Little bookshop of murder will keep you reading until the end with all the twists in this story. The characters are quirky and will win your heart. A daughter comes home after the death of her mom only to find nobody will believe it's murder. Lots of twists that will keep you guessing.

Little Bookshop of Murder by Maggie Blackburn is the first of the Beach Reads mystery.

The book was enjoyable for a brainless beach read. It starts at the funeral of the lead character's mother who suddenly died before the story began. It took a little bit of time to figure out who was who and how they were related and it seemed like her Aunt Agatha was also called Hildy and was Mia Agatha's daughter? or granddaughter? It eventually becomes apparent, but it could have been a bit more clear in that first chapter or two.

The lead, Summer Merriweather (a bit cliché for a beach setting, in all honesty), is a tenured Shakespearean Lit professor who is apparently in danger of losing her job because of a viral video showing her freaking out at the sight of a spider during one of her lectures. She comes across as a lit snob who thinks anything other than Shakespeare or Chaucer is simply beneath her. I think the author can make her come across as far more interesting in future books. It's hinted that, though she's inherited a bookstore called Beach Reads, filled with romance and cozy mysteries (as the namesake implies!), she might add a few of the classics. Every time a book is noted in the story, she seems to mutter under her breath about how worthless of a book it is. Gets old after a while.

Other than not really clicking with the main character, the rest of the characters were likable. There were bits of a backstory that didn't truly paint a complete picture. The story was ok, but at the end, when it was revealed who the murderer was, it's as if the author got to the last chapter and thought - "oh crap - I need a motive. Here - I'll use this." and Boom! The book was done. Very strange. This could have been a novella rather than a full-length book.

The series has promise though. It's a book - and it's set in a beachfront bookshop so the characters are all talking about books. Yes - it's possibly weird that I love reading books that talk about other books, but I really do. The other characters are fun - so I'd like to learn more about them.

Not sure of romance - it was hinted and then the guy disappeared, so who knows with that, but potential is there.

The setting seems fabulous. Who doesn't love spending some time on or near a large body of water?

I just think the author has potential for a lot of character and story development for which she didn't take advantage in this book, but can in future installments. I rounded up to 4 stars. I'd give it 3.5 and will read the next book for its potential. I hope that the next book has more substance to the story.

But - as the name of the series implies, it's a beach read. Sometimes you need something that is just entertaining without being thought-provoking and this book fits the bill.

This book was provided to me as an ARC by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cozy mystery readers and 'beach read book lovers' who prefer books that take their time getting around to solving the issues will like this new book. I liked that this one was set on an island, in the South, and that there was a big cast of close friends involved in all facets of the plot. As this wasn't one of my typical genre picks, I did need to skip ahead and skim a good bit when all the running around got too much but the level of detail would translate well to a tv show or series - I could easily see this as a Hallmark channel movie.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be honest. I did not like this book. The bird was cool and that was pretty much it. I just didn't care for Summer as a character and I found the writing to be really off-putting.

What I Liked:

The setting. Little Bookshop takes place on a tiny island in the Carolinas that faces the ocean. The scenes are written beautifully, with the bookshop having a view of the sea, Summer often walking on the shore and sitting in the dunes, and her mother’s cottage is a convenient stroll the the beach. Having been raised in a very similar situation, I sympathized with the struggle of dealing with tourists while preserving your own land. Blackburn also made it easy to “follow” Summer and her cousins as they went to and fro on the island.
The premise. While I think this book missed the execution (more below), I think that Little Bookshop has good bones. The main character Summer is an overwhelming literature snob (I think anyone who has ever been an English major can relate) who is made to learn that even “basic bitch” books like cozy mysteries can be worth reading. She is the inherited owner of a beach read bookshop, replete with cozy mysteries, romances, and paranormal books.

“She aspired to be one of those magnanimous teachers and people. You know, the one who would say, “As long as your son or daughter is reading”… but no… just no. Her philosophy: Read the good stuff. You have so much time on this planet, don’t fill your head with badly written books.”

This starting point has a lot of promise, because to be frank, her character arc can only go up from there. Summer does show some growth, despite herself. Further, the bookstore element has great bones – it is a cozy trope that works well for the genre. Body in the Library, much?

The bird. Maybe there is an issue with a book whose best character is an aging parrot named Mr. Darcy, but he was a pip. I loved the addition of an unusual pet (most cozies stick with the faithful dog or sassy cat), and I thought that Mr. Darcy actually added a fun twist.

What Didn’t Work:

The Execution. When I first started reading Little Bookshop, I genuinely thought it was written by a new author as a debut because of the clunky execution. To start, Summer Merriweather is the most ridiculously contrived name for someone who grew up on a beach. While I can appreciate the hippy origin, it was too much. Second, the fact that she could lose tenure based on something as silly as a viral arachnophobia video is almost insulting to anyone who has been in academia. The fact that Summer came into her mother’s store and decided she could do the books, make the orders, and the like without any training or knowhow is unrealistic for anyone wanting to run a successful business. The author does not seem to have done lot of research into key plot points, and it shows.

Poorly executed feminism. When I first started Little Bookshop, it became apparent that the author wanted her female characters to be strong independent women (Summer, her aunt Agatha, her cousin Piper, niece Mia, and deceased mother) who didn’t need any man. I appreciated it, since sometimes cozies can fall into the bucket of bosom heaving, incompetent women. However, somehow all of the strong women that Blackburn lined up were all ineffective, and instead of making men supporting characters, she made them all bumbling, stupid, and incompetent. She threw in a potential love interest for Summer then had him disappear into the pages, and has Summer, Agatha, and Piper get themselves into sticky situations headlong. Instead of having her women be strong and independent, she makes them look feckless and unlucky in love. Her mother never told Summer who her father was; Mia’s father literally doesn’t exist according to the book. Summer is downright pretentious and contemptuous of her fellow women instead of strong.
“Summer figured she made Poppy nervous. she had that effect on young women. She was a woman with agency, who wasn’t into the niceties — hair, jewelry, fashion.”

Bad editing. This is with a grain of salt, because of course this is an ARC and will presumably go through another round of edits; however, some of the issues were egregious. The island that the book takes place on is alternatively called St. Brigid, St. Brighid, and St. Brigits; there is often repetitive sentences throughout the book that I think may have occurred because of word count; characters are introduced then disappear (where did my hunky fire chief go?); and plot points became irrelevant (land developers? where?) I am hoping that this is rectified before publication, but it seems a little late in the game.

Bottom Line:

I would hesitate to recommend this to anyone other than a die hard cozy fan who could overlook some of the errors. I would recommend Little Shop as a quick beach read (of course!) and something to read at leisure. Two out of five waves!

Summer has to come back home after her mother's sudden (and somewhat mysterious) death. She works with her aunt and cousin and mother's friends to get to the bottom of her mother's untimely death. For a cozy mystery, this book felt a little drawn out to me and while we learn a good deal about the victim via third party description, I prefer to mee the victim first hand to create a connection. A serviceable beach read cozy.

We follow Summer, a Shakespeare professor who has recently returned home to her small island town to attend the funeral of her mother, who suddenly died under mysterious circumstances. Summer, facing some personal trials, is not taken seriously by the chief of police, as she once scorned his son many years ago. As a result, and with the help of her aunt, cousin and niece, Summer decides to investigate her mother's death on her own, believing her mother was murdered. Her investigation takes her all around the small island, talking to residents, in hopes that she can discover who murdered her mother.

I would rate this book 3.5 stars. I did enjoy the story, it kept me reading. However, there were some aspects I didn't enjoy. The story was very, very long and extremely repetitive. It could've been cut down significantly. Also, the character of Summer wasn't overly likeable. She presented as snobby and superior, with a weird phobia thrown in. Her desire to find her mother's murderer was commendable, however she had no experience, it felt very amateur. I liked the supporting characters of Agatha and Piper a lot. I absolutely loved the setting and story of the bookstore, it was great for an avid reader. However, I missed the love/relationship aspect in this book-there was none, although there was potential for one. Lastly, I didn't know who would end up being the killer, but it was extremely lacklustre and disappointing. The answer was literally right in front of the characters the entire story and it just felt redundant.

Loved this book. I have definitely found a new author to follow up on. I would love to have this become a long series. Highly recommend.

I was looking forward to this new mystery series, and there were parts that I enjoyed and parts that I just didn't. I liked the beach setting and the bookstore and some of the characters. The writing was rather clunky and repetitive at times, as an advanced copy it definitely needs more editing, the murderer was fairly obvious early on, and some of the characters were hard to get to like. I would read the next in the series to see how it progresses and if it tightens up a bit more.

This cozy was a good escape during this time of quarantine. Summer had to grow on me though, as I wanted to shake her at times. She could be a little dense. Overall, the other characters were fun and the plot was good. And what could be better than a bookstore on the beach? I look forward to the next installment.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Summer is not having a good summer. After a minor scandal has her scurrying off to England to spend some time researching Shakespeare for an academic paper, she has to rush back home to North Carolina when her mother dies suddenly of a heart attack. Arriving back home in the small town she thought she'd left behind forever, Summer begins to suspect that her mother's death wasn't natural and after failing to convince the town's police chief to investigate, takes on the challenge herself with her aunt and cousins. Can Summer uncover the truth before she ends up a victim in her own tragedy?

I saw this on Netgalley and couldn't resist snagging it.  I really enjoyed this, equal parts engaging, heartbreaking, exciting, and heartwarming. Summer and her family are likeable and the story was rich in detail, making the setting and the characters seem so realistic it was like being there. But that came at the expense of the pacing, which lagged a bit in the middle and there was a fair amount of rehashing. I liked how organically and realistically Summer set out to investigate, especially when she followed in the footsteps of her mother's last day. Took her a bit longer to see whodunit than it did me (and I thought the motive was a bit shaky) but that twisty, action-packed reveal and the surprise twist at the very end wrapped everything up nicely and left me wanting more.

I was in the mood for a cozy mystery and this book fit the bill. Summer's mother passed away but she finds it hard to believe her healthy and vibrant mother had a heart attack. As with any cozy mystery, our protagonist put on her figurative sleuth had and began asking questions. Summer has a rich back story, including a rift with the local police chief and being on the verge of losing her job. I enjoyed the murder mystery, the charming cast of characters and the setting of a bookshop in a small coastal town. What I didn't particularly love was the repetitiveness of Summer's inner dialogue. On several occasions, she shared her thoughts on the case and I had read those exact same thoughts in a previous chapter. Overall, it was a light and fun read even though it was about murder! Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, Netgalley, and Maggie Blackburn for sharing the advanced review copy of this book!

Great new book. Very cozy and fast paced with lots of twists and turns. Look forward to reading more by this author.

I don't usually read cozy mysteries but I'm glad I tried this one. It reads quickly although I think it was a tiny bit dragged out and repetitive. It's a nice pallet cleanser and a cozy read for when you want to just relax your brain a bit.

This book, written by an author with another well known name was a real page turner. It was an easy read, the plot light and entertaining. I had n9 idea who the murderer was - and was really thrown at the reveal! I can't wait to get my hands on the next in the series!

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. Summer is the amateur sleuth and she does a great job at it. She did get hurt once. There are so many people involved in this but she is determined to find out who murdered her mother and how they did it. It is a page turner. In this story most of the characters are strong which has you guessing until the end.

The first in a new cozy series, Little Bookshop of Murder by Maggie Blackburn is a fun, quick cozy mystery. Set on an island beach town it centers around Summer Merriweather who has returned to her childhood home after her mother's sudden death. Summer becomes convinced that her mother's death mas not natural and they're may be a murderer on the loose. Shortly, after she arrives Summer herself begins to be threatened only strengthening her resolve to get to the bottom of her mother's passing. There are some strong female characters and I loved Summer's parrot Mr. Darcy, but the development of some of the characters could have been stronger. I also found Summer's arachnophobia a strange addition to the plot. The murder mystery itself was pretty obvious from the get go, but I still enjoyed the story and found that the series itself has a lot of potential. All in all, I enjoyed the setting and characters and would read the next instalment.

This was a fun new cozy author for me. I enjoyed the story and the characters. The town is one I wouldn't mind living in myself. A very good read.

Summer goes back home for her mother's funeral. Once she's there, she begins suspecting something was wrong and that her mother had been murdered. With the help of her mother's friends, her aunt, her cousin and her niece, she starts investigating the case.

I had a few issues with this book.
First of all, it still needs editing and correcting. Names change, and I found a couple of "we" that should have been "they".
The murderer was clear from the very beginning.
I get feminism and strong women, but I don't get why men are useless in the story, or they just don't exist. Who's Mia's father?
Where do Piper and Mia live? They seem to move in with Summer instantly.
Everybody works at the bookstore, yet there's only one employee, they all just help out.
Summer is an expert on Shakespeare. She has a PhD! But she only mentions the most famous quotes and characters. Nothing worthy of a professor of Shakespearian lit.
Summer despises romances. As I was reading this story, besides feeling the character was a snob, I felt like the author was trying to convince me that romances and cosy misteries can be good books, too.
To me, the beginnibg of every chapter felt like a recap, only missing the "previously on..."

I hope this story gets edited before it gets published. The idea was ok, but I feel it still needs work.
I'd like to read a new version of this novel.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Summer has just returned home after the sudden death of her mother. She is convinced that it's not possible that her healthy mom could have died suddenly of a heart attack. She talks to the local sheriff but, perhaps because she had once left his son at the altar, he refuses to believe her so she sets out to investigate her mom's last days herself with a little help from family and friends.

Little Bookshop of Murder is the first book in a new cozy mystery series A Beach Reads Mystery by author Maggie Blackburn. I love books about books and bookstores so I really wanted to like it but the best I can say - it was okay. There were a lot of problems that kept me from becoming invested in the story although I was able to finish it. First, there were lots of characters to provide suspects but, despite this, the murderer was pretty obvious fairly quickly. Also many of these characters seem important to the story only to vanish like the man who I'm guessing will be her love interest in future novels based on the fact that he's pretty much the only male in the story who isn't an idiot or dismissive, or useless. However here, it just seems like he's there to back her up on her murder theory which seems strange in a book that, at least on the surface, appears to be trying to embrace feminism. And although Summer is supposed to be a Shakespearian scholar and professor who hates romance novels, she quickly falls in love with them which I guess is good because she is inheriting the store and that is pretty much the only genre it offers. At times, the novel just felt like an ad for romance novels. As well, there were a lot of words used that seemed out of place or poorly used - really, I guess, a small quibble - but it did tend to throw me off my reading stride and make it even harder to maintain my willing suspension of disbelief.

So I suppose the real question is do I recommend this. Maybe if you are a fan of cozy mysteries and are just looking for a couple of hours of entertainment without expecting much from either the plot or the characters. Overall, though, I would suggest, if you're interested, get it from the library.

<Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked lane Books for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review</i>