Epilogue To A Christmas Murder

A Beyond The Page Bookstore Mystery Book 11

Author:    Lauren Elliott

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781496753342

Kensington Cozies

368 Pages

$8.99; $7.99 Amazon

September 30, 2025

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

As bookstore owner Addie Greyborne shares the loving lesson of The Gift of the Magi, the spirit of the season falls prey to a thief and a killer...

There's no place like the seaside Massachusetts town of Greyborne Harbor for the holidays, and there's no better feeling for Addie than donating to the lighthouse museum's Twelve Days of Christmas charity fundraiser.  Of the dozen books she'll be offering as prizes from her Beyond the Page Books and Curios shop, the most special volume is a first edition of The Gift of the Magi imported from England -- signed by O. Henry!  Addie receives an unexpected Christmas bonus when the book is hand delivered by visiting Detective Inspector Noah Parker, whom she met in England, and has been daydreaming about ever since.

But on the night Addie delivers the book to the museum. someone posing as one of Santa's Little Helpers swipes it -- and the rest of the charity gifts.  As if the theft wasn't bad enough, a body is found on the rocks outside the lighthouse, believed to be murdered.  Now, it's up to Addie to connect the clues, find stolen goods, and catch a killer -- in order to usher in a Happy New Year...

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After being left at the proverbial altar, Addie Greyborne retreated to England for a year to recoup and decide what to do with her life.  She left her bookstore, Beyond the Page Books and Curios, in the capable hands of her manager, Paige.  But the year has ended, and Addie has returned home, eager to welcome the upcoming Christmas holiday and Paige's Christmas Day wedding.

Then she receives an unexpected and surprising visit from Detective Inspector Noah Parker, whom she butted heads with during her time in England.  She's not going to let him know how this has shaken her, since seeing him again has taken her breath away.  But he delivers a special book for her from the owner of the bookshop she worked for there -- a signed edition of The Gift of the Magi -- and she's going to donate it to the local museum for charity.

When she shows up at the museum she meets one of Santa's Elves who seems to be putting the donations into boxes, and tells her to just add her donations to everything else.  Barely questioning it, she does so, then discovers later that everything has been stolen, and the elf is nowhere to be found.

To make matters worse, a dead body is found the next day on the cliff by the lighthouse.  Who is the man?  Is he connected to the burglary?  But when it turns out to be someone who's connected to a friend, and local police chief Marc Chandler is removed from the case, she has no help.  At least until Noah Parker is temporarily assigned to the murder case.  But the DA and the mayor want it solved quickly.  With only one suspect in line for it, Addie has to work fast, and behind the scenes.  Will she be able to find a killer before her friend is jailed?  Or will everything go terribly wrong and she won't be able to help at all...

This is the eleventh book in the series, and I must say that it is my favorite to date.  I am glad that I decided to continue reading this series after one book disappointed me (not going to say any more about that!).  While I am glad to see Addie back home in Grayborne Harbor, I miss her friends she left behind in England.  But she didn't leave all of them -- Detective Inspector Noah Parker is on holiday, and he's helping with the murder case.  Her feelings for Noah are confusing, and she wants to see him and not see him, if that makes any sense.

With Marc off the case, everything needs to be hush-hush or both Noah and Marc will permanently lose their jobs, leaving Addie to do as much as she can by herself.  She's also trying to manage her store and keep Paige from going crazy with a mother who's turned into a Motherzilla.  Paige also needs her help if her wedding is to go off nicely; Addie's in a pickle and knows it.

Looking for clues, she's pretty much on her own and what she can glean from both Marc and Noah, which isn't much.  She's positive the suspect is innocent, and trusts her gut instinct, which is more than not right.  However, knowing it and proving it are two different things.

The book kept me interested throughout, and I loved the fact it takes place during the Christmas season.  (That's just because I love the holiday, myself).  Anyway, watching Addie take what she has and put it all together at the end is the best part of the book.  This woman is intelligent, unflappable, and able to take care of herself in a pinch.  She can also think on her feet. and that's the best kind of amateur sleuth.  It makes Ms. Elliott's books are wonderful; with a taut storyline and a climax that's worth waiting for.

I will not say any more about the book in order not to spoil it for anyone (I don't think I've given any spoilers so far!)  I will say I loved the intrigue, Addie's actions and her thinking, and the way the book ended.  I look forward to the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Epilogue-Christmas-Murder-Bookstore-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0DTJN96KY/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7585247015

More on Lauren Elliott's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/lauren-elliott/

A Limited Edition Murder

 A Beyond The Page Bookstore Mystery Book 10

Author:    Lauren Elliott

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

ISBN #:    9781496735757

Kensington Cozies

320 Pages

$8.36; $6.99 Amazon

May 21, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Although enjoying her extended stay working at Second Chance Books and Bindery in West Yorkshire, Addie still feels adrift -- far from home, her friends, and her own beloved bookstore, Beyond the Page Books and Curios.  The engagement party of her dear friend, Tony, at Milton Manor promises to be a joyful distraction.  But there's an ill wind blowing at the estate.  When Tony presents his fiancee with a special copy of Wuthering Heights as an engagement gift, the lord of the manor insists the book was stolen from his library...

Things go from troubling to tragic when Addie takes her Yorkipoo, Pippi, out for a walk on the moors and stumbles across the body of young woman.  When the police suspect Tony of foul play, Addie vows to get to the bottom of what's going on.  But it's a twisted, treacherous path to the truth and Addie will need to watch her every step...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Addie Greybourne fled her home in Greybourne Harbor, Massachusetts, when she discovered that her life was a lie.  Her great-aunt wasn't who she knew.  Her fiance, Simon, deserted her on their wedding day.  Saddened and hurt, she traveled to England to visit her novelist friend Tony Radcliff, who not only gave her a place to stay, but she secured a job at Second Chance Books and Bindery.  She's loved her quiet life in Yorkshire and made new friends, even though she knows she'll have to return home soon.

Tony is having an engagement party for himself and his fiancee Hailey, and even though Addie isn't looking forward to mingling with people she doesn't know, she's going for Tony's sake.  But things don't run smoothly.  First, the copy of Wuthering Heights that Tony has procured for Hailey as a gift is discovered to be stolen from the lord of the manor's library.  As if that's not bad enough, when Addie returns home and takes her dog Pippi for a walk, she discovers a young woman dead not far from her cottage.

But she notices that the elaborate necklace the woman wore is missing.  While she convinces the police of her own innocence eventually, they turn their attention to Hailey.  Now Addie is once again involved in a murder, and the local DI warns her away, but we know Addie better than him.  She's determined to find the truth, and hopes that she can find the killer before Hailey is sent away and the true fiend gets away with murder...

This is the tenth book in the series, and I will say that it took me a while to read.  The reasons are my own: I have read all the books in the series, but I did not enjoy the ending of the last one, so I needed to gear myself up to see if I was interested in reading another.  I will not list the reasons why I did not enjoy the ending of the last one, but I will say that it didn't make sense to me, as people have dealt with far worse.  End of conversation.

Saying that, I was pleasantly surprised how this one began and carried on.  Addie is learning more about herself, and actually moving on with her life as it is.  She finds a worthy opponent in DI Parker, which had interesting moments.  She has unexpected allies in her quest for the truth in Tony's employees, who have been flown over for the party and need to remain during the investigation, so she's not alone.

The mystery centers on actually two of them: how did the lord's book end up in a London bookshop where Tony bought it, and what happened to the necklace, which also seems like a gift that Tony once gave to Hailey and disappeared suddenly?  Both seem to have once disappeared twenty years ago; recently reappeared, then the necklace disappeared again.

Addie is positive that digging into the previous murder will explain the present one.  But does DI Parker agree?  It seems he's not interested in her theories, even if she knows she needs to trust her gut feelings.  

When the ending comes, it's a tad bittersweet, but everything comes together nicely, and the tale was intriguing and worth reading.  I look forward to the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Limited-Murder-Beyond-Bookstore-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0CHH3WYK8/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7577082775

More on Lauren Elliott's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/lauren-elliott/

A Spirited Blend

A Crystals & CuriosiTEAS Mystery Book 3

Digital Book (Audiobook Available)

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    1496735226

Kensington Cozies

288 Pages

(Price TBA) $12.99 Amazon

March 25, 2025

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

With Halloween around the corner, Shay Myers is brewing witchy seasonal sips at Crystals & CuriosiTEAS -- while simultaneously steaming over pub owner Liam Madigan's decision to take anybody but her to the town/s Monster Mash dance.  Her romantic premonitions have missed the mark since she settled into coastal Bray Harbor, opening the door to questions about whether she's really the gifted seer her late mother imagined.  It's why she second guesses the dark vision in her tea leaves about a local citizen and their obsession with genealogy, Irish folklore, and magic.

But when bad omens come true, Shay doesn't have time for self-doubt.  A woman's body has been discovered, frozen in a strange pose with an eerie black butterfly on her forehead, leading to suspicions that the victim took a conjuring ritual too far due to limited experience -- or was murdered by someone with too much.  As an investigation stirs up a sinister connection to a boardwalk mystic shop, Shay, guided by her knowing dog, Spirit, finds herself tracking down a shady figure from her past, navigating the sudden reappearance of her ex-husband, and chasing down a wickedly perceptive criminal who might finally be her match!

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When Shay Myers began her day, she didn't expect pub owner (and secret crush) Liam Madigan to come running to her for advice on his love life (again).  In fact, she's so tired of it she sends him away, but he thinks she's just having a bad day and will get over it.  But it's not the day that has her bothered.  It's the visions she's been having.  And when a local citizen steps in for a tea reading, Shay can't believe what she sees -- or hears.  The woman thinks they might be related, even though Shay tells her it's not really possible.  But the woman persists, and shows Shay an object she found among her mother's possessions.  Not able to completely convince her, Shay sends her off, and then worries about what she's seen in the tea leaves. Asking the help of Liam's wise Irish Gram, she fears the worst.  

But then her ex-husband and his new wife appear in town, telling her they've bought a local winery that was for sale.  As if things couldn't get worse, she finds they do.  A friend-turned-enemy has opened a rival shop, and someone else shows up, who's willing to do her harm.  Now, with visions that only spell possible doom, how can she find the truth?  Then someone is murdered nearby, and she's not sure if even Gram can help her with this one...

This is the third entry in this series, and I do believe it is the best one yet.  While I have loved this author's other series as well, I am tending to love this one even more.  I am so over tales of witches, vampires, and werewolves; but a series about a seer is indeed unique, and the story line behind all this makes it believable as well.

Shay didn't always know she was one; she discovered it after her return to Bray Harbor when her marriage and life fell apart.  In this book she is beginning to understand more, not only about herself, but also having ideas, with the help of Liam, of what happened to her before (I cannot say more as it will give away too much of the book).  Suffice it to say, it gives an opening for future books, and also gives us a glimpse of Shay's past, not counting her Irish heritage.

Finding a killer isn't going to be easy, especially once she learns her nemesis has arrived in town, and the fact that her now-enemy might be involved.  It's good she has Spirit to protect her, she needs him more than ever.  There is plenty going on here, not only with Halloween, but with Shay trying to keep her business open, trying to figure out what is going on with her ex, and, of course, trying to find a killer. 

The ending is surprising, which is how it should be; the climax is stirring, but nevertheless a tad sad.  Yet there is more to come, and I eagerly await the next in the series.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DB3N3CLQ?ref_=dbs

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6931622610

More on Lauren Elliott's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/lauren-elliott/

Murder In A Cup (A Crystals and CuriosiTEAS Mystery Book 2)

Author:    Lauren Elliott

Genre:     Mystery

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496739070

Kensington Cozies

304 Pages

November 28, 2023

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Self-taught "seer" Shay has much to learn as autumn hits the quaint coastal town of Bray Harbor.  Since attempting the art of blending herbs at her popular shop, Crystals & CuriosiTEAS, she's set on growing ingredients in the mysterious greenhouse on the second floor -- if only she can separate the medicinal plants from the deadly ones.  Her new skills are put to the test when she meets pub owner and ex-detective Liam Madigan's Gran.  A psychic from Ireland known for interpreting tea leaves and people, Gran encourages Shay to build upon her natural talents and hold her own group reading...

Despite Shay's reservations about putting herself in the spotlight, the evening goes off without a hitch.  At least, until she does a reading and a customer goes from chatty to dead in a flash, poisoned after sipping a toxic substance recently grown in the greenhouse.  Worse, Shay's assistant is suspected of intentionally serving the lethal brew and committing cold-blooded murder.  Now, aided only by Liam and her dog Spirit, Shay must exonerate her employee and save the future of Crystals & CuriosiTEAS.  But when clues start lining up like leaves in a teacup, she'll need to understand the signs right in front of her to catch the manipulative murderer before it's too late...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

When the local owner of a mystical shop dies, she leaves everything to Shay.  After Shay figures out why, she and her sister Jen proceed to turn the shop into Crystals and CuriosiTEAS, a teashop that also offers special blends to people needing help or guidance.  Occasionally, Shay will also do tea leaf readings, which has become popular amongst the locals.

One group, known as the white gloved ladies, has made the shop a weekly visit, and because they are so respected, Shay's new tearoom is booming.  Between her, Jen, and their teenage helper Tassi, they manage to make things work.  For a while, anyway -- until Tassi's dad shows up and declares that he's fighting her mother for custody.  Tassi dislikes her dad's fiancée, and refuses to go with him.  But one night, during a group reading, one of the women in the white glove group dies, prompting Tassi's father to get a restraining order against Shay and vowing to ruin her.

Shay is distraught, but when pub owner Liam Madigan returns from Ireland with his grandmother, known as 'Gran', the woman seeks out Shay and takes her under her wing.  To make matters worse, Liam is having troubles of his own, and his cousin shows up out of nowhere.

Shay has her hands full and her pockets temporarily empty, but will she be able to rectify the situation?  Will she be able to find out who really killed the woman?  And more so, will she be able to get her life back to where it was?...

This is merely the second book in the series but I am completely hooked on it.  I loved the first, and this one even more.  Shay is growing as a person, and being accepted for who she is.  Her life in this village begins to round out, until Tassi's unfortunate being of a father shows up.  She's sure he has an ulterior motive, but when he starts harassing her, she wonders why.

I love the character of Gran.  She's completely delightful.  A bit of the 'Old Country,' if you will.  I am pleased that the author brought her into the series, and hopefully will keep her there.  I did like Liam quite a bit, but as most men (don't get upset, we all know), he's a bit oblivious when it comes to certain things.  Read the book and you will know what I am talking about.

And let's not forget Spirit, the magical dog who appears just where he's needed most.  He's more than just a dog, but an intelligent friend who senses danger and knows just what to do to prevent it.  Ah, if only humans could understand what he is trying to say...

The murder itself is very well planned out, and quite a bit intriguing as well.  We watch as Shay tries to navigate her desire to help Tassi and figure out who the murderer might be at the same time.  While I knew who it was before Shay, it was entertaining to watch her figure it out and put the clues together.  In the end, it gives us a glimpse of what to look forward to in the next book, which, I think, will be just as enjoyable as this one.  Highly recommended.

I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Crystals-CuriosiTEAS-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B0BZBPVK1C/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5621410210

More on Lauren Elliott's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/lauren-elliott/

Steeped in Secrets (A Crystals & CuriosiTEAS Mystery #1)

Author:    Lauren Elliott

Genre:     Mystery/Fantasy

Hardcover; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496735201

Kensington Cozies

304 Pages

$26.00; $12.99 Amazon

November 29, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Even with her life in ruins in New Mexico, Shay feels uneasy about settling into the small seaside town where she grew up on California's Monterey Peninsula and taking over an estate bequeathed to her by Bridget Early, a woman she had barely known.  Her heightened senses -- an empathic gift she's had since childhood -- go into overdrive upon touring Crystals & CuriosiTEAS, Bridget's eclectic tea and psychic shop brimming with Irish lore and Celtic symbols.  They reach a boiling point when Shay looks up to discover a stranger's body sprawled across the shop's greenhouse roof...

With her new business a crime scene and questions brewing over Bridget's so-called accidental death, Shay fears she's also inherited the attention of a killer.  The terrifying realization sets her on an impractical investigation for answers aided by her sister, an elusive pure-white German Shepherd, a strikingly handsome pub owner who speaks in a gentle brogue, and a misunderstood young woman with perceptive talents of her own.  As Shay struggles to figure out her true purpose in Bray Harbor and the powerful connection she has with the tea shop, she must trust her judgment above all else to identify a ruthless murderer and save herself from becoming victim number three...

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Shay Myers has left her home in New Mexico, broken from a marriage that left her nothing and took everything.  The reason she is here is because she's learned of an inheritance she's been left by a woman she barely knew, Bridget Early.  Bridget left Shay her business and her home, a cottage by the sea.  At first wanting to sell, she's changed her mind and decided to reopen the shop as a tea room.  But the real estate agent is pushing her, as well as her older sister Jen, to leave -- especially when a body is found above the shop.  But Shay is made of stronger stuff, and with the help of a young woman named Tassi, and a stranger white German Shepherd named Spirit, who seems to know what she needs, Shay decides to make her home here again.

But it's not going to be easy,  With the pushback from others, and an even stranger gift, she wonders what Bridget was trying to tell her.  With the help of the owner of the pub next door, a handsome Irishman, she knows she has to make this work, at any cost.  Even if a killer is looking for her next...

This is the first book in the series, and I do love Ms. Elliott's other series, so I wanted to give this one a chance.  I am not fond of fantasy books but this book had me enthralled in a very short time.  There is so much I can say, but will not so in order not to spoil the book for others.

It is a lot of mystery, a little fantasy, a touch of romance...exactly what it should be to bring the reader into the story.  The author takes us to another place, and even another time, and we are drawn into the story easily, and wanting to be a part of it.  Oh, how I wanted to see the shop and the garden; but I will have to settle for seeing it through Shay's eyes.  A little Irish folklore can go a long way into enchanting a mystery and showing us Shay's future, if not her past.

This is a most delightful beginning to a series, and I can still see it in my mind's eye; wanting to read the next in the series soon.  I will definitely be looking forward to it.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Steeped-Secrets-Lauren-Elliott-ebook/dp/B09TX19WNN/ref

Goodreads:   https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4829557960 

More on Lauren Elliott's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/lauren-elliott/

A Margin for Murder (A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery #8)

Author:    Lauren Elliott

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496735133

Kensington Publishing

320 Pages

$8.99; $6.99 Amazon

April 26, 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Addie leaves her Greyborne Harbor bookstore, Beyond the Page Books and Curios, in the capable hands of her assistant while she travels to the neighboring town of Pen Hollow to attend a book sale at a library that is closing due to lack of funding.  But the real find is a bookmobile bus, which she's excited to refit as a traveling bookstore to hit all the summer festivals.  The bookmobile also holds a surprising treasure: several classic first editions and an early edition of Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses.

But before the bookmobile can be delivered to Addie, a fatal crash occurs.  When an autopsy reveals poison in the victim's system and the first editions go missing, it's up to Addie to determine what would drive someone to murder.  If she's not careful, however, she may be the next one to be dead on arrival...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Addie Greyborne is the owner of Beyond the Page Books and Curios, and loves nothing more than to find a good book sale.  When she and her assistant Paige decide to take a trip to the neighboring town of Pen Hollow, they leave behind a very pregnant, petulant, and weepy Serena, who wants to go with them.  But, since it is nearing Addie's birthday, Paige has also decided to treat her to a night out, so they will be gone until the next day...or so they think...

While at the sale, Addie discovers an old school bus that has been converted to a bookmobile, and she's excited to find it's also for sale.  Completing the sale with the local mayor, Luella, she's ready for it to be turned over.  But Luella wants it public, complete with television airing and turning over the keys.

Addie is also surprised -- extremely -- to find her old high school boyfriend, Tony Radcliff, living in Pen Hollow.  He disappeared without a trace, and now he wants to catch up and talk to her about their pasts and where it led them today.  But she's also concerned about her growing relationship with Simon, the coroner, and thinks he's been distant.  Addie wonders what's going on with him, too.

But before the bus can be delivered, there's an accident and the driver is dead.  The local sheriff is sure the murderers are Addie and Paige; all because they're 'outsiders' and he's sure no one in his district could have committed the crime.  When Addie discovers that both Simon and Chief Marc Chandler of Greyborne Harbor have arrived, she knows she's in trouble.  With both men trying to clear her, she can't just sit back and wait.  Now she and Paige are on the hunt for a killer, and it isn't making them very popular in town...

This is the eighth book in the series and my favorite one so far.  (A series which I hope will continue for a long time yet).  I have read every one of them and have followed the characters from their beginnings -- when I didn't care for Addie at all to now, when I do like her immensely.  The characters have developed and evolved, and they feel like old friends at this point.

Therefore, when Addie gets in trouble through no fault of her own, it peeved me that the police force in this town were crazy.  But, it makes for good reading, and that's definitely what this is.  There were a couple of good people in town -- Paige's sister's neighbor Valerie, for one; but most were crazy themselves.  Not a town I'd want to visit.  However, I would love it if Addie made a trip to England (read the book and you will know why).

While her relationship with Simon is put on the back burner, Addie has to ask herself who wanted the victim dead the most -- because, as we already know, there will be a plethora of suspects on the horizon -- and trying to find answers isn't easy, at least not here.  But when she starts digging around, she finds that the victim wasn't as upstanding as they seemed.

The story line is original, the writing descriptive (especially of Pen Hollow), and again, the characters engaging.  Ms. Elliott has warmed to her persons; she gives them life beyond the page (see what I did there?) and it's heartwarming, suspenseful, and intriguing as you try to discover the killer along with Addie.  When the ending comes, and justice is served, it's a strange thing all around, but quite satisfying to read.  Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Margin-Murder-Beyond-Bookstore-Mystery/dp/1496735137/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4494313500

More on Lauren Elliott's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/lauren-elliott/

To the Tome of Murder (A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery #7)

Author:    Lauren Elliott

Genre:      Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496735126

Kensington Publishing

304 Pages

$8.99; $6.99 Amazon

October 26, 2021

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Three weeks before Thanksgiving, bookshop owner Addie Greyborne already has a full plate -- and a killer on her case...

Addie's determined to turn a seemingly ordinary November in coastal Greyborne Harbor into one for the books.  The windows of her shop display carefully curated works by American writers, including a rare selection of traditional holiday recipes from the influential 19th-century publication Godey's Ladies Magazine.  And then there's the town's Civil War-era themed cooking and baking competions, with a hefty cash prize and free publicity going to the winning dish...

But when she finds her cousin's boyfriend murdered, a stunned Addie reluctantly realizes she may be the only person who can blow the cover off a grisly crime.  With so many unanswered questions surrounding the victim's death, Addie must figure out the strange connection between a mysterious vintage briefcase, the disappearance of the first edition copy of Sarah Josepha Hale's famous nursery rhyme, "Mary Had a Little Lamb," and a dangerously well-read culprit...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Addie Greyborne lives in Greyborne Harbor, named for an ancestor, and owns Beyond the Page Bookstore.  One morning she receives a frantic call from her cousin Kayla Hudson, who owns a dress shop a few blocks away, and when she arrives she finds Kayla crying, and Kayla's boyfriend JArod behind the counter, dead.  After calling the police, things start to go really awry, with Kayla as the main suspect in his death.  Addie has had problems with Kayla in the past, but she refuses to believe her cousin is a killer.  With no help from her ex-boyfriend and chief of police Marc, Addie decides to investigate herself and find out who wanted to kill the man.

But it isn't going to be easy, especially with everything else going on.  There's a contest on recipes from the Civil-War era, and she's swamped with people buying books on both recipes and the era.  Then there's the only thing missing from Kayla's shop: Jarod's briefcase.  What at first seems like a burglary gone wrong sets Addie's instincts humming telling her there's something else afoot.  When a major clue turns up later in the case, Addie needs to call in reinforcements from an unexpected source.  Still, the evidence is piling up against Kayla, and Addie's racing against time.  Something she doesn't have much of...

This is the seventh book in the series, and I have read every one of them.  I have greatly enjoyed spending time with Addie and her friends, even if some of them can be annoying at times.  I did like this book quite a bit, and there was plenty going on throughout from the various subplots.  We're watching the characters evolve quite a bit, and their lives are changing, although I still can't warm up to Kayla (my own opinion).  I remember how she treated Addie in previous books, and Addie has a better control on her mouth than I would have! (ha!).  Ms. Elliott has a true feel for her characters which keeps the series moving along wonderfully.

But finding out who is setting up Kayla to take the fall is giving Addie a headache, since she can't really put her finger on one specific person.  (I knew who it was almost immediately when I met them, but then again, I read a lot of mysteries, so there's that).  Still, watching her glean her information piece by piece while she also learns about a mysterious person in town who has just come to her attention is worth it alone.

There are changes in the book as well; some unexpected and others not so much; and the usual altercations between Addie and Martha, who are like oil and water together, as always; and Addie might just discover something about herself.

When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, it is not without a decent climax, and the reason for the murder is rather sad in itself, although I still couldn't quite feel sympathy for the killer.  Such is life, I guess.  But I was torn at the epilogue; while I wanted more, I didn't quite find it, yet we still have something to look forward to in the next book.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Beyond-Page-Bookstore-Mystery/dp/1496735129/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4110089115

More on Lauren Elliott's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/lauren-elliott/

Under the Cover of Murder (A Beyond the Page Bookshop Mystery #6)

Author:    Lauren Elliott

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496727138

Kensington Publishing

320 Pages

$8.29; $7.69 Amazon

March 30, 2021

⭐⭐⭐⭐

It promises to be Greyborne Harbor's wedding of the year.  The impending nuptials of Serena Chandler and Zach Ludlow will take place aboard his family's luxurious super-yacht, currently moored in the harbor and the talk of the town.  But on the day of the wedding, a man's body washes up on the beach with no ID, only a torn page from a book in his pocket.  As owner of Beyond the Page Books and Curios, bibliophile Addie is called in to identify the book, but she cannot.

The morning following the extravagant ceremony, a second body washes ashore and Addie has a sinking feeling that the two deaths are connected.  While the guests are held on the yacht as the police investigate, at least Addie can peruse Zach's father's rare books library on board.  A copy of Agatha Christie's first Hercule Poirot novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, provides a clue that the killer may still be on the ship -- but narrowing down the suspects without becoming the next victim may prove a truly Herculean task...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Addison Greyborne lives in Greyborne Harbor and owns a bookshop that deals in both new and rare books.  While preparing for her best friend Serena's wedding, she's called by Serena's brother Marc, chief of police, to the station.  He needs her help in identifying the body of dead man who was found with nothing but a torn corner from a book.  Unfortunately, Addie can't help him and leaves to go to the super-yacht where the wedding is to be held.

When a second body is discovered after the wedding, the ship is locked down with guests aboard, since any one of them could be the murderer.  Now Marc needs Addie's help more than ever, and if one of them doesn't find a killer soon, they may be out to sea forever...

This is the sixth book in the series and perhaps my favorite one so far.  Addie is stuck on a yacht with a group of people she doesn't know and a couple she does; and she enlists the help of her friend Catherine and employee Paige to help her try and figure out who wanted these people dead.  Since Addie is, at least, being asked by Marc to help, she's given more information from the police than she ordinarily would have -- and Marc's not telling her to leave it alone.

But when Addie starts her investigating, she finds out things she wish she really didn't know, and secrets she didn't want to come across.  Could any of them give cause to murder?  And how did they get the body off the ship when it was full of people?

The mystery is done very nicely; there are enough red herrings on this ship to make a feast out of it.  We do also get to see how the relationship with Addie and Simon is going, as well as the one with Marc and Ryley, and there are surprises there as well.  

Not wanting to give much more away than what I've said, I will say that it all comes together nicely, and the murderer is discovered just in the nick of time.  This is a very good book than can be read in one sitting and I enjoyed it quite a bit.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Under-Murder-Beyond-Bookstore-Mystery/dp/1496727134/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3889596956

More on Lauren Elliott's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/lauren-elliott/

A Page Marked for Murder (A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery #5)

Author:    Lauren Elliott

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:  9781496727114

Kensington Publishing

304 Pages

$6.79; $1.99 Amazon (Sale)

October 27, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐

January isn't the season for the seaside, but the big Fire and Ice festival is keeping bookstore owner Addie busy.  Amid the plans for a fireworks display and an ice-carving competition, she's also dog sitting for a friend in the hospital.  When Addie goes to her friend's house to gather supplies, she notices an interesting item on the nightstand which belongs to her shop assistant, Paige: a very valuable copy of the beloved children's book The Secret Garden.

But Addie's blood runs cold when she finds something else: a dead body behind the bakery next door to her shop.  Martha, the bakery owner, has no alibi -- and has been seen in a heated argument with the victim.  And the next thing Addie knows, that first edition has gone missing.  Is there a connection between the body and the treasured tome?  If there is, it's up to Addie to find a killer with a motive as hidden as Frances Hodgson Burnett's famous garden...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Addie Greyborne lives in a small New England town and owns a bookshop.  One morning a friend's little dog shows up at her shop barking.  When she runs across the street to the park, she finds his owner Gloria on the ground, having fallen from a ladder while decorating for the local festival.  When it's determined she needs to have a hip replacement, Addie is determined as the best person to care for the little dog, and goes with her friend and next-door business owner Martha to collect things for the dog.

While at Gloria's home she also notices a copy of The Secret Garden on Gloria's night stand.  When Martha tells her that it belongs to her daughter Paige, Addie's employee, Addie tells Martha that it might just be worth over $25,000, which stuns Martha.

But there are other things occupying Martha's mind and which Addie wants to ask her, but won't: like who were the men and woman she was arguing with outside her shop?  And why was she threatening them?  Unfortunately, the next day, when Addie goes to work, she and a homeless man named Bill find the dead body of one of the men behind Martha's shop -- and it promptly puts Martha in lead position as the suspect in killing him.  When she's arrested for the murder, Addie promises Paige to do all she can to save her.

But Addie has other things on her mind, too: when she goes to Gloria's home to retrieve the book for her, it's missing.  And there doesn't appear to be any forced entry.  So where is the book?  Is it related to the death?  If the police won't listen, Addie has no choice but once again to try and find a killer.  But maybe this time she'll wish she hadn't...

This is the fifth book in the series, and I do believe that it might be one of the best ones.  Addie has more trouble than she wants with her cousin Kalea living with her -- honestly, this woman is a royal pain and I would send her back where she came from after the things she does; but then, that's only my opinion.  Addie's too nice to her.  I also don't like Ryley much; she really doesn't like Addie and allows it to color her professional work.  Marc should rein her in.  She's unlikable.  

Other than that, I did like the mystery itself.  It was interesting to see Addie trying to understand if the missing book was somehow connected to the murder, even though the police had to 'follow the evidence'.  True; but sometimes you need to follow your instincts, too, which is what Addie does and why she's so good at figuring things out.

I did like all the little subplots and getting to know more about Martha's past and what has made her the way she is; it's always nice when you learn about the lives of the secondary characters; and I did like the hint that we may see more of Jonathan in later books.  He enchanted me, but only because I like the cloak-and-dagger history of his life.

The story is rife with twists and turns that take the reader to other area's besides Addie's life; although we do see her still struggling with certain areas of her budding relationship with Simon, but it centers more on her not wanting to see Paige hurt or even caring for the little dog in her guardianship, as it were.  There were clues throughout; you just had to look for them.

When Addie starts to get closer to finding the answers she wants, it comes from an unlikely source, and that's when she puts it all together.  It was a satisfying ending that left me pleased with the book and looking forward to the next in the series.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Marked-Murder-Beyond-Bookstore-Mystery/dp/1496727118/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3886117805

More on Lauren Elliott's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/lauren-elliott/

Proof of Murder (A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery #4)

Author:    Lauren Elliott

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (LP Available)

ISBN#:     9781496727091

Kensington Publishing

320 Pages

$6.79; $5.99 Amazon

April 28, 2020

⭐⭐⭐⭐

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 mansion's 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...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Addie Greyborne owns a bookstore that deals in both new and rare books, and lives in a Queen Anne Victorian she inherited from her late aunt.  She wants to attend an estate sale, but her friends don't want her to go, insisting the place is haunted.  Refusing to believe in ghosts, Addie does go and meets an old friend who's conducting the auction.  While there, she runs into her cousin whom she hasn't seen in ten years, and also offers to help appraise the remaining books when the hired appraiser seems to be over her head.

During the appraisal, Addie discovers several rare first editions, especially a magazine from 1887 that carried A Study in Scarlet, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's public introduction to Sherlock Holmes.  She tells her friend Blake, who's running the sale, and leaves.  The next day she returns for the private sale, coming early to help set up, and she and Blake discover the appraiser in the vast library -- dead.  She also notices the books are missing and cheap replicas have been put in their stead.  The police don't think it's a murder, but Addie knows it must be, and the theft is connected somehow.

It doesn't help that police chief Marc Chandler, who was recently involved with Addie, has returned and he's treating Addie like a suspect in the thefts and, if it's proven, murder.  Addie has only herself and her friends to depend on to solve this crime, and it will take all of her wits to get her out of becoming a part of the past herself...

This is the fourth book in the series, and I will say that I liked it much better than the first three.  Addie isn't so petulant in this one; she's beginning to act like the adult that she is, so that's a positive change in the books.  However, I really didn't care for Marc in this one.  Instead of thinking logically, which means taking into consideration everything he knows about Addie personally, he acts like a total jerk in most of the book, and it seemed to be nothing more than revenge-laden.  He never went to bat for her once, and he knows her as a person.  She's helped him solve murders in the past, and he should have taken that into consideration and at least listened to her theories as being plausible.  It was as if one Marc went on vacation and a different one returned.  It didn't make me happy, to say the least.

At any rate, the plot was a very good one, with red herrings thrown everywhere and the true killer not being shown until close to the end.  When it all came together, it did so nicely, with Addie giving us a rather humorous conclusion to it all.  In the end, I enjoyed the story and so will continue on with the series.

https://www.amazon.com/Proof-Murder-Beyond-Bookstore-Mystery/dp/1496727096/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3882892874

More on Lauren Elliott's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/lauren-elliott/

Murder in the First Edition (A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery Book 3)

Author:    Lauren Elliott

Genre:     Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book (Audiobook and LP Available)

ISBN #:  9781496720214

Kensington Publishing

320 Pages

$5.00; $4.75 Amazon (Sale)

September 24, 2019

⭐⭐⭐

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...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Addie Greyborne lives in a small town named after her family, and she owns a bookstore.  She inherited a Victorian home and enough money to do so from a late relative.  When she discovers a rare edition of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, she decides to donate it to a charity auction that will benefit the pediatric wing of the hospital.  She receives the authentication of the book from a friend in Boston, and when she takes it to Teresa Lang, who's heading the auction, she finds the woman dead.  This causes more problems than just a dead body...

It seems her late fiancé's father, Jonathan Hemingway, is in town unannounced, and he was to meet with Teresa for lunch, but tells her the woman had another appointment.  The book is gone, stolen from its case and no one can find it.  Her assistant Patrick is frantic, trying to find another book for the live auction, Jonathan is romancing her friend, and she can't commit to either of the men who are interested in her -- police chief Marc Chandler, or Dr. Simon Emerson.  Addie's life is in turmoil.  

However, Addie being Addie is determined to help find the killer, because it's her book that is missing, and she's decided that Jonathan has something to do with it, even if she can't find any proof.  Even though everyone is telling her to leave it alone, she's not going to do so; not even when the killer sends her a message that tells her she might be next...

This is the third book in the series, and while I had decided not to read another one, I did so only because I love Christmas and this book takes place during that time.  While Christmas isn't the main theme, it still does rear its head now and then.  Addie is looking for a killer, and her partner in crime, best friend Serena, is helping her find clues.  Unfortunately, Addie is determined to place the title directly on the head of her almost-father-in-law Jonathan, but can't find anything incriminating, which irritates her.

Honestly, I loved Jonathan the most.  His character is not only intriguing, he has charm and wit, two things that are valued in people by me.  Addie was like a dog with a bone, and it soon became tiring, even though other clues showed up to lead her in the right direction.  

Now she has a choice to make between Marc and Simon -- if she can let go of David; his memory is keeping her from living her life, and Jonathan seems aware of this, as do the two men; but Addie is stubborn and refuses to accept it.  I do feel that Addie really needs to grow up.  She acts like a teenager with all her stubbornness, her pouting, her refusal to listen to anyone.  These are not the actions of a grown woman who owns her own business.  This does not show a strong, independent woman; they are the actions of a petulant teen who isn't getting her own way.

When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, it turns out to be more complex than anyone could have imagined; but the ending also gives Addie perhaps a new beginning to her relationship with Jonathan (and I do so hope to see him in future books once in a while).  I did enjoy the ending and will continue with this series because of it.  

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-First-Beyond-Bookstore-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07MH9X47R/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3881163701

More on Lauren Elliott's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/lauren-elliott/

Prologue to Murder (A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery #2)

Author:  Lauren Elliott
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496720207
Kensington Publishing
336 Pages
$5.69; $5.41 Amazon
April 30, 2019

⭐⭐

Gossip columnists love a bold-faced name -- but "Miss Newsy" at Greyborne Harbor's local paper seems to specialize in bold-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 moe 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...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Addie Greystone owns a bookstore in Greystone Harbor, named after her family.  When the body of town librarian June Winslow is discovered, thanks to the local gossip column, everyone thinks Addie had something to do with it and are now shunning her.  She also discovers that police chief Marc, whom Addie has just started seeing, has been visited by his old flame, Lacey Davenport.  It doesn't help when Marc's sister wants Addie to back off and let Lacey have him, even though Marc assures her they're done; or that new doctor Simon has shown up and is interested in Lacey himself.

Then June's daughter visited Addie at the bookstore, giving her a box of her mother's things that contain an old treasure map.  Addie's convinced that this is the reason June was murdered, and convinces Marc that this is the reason June was killed.  Even if he disbelieves it, he wants to stay close to Addie, since Simon is going along with her theories.  So the three set out to discover the truth, but someone wants her out of it for good...

This is the second book in the series, and I have to say that it greatly disappointed me.  While I might have been interested in the mystery, two things that I absolutely detest occurred to stop it:  the entrance of the 'evil nemesis,' in the form of Lacey; and the beginning of a love triangle.  I absolutely abhor these things, and from what I can tell of future books, it doesn't get any better.  I've quit reading other series because of this.  There was no reason to bring in Simon, except to cause tension.  I did like Marc; not so much Simon; and unfortunately, this will be my last book in the series.  I'm not interested enough to continue because so much time is taken up with the 'will-she-or-won't-she' angle.  Let me put it this way: if it were one man stringing along two women, people would think he's a dog, or worse.  But for some reason it's fine if a female character does it?  No thank you.  Not for me.

Because of this, I couldn't even get into the mystery, due to the fact that every time something happened, one or the other would show up, and then the second man would show up right afterward.  Good way to ruin the mystery angle.  Things like this actually dull my enjoyment of a book.

At any rate, when the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, it didn't really interest me anymore, and I didn't care about the reason why June was killed.  Sorry to say it, but it is what it is.

https://www.amazon.com/Prologue-Murder-Bookstore-Mystery-Elliott/dp/1496720202/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3318141755

More on Lauren Elliott's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/lauren-elliott/

Murder By the Book (A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery #1)

Author:  Lauren Elliott
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Audio CD; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9781496720191; 9781977365217
Kensington Publishing
286 Pages
$7.99; $16.50; $5.99 Amazon
October 30, 2018

⭐

Addie Greyborne loved working with rare books at the Boston Public Library - she even got to play detective, tracking down clues about mysterious old volumes.  But she didn't expect her sleuthing skills to come in so handy in a little seaside town...

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...

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Addie Greyborne moves from Boston to a small town after a couple of tragedies in her life.  First, her fiancé David is murdered, then her father has a fatal car accident, and she believes it wasn't really an accident.  It seems fortuitous when she receives an inheritance from a recently deceased relative and is given the means to move away.

After finding many rare editions and used books in the Victorian home she's inherited, she decides to open a bookstore.  But on her first day, her back door has nearly been forced open, someone has taken a copy of Alice in Wonderland (non-valuable), there's a car following her, she's nearly run down, and someone breaks into her home.  The 'accidents' don't stop, either.  Her keys go missing, a car is parking in her driveway at night...well, you get the idea.  She's also met two of her new business neighbors, one doesn't like her and the other, Serena, takes to her immediately.

It seems someone in this town wants her gone, and even if the police don't take it seriously (they think it's just "coincidences"), she knows it's true.  It doesn't help when Serena is arrested for murder, and Addie knows her new friend couldn't be guilty so is determined to find the killer.  But with someone obviously out to get her, will she have time to prove Serena's innocence?

I really wanted to like this book because I thought the premise sounded good.  But it's never good if you fall asleep out of boredom while reading...during the middle of the day.  Yeah.  It's unfortunate, but there it is.

First, I don't understand why the police couldn't put two and two together about David and her father.  One murdered and another has a fatal accident a short time later?  Her father was run off the road.  There would be indications he didn't leave the roadway voluntarily, and the police should have noticed that right away.  But they didn't.  Then, her business and her home is vandalized, and there's a car watching her every move.  The police should have found this odd.  But they didn't.

Then, when Serena was arrested, Marc, the chief of police, should have turned the case over to someone else, because he was her brother.  But he didn't.  Addie had a rich relative in a town named after her family, and she should have known something about her heritage.  But she didn't.  It seems to me there are an awful lot of "didn't's" in this story.

Also, why didn't (there's that word again) Addie know any of the other business owners?  She never went and introduced herself?  She also didn't spend any time at her business, so how did she stay open?  She was always off doing something else.  I also thought Addie was unlikable.  With all the tragedy in her life, she acted like she wasn't grieving at all.  It had been a short time and she was just going to move on with her life, even be ready for a new romance.  This didn't ring true.

When Addie explains to Marc how Blain must have died, and that Serena couldn't have committed the murder, it makes sense.  So I have to wonder - again - why the DA's office and the investigating officers couldn't have figured this out and realized that Serena must have been telling the truth.  No DA's office worth their salt would have prosecuted her if the defending attorney could show how ridiculous it looks in a court of law (and, after reading it, it does sound ridiculous).

Honestly, I got as far as the petition to revoke her business license because 'she brought crime with her' and threw up my hands.  What kind of morons live in this town?  Not even the criminals were very smart - they couldn't find what they'd been looking for, but Addie found it almost immediately after thinking about it for a few minutes. 

In the end, I feel I need to say it:  1) if you see someone looking at where you put the keys to your shop, don't leave them there again.  2) if someone is breaking into your home/business, get the locks changed.  Now.  Install a security system.  Today.  3) Keep your phone charged - if you can see a car, you can probably take a picture of it to show the police.  Shouldn't someone from the "Big City" have more common sense than this?  She sure didn't. 

All in all, this isn't a series I will be seeking out again.  Unfortunately I read it.  I wish I didn't.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Bookstore-Mystery-Lauren-Elliott/dp/1496720199/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2871841582

More on Lauren Elliott's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/e/lauren-elliott/