The world needs more feisty grandmothers like Nana Jo.
Samantha Washington is coming to terms with the lost of her deceased husband and the reader can empathize with her character. Samantha's grandmother, sister and nephews 'step up to the plate' when Samantha needs them.
I enjoyed this book so much I'm going to read 'The Plot is Murder' when time allows!
Thanks.

I received this ARC in return for an honest review from netgalley.

This is the second book in the Mystery Bookshop series. This series is about a widow, Sam, that follows her dreams and opens a book shop. She runs the shop with her wild grandmother and her former wayward student. Sam is also an amateur author, secretly writing a mystery novel.

Her grandmother lives in a retirement community with several wild and crazy friends. The group all joined together in the first novel when Sam was under suspicion for murder. In this novel, Dawson, the now college student, is accused of murder and the group teams up yet again to clear his name.

I really enjoyed the novel. In the novels, Sam shares excerpts of her novel that she is writing. In this case, I did not care for that at all. I would have given the Mystery Bookshop story 4 stars but the novel within the novel was just entertaining or easy to follow.

I am invested enough to continue to read the series as it progresses. I did enjoy some of the new characters introduced and hope that they make an appearance in the next book.

There are a ton of Agatha Christie references in this book. I recommend this novel to anyone that enjoys light reading and light mystery.

A mystery full of twists and turns that you wont be able to put down. Filled with delightful characters , a strong plot, and very well written. This is a book you will have to finish right to the end without taking a break!

I kept hearing good things about this series so when I saw this book on Netgalley I couldn't resist the chance to request it and see for myself. I haven't read the first novel but the author provides the basic background details necessary from that story. This was a very engaging mystery that kept a fast pace.

Sam owns a mystery bookstore and this was the first cozy I've read about a bookstore owner. Many of the ones I've read usually feature restaurant owners. I also enjoyed the closeness of Sam and Nana Jo though I hope Sam finds some friends her own age to spend time with soon. It's great that she enjoys spending time with the senior ladies however she is supposed to be in her 30s and came across much older. I've done a couple of trips with my great aunt's club of friends but it's good to have that balance and have a group closer to your age. Sam needs at least one girlfriend who is not her grandmother's contemporary.

The downside was the novel within a novel. After the first two chapter's which took me out of the main storyline I decided to skip the British cozy. If I want a British mystery I'll go watch PBS. This would've been a five star review if not for those sections that came across like filler.

I enjoyed the main mystery in this book, in which Sam, her grandma, and her attorney sister try to help college football player and practically-family friend Dawson when he's accused of murder after his gold-digger ex-girlfriend is murdered. There's humor and heart here, and it was a good read.

Honestly, though, I could have lived without the story within a story--the British historical fiction mystery novel that Sam is writing. It didn't add anything to the book, and those bits felt plodding to me. If I read more in this series, I would probably just skip over the embedded mystery.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35881950-read-herring-hunt" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Read Herring Hunt (Mystery Bookshop, #2)" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1505483326m/35881950.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35881950-read-herring-hunt">Read Herring Hunt</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16534140.V_M_Burns">V.M. Burns</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2323446570">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
In the town of North Harbor, Michigan, and college quarterback Dawson Alexander is a local hero, to Samantha Washington, the owner of the Market Street Mysteries Bookstore, Dawson is more like an adopted son more than a tenant When Dawson finds out that his girlfriend Melody Hardwick is a con artist and a gold digger he breaks up with, when Melody's dead body is discovered by a jogger a few days later Dawson becomes the prime suspect where the police are concerned. Sam's sister Jenna whose a lawyer helps build Dawson's defense, while Sam and her grandmother Nana Jo look for clues as to who the real killer is with some help from the members of the Sleuthing Senior Book Club. While trying to help keep Dawson out of jail Sam is also working on writing her new cozy mystery that's set in the English countryside and involves Mrs. Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII. Sam and her gang of mystery lovers find themselves trying to find the killer before one of their own is their next victim.<br /><br />The mystery is well written and well developed with lots of twists, red herrings, and has enough suspects to keep the killers real identity a mystery until the end. The mystery in a mystery does add a nice little sub plot to the main mystery. This book has a great cast of characters that are very entertaining and well developed. I did like how we get to know more of Dawson's backstory which makes him more interesting. I also liked that there is a chance of a romantic relationship for Sam in the near future. I still don't like the character of Police Detective Stinky Pitt, he seems to be single minded about how he works the murder investigation only focusing on Dawson and not looking for another suspect for the longest time.<br /><br />I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Kensington Publications for my honest opinion.
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1344649-faythe-shattuck">View all my reviews</a>

Read Herring Hunt by V.M. Burns is the second installment in A Mystery Bookshop Mystery series. Samantha “Sam” Washington owns Market Street Mysteries in North Harbor, Michigan. Dawson Alexander works (and lives) at the shop as well as bakes delights for their customers. Dawson is also MISU (Michigan Southwest University) star quarterback. On Monday, Dawson’s ex-girlfriend, Melody Hardwick is found dead by a jogger and Dawson is the police’s primes suspect. Sam calls her sister and criminal defense lawyer, Jenna to defend Dawson. Jenna tells all of them (with a special look at Nana Jo) to not speak with the press. Unfortunately, Dawson’s wayward father, Alex did not get the message. Dawson is suspended from school and the football team pending the outcome of the case. Sam, Nana Jo and the Sleuthing Seniors dig up dirt on Melody to see who could have wished her harm. They need to clear Dawson’s name before the next big game or his future will be over before it begins.

Read Herring Hunt can be a read alone. All the information a reader needs is included. The case from The Plot is Murder is discussed three times and the background on the main characters is included. Read Herring Hunt is an easy to read cozy mystery. I like that the main story has a nice steady pace and an active murder investigation. I felt that Nana Jo overwhelmed the main character, Sam. Nana Jo has a lively personality, a variety of friends and a busy social life. Sam comes across as rather bland (she is also a blabbermouth). Sam is busy working on her second British cozy mystery and the chapters from it are included in the book (alternating chapters). I do not like that the author included the book Sam is writing into the story. It does not enhance the main story and it felt like filler. It also takes a reader out of the story. I wish the author had focused on improving her main story which could have used further development. I found it lacking in depth and complexity. All readers should be able to solve the murder mystery. One detail gives away the killer’s identity (especially fans of Agatha Christie). I do appreciate that the investigation was hands-on. The Sleuthing Seniors and their connections are helpful in ferreting out details that aid in narrowing down their suspect list and pointing them in the direction of the evil doer. I could have done without the cliché nasty detective with the unfortunate nickname of Stinky Pitt (courtesy of Nana Jo). While A Mystery Bookshop Mystery series is not the right fit for me, I suggest you get a sample and see if it works for you. We all have different reading tastes!

I enjoyed this book. Sam's family is fun and lovable. Nan Jo's friends are a hoot. They all pull together to help one of their own beat a murder rap. Dawson is the child Sam never had and he is accused of murdering his one-time girlfriend. Sam's sister Jenna represents him while Sam, Nana Jo, and the rest of the ladies gather information to uncover the murderer. Several suspects and so you aren't sure who is the bad guy. Fun, easy to read book that I would recommend to anyone who loves cozies.

This is a good second installment in the Mystery Bookshop Series, but there is still room for improvement. I like the concept of two stories in one book, though it makes it difficult to provide depth for both the characters and the mysteries. I found this historical mystery (the book within a book) difficult to follow as we didn’t get to know the characters well, whereas the present day mystery was very easy to solve. At times the writing was choppy and redundant. But, I still love the concept of parallel narratives and I enjoy the characters so I look forward to the next book.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Tenant, employee, and MISU quarterback Dawson Alexander finds himself in hot water when his ex-girlfriend is found dead. He is suspended from the football team but his boss/landlord Samantha Washington is committed to proving his innocence and her Sleuthing Senior Book Club, including her grandmother, Nana Jo are all on board to help. First Samantha gets Jenna, her sister/lawyer to represent Dawson, then she and the ladies start investigating.

Samantha Washington is also a budding author and her characters are dealing with a murder mystery of their own. During a hunt, a young woman is shot and killed. Lady Daphne Marsh is on the case because she knows one of her guests in a murderer. She hopes to pin down the killer before any more blood is shed.

V.M. Burns is unique because she gives her readers two completely separate mysteries in each book.

Samantha is a fantastic protagonist. She is still finding her way since her husband’s death but Market Street Mysteries Bookstore, a dream she ended up fulfilling on her own has had great success. Her nephews pitch in at the store when they can and while Dawson helps in the store but his main duty is baking up tasty treats for the customers to enjoy.

Her other dream to become a mystery writer is proceeding nicely too, as she pens her second story. She has yet to take the major step of finding an agent to get her books published.

Her Nana Jo has moved in with Samantha since she was involved in the murder in book one, The Plot is Murder. Nana Jo and her friends round out this clever cast. These senior ladies all remind me of my mother in one way or another and their antics had me in stitches.

I was happy to see Dawson in a key role. His mother/ son like relationship with Sam was heartwarming. Getting more of his backstory was very interesting.

The main mystery really had me guessing. The victim was not at all what she seemed and the more we found out about her the more suspects came into play. The police decided early on the Dawson was guilty so Sam and her senior sleuths really had to dig to get the evidence to convince them otherwise and by then they were almost too late. Twists, turns, and yes, Red Herrings kept the pages flying until the real murderer was revealed.

The second mystery, the one Samantha is writing was a type of closed room mystery. The guilty party had to have been part of the hunt. For me, this one was easier to solve but very entertaining. I will admit, it takes a while, to get into a rhythm with one story interrupting the other. I thought about skipping through and reading the main story first and then going back to read the second, but I didn’t do it. Samantha always finds time to write when she is stuck on the real drama in her life, late at night when she can’t sleep and I understand that. I read at night when I can’t sleep. So in recognizing her process I adjusted mine and read the book as it was written.

Both settings, the English countryside, and the Michigan college town of North Harbor come alive in the worlds V. M. Burns has created. The Marsh Manor and the Market Street Mysteries Bookstore are both places I would love to visit again and again.

Not one, but two well-written mysteries, a slew of interesting characters, and two vastly different settings make this book unique and enjoyable. I look forward to many more books in this series.

I didn’t not enjoy this book. It was a light and easy read, exactly as I hoped and expected, and the characters are all quite fun. However, I felt that the author has really rushed this out – the first installment was only published at the end of November last year! That might not necessarily be an issue, but it’s an obvious culprit behind the too-sudden ending (and the opening chapter containing references to the MC's husband dying just over and just under a year previously, a few paragraphs apart). Although the ‘whodunnit’ was fairly predictable from quite early on, it still seemed an abrupt and jarring chapter that dumped the ‘big reveal’ on us, and even more quickly tied up the peril. It was a little disappointing, to be honest.

Still, cosy mystery readers might find the ongoing personal dramas – dating and ‘learning to live again’ kind of things – enough to smooth over that. I did like the book-within-the-book element, adding an extra layer, although the “Cor blimey gov” dialect gets a bit cringeworthy.

I’d probably give the series at least one more go, and hope that the next book has a slightly stronger mystery element.

Read Herring Hunt is the second installment in the Mystery Bookshop series featuring Samantha "Sam" Washington owner of the Market Street Mysteries bookstore in North Harbor, Michigan. The MISU star quarterback, Dawson Alexander, who lives at the bookstore and also does all of the baking of the treats served up to the customers is dating Melody Hardwick.

Neither Sam nor her Grandmother Nana Jo are too fond of the girl, and when she turns up dead in an alley they aren't really surprised. Even though they witnessed a verbal altercation between the two and the couple had another physical altercation that left Dawson wounded, they are shocked when Dawson is named the prime suspect.

Calling in her sister Jenna, the attorney, to represent Dawson, Sam, Nana Jo and the Sleuthing Seniors set out to find the real killer. They quickly discover that there is something shady about Melody's past and that she has a history of attaching herself to the most popular and star athletes.
Against Detective "Stink" Pitts warning to stay out of the investigation, the ladies are determined to solve the murder before he does.

As readers from the debut in the series will remember, Sam is also a writer of British cozy mysteries. Interspersed throughout the book are chapters from the book that Sam is writing featuring the newest adventures of Lord William Marsh and his family. I had a really hard time relating to the British story line in this edition because while I thought the plot lines were similar in the first book, there was nothing at all relating the two stories in this addition to the series and it was such a distraction that I found my self skipping those sections.

I received an advanced copy of Read Herring Hunt from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.

This is the 2nd in this fabulous new cozy series. The Read Herring Hunt Mystery Series is by V.M. Burns.
I loved the first in series. The setting, characters, sleuth and mystery are all done to perfection. I love that the author has featured seniors as smart, capable fun characters. It is delightful to read about senior ladies .
In this next in series our protagonist and mystery bookstore owner Samantha Washington and her band of senior cohorts must help their friend, Dawson, when he is accused of the murder of his former girlfriend.
That is the first mystery within this book. The 2nd mystery is the cozy mystery that Samantha is writing in her spare time, we travel to the English countryside in the 1930's where Wallis Simpson is visiting Lady Daphne and her family, and her maid is found murdered. Two expertly written mysteries are woven together in this second book,
I enjoy the duel mystery feature in this book. Each character is delightful and adds depth to the story. The combination of two sleuths is very well crafted and kept this avid mystery reader guessing to the end. I look forward to the next in series.
Thank you for the ARC which does not influence my personal review.

Samantha Washington, Nana Jo and her senior friends, Dawson and the whole crew are back in Read Herring Hunt, the second book in the Mystery Bookshop series. Samantha was widowed about a year ago. She fulfilled a dream she had with her husband to open a mystery bookshop. The shop is doing quite well, despite the dead body discovered nearby when it first opened. Sam lives in an apartment over the store. Nana Jo still stays over often. And adopted member of the family and college student, Dawson lives in the apartment above the garage. Things are getting easier for Sam...the shop is making money, she has friends, and she's trying to learn to enjoy life without her husband.

Dawson has become entangled with the wrong sort of girl. Nana Jo (always quick to express her opinion) hates her and calls her a floozy. Obviously the tart has her eyes on Dawson because he's a popular and talented football player at the local college, with prospects for a pro career. The day after breaking off his relationship with her, Dawson comes to work at the bookshop with a black eye and scratches on his face. He blames Melody for the injuries. Unfortunately, the floozy is found dead, and Dawson is immediately suspect number one. Sam, Nana Jo and the gaggle of lovely seniors join forces again to prove his innocence (before the upcoming big football game of course).

I love this series! Nana Jo is a hoot. And her friends are even more fun. They are outspoken and very good at helping Sam with her amateur sleuthing. Iris is probably my favorite. She has to be stopped each time she almost lets loose with curse words. Sam is a great main character. She's trying to put her life together after a terrible loss, and building the dream she had with her husband is making a new life for her. The other supporting characters like Dawson and Sam's sister, Jenna, make this a funny, feel good, entertaining cozy mystery series. Sam is also writing her own murder mystery series set in Britain in the 1940s. The story she is writing is included within the book, making each story a mystery within a mystery. This time, the story forms around the former King Edward VI who just abdicated to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. A woman is shot during a shooting party....who was the intended victim? And was the motive political?

Fun, entertaining and suspenseful cozy! The cover art is perfect -- very colorful with Sam's poodle smack dab in the middle. :) Very eye catching! I can't wait for the next book! Luckily, the next book in the series, The Novel Art of Murder, is coming out in November 2018! :)

**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Read Herring Hunt by V. M. Burns is the 2nd book in the Mystery Bookshop series, and it is becoming one of my favorites. Samantha Washington owns Market Street Mysteries bookstore, and when her friend, Dawson is accused of murder, Sam steps in to help. Dawson is like a son to Sam, and she knows he innocent. This book was great. It has so many twists and turns. The author did an excellent job, I was hooked from the start. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I would definitely recommend this book.


I received an ARC copy of this book from the author for an honest review.

Two for the price of one - this series has two mysteries going at the same time and both work. Sam runs a bookstore and and writes a mystery. When murder intrudes into her real life with the death of Dawson's ex-girlfriend, Sam dives in to clear him and find the killer. He is more than her assistant, he's family.
With the help of her grandmother and her senior group, they find out that the dead ex was a con artist. So who did she rip off to the point of homicide? Sam and her family and friends will figure it out and, along the way, the reader gets to enjoy a period mystery involving the famous (or infamous most would say) Wallace Simpson. Full of the red herrings every good mystery should contain, it was easy for me to give this one 5 stars. Glad to know there will be a third in the series, The Novel Art of Murder, due out 27 November. It's firmly on my 'want' list.

I enjoyed this book, liked the characters, especially the seniors and the way everyone interacted.

I did guess who the baddie was, but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book at all. There were a couple of repetitions, regarding the Tuesday Night Special for example,.

I wasn't sure I would get on with the sub book, and it took a few attempts to get into it, but I did enjoy it, does help I like books set in that era.

A light cosy read, recommended.

Read Herring Hunt was a wonderful read with an engaging mystery featuring a cast of characters you can't help but love.

Samantha Washington's whole life has become about her new mystery bookstore and she wouldn't be able to do it without all of the help from her family and friends. One of those helpers is Dawson Alexander, the star quarterback at local college MISU, who bakes all of the treats for Sam's store and has become like a son to her. When Dawson's ex-girlfriend turns up dead, the police are quick to name Dawson as the prime suspect. After recently being falsely accused herself, Sam knows she needs to work fast to clear Dawson's name. With help from her Nana Jo and the ladies of the Sleuthing Senior Book Club, Sam sets out to find the real killer before Dawson is convicted of someone else's crimes.

Sam continues to be a wonderful character who I can easily connect with. She's still trying to learn to navigate life after the loss of her husband a year ago and you can really see how much his death is still effecting her. A lot of the people in her life are telling her she needs to start moving forward and to start dating again which is a notion Sam struggles with. I like that the author added the possibility of a future romance for Sam but that she didn't try to force the situation. To me it seems that if and when Sam is ready, there's a great guy for her.

I was so happy to see the return of Sam's Nana Jo and her group of friends. Each of these ladies has a unique set of skills they use to find out information and I loved the meetings where everyone would share their findings. Together the ladies are quite hilarious and I found myself wishing I knew a group of ladies like them. Dawson pops up in a lot more scenes in this book than he did the first one, but that makes sense as he's the murder suspect. I love how close he has become with Sam's family and how they consider him to be one of their own. The scenes between Dawson, Sam, Nana Jo, and Sam's sister Jenna were quite touching,

The mystery plot in this book is very well done and I found myself swept up in Sam and co.'s investigation to find the real killer. I did guess who the killer was before the reveal, but everything was still very well done and I enjoyed finding out how the killer was connected to it all. During the course of her investigation, Sam is in the process of writing her second book, another British cozy mystery. I liked the story in Sam's second book a bit more than the first one (as seen in The Plot Is Murder), but both of them are great mysteries that I would pick up if they were real books.

Read Herring Hunt was just as delightful as the first book in the series, The Plot Is Murder, and I'm excited to read future books in the series. I highly recommend these books for fans of the genre or to those looking to start reading cozy mysteries.

This is book two in a series. I was super pleased with book one. I was even more happy with book two. In this series Samantha "Sam" is a recent widow. About a year ago her husband passed away. It was their shared dream to own a mystery book store. Last time in this universe we met Nana Jo, and the girls. As well as a pivotal character Dawson Alexander and his father Alex Alexander. This time Dawson and his sweets are back. He has come along way from his running from "A-squared". It was with the floozy (As Nana Jo calls her) that we find the character Melody Hardwick. Melody was the murder victim, and like the title lead me to believe; there were many "potential" suspects. What does a college girl have to do with Virgil? Who is this British love boat?

Like the previous novel in the series there was a Shakespeare inspired theme. Like a play with in a play. These two books have a book inside of a book. That is a neat feature, and I look forward to potentially more adventures with Lady Elizabeth, and the rest of the British Cozy crew. I am thrilled that Sam's novel has potential with an agent, and I hope this can broaden her scope.
In these stories there is some events that Nana Jo, and the girls get into. They are always highlights, and fun extra excursions. Sometimes authors try to add details that just draw out and seem not really necessary. That doesn't happen in these books. Nana Jo and the girls are fun, and this time the Casino turned out well. I do wonder if Irma will be okay and healthier next time.

This is the first in the series that I have read. This is a mystery within a mystery. Our sleuth is a writer and is writing a mystery. Thus the mystery within the mystery. For me, the jury is still out on this concept. As for the English countryside mystery- I can do without it and I did. I found myself skipping these portions of the book.
Sam, short for Samantha owns a mystery bookstore. Her tenant is the prime suspect in a murder. Sam wants to clear him.
I enjoyed the book. It was interesting and I wished I like early English mysteries. I see this as a plus for those wishing to get two mysteries for the price of one, so to speak.
The story has a down home feel to it. If I were in trouble, I’d like Sam to try and clear me.