A nice cozy mystery with lots of twists, turns, and a hint of romance.
Addie is basically starting over. With lots of recent tragedy in her life, and a surprise inheritance from a great aunt she didn't know she had, Addie decides to move in to her inherits house and start a bookstore. From the very first moments strange things occur- breaking at home and the store, assault, cars following her etc. As she tries to unravel what is going on she makes friends ( and possibly enemies) in this small town.
Quite good, especially for a first book in a series that has a lot to explain before getting into the story. I was never bored- it moved quickly and kept you wanting to know more. I will seek out further books in the series.

I loved everything about this new series. Rare books, New England, and spooky houses. The characters are all drawn extremely well and I can't wait to see what they get up to in future stories.

Murder by the Book was a pleasant start to the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery series with its charming setting and compelling mystery.

After her fiancé is murdered and her father dies in a car accident, Addie Greyborne is ready for a change. When she receives an unexpected inheritance from her great aunt, Addie leaves Boston behind for the quaint seaside town of Greyborne Harbor where she uses the book collection left to her by her aunt to open a used bookstore. Once her store is up and running, Addie quickly makes friends with Serena who owns a tea shop next door to Addie’s. But when Serena is accused of murdering another local merchant, Addie knows she’s innocent and vows to find the real killer and clear Serena’s name.

The mystery in this book is solid and in my opinion the best aspect of the book. I found myself second guessing everyone Addie came into contact with wondering if they were the ones following her and breaking into her home and bookstore. Add in the murder Serena was accused of and I found myself not trusting anybody. I enjoyed the investigative techniques Addie used, particularly the murder board, as unlike most of the cozies I’ve read she doesn’t have a wide variety of contacts yet to get information from. Ultimately I did end up guessing the culprit prior to the big reveal, but it was still cleverly done with a few surprises thrown in.

Addie is incredibly knowledgeable about books and I loved her enthusiasm for her work. It’s clear she greatly enjoyed the investigative aspects of her time spent at the Boston Public Library and her stint at the British Museum. My one complaint about Addie as a character is how much she doesn’t keep her word and how she creates inventive ways to get around her promises. I understand in cozies that usually the main character is investigating against police wishes, but the amount of times she lies to Marc (the police chief and Serena’s brother) grated after a while when it became clear he was a potential love interest for her.

The author does a great job creating that small town feeling particularly with the town residents which includes quite a few busybodies. One of the things I didn’t enjoy about the book though was the abrupt start and Addie instantly making an enemy and a best friend. Addie has been in town for a few months and has been busy with preparing her bookstore, but she never talks to any other town residents and only meets everyone for the first time the day she opens her store. I had a bit of a hard time buying Martha’s intense hatred of her on sight as well as the immediate closeness Addie has with Serena. I wish the author had shown Addie preparing to open her store and having her build a friendship with Serena over time.

Despite not completely loving Murder by the Book, I still found it to be an enjoyable read and I think the series holds promise. I’ll definitely be checking out future books in the series and I’m excited to see what the characters get up to next.

Thank you to the publisher via netgalley for giving me an arc of this book..

I love a cozy mystery and this one was good I loved the idea behind it the characters were well written but it felt rushed and a little too much going on it definitely could haves used a little bit of editing to narrow down the players in the mystery it just made it confusing at times. But maybe that was the pint yo throw us off. It is definitely a series I would continue even to see if the second book is better..

What a fantastic debut in a new series! Addie Greyborne has inherited the estate of a great aunt she does not remember. The timing is good for Addie as she has suffered quite a few losses in a short time and the prospect of starting over in a new town was timely.

Realizing she's not cut out for a life of leisure, Addie decides to open her own shop and become part of the town. She quickly finds out that she is the last in the line of the town's founding family, though not everyone is welcoming her with open arms. When strange things begin to happen and bodies begin piling up, Addie is cast as being a poor addition to the community. While a few locals and business owners are bend on running her out of town, others welcome her with both arms open. While she wants to settle in, she will first have to figure out what her aunt left behind that is causing the body count to rise.

New England is always a beautiful setting for a series and the characters in this story are a perfect fit for it. There is a lot of hurt that must be overcome on the parts of several characters, but it shows their human side and is relatable as we have all been hurt at one time or another. I'm looking forward to future installments in this series!

I have read a few reviews that are extremely negative. While I respect everyone's opinion, I have to wonder if they were reading the same book because some of the flaws that were pointed out weren't even in the book. Perhaps they read an earlier copy that has since been edited.

I love the premise of the multi-arc plot where anything that could happen, happens, a dead fiance, a dead father, a dead aunt and soon more dead bodies populate the landscape. The author set me up for a tightly woven mystery that kept me engrossed throughout the telling of this tale. The plot thickened as the story moved forward and with each clue investigated, it became apparent that this was a bigger deal and I liked how it all together, in a sleek and methodical way.

The author did a great job with several key strategic twist, especially one that had me gasping as the person behind the nefarious doings was revealed in a climactic scene that had my heart palpitating as I read with abandon as I had to know how this was going to play-out. Excellent job done by the author in delivering a satisfying tale with great aplomb. Boasting a wonderful cast of characters, great play-by-play action and good conversation, this was very enjoyable and I can’t wait to read the next book in this delightfully engaging debut series.

Addie is new to the small New England town where she is opening a used bookstore. She meets her neighbor business woman Serena and they become best friends. A fellow business owner is killed and the hunt is on for the killer. With the help of Serena's brother Marc the sheriff they are on the trail.
This is a new series Beyond the Page Bookstore. If you like mysteries then this is one to check out.

What a good start to a new series.
A lot going on for Addie,her fiancé was killed father died in a car accident and she inherited Aunt estate who she never met.
Opening a book store was excited enough having to put up with the lady next door who was a bit of a dragon .not sure why?
A lot of suspects to keep you guess and a suprise ending .enjoyable read .
Would definitely recommend this book. Thanks for letting me read and review this book. Will look out for the next book in series.

Addison Greyborne worked at the Boston Public Library until a year ago, but then her life fell apart. Her fiance was murdered and her father died in an accident. While still reeling from the deaths, a relative died and left her money and a house in Greyborne Harbor. She opened her own shop, Beyond the Page Books & Curios, and started trying to piece her life back together again. Someone seems determined to put a damper on her plans. Her shop and home are broken into and a dark car seems to be following her. Just as she makes a new friend, that friend is arrested for killing another local merchant. Addie is determined to clear Serena's name and discover who is behind the break-ins and other bad happenings in Greyborne Harbor.

Murder By the Book is a great start to a new cozy series! I do wish they had chosen a more creative title for the book though. There are SO many mysteries with the same title. It's been done before.....1000 times. The story line is a bit trope-y too.....mysterious, unknown relative leaves money and property to main character and bad things happen. But, I enjoyed the characters and the background theme of a book and curio shop. The story was entertaining and the mystery plot engaging enough to hold my interest. So, I forgive the tropes.....

I wish the small town I live in had a shop like Beyond the Page. I would be there all the time!! :)

A second book in this new series, Prologue to Murder, will be out in 2019. I will definitely read more of this series!

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

A wonderful read full of amazing characters! This book had me hooked from the first page. The mystery was well written, the characters were well rounded. Nothing was given away early, and the end game of the mystery was not one that you were able to guess. A book that I would read again and again.

After her father’s fatal car accident and her fiancé’s murder, Addie Greyborne decides to move and open up a bookshop in a small New England town. Addie’s great aunt has left her a mansion and an inheritance to help her renew her life. But, then a car tries to run Addie down, a copy of Alice in Wonderland is stolen from her store and a local merchant is murdered. Addie’s new friend, Serena, is arrested for the murder and Addie decides to investigate and find the secret behind all of the strange occurrences.
This was a good start to a cozy mystery series. I genuinely liked the characters, especially Addie. She gave me hope, personally, because she had so much pain and loss in her life, and she was able to change and find renewal. I loved that there were people around her that had her back. The mystery plot felt a little muddled to me because it seemed as if too much was going on. On top of that, the copious amount of suspects confused me even more. Still, I would love to read the next installment in the series. I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily reviewing it.

Addison Greyborne has had enough trauma in the last year to last a lifetime. She's decided to start over in Greyborne Harbor. Her aunt, who died recently, left her a beautiful old house filled with antiques. Addie needed a job to fill her long days and found the perfect place to open a bookstore. The opening day of Beyond Books did not go as planned but Addie was not going to let a break in at her shop or a car almost running her down stop her. She had one very good thing to add to the day, meeting Serena who owned the tea shop, SerenaTEA, next door. The two women took a liking to one another right away and each of them knew they had found a friend. Serena called her brother Marc to report the mornings events. Addie was surprised to find out he was Police Chief of Greyborne Harbor.

The scene is set and the characters are primed to make sense of all the odd things happening in their New England town. No one has figured out how all the clues are connected (including me). This is a clean read with just one swear word. You can share this book with your mother or children without being embarrassed by what your reading. This is an entertaining book with characters I enjoyed spending time with.

Thank you Kensington Books and NetGalley for sharing this Advanced Reader's Copy for the purpose of an honest review. The opinions expressed are completely my own.
#MurderByTheBook #NetGalley

Within the last year, Addie Greyborne’s finance was murdered, her father died in a car accident and she inherited her late great-aunt’s estate. Opening Beyond the Page, a book & curios store, in Greyborne Harbor, Addie doesn’t know a soul and she is almost run over by a black sedan as she goes enter her new shop.

This debut for Beyond the Page Mystery series is an excellent whodunit. The community of characters is well developed by Lauren Elliott who incorporates red herrings along with evolving relationships and realistic dialogue. Addie turns out to be a natural at investigating. The story’s pace is comfortable, and the suspense is easily sustained.

A new cozy mystery series that has potential. Addison’s fiancée, father, and aunt, whom she’d never met, have all died in unrelated deaths in a short period of time. After Addison finds she’s inherited her aunt’s estate she moves into her house and town and opens Beyond the Page, a used book and collectible store. Addison soon becomes close with the next door shop owner, Serena, and her police officer brother Marc because people keep breaking into her new home and shop searching for something.
The plot is pretty good, the characters are developed nicely, and I’m looking forward to the next one to see how this series grows.

Really enjoyed this book love a good cozy mystery read if you do to its a good one for you because she tells so very good the plots was good it has you guess from the beginning to the end in my opinion, there some twist and turns it's about a lad named Addie greyborne she 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 handy in a little seaside town.. trouble one day when a grumpy old women runs the bakery next door a car nearly runs Addie down....find out more you'll have to get your copy I don't like giving out to much detail in my reviews. This my first book by Lauren I loved it so glad to see it's book one to a series comes out on Oct. 30, 2018..

The international book theft aspect of 'Murder by the Book' was interesting, but the characters were as a general rule unlikable and unbelievable. It seemed that the timing was completely off; timing to grieve, establish relationships and to start a business. The conversations were at time sophomoric A really good idea that just fell flat..

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it has some interesting mysteries for the protagonist to solve, but the number of crimes that occur within a matter of just days seems almost unbelievable. The latter made it difficult to stay focused on the book, making me want to give it up. But, now that I've finished it, everything makes sense. This book has a number of characters in it, making it (at first) difficult to keep track of all of them, especially when many of them are just described without knowing their names. Also, the main character, Addie, seems to do a lot of stupid things like leaving her door unlocked for a friend when she's also fearful of home invasion. So, this book could have used a bit more polishing to make it more realistic, but still was an interesting read.

Actual rating of 3.5

Addison is new to Greyborne Harbour, she's recently inherited her deceased Aunt's estate and has decided to start anew after the deaths of both her fiance and farther. Addison has experience in book appraisals, and has worked with the British Museum doing such. She decides to open her own Rare and used bookshop in town, this opens the floodgates on a rash of break-ins, both at her store and house, and bodies dropping left, right and centre. Her new friend Serena, who runs the tea shop next door is implicated in the murder of one of the town's inhabitants, and this sets Addison on the path, along with Serena's brother Marc, to try and solve the mystery before Serena has the book thrown at her.

I found this book to be interesting, it piqued my interest enough that I continued reading even though I felt that the book was sooooo loooooonnnggg - it wasn't, it just felt like it at times. I believe this could maybe be a pacing issue? And possibly because Addison annoyed me a bit.

When we're first introduced to Addison and Serena, I honestly thought that they were both middle aged women, however, Addison is in her 30s, and Serena is 27. I found Addison to come across as a whiney fuddy duddy who thinks she can do everything herself and this just annoyed me. I liked Serena's character, but found she could be a bit childish in her constant worry that Addison didn't like her anymore because of a comment that was made, or a joke Serena said. Marc was okay, but I got the lost puppy dog feeling from him, he seemed to latch on to Addison and not just because he thought she was in danger.

I also found the interactions between Marc and Addison to be awkward and fumbling, I'm not sure if this was the author's intention, but I just found that they were crazy puzzle pieces that didn't quite fit right.

The mystery itself was interesting, and the murder was well done, I had no idea who was involved until the end. I had my inklings, and I was right on half of them, but because we know nothing about a few characters involved, you're never sure you're right until it's all tied up in a neat little bow at the end. I love how everything was connected, and the whole antiquities and rare book ring was a nice touch.

At times I found it odd how the author ended chapters. There was a couple of instances where the scene cut really abruptly. For example, Addison is pulled out of the path of a car - chapter end - then the next chapter opens with the following morning. I found this a little bit strange and disjointing.

All in all, it was okay for what it was, a cosy murder mystery, I will probably check out the second book in the hopes that the author makes the pacing and flow a bit better, as I enjoyed the mystery itself.

I enjoyed reading Murder by the Book the first book in a new Cozy series by Lauren Elliott. After dealing with heartbreak, Addie moves to the small New England town her Great Aunt lived in. She is opening her new book and collectible store but is soon drawn into a mystery after she is nearly run down in the street and the her new friend is arrested for murder. Addie joins forces with the town chief of police to try an figure out what is going on.

I was drawn to this book because who doesn't love a book about a bookstore? This was a great start to a new series. I feel like we got to know the characters and the setting of the book well, and I enjoyed both. The was a good balance between serious moments and humor in the story. The mystery unraveled in a way that kept me guessing until the end. I did feel like Addie was able to work her way into the investigation too easily, but that is common in the cozy genre.
I would recommend this book to lovers of cozy mysteries or anyone looking to get started in the genre. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.

When Addie opens her new bookshop, ready to start a new life, she never guesses what's coming next.
New friends, a possible new love and... new murders!
After her house and shop are ransacked, she starts investigating and discovers that the life in the peaceful town isn't quite as peaceful as everybody thought.
I couldn't put this book down, I certainly want to know what happens next in Addie's life.