This title is another killer edition to Lorna Barrett's Booktown Mystery Series. I love the combination of mystery bookstore owner and amateur sleuth and have enjoyed visiting Barrett's booktown since the series began. In this book, Tricia has some time off from minding her shop and enters the Great Stoneham Bake-Off, a cooking contest that is quite literally cutthroat...

Although this sounded like a good read, I was unable to get into it. I'm sure there are other readers who will enjoy this title.

I find that I mostly read this series for its secondary characters like Pixie. Tricia used to be completely unlikeable, but she's come a long way. The setting is what drew me in in the first place and why I will continue to read the series as long as it's published.

Fun, Cozy mystery to enjoy in the colder months! Baking and Bookselling don't always mix when murder happens.

As I sit down at the computer to write this review, I really am not sure about my thoughts. While I do enjoy aspects of the book, I just don’t know if it’s a good fit with my reading style.

Lorna Barrett’s writing style is unique because she has quite a large cast of characters and therefore, I think if you’re just trying to dip your toes into this series, it might be hard. Since I haven’t read too many of the other books in this series, I feel like that might be why I feel a little indifferent to it.

The funny thing is, I don’t have this issue with other Cozy Mystery series that I jump into. Even without having read any of the prior books, I don’t have an issue with falling in line and enjoying the book. Since each book has a conclusion, I didn’t think it would be a problem. But even after reading a few books from this series, that real connection is missing for me.

I think I may have to come back to this series after having read a few of the earlier titles. But if you’re a fan of Jenn McKinlay’s Library Lover’s Mystery series, I think you’ll probably enjoy this one too. They definitely have a similar feel to them.

This is the first book that I've read in the series. I had high hopes since one of my library patrons loves this series. I found that I was forcing myself to read it until I was about halfway through. (And I like mysteries!) When I reached the halfway point, I found that I was interested in what was happening in the story. There are a lot of characters and a lot of back stories. The character list in the front of the book was helpful in keeping it all straight. The mystery didn't seem to be the focus of the book. Tricia didn't really spend as much time sleuthing as I would have expected. There seemed to be a lot of bad-tempered characters who were fairly hostile to Tricia. Having so much conflict between the characters was off-putting. Perhaps, if I knew the back stories, the hostility wouldn't have been as off-putting to me. I think I would have liked the book better if I had read the series from the start. It was a decent read, but not one of my favorite cozy mysteries.

It makes me very happy that Tricia has grown so much since the start of this series. At first, I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue as she seemed very rigid and unfriendly that I didn't care much for her character. However, Lorna Barrett has done a great job of showing how Tricia has grown more secure in herself and in her ability to run a business. Getting rid of those earlier boyfriends really helped too.

I enjoyed this book because it showed how creative Tricia could be with regards to baking and allowing herself to actually enjoy her food. This enjoyment seems to have also moved into her professional and personal life, which is great to read. I have started to really enjoy reading these books.

The latest in the Booktown Mysteries series is a nice addition. There were a lot of subplots going on in this one, and I do hope Tricia is able to find some happiness soon. 3.5 stars... Thanks to Net Galley and Berkeley for the complimentary digital review copy of this title.

Barrett's Booktown mysteries are always delightful to read, with plenty of small town mayhem and murder.

Once again book owner Tricia Miles is in the thick of things. She never tries to find dead bodies, but somehow they always find her. Now that she has an assistant manager, Tricia has more time than ever to find the person who skewered the grumpy neighbor with a pitchfork. The murderer was a bit easy to spot, but the journey getting to the reveal is always fun. The characters of Tricia and her sister Angelica are wonderful. Can't wait for the next entry.

I've missed reading a handful of titles in this series, but it's easy to pick up and not be lost. The author does a good job of explaining the back story of all of the characters including Trisha's several ex'es Russ and Grant. I sort feel sorry for the new friend with benefits because I don't think he's going to last long. Because this is the 13th book in the series there are a lot of characters and lots of side stories. Trisha is bored since she turned over her shop to her assistant manager. She is trying to work with the local pet adoption group but is made to feel very unwelcome. She then tries out her hand at a cupcake bake-off. She also looks into gardening as a hobby and another bookstore owner offers to show off her garden - where the find a dead body. And she's off snooping and jumping to conclusions which makes the story interesting.

This was a fun, cute cozy mystery! I love the theme throughout, and I will definitely be continuing with the series.

Lorna Barrett has her amateur sleuth and bookstore owner fall over an unpopular lady who has been killed with a pitchfork in a Killer Edition. Between preparing for a charity bakeoff and volunteering at an animal shelter, Tricia Miles is drowning in red herrings and cute animals. Whodunit and why? A great cozy.

I loved visiting Stoneham (aka Booktown) in the latest edition of the Booktown Mysteries, A Killer Edition! Lorna Barrett is a big name in cozy mysteries, and I always enjoy her books. This one was a bit heavier on the cute and cozy side than the mystery, though there are a few twists towards the end that brought the mystery back to the front of the story!

In this latest mystery, Tricia Miles—owner of mystery bookstore Haven’t Got a Clue—finds herself with extra time on her hands. Her newly promoted assistant manager Pixie and her store clerk Mr. Everett are running the shop even better than ever, so Tricia is finding other passions to pursue to keep herself from micromanaging at the store.

Determined to get a spot on the board at Pets-a-Plenty, the local animal shelter, as well as enter the amateur cupcake bake-off, Tricia finds herself with plenty of activities to occupy her days. But when her friends-with-benefits situation doesn’t totally fulfill her evenings, she takes the advice of her therapist and heads over to the romance bookstore owned by her friend Joyce Whitman to add some steam back into her life.

While browsing the shelves, Tricia witnesses Joyce’s neighbor Vera having some heated words with Joyce. A few hours later, Joyce and Tricia discover Vera’s body just outside Joyce’s garden gate with a pitchfork pushed through it. Tricia doesn’t believe Joyce had anything to do with it, but who did? The more she looks into it, the more she realizes that Vera was well known through Booktown, volunteering at the animal shelter, working on the school board. Tricia may be busy with the upcoming bake off, but she still has time to solve a mystery!

Booktown is like any small town—filled with kooky characters, feuds, and local gossip. I loved that we got a who’s-who list at the beginning of the book to reference, since I have missed many of the books in the middle of this series. It helped me to reference who owned what local spot and who was involved with who, without Barrett having to recap too much in the text.

Tricia and her sister Angelica have a fascinating dynamic. They are a mix of close and supportive with a bit of an ongoing feud. Angelica is highly successful, and for the first third of the book I actually couldn’t tell if Tricia even liked her sister. But by the end, their relationship was well-rounded, and I understood them better. The sisters really look out for one another, but also are a bit competitive.

I would have liked the mystery to be more central, but I felt that a lot of the investigating happened by chance because Tricia was already involved in many of the activities that Vera had also been involved with. Tricia was much more fixated on the bake-off, the animal shelter, and her sadness to not be so central at her book store than she was about the mystery.

That aside, I thought the whole ending was fascinating as clues began to come together. I certainly was surprised by the twist the mystery took! And I do love the small town cozy parts to this series. A fun and light mystery that Booktown fans will love!

Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.

Predictable, yet enjoyable, read for the series. The series does need to expand a bit though fi keep it fresh and the characters interesting.

"A Killer Edition" is another good entry in Lorna Barrett's "Booktown Mystery" series. Fans of cozy mysteries will definitely want to keep up with this series.

A Killer Edition provides a quirky hometown murder mystery with amazing cooking recipes to boot. A story that is guaranteed to delight and make you a bit hungry.

Book store owner and amateur sleuth finds herself in the middle of another hometown murder mystery all the while plotting her up and coming bake-off. The closer Tricia gets to the truth the higher the danger level rises.

Great hometown feel, wonderfully twists and turns and some great family dynamics make for a book vacation you won't want to miss.

I received this ARC copy of A Killer Edition from Berkley Publishing Group. This is my honest and voluntary review. b>A Killer Edition is set for publication Aug. 13, 2019.

My Rating: 4 stars
Written by: Lorna Barrett
Series: A Booktown Mystery (Book 13)
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: August 13, 2019
ISBN-10: 1984802720
ISBN-13: 978-1984802729
Genre: Women Slueth

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Killer-Booktow...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-ki...
Itunes: https://books.apple.com/us/book/a-kil...

This is one of my favorite series. I have always liked the dynamics of the sister's Tricia and Angelica's relationship. The small cozy town of bookstores has some interesting characters. I like Barrett's descriptive writing style and she pulls you into the storyline from the beginning. The books can be enjoyed as a series or stand-alone. There is enough background that you are not lost if you start in the middle or the end of the series. This finds Tricia entering a baking contest and it has a fellow book seller with a neighbor found dead in her back yard. Lots of red herrings and a great ending.

Tricia is looking for tasks to occupy her time, now that Pixie has expanded her role as Assistant Manager in the Haven't Got a Clue Bookstore. She wanted to join the board of directors for the Pets-A-Plenty animal rescue, but its president doesn't seem to like her. So she has decided to sign up for the Great Booktown Bake Off. Her cooking and baking skills have drastically improved and she has time before the event to practice making a cupcake that would rival those of professionals. But of course, in typical Tricia jinx style, she once again finds a murder victim. Though she vows to keep out of it, she just can't help asking questions. This is a series best read in order to fully appreciate the growth of all the characters, not just the main characters of Tricia and her sister, Angelica. I like how Tricia's character is expanding her horizon, not just because she is entering a baking contest, but because she is more comfortable with herself, as witnessed by her new relationship with Marshall compared to the previous failed ones with Russ and Chief Baker. I think it is sad that these last two and a few others in the community carry such a grudge against Tricia, but that is the nature of small towns. This mystery took several interesting turns, and the final solution came as a complete shock (I am normally good at figuring out the clues way before the end.) Will the next story see Tricia traveling abroad? Disclosure: I am voluntarily reviewing this book received through Net Galley and all opinions are strictly my own.

Tricia is feeling at odds, every since giving her assistant Pixie more responsibility she isn't needed much at the bookstore leaving her with the perception that she is unneeded. With so much time on her hands Tricia realizes she would love to give back and decides to join the board of the local animal rescue. Tricia also decides that she would love to show off her new cooking skills and enters a local baking competition. Her sister has also entered the competition and the rivalry between them is jovial and fun. Tricia is enjoying trying out different recipes, wondering all the while which would be best to enter into the contest, her employees have made great taste testers so all she needs to do now is choose one. Trying to become a member of the board is another matter entirely, it seems that the president doesn't care for her and is making it difficult for her to join. She isn't quite sure what his problem is but she isn't ready to give up on the idea yet. Tricia would also like figure out the best way to grow some vegetable for herself so when the local romance book store owner says she would be happy to help her Tricia can't wait. While visiting Joyce's house Tricia trips over the body of Vera Olson, Joyce's neighbor, who turns out to be dead. Tricia knows that the two had an argument earlier in the day, could Joyce have killed her neighbor? If not Joyce than who? After talking to several people Tricia learns that not everyone like Vera, but it also come to her attention that Joyce was a huge advocate for animals. Vera even volunteered for the animal rescue that Tricia has been doing her best to come a part of. Not everyone appreciated Vera's love for animals and it soon becomes apparent that she had quite a few enemies. Will Tricia be able to find some truths in all the gossip that she is hearing? Follow along as Tricia soon fills up her time investigating Vera's death hoping to figure out who the killer is and why they would do such a thing. This is a lovely series that is always filled with a wonderful whodunit, interesting characters, and a local that I would love to visit.