This seventh book in the series was one of the best reads I have had in awhile. Charleston PI Liz Talbot and her husband, Nate have been hired to prove a local innocent in the death of a well to do local. The list of suspects keeps growing and it’s not easy to cross any of them off. Liz and Nate go undercover to get to the truth and things aren’t quite what they seem.

With her family, their whacky pets, and a cast of locals this story kept me hooked from start to finish. I’m going to have to spend some quality time with Liz catching up on the first six books in the series! ABSOLUTELY love the last paragraph. It’s been a long time where I have smiled at the last few words in any story.

Lowcountry Bookshop is the seventh book in Susan Boyer’s Liz Talbot Mystery series. Ms. Boyer provided enough character background that this book can be read as a standalone. There is no gratuitous sex or violence, but there is a little more adult language than one usually finds in a cozy. This is an easy read and moves along at a relaxed but steady pace, providing readers with a well-crafted mystery, well-developed characters, Southern charm, humorous situations, and just a touch of paranormal. There are plenty of twists and turns and the reveal was surprising.

Liz Talbot and her husband, Nate Andrews, are private investigators and live in Stella Maris, South Carolina. Liz’s friend, Colleen, is a ghost and Liz and Nate are the only ones who can see and communicate with her. Colleen is the island’s guardian angel and her assignment is to prevent the population from growing, but she looks out for Liz and Nate and sometimes gets herself in trouble with her superiors. Liz’s family is a hoot and her dad, Frank, has a talent for getting on her mom, Carolyn’s, nerves. The problem this time is a trio of pygmy goats he acquired so the yard wouldn’t need to be mowed and her dad purchasing a swimming pool franchise and hiring two untrained people (Frank’s cousin, Ponder, and Ray Kennedy) and to run the company and install a pool in their back yard. Merry, Liz’s sister, and her fiancé, Joe Eaddy, are preparing for a three-week trip to Patagonia where they will be married, needless to say, Merry and Liz’s parents aren’t happy to be excluded from the ceremony. Liz also has a brother, Blake, who is the Chief of Police for a Charleston County town; their mother wishes he would find the right girl and settle down rather than dating so many women.

Rutledge and Ratcliff, a law firm, hire Nate and Liz on behalf of an undisclosed client to investigate a possible hit-and-run accident that killed Phillip Drayton in front of his home on a rainy night. Poppy Jayne Oliver, a mail carrier, finds the body and insists she didn’t hit him even though her car has front-end damage. Poppy has a special relationship with many of the people she delivers mail to and is convinced Mr. Drayton was abusing his wife, Anne Frances, but has no proof. His wife stands to inherit everything and Daniel John Drayton told Detective Sonny Ravenel that he believes Anne Frances had something to do with his older brother’s death. Colleen assures Liz that Poppy is innocent, but Liz and Nate need proof before the case can be solved. Liz and Nate are well organized and methodical in their investigations and leave no stone unturned as they research people’s backgrounds and question potential suspects.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

First for me in this series. Well written, enjoyed the great characters and interesting mystery as well as the unexpected twist and turns, that make any series fun to read. Planning on going to Charleston one day, so I found the setting fascinating. I'll be checking out more by this author.

Lowcountry Bookshop by Susan Boyer  This is the 7th in a series around  a husband and wife, private detectives.  But it was my 1st by this author. While I enjoy reading about the low country and all the Islands around Charleston this was too busy with naming each street, park, etc. I could not follow. Lots of characters to track too.  Maybe if I started with the 1st book I would have been vested in the main characters.  But I really didn't even enjoy the parts that were supposed to be funny. Thanks to Net Galley for the chance to read this book.

The latest in the Liz Talbot low-country mystery series, each one as good as the last. Liz Talbot and her husband Nate are P.I.’s in the Charleston area and there is always a new case. Filled with wonderful characters ,including her family and friends as well as a resident ghost, the mysteries are real, and one of the few cozy series I read that I can’t guess the ending.

The seventh book of Liz Talbot series shines as much as any book in the wonderful detective series. There are three things that readers are guaranteed from Susan M. Boyer; great caring characters, a fascinating mystery line, and the unexpected. Lowcountry Bookshop offers all three elements and much more. One of the extras that I enjoy is spending time with Liz’s family. Her father has such a talent for getting on her mother’s last nerve but that southern lady never forgets that she is a lady. The bone of contention this time is a trio of pygmy goats. While the tiny goats sound fun and adorable, Caroline and the neighbors don’t see the little marauders in quite that light.
The mystery for which Nate and Liz are hired seems pretty simple but their jobs never turn out that way so readers will not be surprised that the investigation quickly becomes complex. Sonny sees a popular local mail carrier as a suspect rather than just a witness to a hit-and-run that left the victim dead. Our friendly ghost assures Liz that the young woman is innocent but offers no additional help with the case. Although there were two 911 calls, no other witnesses step forward but a lawyer hires the team for an anonymous client. Our favorite PI team faces as tough a challenge at any they have dealt with before.
I received a copy of this ARC via NetGalley and I loved it just I have loved every book in this series.

Adore this series and the evocative Charleston settings. The eccentric family (at least to non-Southerners) adds a great punch of humor and I am looking forward to the next one !