4.5 stars

The Mystery Bookshop series is quickly becoming one of my fave cozy series, and the latest installment – Bookmarked for Murder – reminds me why. Witty, sweet, clean, and smartly written, it’s also lots of fun!

The delightful cast of characters is back and just as quirky as ever (Irma, I’m looking at you…), and they are definitely a big part of what makes the book so entertaining and endearing. I love Nana Jo & her Shady Acres gang of senior sleuths (picture a sort of Golden Girls ensemble cast), and Samantha is a strong protagonist that readers can easily relate to. These characters just make me smile as I get to know them, and add in the mystery bookstore setting & I’m a happy reader.

The mystery in Bookmarked for Murder is full of twists and turns and red herrings, as any good cozy should be. How it comes about is rather unique right from the beginning & that makes investigating it a little trickier than normal for Sam. There’s also an adorable little girl with a compelling story who will capture your emotion, adding an extra layer of heart to the plot.

As always, I love the mystery within a mystery that shows up when Sam works on her historical cozy mystery that I enjoy just as much as the current timeline’s story. It’s clear Burns has versatile talent, and this element to the story elevates this series a notch above other cozies. Readers get two-in-one, after all!

Bottom Line: Bookmarked for Murder thoroughly entertains and holds readers’ interest from beginning to end. The mystery itself is well-crafted and layered, and the characters are as well. Sam & Nana Jo & the Shady Acres sleuths are lots of fun, and I love the close community of family and friends that Sam has established around her mystery bookshop. You can’t go wrong with this series, and Bookmarked for Murder is even better than the last!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.)

This was a little disappointing and pretty far-fetched. An unfortunate misstep in this otherwise solid series.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.

A chartered bus trip to Chicago for some shopping goes horribly awry when one of the travelers ends up dead. Mystery bookstore owner Samantha Washington is on the trek with her grandmother Nana Jo and a number of her friends--Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae--from Shady Acres Retirement Village in North Harbor, Michigan. An unscheduled stop on the way home ends up with a dead man on board their chartered bus.

The murdered man was a friend of Irma, and to complicate things further, the murderer can only be one of the people on the charter. It’s up to Sam and her friends to figure out who the killer is. But soon another body shows up…this time at Shady Acres.

How is this second murder related to the first one? Was she a witness to something she shouldn’t have seen on board the bus? How is Sam going to figure this out before she’s the next on the killer’s list?

The characters in this novel are interesting and multi-faceted, with enough quirks to make them an entertaining group. From a chartered bus tour to a night of casino fun, there’s plenty to enjoy in Bookmarked for Murder as you try to figure out whodunit.

This was a fantastic cozy mystery. I love this series. The characters , setting and mystery are wonderful!

I thoroughly enjoyed this well-written cozy mystery by V. M. Burns. Most of the characters were residents of Shady Acres Retirement Village, and they turned out to be an entertaining group. The main character is a mystery bookstore owner as well as a mystery writer. I thoroughly enjoyed the book within a book as I got to read the story she was writing as she crafted it.

By the end, both stories were neatly wrapped up.

Bookmarked for Murder is a great cozy mystery that has great twists and turns. It is well written and has great characters.

Samantha (Sam) Washington is returning to North Harbor, Michigan with (grandmother) Nana Jo and her cadre of Shady Acres Retirement Village characters after a lovely post-Christmas excursion to Chicago. Unfortunately, the man who decided to come along with Irma is found murdered following a rest stop.

Sam, the mystery bookshop owner, is also an aspiring writer and she often slips into author mode to continue her London-based historical mystery manuscript. I'd forgotten that these narratives involved a mystery within a mystery, but quickly became acclimated to the "heads up" signal and it proves to be a fun little distraction within the main whodunit. Sam has a budding romance with Frank Patterson, which is evolving in a unhurried way and two small poodles.

Sam is really coming along in development. I enjoyed her more in this particular entry to the series, although I wondered a number of times how she could be gone from her bookshop so much. Nana Jo is a major support character, frequently stealing the show, but is a great strong and independent representative of her generation. The rest of the Shady Acres crew range in senior age and all contribute to Sam and Nana Jo to help solving the crime.

The antagonist is not too difficult to guess, although the motive would remain elusive. Sam's historical mystery manages to reach a conclusion shortly before the main storyline draws to a close. The main storyline is peppered with humorous bits and observations. The author includes the best definition I've read of exactly what comprises a good cozy mystery. The only problem I had was how the local officer in charge of the investigation was painted.

I received this digital download from the publisher through NetGalley and enjoyed the read and review in return. Book 5 would function fine as a standalone and I believe my favorite so far. Recommended for any who enjoy a fast-paced, cleverly laid out cozy.

Bookmarked for Murder by V.M. Burns is another fascinating tale of finding out whodunit with Ms. Burns. Sam, Nana Jo, and their quirky group of people are back to try and solve another mystery.

Can Sam find out who killed Irma's gentleman friend before someone else is snuffed out?

What I liked:
• Sam's relationship with Nana Joy and Nana Jo's friends.
• The way that she ends up always having to figure out who killed who
• Sam's relationship with Frank
• Her writing finding its way into the story

What I disliked:
• Some of the scenes were slow and didn't seem like they were going anywhere
• At times it seemed like Sam wasn't relying on her instincts to help her out.

Four Stars
V.M. Burns has done another great mystery that weaves the historical book that Sam is currently writing with the mystery she is trying to solve. Sam ends up getting into a lot of trouble with Nana Jo, but I love it. I didn't think it was who it ended up being. I am giving this book four stars and recommending it to all the cozy mystery readers out there.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Bookmarked for Murder by V.M. Burns.

Anyways, until next time,
Karen the Baroness

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.

Murder seems to find bookstore owner and aspiring author Sam Washington wherever she goes. In the latest installment of the Mystery Bookshop series, Sam, Nana Jo, and their tight-knit group of friends from Shady Acres Retirement Village are returning from a shopping trip to Chicago when one of the bus passengers, an author who has snuggled up to the flirty Irma, is found dead in his seat. When the death is ruled a homicide, the bus driver and all other passengers are under suspicion. Who killed Max Franck and why? And as Sam, Nana Jo, and their band of sleuthing seniors attempt to answer these questions, danger strikes even closer to home as a second murder victim—Shady Acres resident Sarah Jane Howard—is discovered. Are the murders connected?

The feisty seniors turn up all sorts of helpful information through their small-town network, but it is up to Sam to make sense of it all. Sam turns to her tried and true method of writing to help her process the clues and her own thoughts about the crimes. As she develops the story line of her latest British historical cozy, her theory on the current murder investigation crystallizes. Will Sam be able to identify the killer before further harm befalls the residents of Shady Acres?

In the Mystery Bookshop series, Burns has created an inviting bookstore setting and cast of endearing family and neighbors who are devoted to each other through thick and thin. Their gregarious personalities and laugh-out loud antics add to the overall enjoyment of the reading experience.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

I just can’t get enough of this series!

This time Sam takes a trip to Chicago with Nana Jo and her friends from Shady Acres for a little post-holiday fun on a chartered bus trip. They all had a good time and as usual, Irma found herself a man. He is so taken with her he joins her on the bus home to North Harbor. When the bus makes an unscheduled courtesy stop it seems her new friend is not snoozing in his seat. No, the man is dead. Before the police can arrive, Nana Jo, Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae decide Sam will lead them in their own investigation in the death. She tries to put the brakes on their ideas but soon realizes she has give in before they swerve off on their own and one of them ends up dead.

Ms. Burns has created quite a crew of entertaining characters. Sam, her lovable poodles, her nephews who man the bookshop while she in off following clues, and all the residents of Shady Acres including Nana Jo come together in a story that is hard to put down. Irma gets a bigger role this time and I liked that. All the ladies bring a huge dose of humor to all the situations they face. As always, Snickers and Oreo put a big smile on my face.

The main mystery is clever. A closed room, I mean bus mystery, limits the suspects but that doesn’t make this whodunit an easy solve, especially because there were people on the bus’s return trip that did not make the trip with the group to Chicago. The death actually happened out of North Harbor’s jurisdiction which adds some unique situations. They aren’t able to get answers from the detective in charge of the case like they do with the local detective. The victim’s true identity also twists things up a bit.

Our amateur sleuth is also an aspiring author so readers are treated to a second mystery story that she is writing. A historical mystery featuring Lady Elizabeth and her niece, Lady Penelope. They witnessed a woman fall to her death and have reason to believe she was pushed. Sam uses her writing to help clarify the clues for the murder she is trying to solve in real life. Both mysteries are filled with twists and fun to try and solve before their big reveals. Sam even asks the detective if she can do a big reveal like Hercule Poirot and what follows was positively delightful for this cozy mystery lover.

Bookmarked for Murder mixes marvelously fun mysteries with realistic characters and a couple of lovable pups to bring us a book filled with humor and the perfect amount of romance. The entire Mystery Bookshop Series is not to be missed by cozy lovers!

A trip to Chicago draws Sam and Nana Jo into a murder that occurs on their bus. In Bookmarked for Murder by V.M. Burns, the seniors from Shady Acres Retirement Village have planned a special trip between Christmas and New Year's Eve. After a busy day in Chicago, all the passengers are looking forward to being back at Shady Acres.

When they discover a substitute bus driver, they are worried about their return trip, especially when the driver refuses to stop for a rest break. When he finally stops, nearly everyone scrambles off the bus except Irma's new boyfriend Max Franck. After everyone returns, Irma discovers Max dead in his seat. Hardly anyone knew Max, but it's obvious someone on board wanted him dead. It's up to Sam, Nana Jo and the rest of the "girls" to solve that case.

When Sam (Samantha) joins her grandmother and her friends from the Shady Acres Retirement Home on a trip to the windy city, a passenger is killed on the return trip. With the help of her Nana Jo and the quirky residents of the retirement home, Sam is determined to find out who killed the well-known author and why.
Sam is a likeable character and I identified with her ambition to write. Sam is also working on writing her own mystery, so you get another mystery as Sam works on her book at regular intervals. Personally, I found the additional mystery somewhat distracting; I think it slowed the overall pace of the book.
Although this is the fifth book in the Mystery Bookshop series it can easily be enjoyed as a standalone.

BOOKMARKED FOR MURDER is an engaging Cozy Mystery that kept me on my toes and flipping pages. I stepped into this world with this, the fifth title, and I didn’t feel lost at all. In fact, I’ll be going back to the beginning when I plan out my series to catch up on for next year. So, yeah, I enjoyed myself in this world.

On the return home from a fun-filled, active trip to the Windy City one rest stop is going to end up being one passenger’s final rest since murder has happened on this bus. Now Sam and crew must figure out what happened in a rather closed environment – and who among them would resort to murder? There are twists, turns and red herring galore as we, along with these quirky, adorable ladies try to figure out who the killer is – and why.

I didn’t figure it out until the reveal, but then I’m more along for the clues, the tensions, and the mystery rather than trying to figure out whodunit. I had fun, and if you enjoy Cozy Mysteries as well then I’d definitely recommend BOOKMARKED FOR MURDER to any reader who enjoys a really good story, lively characters, and puzzles to solve.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Bookmarked for Murder is an entertaining cozy mystery. Great plot and cast of characters. I look forward to reading more books by this author. Mystery fans will love this book. My thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

Bookmarked for Murder is the fifth book in the Mystery Bookshop series, but it’s the first one I’ve read. It won’t be the last! I think this is easy to read as a stand alone; however, if you plan on reading the first four, you will probably want to read them first. There aren’t spoilers per se, but the relationships might not be established in the first ones like they are in this. Really, that’s the only thing that I felt I was missing out on. I enjoy seeing characters and relationships develop throughout a series, and these characters are already very connected.

Having said that, I will say, I love the characters in Bookmarked for Murder. Samantha is smart, strong, and loving. Nana Jo is Samantha’s no-nonsense grandma, and other than Sam, she’s my favorite character. The Shady Acres ladies are some of the best supporting characters ever. It cracked me up that, every time another character was introduced to the story, about 80% of the time they’re related to Ruby Mae. Really, the characters really make the book.

The mystery is one that will keep you guessing, as will the story inside of the story’s mystery! So, this is my first book in this series, but I’m assuming the other books have a story inside of the story. Correct me if I am wrong! This one does. Since Sam is an author, she “writes” her books while working on solving the real mystery. I love that! It’s like two books in one. Of course, the story inside of the story isn’t nearly as complex, but I really enjoyed those characters too! I’m excited to find out what ALL of these characters get up to next!

If you’re a cozy mystery fan, Bookmarked for Murder is one you’re going to want to add to your list of books to read. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this book for me to review. All opinions are my own and I was not required to leave positive feedback.

I've read this author's A Dog Club Mystery series and really enjoyed it. So I was excited to try one of her other series. Since it was my first time reading a book in the Mystery Bookshop series, I was afraid I might be a little lost, but I did ok. I thought it was a nice, solid cozy mystery. I really enjoyed the characters and the storyline and look forward to reading more in the Mystery Bookshop.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor.

This Mystery Bookshop Story has Sam, Nana Jo and the girls heading off to Chicago for some shopping, theatre and time together. After a whirlwind few days, they board the bus for a quick trip back home. That trip home ended up taking twelve hours, due to the death/murder of one of the passengers while stopped at a rest station. Even though the murder did not take place in North Harbor, Sam is still enlisted by "the girls" to solve the murder.

Bookmarked For Murder is a fast-paced, enjoyable cozy mystery with a touch of humor, a great cast of fun, quirky characters, and a clever murder mystery. I enjoyed that Irma was showcased in this story. I always enjoy her character, so it was nice to see a different side to her and get to know her a bit more. Nana Jo is always a joy and she makes me smile with her shenanigans. Sam is a great protagonist. She is intelligent, curious and gifted with a strong intuition for solving mysteries. The final reveal in this one was exciting, and once again, Nana Jo is involved. The mystery had several suspects, some twists and red herrings. I had a couple of people who I suspected and was not surprised that one of them was the culprit, but I had not figured out the motive, it was a bit different from her other books, and I hope this far-fetched motive idea does not continue. As the ladies investigate, one of their lives is in danger and that had me a bit nervous. Sam is still writing historical cozy mysteries and once again this story includes snippets of Sam's book for readers to enjoy. Sam and Frank are continuing to move forward with their relationship and I love the way it is progressing. Overall, this book and series is very enjoyable. With strong independent female characters, humour, a great setting and a story within a story, this series is a winner that I will continue to read.

I have mixed feelings about this one. I thought it was an interesting story, with good characters, and a mystery worth puzzling over. At the same time, there were some issues with the writing. In the end, I decided to give it a pass on those, as it was an unedited proof, and hope that they will be cleaned up in the final draft and do justice to a good story.

Sam is an engaging sleuth, though I did wonder at times about how little time she seemed to need to spend working in her bookstore. The only bookstore owners I know are chained to their shops 24/7. That doesn't allow for a lot of sleuthing, though, so we'll forgive the author for stretching reality a bit. Sam is nicely human, with insecurities, over-confidence, and cleverness in about the right proportions. She makes at least one dumb move, but gets away with it.

I did have a hunch about the killer before the end, but would have said the same if it had proven to be a couple of others, so I can't say it was too obvious. The mystery is well put-together.

Honestly, the characters I really loved were Nana Jo and her cohort of feisty old ladies. This may reflect my age, or it may reflect that those are the characters that are developed in the most interesting way. Read it and draw your own conclusion about that!

My Recommendation:
This is a solid addition to the cozy mystery genre, with a touch of romance (but delightfully free of excessive angst about that romance). Nab it for a quick, fun holiday read. As the 5th in the series, I felt a bit at sea right at first, but the book has enough of the back-story to stand on its own.

Charming group of characters of varying ages. A smidgeon of romance. Two stories. One contemporary, one historical. Both are entertaining. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

Bookmarked for Murder is the second book I’ve read in the Mystery Bookshop Series, and it was like visiting family. I love Nana Jo and the crowd from Shady Acres. I loved Irma with her hooker heels and way of finding a man to flirt with and another resident who seems to be knitting all the time. The main character, Samantha, is not only escorting the group to go gambling, but she also runs a mystery book store and is busily writing a regency mystery novel. During the bus trip, a gentleman who was writing about the death of Robert Kennedy is found dead. Sam, along with her detective boyfriend, set us on a journey to find his killer. There were several times I laughed out loud while reading this book.