Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
The groundwork has been laid for a very interesting second book in this new Beach Reads cozy series, and I am tempted to read it, which is somewhat of a miracle since I spent most of Little Bookshop of Murder greatly disliking the main character.
Summer is a hoity-toity Shakespearean scholar who's much too good for her mother's taste in "worthless" romance novels, no matter how popular or essential the bookstore has become to so many people. She's so scared of spiders that she sleeps with a special blanket and a mask that's supposed to cover all facial orifices so no eight-legged beasties can get in. This young woman has to be exhausted because she's spent her entire life rebelling against her mother, Hildy, and everything Hildy stands for. And may I also say that I thought Summer shows absolutely no class in wearing flip-flops to her mother's funeral? Maybe it's just me.
If we're talking characters in this book, my favorite is Mr. Darcy, Hildy's old African grey parrot. I wouldn't mind giving him a new home no matter how many feathers the old bird sheds. As for the mystery? Little Bookshop of Murder isn't a whodunit, the killer is rather obvious from the start. No, this is a why-dunit, and I've often found that deducing why someone is killing people is much more interesting than the person's identity.
Since some of Summer's quirks are explained and resolved, and since the author has set up book two so well, I'll probably be visiting Brigid's Island again. But I'm giving her fair warning: give up that literary snob business. You're much better than that, woman.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
Summer is a hoity-toity Shakespearean scholar who's much too good for her mother's taste in "worthless" romance novels, no matter how popular or essential the bookstore has become to so many people. She's so scared of spiders that she sleeps with a special blanket and a mask that's supposed to cover all facial orifices so no eight-legged beasties can get in. This young woman has to be exhausted because she's spent her entire life rebelling against her mother, Hildy, and everything Hildy stands for. And may I also say that I thought Summer shows absolutely no class in wearing flip-flops to her mother's funeral? Maybe it's just me.
If we're talking characters in this book, my favorite is Mr. Darcy, Hildy's old African grey parrot. I wouldn't mind giving him a new home no matter how many feathers the old bird sheds. As for the mystery? Little Bookshop of Murder isn't a whodunit, the killer is rather obvious from the start. No, this is a why-dunit, and I've often found that deducing why someone is killing people is much more interesting than the person's identity.
Since some of Summer's quirks are explained and resolved, and since the author has set up book two so well, I'll probably be visiting Brigid's Island again. But I'm giving her fair warning: give up that literary snob business. You're much better than that, woman.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
Little Bookshop of Murder by Maggie Blackburn has Summer Merriweather returning home to Brigid's Island, North Carolina after the death of her mother. Summer does not believe that her healthy mother suddenly dropped dead from a heart attack. Summer receives a threatening note the day of the funeral and learns her mother had been receiving them as well. Something wicked has come into their lives and Summer intends to get answers. Little Bookshop of Murder is the debut of A Beach Reads Mystery series. Summer Merriweather is a professor of Shakespearean Literature at a university in Virginia. She has been in England doing research for her latest book (publish or perish). She returns home just in time for her mother's funeral. Summer is dubious from the beginning at the cause of her mother's death. The police, though, cannot act without proof. So, Summer with help from her family sets out to get the truth. There is a large cast of characters that includes Summer, her cousin, her aunt, the chief of police, fire chief, and members of the Mermaid Pie Book Club. I would like to see the characters fleshed out. They felt a little flat except for Mr. Darcy, the chatty African Grey parrot. There are various incidents that help propel the story forward and reinforce the belief that Summer's mother may have been killed by a duplicitous individual. The suspect list is small and there are distinctive clues. The killer can easily be identified long before Summer solves the case. I hope the author ups her game in the next book. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of Beach Reads, the bookshop owned by Summer's mother. It sounded like a haven for book lovers except for the smell of patchouli. There were some side stories like Summer's spider phobia that never really went anywhere. I expected at least one spider episode. There is some foul language in this cozy. I am curious as to what changes Summer plans for Beach Reads which specializes in romances. I also wonder if Summer will find romance with a certain handsome fire chief. Little Bookshop of Murder transports readers to Brigid's Island where there is a fluent fowl, a dubious death, a beautiful beach bungalow, a curious cousin, a flock of food, and one Shakespearean scholar turned sleuth.
