Like others I had a hard time getting through <i>Little Bookshop of Murder</i> by Maggie Blackburn because the murderer was obvious from the beginning, but there didn't really seem to be any logic behind the murderer, and that was never really cleared up at the end. I think the biggest points of confusion for me were all the extra details like the spider storyline (still makes no sense to me) and the mother's witchcraft group. There were so many extra storylines like that, that it made the plot fill bogged down and ultimately made the ending unsatisfying.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I received a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review, all opinions stated are my own.

Summer Merriweather rushes to her childhood home in Brigid’s Island NC for her mother’s funeral. Summer struggles to reconcile the sudden deal of her mother Hildy to the vibrant healthy woman she knew and loved. After mentioning her disbelief to her Aunt Agatha and Cousin Piper the three agree something doesn’t add up about Hildy’s sudden unexplained heart attack. As they work through the mystery, with the aid of Piper’s teen daughter Mia, Summer also works to come to terms with the distance that had grown in her relationship with her mother.

Overall the story was prolonged and seemed to back track on itself often. I hope there is still quite a bit of clean up that happens in final edits, as there are some glaring errors with the time line, character names and roles, and many instances where plot points simply seem superfluous, such as Summer’s arachnophobia. Also, several of the character names are too similar and create confusion such as Poppy and Piper and Posey. The basic elements of a Cozy Mystery are present, but the killer is obvious, the red herring introduced too late and rather clumsily, and the possible love interest simply disappears from the story line. It also becomes clear early on, despite Summer’s own hesitations and inner turmoil, that she will ultimately chose to stay on the island and run her mother’s Beach Reads book store.

I was surprised to find that this author has written many other mysteries, including award winning books. This series debut was very clumsy, about twice as long as the plot line actually permitted, and created undue confusion at times. In the end I would like to get to know the main characters more and see how they develop in future books so I may read more in the series as they are written, with any luck Summer will settle down and lose some of her pretentious aires.

This one wasn't for me - didn't enjoy it one bit, I'm afraid. Didn't work well (for me) as either a beach read, or as a mystery.

A Shakespearean professor experiencing trouble with her job rushes home at news of her mother's death.
A cozy mystery, small town friendships, romance bookstore.
A great quick read.

Fantastic characters wrapped into an intriguing mystery to keep you entertained and turning pages for hours! You have a main character who is a book snob thinking only classic literature is worthy of time and is the daughter of a romance bookstore in a beach town. When the mom dies suddenly, not only is there the mystery of the sudden death, but what does a Shakespeare professor do with a romance bookstore? Humor, wit, friendship and family wrap you into a story that you just can't put down! I really can't wait to read what happens next!

I know this won't be published for a few months, but it needs a ton of revisions. Simple things like names changing in the middle of the discussions (Hildy versus Agatha in the beginning, Marilyn suddenly becomes Glads in a conversation in the back room of the book store later in the book; the doctor's name suddenly changing, Marilyn and a few others acting like they hadn't heard anything suspicious, then later saying they knew or vice-versa).

But the biggest issue is from the moment Doris is mentioned, it is so very obvious she is the killer. This case could have been solved in an hour, and it dragged on and on with the same sentiments and questions being asked, but no one asking the obvious from the very start.

Ugh. I wasn't going to finish it. I thought it was a debut author's first attempt at a mystery, Then discovered she had written many things, so I thought it was just editing issues and to keep reading; that Doris was a red herring. But no. It was here. I honestly don't understand how this came to be published.

A wonderful setting with some really lovable characters is what really makes this book a worthwhile read. The mystery story? Not so much. The real problem is the murderer is really too obvious but the possible motive does keep you guessing. Summer, the main character who also happens to have a PhD in Shakespearean Lit (not that it's ever mentioned!!!!), investigates when she believes her mother has been murdered and the police don't believe her. She is joined in the investigation by members of her own family and is determined to discover why her much-loved mother was killed. The story itself is engaging and there are some twists and turns along the way but some plot elements are not fully developed and some characters just totally disappear! The Shakespeare angle seems a little wasted with even the prospect of a Shakespeare Folio not even tweaking the interest of the main character, a shakespeare devotee. For someone who dedicated so much of her life to Shakespeare she shows very little interest throughout which is a shame as the book description makes this seem as it is an important aspect of the book. Overall, this will keep you interested but probably won't keep you turning pages long into the night.

As much as I love cozies, especially those that involve bookshops, I have to admit that I had a hard time finishing this one. Dragged out, with the murderer becoming obvious early in the book, I didn't feel drawn to any of the characters. It was very disappointing.

Although I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own.

This book is just as its title suggests, a "beach reads mystery." It is a great mystery to read on the beach or when you are in quarantine. The murder question keeps you guessing, but I guessed correctly. There were a few plot twists that had me gasping out loud (and my husband asking "what" next to me). But overall, this was simply a good book. I would totally read another of Blackburn's books, but it likely won't be at the top of my list. It is another of what my mom called "popcorn reads." Ones that are fun to "snack" on without too much substance or too much to think about.

Overall this is a solid three star book, would add a 0.5 star if I could. 3.5 from me. =)

This was a delightful romp through the cosy mystery genre. Well paced and enough twists and turns to keep you not entirely convinced if you had worked out Whodunnit. Add to that the MC's internal battle to accept the reading material that made her mother's bookshop such a warm and welcoming business with her own preconceptions of "worthy" books and the litany of likeable and eccentric book club members, and this was a thoroughly entertaining read.

A good start to a new mystery series. When Summer returns to her hometown after the death of her mother she gets involved in trying to solve the mystery. A good group of family and friends, and overall I did like the story. Hard to keep track of information in a new series, as a lot of new characters and such, but overall a good job here. I did find Summer a bit pretentious, especially in her concept of "proper" reading materials, but she mellowed towards the end. Would recommend.

Summer is a bit hasty and judgemental but the ladies of the book club soon brought her into the light about all things with romance books. Her sleuthing needs more to desire, she was like a loose cannon when searching for the whys and who done it concerning her mother’s death. There is hope for her yet once she can curb her over anxiousness, and the way she overlooks clues and witnesses. In searching for her mother’s killer, Summer almost lost another loved one. An interesting and entertaining read.

I received a free copy of the Little Bookshop of Murder by Maggie Blackburn from Netgalley for a honest review.

The story starts as Summer returns home, even though she swore she would never return, because she received the news her mom unexpectedly passed away. Things immediately don’t sit right with Summer and her intuition proved right once the autopsy came back...how was it possible her sixty-something ultra-healthy mom passed away from a heart-attack?

Overall, I rate this book a 3/5 stars! This mystery gave me all the cozy feels of a hallmark movie mixed with a little “who done it” action. I loved that this novel took place in a bookstore by the ocean, my two favorite things! However, it was pretty obvious early on who the murderer was. However, I didn’t mind that as much as the main character. I found her very stuck-up and I hated how many times that she repeated she had her doctorate in Shakespeare. As if that made her better than the folks she was surrounded by. The book was also repetitive in nature and I would find myself saying, didn’t I just read that? Overall, it was a fun and easy read that one could definitely enjoy on the beach!

Didn’t much care for this one and I usually like a cozy mystery. It was just kind of cheesy I guess for lack of a better word. Couple time I thought about DNF’ing it but I pushed through in the hopes that I might enjoy it by the end but no such luck. It wasn’t terrible, but it sure wasn’t great.

amateur-sleuth, professor, murder, arson, theft, family-dynamics, friendship, small-town, small-business, law-enforcement

Summer is a Shakespearean scholar and professor who has returned to her former home on a North Carolina island to bury her mother who died totally unexpectedly. At her mother's bookshop she meets some of the people who meant much to her as well as her own aunt and cousins. The police call the death a coronary, but there are inconsistencies including threatening notes followed by a burglary at the shop, arson at the house while Summer sleeps, and later she was pushed and sustained a severe concussion. The police chief has a closed mind on the subject and the tox screen seems to take forever. Meanwhile Summer has a good deal of angst about so many things including her career.
The mystery is quite well done, and the supporting characters are very well done. It's the main character who seems a little two-dimensional, partly because most non-academics don't realize the importance of things like Publish or Perish or how difficult things can still be for a woman in a field dominated by men. And still, image is everything in Academia.
Basically, I really liked it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

A good and quick to read cozy mystery. I received an arc from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

Summer returns home after her mothers passing. She can't believe her mother is gone. As she is going to her mother's bookstore she spies an envelope. Inside is a threatening letter and summer learns that it is not the first one. Now she believes her mother may have been murder but no one believes her. The characters are loveable. The story was quite intense, filled with secrets and suspicions. This book kept me up well after midnight turning the pages trying to play detective and decide who the murderer is. This book was delightful.

This is somewhat a light or cozy mystery. It is a quick read. Guessing what happened to the owner of the bookstore is almost answered too quickly. The characters are predictable and the reader often wants to know more about them. This is a fun read. There is a surprise at the end about the protagonist’s father. I want to read more books about this bookstore-hope it is a series. The only change might be a really nice male character. I don’t love the supernatural aspect in the book-thus four stars instead of five.

After recently listening to a podcast that raved about cozy mysteries, I was excited to read my first one! However, Little Bookshop of Murder was a true disappointment. The story was extremely repetitive and didn't move forward at all. The writing was too simple and there was little character development.

I am all for a fun, palate-cleanser type book, but this was not it.

I really wanted to like this book, but it was written in such a sophomoric style, it was a struggle to finish it. For someone with such a lyrical and friendly name, Summer Merriweather is anything but that. Granted she is back to her North Carolina island home because of the death of her mother, but I was really tired of hearing how she was a PhD in English Lit. A friend at college was on the Dean's List for her entire college career and she did not have a lick of common sense. Summer is too strident a character to warm up to and her running battle with the police chief should have lead her to complain to a higher authority about his negligence while investigating her mother's death. Needless to say I did not like this book