Tricia Miles is back in the thick of things, or should I say in the middle of things? Just when she's gotten her cozy apartment back in tip-top shape, murder strikes again! Is it something she did, or someone else? You'll fall in love all over again with the lovable Tricia and all the quaint characters in this beloved cozy series. After reading this book, it makes me want to go open my open little book shop myself!

Tricia Miles wants to celebrate her apartment renovations as well as her newfound cooking skills, but when a guest drops dead in the middle of her housewarming party, she has to put on her detective hat to find out who wanted to make her a scapegoat. I greatly enjoyed this latest installment in the Booktown mystery series.

Tricia and her sister Angelica are back in book 12 of the Booktown Mystery series. Tricia's habit of finding dead bodies is continuing when someone drops dead at her housewarming party. This brings her back in contact with ex-boyfriend, Chief Baker. Tricia is running for president of the Chamber of Commerce since Angelica is resigning to devote more time to her business's. But there is mystery about when she discovers her apartment is bugged and Angelica is being blackmailed. Great cozy with lots of familiar faces. I've read several books in the series and this can be read as a stand alone. Ms. Barrett does a good job of catching up up with all the characters. It's always to get back to the book store and all the small business establishments on Main street and catch up. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

In this new book of the series Tricia is throwing a house warming party now that her place has been finished. She has worked very hard preparing all the food for her party and can't wait to have everyone over. When the guest of one of her guests ends up dead after eating one of her treats she truly does feel like a jinx. She didn't know the man and it didn't seem like anyone else did either besides his date, so it had to have been an accident right? Why do bodies seem to gravitate towards her, why can't it be someone else? It looks like the man had an allergic reaction to the food, but wouldn't he have been smart enough not to eat something he wasn't suppose to? Follow along as Tricia tries to get to the bottom of the dead mans sudden demise. Along the way she learns that someone is black mailing her sister, has someone vandalizing her property, and an ex that just can't seem to let go. There were quite a few twists and turns that kept me guessing the whole way through, which always makes for a great read. This was to me the best book of the series and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Another great entry in the series! I always enjoy reading them. I cannot wait for the next one to come out.

This book follows Tricia Miles who has finally having her cocktail party at her newly fixed up apartment. All sorts of residents from town show up. When the guests are departing a gentleman friend of Frannie's winds up choking and dying. The town is wondering what killed him and why at Tricia's party.

Angelica's having her own issues as someone is demanding money or else all her secrets will be made public will Angelica pay or is she finally tired of the secrets in town? When Tricia tries to advise her Angelica shuts down her sister. Deeming to handle it her own way.

Someone else is running around town vandalizing things. Tricia wonders if it is because there is an election for the Chamber president and Tricia thrown in her name as well as Russ Smith who is doing it to spite Tricia along with Chauncey who has bad blood with Tricia. Could it be one of them? Or is someone else out to hurt people?

I love this book it's such fun especially seeing Mr. E and Pixie Poe come into their own and help out where they can. I also loved the out come of the story. Mr. E has his work cut out when he and Grace adopt a cat named Charlie whose at the end of his life/ How much time he has left is anyone's guess but they'd rather have a cat die before they would. The relationships have come so far between the three and they form a great band together!

Poisoned Pages is another chapter in the Booktown Mysteries story. Once again, vintage mystery bookseller encounters a dead body, this time in her newly renovated home as she is hosting a housewarming. Suspicion quickly turns to fellow business owners as the race for the Chamber of Commerce race, which Tricia has entered, becomes heated. Is Tricia really the town jinx as so many say?

As with all of the Booktown Mysteries, each new title brings more developments for the main characters of Tricia, Angelica, Mr. Everett, and Pixie. While the plot is never deep, this series always invites readers back to the quaint New Hampshire town to be a part of the family the Tricia has created.

This was a fun read which keeps the reader guessing. The characters are interesting but also quirky and the setting is a librarian's delight. All in all, one of the better cozy mystery series.

This is the first of the Booktown mysteries I have read, but I was charmed. Tricia Miles is a fun character, and I found myself relating to her a lot. I like books that make me feel camaraderie with the characters, and I think IRL, Tricia and I would be great friends. :)

The mystery in this book is a good one, and the twists and turns are nicely unpredictable. This is something unique to a lot of cozy mysteries; some of them are very predictable. But this one kept me engaged until the end. Even without reading the other entries in this series, I get the impression that some of the longstanding characters experience some character growth in this book, which is nice because it keeps the series from getting stale.

The setting of this series is lovely - a sleepy New England village full of bookshops and quirky characters - and Tricia's mystery bookshop is itself a mini-setting. I really enjoyed being immersed in Stoneham, New Hampshire, and will likely go back and read the rest of the series.

Lorna Barrett returns with book twelve in the Booktown Mystery series. This time, Tricia Miles is throwing a cocktail party. However, instead of fun and entertainment, there is murder. Unbeknownst to her, there’s a lot more going on and now, she was must her sleuth skills to find the killer.

I know this series is very popular and well-loved, which is why I wanted to give it a shot in the first place. After having tried a few of the books though, I’m not quite sure this series is right for me. I’m not sure exactly what it is but I found myself struggling to get into this book. I still haven’t fallen in love with Tricia’s character nor do I find myself raving about Barrett’s writing style either. At the same though, I can’t really find what is bothering me about this series. I guess it’s just one of those instances where I can’t really make up my mind. I always pick up these books, expecting a good read but they always seem to zoom past without much impact.

I feel a bit torn of whether or not to continue this series. There are things that I do like about it, such as the bookstore setting. However, that connection is missing for me. I might give it another shot to see if it’ll stick a bit better. But until then, I’ll try to determine what might make this series work for me.

Poisoned Pages: A Booktown Mystery
By Lorna Barrett
Berkley
July 10, 2018

Review by Cynthia Chow

Following the trial and conviction of the man responsible for her husband’s murder, Tricia Miles is finally feeling ready to move on with her life. Spurred on by more than a little nudging from her sister Angelica, Tricia is running to replace her sibling as the president of the Stoneham Chamber of Commerce. The owner of vintage mystery bookstore Haven’t Got a Clue, Tricia loves her book-themed town and has its best interests at heart; very much unlike her opponents, who enter the fray solely out of spite and to prevent Tricia from winning. Stoneham Weekly News owner and reporter Russ Smith is an unhappily married former suitor, while travel book store owner Chauncey Porter blames Tricia for the death of his fiancé.

As the campaign looks to be as ugly as Presidential race can become, local stores are plagued by vandalism and minor – but very irritating –pranks. Even more concerning are the blackmail threats being made against Angelica, who is refusing to disclose even to Tricia what secret is worth paying to keep hidden. Considering that she is one of the few aware that Angelica is the secret developer assisting local businesses, Tricia can’t imagine what her sister could be ashamed to reveal. What Tricia learns is that past crimes continue to intrude on the present, and if the sisters aren’t willing to finally open up and risk all, the charming lives they’ve built could all come crashing down.

This is a novel of secrets and lies. That the mistruths and deceptions have been going on between loved ones is tragic, and yet understandable as they are the ones whom we never want to disappoint. There is not a little commentary on the state of women in politics, especially when the campaign turns truly ugly. Tricia has a rather impressive record of vengeful exes, but the one who may finally be her best match proves to be the most surprising of all. Stoneham is a town every booklover would dream of calling home, but it is still populated by very human tragedies and struggles. What I love so much about this series is how both Tricia and Angelica have grown as characters, building a bond between them that is supportive and yet still vulnerable to insecurities. The Booktown of New Hampshire may have its share of flawed villains and nosy gossipers, but overshadowing all is the genial good humor and warmth of these delightful Stoneham characters.

Poor Tricia, this time the dead body is in her newly remodeled home. However, the all the characters are interesting and the process of solving the mystery is good. I love visiting the village and that the characters continue to grow in each book in the series.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

Tricia throws a housewarming party to show off her newly-remodeled living space – and her newly acquired cooking skills. But when a party guests collapses and later dies, some of the villagers question those skills. As if that isn't enough to worry about, something is bothering Angelica, who won't share with Tricia, there's a rash of vandalism in Stoneham, and the race for president of the Chamber of Commerce has gotten downright nasty.

This is the 12th book in the Booktown series, and the books have gotten better with each installment. Early in the series, I didn't much like Angelica, and the contentious relationship between the sisters was annoying to read. When those issues were resolved, Tricia's obsession with calorie-counting and "that's fattening!" remarks almost made me give up on the series. I'm glad I stuck with it, and when the reasons behind her hang-up were explained, it became easier to understand. And although it's been part of the series since very early books, I find it hard to believe that any adult would believe in a jinx, let alone actively avoid and spread gossip about someone they think is a jinx. Whenever that comes up in these books, it sets my teeth on edge.

Enter this most recent book in the series. The "jinx" label is back (but did it ever really go away?), and for part of the book, I thought Tricia was falling back into her obsession with calories, but it wasn't a huge part of the book, so perhaps it was just a fluke. I love the setting of this series and would love to spend some time in each of the shops in Booktown (well, most of them!), browsing their offerings and chatting with the owners and employees. The characters that comprise Tricia's "inner circle" all grow in various ways as this book progresses. Even Tricia herself takes a few steps forward, and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series, and I jumped at the chance to review the newest addition even though I have not read the one before. Tricia is having a house warming party in her renovated apartment above her bookstore, and someone dies from the food which she prepared. She and Angelica proceed to find out what happened. Along the way, Angelica is blackmailed, shops along her street are vandalized and Tricia is running for the new President of the Chamber of Commerce against two bitter enemies! The author had me guessing on this one until the end! I highly recommend it.

Tricia is finally looking forward to putting the past to rest, with the trial and sentencing over, starting with hosting a party to celebrate the new apartment renovations. But alas, that doesn't work out well for her when one of the guests drops dead. And while she is keen to prove that she did not poison him deliberately or accidentally, the death is certainly putting a damper on her run for Chamber President, against two formidable opponents. And then there are the incidents of vandalism that seem to be plaguing the town. This is a delightful mystery series full of interesting characters, that continue to grow and develop through each new book. I enjoy the relationship between Tricia and her sister, even when they are disagreeing over things. I also like how Tricia interacts with her bookstore staff, Mr. Everett and Pixie. I was excited that Mr. Everett and his wife were planning to adopt a rescue cat, because he definitely gets along well with the store's cat, Miss Marple. All your favorite characters seem to be present in this story, and the villain turns out to be someone totally unexpected (no spoilers intended). I do have to say that Tricia is lucky to have such good help because she definitely spends a lot of time outside of her store, investigating the clues. I am looking forward to the next book in this series, with a new lease on life for Tricia, as well as a potential romantic interest (besides Chief Baker!). Disclosure: I am voluntarily reviewing this book.

Excellent -- I love this series! The ending makes me want to read the next book now. I did not expect the person whodunit. I highly recommend this series and this book. You won't be disappointed!

I love this series so much! The main character is very relatable and you are always rooting for her. I almost didn't want to read this one, because I knew I'd have to wait until next year for the next one! The plot moves along at a great pace and there is just enough action to keep you wanting to know more. I can't wait to see what happens next to Tricia, Angelica, and everyone else.

Tricia’s apartment remodel is finally finish and she is celebrating with a housewarming party. She even cooked for the party! Since she has recently taken up cooking, she is happy to show off her new skills. Everything seems to be going well until one of her guests dies from what appears to be a food allergy. This death seems to bring back up the village jinx rumors which could not happen at a worse time. Tricia is running for the Chamber of Commerce President but she has some unexpected competition. Is the death of Tricia’s guest an accident or murder? Can Tricia break what seems to the streak of bad luck?

This is my favorite book in the series so far. Author Lorna Barrett has created a wonderful setting and fabulous characters, I truly feel as if I am reading about beloved friends. The murder mystery can be enjoyed as a stand-alone mystery, but a lot of the background information can better be understood if you have read the previous books. Several continuing storylines are wrapped up, we learn a few secrets, and we are introduced to a possible new and unexpected love interest. Tricia is being attacked by rumors and Angelica is being blackmailed for reasons she will not share even with Tricia. I really love how even with all the negativity going around the sisters, their adoptive family never turns their backs on them and helps to pull them through everything. I definitely recommend this book to fans of the series as well as all mystery lovers.

**I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own. **

This is a gem of a cozy series--interesting well drawn characters, attractive New England setting, and plots that take surprising twists, even with well-established characters who readers may think they know.

Set in the New Hampshire village of Stoneham where many of the businesses are bookstores, the Booktown series centers around mystery store owner heroine Tricia Miles, who is once again nearby when death comes calling. This time she is celebrating her newly remodeled apartment when one of the partiers drops dead. Is it an allergic reaction to something in Tricia's food? Did someone deliberately spike the appetizer?

Things become even more complicated when Tricia runs for Chamber of Commerce president and someone begins playing a series of dangerous pranks while her reputation as the town jinx puts her behind the eight ball with potential voters. Her sister Angelica faces her own challenges when she runs afoul of a blackmailer who threatens to reveal a secret that could have an enormous impact on her business and family life.

An unusual choice for a potential love interest for Tricia also emerges even as a past relationship comes back to haunt her. Mr. Everett and Pixie also play important roles in this 12th series entry. It all makes for fun reading and anticipation to see how it all turns out in lucky #13!

Full Disclosure--Net Gallery and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.