It's a sweet and charming cosy mystery which includes both seniors and mystery bookstores in addition to a couple of cute poodles. The mystery is interesting, even though I had a hunch about the murderer early on, but Sam and all the interactions with the seniors, her family and boyfriend made it a fun read.

A modern-day locked room (actually a tour bus) mystery and a tale set in 1938 England are both included in Bookmarked for Murder.

The author uses a clever plot device of having the main sleuth, Samantha, be creating the period mystery as we watch. Since Sam is also a mystery bookstore owner, she also recommends other excellent cozy mysteries a la the Death on Demand mystery series. The main plot on the bus involves Sam, her grandmother Jo, and her three neighbors at the senior living residence, Shady Acres. This allows the author to include some gentle humor.

“You ordered fifteen pizzas?” [says the] freckle-faced kid, who looked about twelve, with [...] a red hoodie with a Star Trek insignia, and red Converse All-Stars. “Nice shoes” said Nana Jo. [...] “Thanks. All the old ladies usually like them.”
The coroner was removing the body from the bus. “That’s what’s left of the last person who called me an old lady. Remember, on Star Trek, the red shirts always die first.”—from Bookmarked for Murder

The historic fiction mystery within the mystery is set immediately prior to World War II. Lady Elizabeth and her niece, Lady Penelope, solve the mystery of a woman who fell to her death convinced her family was trying to kill her for her valuables.

Both the present-day and historic mysteries include plenty of character development. The humor is fun. Most enjoyable is the self-referential mystery trope references. I thought I would die laughing when Sam asked the detective for “a big reveal, like in Hercule Poirot books, where you bring all the suspects together and then the sleuth [...] can reveal whodunit.” His reply? “Are you joking? This isn’t television. Real killers don’t crack under the pressure of hearing the evidence against them. Real killers laugh in the face of overwhelming mountains of evidence and deny to their dying day that they’re guilty.” What mystery reader hasn’t had that thought? But I’ve never seen it used in such a clever tongue-in-cheek way before. If you read a lot of cozies, Bookmarked for Murder will be a hilarious addition to your library with its witty takes on old mystery tropes and two intriguing mysteries to solve along with the heroines. 4 stars!

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Interesting and fun! This series of wildly confident seniors and 1 granddaughter takes on mysteries that are not simplistic and come to logical conclusions

This is the first in the Mystery Bookshop series that I've read but had no trouble following along, and I will definitely go back and read the others. I've liked everything I've read by V.M. Burns. The mystery-within-a-mystery concept of Sam writing her mystery while she and the others work on Max's murder is unique. Sam is smart and clever and I enjoyed her interactions with the Shady Acres "gang," There is plenty of humor and quirky characters, and the story held my attention all the way through.

I received an advance copy via NetGalley and this is my honest review.

Bookmarked for Murder by V. M. Burns is the fifth book in the Mystery Bookshop series which I enjoyed very much! This is my first time to read one in the series. I will be going back and reading the previous books soon.
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After a fun shopping trip in Chicago, mystery bookshop owner and writer Sam Washington is returning home with her grandmother, Nana Jo, and her friends, Irma, Dorothy and Ruby Mae from the retirement village. Everyone is tired but had a great time and looking forward to returning to Shady Acres to recover from their adventure when the bus ride becomes something more.

A controversial author is found murdered in his seat while on the bus. No one knew who he really was. but Irma the senior seductress, had made friends with him and now finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. Sam is determined to find the killer with the aid of her grandmother and her friends from Shady Acres. The senior sleuths trust Sam's intuition for solving mysteries. After all she owns a mystery bookshop and is writing her own mystery as well. In addition, she seems to be able to solve things.

Bookmarked For Murder is a fast-paced, very enjoyable cozy mystery with lots of humor. The characters are quirky and feisty which keep the reader engaged with their escapades! The book is well written and includes twists and turns to keep us turning the pages. I also enjoyed reading pages of the historical novel that Samantha is writing and I hope to read more in later books. This was a fun, easy read and I highly recommend it. I am eagerly waiting for the next book in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the 5th book in the "Mystery Bookshop Series" By V.M. Burns. I have read and enjoyed the entire series which I highly recommend. This has become one of my favorite new cozy series. I adore a good sleuth and this author has a way of creating a sleuth that captivates her readers. The setting of a bookstore is sublime to readers so this series has every "definitive" aspect we love about our cozy mysteries. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My recommendations and opinions are my own.

In this next in series a shopping trip is deadly when a murder occurs and our favorite charcters are determined to solve the sleuth. Our favorite mystery bookshop owner Sam is returning home to North Harbor, Michigan, on a chartered bus. She is with Nana Jo and her gal pals Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae from Shady Acres Retirement Village. The charcters are all delightful and add depth to each book with their irrepressible humor and quirks. The day takes a turn when a gentleman is found dead in his seat. What follows is a clever and engaging sleuth as the ladies try to solve the mystery with Sam taking over . I love the twist and turns of this sleuth and how the author set up the many clues for the reader. This was a page turner I could not put down !

Very well done to the author. I look forward to the next in series.

Love these ladies of Shady Acres. To say they will entertain you is an understatement. You actually are getting 2 for 1 in the story department. We get to follow along as Sam writes her book. The characters in this book are wonderful. You can feel the love of family and friends even if they make each other crazy at times. The story line is great, but remember you will be reading Sam’s book also. See if you can come up with the culprits. I hope you enjoy hanging with these folks as much as I did. I can’t wait till we meet again. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

Bookmarked for Murder is at least as awesome as the other books in the Mystery Bookshop series. The plot varies greatly from book to book but the quality of the mysteries remains the sharp and the characters are real-people-great! It was the fact that this series was set in a book shop and included 2 poodles that first caught my attention, but now it is the author and her outstanding writing that keeps me coming back for all of her series. I want to visit that bookshop and meet the twins and their friends, Nana Jo and her friends and especially Sam Washington and the special guy in her life. It is evident that Ms. Burns loves poodles and has them in her life and no surprise to discover that Snickers and Oreo are based on real dogs. While the inspiration for Snickers has moved on to Doggie Heaven, there is a new darling to join Oreo's doppelganger to continue to inspire realistically precious furbabies.
I requested and was delighted to receive an ARC of Bookmarked for Murder via NetGalley and will be sharing that delight will my friends and followers because I love it!
#NetGalley #BookmarkedforMurder

Bookmarked for Murder is the 5th book in the Mystery bookshop series. I haven’t read all of them, yet. Each is a standalone story cleverly written and quite entertaining. I have enjoyed each one that I have read.

This series has bookshop owner Samantha Washington attempting to write a mystery of her own. This mystery within a mystery concept is a nice touch. It gives the reader a glimpse into a writer’s process which I liked.

Samantha is a strong, intelligent and curious individual with an ability for solving mysteries. I like her relationship with the Shady Acres Crew and Frank. There is a good dose of humor, wit and humility in each book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. A death on the return trip of a shopping spree is an intriguing premise.

V.M. Burns could write a grocery list and I would enjoy reading it. No matter which series - The Dog Club series or the Mystery Bookshop - her books are great escapes for this reader. Bookmarked for Murder brings a fun, updated version of the classic locked room murder. What a great twist.
Samantha, Nana Jo and the lively ladies from the Shady Acres Retirement Village are returning from Chicago after enjoying some after Christmas shopping. Traveling along the wintery highway on their chartered bus, on the way home to North Harbor, Michigan, they have to pull over at a rest stop to answer the call of nature. When they get back on the bus, a killer has struck. Now they have a corpse as a fellow traveler. What to do? Given that Sam and Nana Jo and the ladies are on the scene, of course it follows that they will also be on the case.
The extras that really make this series stand out are the chapters of Sam's work in progress that we get to enjoy - two mysteries in one and her two sweet poodles. I have a soft spot for poodles and they are major characters in both series. I'll say no more because I don't want to give anything away but believe it when I say this series should be on every cozy mystery reader's TBR list.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Bookmarked For Murder is the fifth book in the Mystery Bookshop series.

Samantha (Sam) Washington, NanaJo and gal pals from Shady Acres Retirement Village have just spent an exciting four days of shopping Christmas shopping in Chicago. As they are loading luggage on their bus, Sam notices that Irma, being Irma, has met a gentleman, Max, who seems to join the group for their trip home. They soon learn that Max is a celebrated author whose next book will reveal more information on assignation Robert Kennedy. On the trip back, a traffic accident has them stopped for an hour or two and many of the people on the bus are clamoring for a rest area stop. Finally, they convince the driver to stop at the next area. When they return to the bus, they find Max, who had stayed on the bus, in his seat dead. After their interrogation by the local police, they can complete their trip. The next day, with a little cajoling from NanaJo, Sam agrees to help NanaJo and her posse in learning who the killer was. They soon find that there are many suspects to consider, including a couple of residents of Shady Acres.

I love this series. The stories are all well-plotted and written. The series has a wonderful cast of believable characters. NanaJo and her posse of gal pals are truly enjoyable and provide a little humor to the story. Sam is an aspiring author, and she finds that working on her manuscript helps her to solve the mystery they work on. The manuscript is set in the 1930s in the countryside of England providing the reader a story within a story.

I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in this wonderful series.

Sam, her grandmother and friends are in Chicago for a short trip after Christmas. Irma picks up a guy named Max and he rides the bus back to North Harbor with them. Following a rest stop, Max is found murdered on the bus.
Sam has no intention of investigating because she didn’t know Max and he wasn’t one of them in her mind. But Irma is so upset that Sam agrees to look into it.
The mystery Sam is working on during this book also involves a stranger, and Lady Elizabeth is able to figure out who killed Eleanor. She brings in Inspector Covington, who she and Lady Alistair try to set up with her cousin Lady Clara.
This is book 5 in the Mystery Bookshop series. It is a lovely addition to the series. It could be read as a stand alone but like most cozy mystery series it is best to read them in order so that the character and story development that arcs through the series is able to shine.

Returning from a trip with several of her grandmother’s retirement village residents, bookshop owner and amateur sleuth, Samantha Washington, is once again caught up in mystery and murder. But given the enclosed space of the bus, that means… gulp!… one of the retirees is a murderer?!

A famous journalist writing an exposé of an even more famous historical figure is a set up for quite the mystery. But when one of the gang is almost killed, too, keeping her grandmother and friends safe is enough to overcome Sam’s reluctance to get involved.

This is the fifth outing for Sam and her ‘silver sleuths’, in a series that started with The Plot is Murder. As such, there’s a lot of familiarity with the set up, characters, and of course, the addition of repeat visits to Sam’s own novel-in-progress.

My view of the series remains unchanged. It’s a nice, easy, cosy read, and I thoroughly enjoy the change of pace once in a while. I’m also growing quite fond of the cast of characters, even if the in-book writing is still a tad annoying (the woman never EDITS! argh!!). But, while the mystery was intriguing, I felt a little let down by the sudden revelation of the murderer in slight too-quick fashion. ymmv.

I received a copy of this book from Kensington through netgalley.
I I finshed in one sitting. good plots loved the character's. hope there will be more.
the book has good humor and twist, I never guessed the killer.

Bookmarked for Murder is the fifth book in V. M. Burns’ Mystery Bookshop series. The smoothly paced storyline is well-plotted, with laugh out loud moments, and lots of twists, clues, and red herrings to keep readers engaged and guessing. The well-developed characters are likable, diverse, and fun. The main character is writing a mystery book that is included within the storyline.

Samantha “Sam” Washington is the owner of the Market Street Mysteries Bookstore in North Harbor, Michigan. After the death of her husband, Sam sold their home, purchased a building, quit her teaching job, and opened a mystery bookstore. Sam, an aspiring author who’s writing a British historical cozy mystery, lives in an apartment above the bookstore along with her two poodles, Oreo and Snickers, and is dating Frank Patterson, the proprietor of North Harbor Café. Her grandmother, Nana Jo, owns a home in Shady Acres Retirement Village. She has an older sister, Jenna, who’s married to Tony Rutherford, who are both lawyers and have two sons, Christopher and Zaq, who help out in the bookstore. In this installment, Sam has been on a four-day shopping trip to Chicago with Nana Jo and her friends from Shady Acres. During a pit stop on the return trip, Max Franck, a Pulitzer prize-winning author who “hooked up” with Irma, the senior seductress, is murdered on the bus. Sam’s feisty grandmother, and her somewhat quirky retirement village friends, Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae, help Sam try to solve the murder.

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

Sam had finally agreed to take a mini vacation from the bookstore and went with her Nana and the other senior sleuths to Chicago. Before they could return home, the guy that Irma was seeing was found dead on the bus. There were plenty of suspects, but somehow I managed to guess the correct one. Of course, as usual, I didn't know any of the reasoning behind why I picked. It just seemed to be the right person.

The showdown was very exciting...how else would it be with Nana Jo involved? The ending was so heartwarming as everyone was together for the New Year celebration. I loved how Irma was featured in this book, since she always cracks me up, but the attempt on her life wasn't too funny. I'm enjoying where Frank and Samantha are in their relationship, it's just very sweet and believable. As always, I'm anxious for the next book in the series!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

When a controversial author is murdered, during a bus trip to Chicago, Samantha (Sam), Nana Jo and the senior sleuths are in for a compelling and dangerous mystery.

Sam is ready to ring in the New Year and a quick bus trip to Chicago, with her grandmother and her friends, is an entertaining way to start the celebration. Irma the senior seductress, makes friends with the author and finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation.

This series is a fun read for so many reasons - the characters are well-written and we all have family and friends who remind us of them, the mystery has wonderful twists and turns and I enjoy the "mystery within a mystery" when Samantha works on her novel. I also love the independence and determination of not only Sam but the senior sleuths as well. I want to be like " Nana Jo"! The romance, in the book, enhanced the story and makes the characters even more relatable.

Impatiently waiting for the next book!

I received an ARC from NetGalley for a fair and honest review of the book.

Bookmarked for Murder by V. M. Burns is the 5th book in the Mystery Bookshop series, and it is becoming one of my favorite series. Samantha Washington owns Market Street Mysteries bookstore in North Harbor, Michigan. Sam, Nana Jo and her friends at Shady Acres Retirement Village take a charter bus to Chicago to do some after Christmas shopping. On the bus ride back home, one of the passengers is murdered. Sam is determined to find the real killer, and the sleuthing begins. This book was great. It has so many twists and turns. The author did an excellent job, I was hooked from the start. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I would strongly recommend this book and series.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Publishing. Thank you.

Bookmarked for Murder
(Mystery Bookshop #5)
by V.M. Burns

Paperback, 256 pages
Expected publication: November 26th 2019 by Kensington Publishing Corporation



Goodreads synopsis:
Amateur sleuth Samantha Washington’s shopping trip to Chicago takes a deadly detour when a man is murdered on her bus . . .

After some post-Christmas retail therapy in the Windy City, mystery bookshop owner and historical whodunit novelist Sam Washington is returning home to North Harbor, Michigan, on a chartered bus. With Nana Jo and her gal pals Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae from Shady Acres Retirement Village along for the ride, it's a lively trip. But one passenger is not so lively—a gentleman Irma befriended is found dead in his seat after an unscheduled stop. The ladies immediately shift gears to find out who punched his ticket, while Sam slips into the driver's seat to make sure Nana Jo and her crew steer clear of fatal conclusions .

***

4.5 Stars

This is the fifth book in the Mystery Bookshop series by V.M. Burns

What a hoot of a series! The ladies from Shady Acres Retirement Village are just exactly the perfect backdrop for a cozy mystery!

This book is about how the Shady Acres gang are coming back from a trek to Chicago and on the bus home, a man is found murdered. He is a somewhat famous Pulitzer prize-winning author about to come out with an in-depth book about JFK’s brother, Robert Kennedy.

Sam Washington, mystery book store owner, gets enlisted to assist the Shady Acres gang since she is writing her own cozy mystery set in the 1930’s and she can figure out whodunit better than the nosy residents from the retirement village.

What a fun book. I had no idea whodunit even following all the clues. Be aware that there are sections in this book where Sam is trying to think through the clues and she does that by writing her own mystery. That mystery unfolds in the pages between the actual story.

If you love cozy mysteries, definitely check out this book. It is a so fun and flirty!

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Sam and the ladies of the retirement village had a great time in Chicago but now the bus ride home has become a lot less fun. Irma thought she made a new friend in her seat mate but when the bus took a rest stop, he stayed on the bus- and was murdered! Taking the group out of their usual setting was a nice twist to this series because it makes them (and you) work just a bit harder for the solution. AND, there'a a bonus mystery because Sam not only sells books, she also writes historical mysteries (no offense to Sam but I'd love a whole book in that voice). Don't worry if you haven't read the earlier books- this is fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good cozy.