut to this series, and I can't wait to return for another adventure with Addie, Serena and Marc.