I’ve honestly never read a cozy mystery before, but what drew me instantly to this novel was the beautiful and vibrant cover, and the fact that the story was set in a bookstore. I couldn’t wait to give this new-to-me genre a try!

Summary- Jenna Quinn is ready for a fresh start. After running into trouble in her hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, she graciously accepts her uncle’s offer to move in with him and help him run his antique bookstore. But within hours of arriving, Jenna finds him dead at the bottom of the bookstore’s staircase. Shortly after, it is revealed that Jenna is the sole beneficiary of her uncle’s assets, in turn making her the primary suspect. She knows that she is left with no choice but to dig up the truth of what happened to her uncle and find his killer, not just to clear her name, but to stop the him— because it seems he may be coming after Jenna next!

Overall, I found this novel to be enjoyable. There was just enough suspense and mystery to keep me motivated to move forward, but I was really hoping for more plot twists and unexpected surprises. The lineup of suspects that Jenna meets throughout the story can easily be divided into “good” and “bad”, and the murderer, once revealed, was somewhat predictable. I did enjoy Jenna as the main character and admired her tenacity and determination.

I’d recommend this book to any lover of cozy mysteries and I look forward to the next book in this series!

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

I loved this book. The atmosphere was everything I wanted it to be. I loved the plot and storyline in the book. I loved the characters in this story. It gave me all the feels I was looking for when I started reading this. I highly recommend this author. I loved the writing. I will be looking for other works in the future from this author.

This is a nice cozy mystery involving a cozy book store in a cozy town, although there are 2 murders! Jenna, our protagonist, has fled her past to settle with her Uncle Paul at his invitation. When she arrives, he is dead leaving her his sole heir to his book store. Needless to say, Norman comes to town claiming to be Paul's sole heir. Well, he is murdered, too. This book is well written with likeable characters, and some annoying ones as well. At first, the story seemed too much was conveniently falling into place. As the story went on, more indepth intrigue unfolded. Therefore, 3.5 Stars

Fun new start to a series by a new-to-me author. Good mystery and killer was a surprise. Lots of quirky characters. Very enjoyable read. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

I’m a sucker for anything bookshop or library-related, so this was right up my alley! First in a new series, this story find Jenna Quinn as the sole-inheritor of her uncle’s antique bookshop after his death, which turns out to not be the only mystery she needs to solve! The other citizens of her new town are interesting characters and the story is quick but engaging.

I really liked this book. This was a quick, fun read. I enjoyed the writing style and i will read more books by this author.

This book had a lot of potential but failed to live up to that potential. I was excited to read about the antiquarian bookstore but unfortunately, that was misleading. Baxter's Book Emporium seems to be a used bookstore. Uncle Frank occasionally came across an antique gem, researched it, sold it privately or put it up for auction. The mystery was pretty easy to solve who and why. I wasn't 100% positive because I was sure it couldn't be THAT obvious. It's a really long novel and takes too long to solve. Jenna's initial mystery in Charlotte is never resolved but I'm sure it's actually easy. <spoiler>I think her sleazy fiancé set her up to take the fall. That's why all the secrecy. Who else would steal Jenna's log-in to embezzle funds?</spoiler> I did like the local color and the funny history of the town. I would love to visit and stay in the hotel! I did have some issues with historical accuracy though. Sadly, peep shows and adult films DID exist in the year 1900 (nickelodeons were films, technically speaking) even though I don't think the city council would go for that. Also and most importantly, women didn't wear makeup c. 1900! At least not respectable women and not much. Ladies' maids were for helping get into and out of clothing, caring for clothing and styling hair. Unless the women visiting the hotel are planning to pretend to be ladies of ill repute, Rita shouldn't be working there as a makeup artist.

I found the characters kind of difficult to like. Jenna was hard to warm up to. While I felt Detective Frank Sutter was unfairly cruel to her and knew she didn't kill her uncle, her past troubles make her a rather gloomy person. I have no doubt Jenna loved her uncle and their estrangement was typical of young adults. I adore my only uncle and only talk to him and see him on holidays now. She has a good reason to investigate but she sure lacks people skills and good instincts. Jenna should be less trusting and naïve since her experience in Charlotte but she seems to latch on to certain people and trust them and not trust other people who seem untrustworthy. She's warned several times to be careful who she trusts and doesn't listen. If she listened to what people are telling her, she would have known whodunit and why. I didn't understand why she kept talking to the nasty detective without a lawyer or even try to find herself a lawyer? She shouldn't have answered his questions. One minor quibble is her comments about tea. First, yes you make tea with boiling or almost boiling water. Second, you don't use BAGS and if you do, you don't DUNK it (GRRROOOOSS). You let the tea brew for the required number of minutes, take the bag (cringe) out, stir, sweeten, stir and drink. It won't burn your mouth if you do it properly, unlike coffee, which is nasty.

Uncle Frank was a good person. He loved his family, especially his late wife Irene, to whom he was devoted. He enjoyed owning a bookstore in the small community and was excited about some rare find. He didn't deserve to die. I did not like how resistant to modern technology he was and how disorganized he kept his shop. How did he expect to sell anything that way?

The secondary characters are flat. Detective Sutter is the bad cop. He's stupid and he's mean and I'm tired of this trope. He bullies Jenna and tries to get her to confess to crimes she didn't commit just because he wants to wrap up the case quickly and neatly. Detective Keith Logan is NOT from the Pacific Islands, perhaps his ancestors were from there? There's no indication he himself is from anywhere except Hoakes Folly. Of course the good looking detective has to be the nice one. He's very kind but doesn't seem to be doing much investigating since Sutter seems to be the lead detective. Why doesn't Logan go to his superiors and tell them Sutter is not doing a good job and bullying Jenna? The romance angle didn't work for me either. It was too sudden and random.

One secondary character I did like was Horace Grimes, Uncle Frank, now Jenna's lawyer. He was also Uncle Frank's best friend, however, so I think if Sutter really wanted to nail Jenna, he would refuse to accept Grimes as her legal council. Horace Grimes is above and beyond a nice guy. He's very, very kind and accepting of Jenna. He never questions her innocence. The only other person to truly believe in Jenna is Rita. I don't trust Rita. She's too nice and too eager to befriend Jenna, a much younger woman, based on instincts. It's like instalove but in this case instafriendship. She had a past relationship with Uncle Frank. Could she have killed him in revenge? Elmer Peabody is the town's only crime scene cleanup person. He seems to be conspicuously missing. Where is he and why hasn't he cleaned up the shop? Could he be the murderer? Gladys Washburn is the regular cleaning lady. Why hasn't she cleaned up the crime scene if Elmer didn't do it? She can identify a suspect. Is she afraid?

There are two remaining descendants of the town founder. Miss Olivia Hoakes and her sister, Miss Ophelia. Livy has two personalities. Most of the time she's mean and nasty. The town crank. Some of the time she's friendly and open. She's the Miss Havisham of her town and her poor sister feels the effects. Philly is very sweet and kind. Livvy is mostly interested in the town history and their vintage shop, to the point of near obsession. Philly is much put-upon and doesn't know how to live her own life. I was waiting for her to kill her sister. I think they're both viable suspects but no one else seems to think so.

The most obvious suspects are Steve Jergis and Barbie. Steve Jergis is a real estate developer who wants to put a shopping mall on the outskirts of town. The city council opposed it and now he's angry. Steve is slimy, bullying and hangs out with a human Barbie doll. He's too eager to get his hands on the shop and NO ONE seems to like him. He's the easiest person to pin the murder on. The police never check to see if he had an alibi since Detective jerk is so set on pinning the crime on Jenna. The police suspect Mason Craig, one-time employee of Baxter's Books, fired for stealing. Mason seems like a confused kid who needs guidance and help. I don't think he's a murderer but he was in town on the wrong day and never explains why. He could be hiding something. Linus Talbot, Director of Antique (should be rare) Books at the Hoakes Folly Community Library, is the only person besides Frank who had any idea of Frank's important find. He must have some inkling, even though he denies knowing anything. If anyone had a motive to kill, it was Linus Talbot. Please let's not have the rare books librarian be a murderer! BAD stereotype!

The best suspect for murder is Norman Childers. He claims to be Frank Baxter's illegitimate son, therefore, heir to Frank's millions and property. Norman is a sleazy, disgusting womanizer who should be arrested for sexually harassing Jenna and the customers. I would have called the cops on him when he went after the customers. There's no way he didn't have something to do with Frank's murder and no way he was Frank's son. He must be lying, especially since he isn't too eager to do DNA test. CAN you do a DNA test on a dead and buried person? Jenna isn't related to Frank biologically and Frank didn't have children or siblings so... how are they doing this DNA test? Elliot Burke, manager of the swanky hotel, knows the secret passages and knows who is staying in which room. One guest, in room 412, is especially difficult. Could he have gotten rid of an unwanted guest?
Are there two murderers?

Ultimately, this book was too long and easy to figure out whodunit for me but I would be interested in reading another book now the set-up is over and we can get more into the books!

There was a darkness about 'For Whom the Book Tolls' that was unappealing to me. There was no clarity with the main character Jenna Quinn. The back story of her previous charge of murder was not satisfactorily explained so the entire book just seemed off balance and formulaic. There is some promise with the book, but there will need to be more lightness to completely engage me.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This is a good start to another cozy mystery series. It involves books and a book store, plus history. Jenna arrives at Hoke's Folly, hopeful for a new start after a nightmare experience in Charlotte. Unfortunately trouble follows her as on her first day she discovers the body of her uncle. An interloper tries to steal her inheritance and ends up dead too. One detective is chomping to pin both murders on Jenna, while the other seems to have an interest in her. My favorites were Rita and Mason. I thought the treasure part of the ending fell flat.

Jenna Quinn understands trouble. She has fled Charlotte, North Carolina, escaping the untrue accusations of embezzlement and murder. Thrilled when her Uncle Paul invites her to spend some time with him in his book store in Hokes Folly, she leaps at the opportunity. But before she even has a chance to unpack, she discovers her uncle's body at the bottom of a staircase. Crushed by this tragedy, she soon finds herself his sole heir and the sole suspect for his murder. A terrific start to a new series. Looking forward to what the author has in store for Book 2

You can't go wrong with a cozy mystery that features a bookstore. This was a fun mystery and even after I guessed who did it, I still enjoyed the rest of the book. I would read more in this series.

For Whom the Book Tolls was an okay start of a new series. The main character was likeable and relatable and the plot had quite a few of the regular ingredients for a cosy mystery. There wasn't necessarily anything wrong with this cosy, but after reading quite a few cosy mysteries, I just didn't find it quite unique enough for me, although I enjoyed the bookstore setting of course.

This is the first book in a new series.
It has all the standards of a cozy, protagonist starting over with a family member’s help, a bookshop and murder.
It was interesting but nothing special.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

This is the first book in the antique bookshop series. Jenna Quinn comes to Holkes Folly with the intention of staying with her uncle until she gets back on her feet. What she doesn't expect is to find him dead at the bottom of his stairs. The police think she killed him. She is determined to find out what happened.

I liked this book. I thought Jenna was a very likable, relatable character. One of the detectives was just horrible and every time he was in a scene, I just wanted him to go away, while his partner was nice and more along the lines of what I had expected. The mystery was ok. I had figured out who the killer was half way through the book because it was completely obvious. If not for that, I would have given this book 4 stars. I received this ARC from net galley in exchange for an honest review.

I had a few minor issues with the book, but overall I think it's a good start to a cozy series! The main character is well-written and definitely relatable. I didn't see the villain coming until the book was right on top of the reveal, which is a huge plus for me since most of the time I can see them coming.

Also, honestly I'm a sucker for mysteries that take place in a bookshop. If you're a sucker like me, definitely read the book. I look forward to more books in the series.

(But please author, stop using the word "Gads". It's just weird!)

A great who donut book! Jenna goes to help her uncle at his book store only to find him dead. Short and simple synopsis. This is the first book in the series and I look forward to the next one.

This is the first book Antique Bookshop Mystery series by Laura Gail Black, and I am looking forward to more in this series. Jenna Quinn is trying to forget her past, but people are not making it easy for her, so her uncle suggests that she come visit him and help out in his bookshop. But when Jenna gets there she finds her uncle dead. This leads the cops to think that she murdered her uncle, it also does't help that he left her as the sole benefactor of his bookshop, and his money- a total of of millions of dollars. I wasn't a fan of the good cop, bad cop- especially since the bad cop was just so horrible it took away from the storyline. I did enjoy the book and did not figure out who the murderer was till the end.

I received this Arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I throughly enjoyed reading For Whom the Book Tolls! When Jennas uncle invites her to stay with him and help him run his book store it seemed like the perfect time to say yes. Jenna arrives in the early early morning hours and assumes her uncle is asleep. When she wakes up the next morning she finds his body at the bottom of the stairs leading from his upstairs apartment to the bookstore. When the police are called she is immediately a suspect, made even more so when she finds out that her uncle has left her basially everything he had including the bookstore.
I love books that have bookstore in them. They mystery was done very well.. I had a suspect early on, then changed it to someone else.. However then that guy ends up dead.. I didn't end up figuring out what was really going on until it was revealed in the story. I loved all the characters and will definitely be buying this book when its released, and continueing on with this series..

I loved this new series with interesting characters, interesting town and several 'second-chances'.

Jenna Quinn is someone that I could 'root for' as I kept finding myself hoping that things would settle down for her. I love that most of her neighbors seem ready to accept and believe in her.

The mystery is well-developed and certainly has some twist and turns to keep it interesting. This kept me reading very late into the night.

In Her Shadow
Kristin Miller

Colleen feels all her wishes and dreams have come true. She has a man who loves her, she is carrying his child and he going to provide a home for them all. Her life is going to be perfect or so she thinks.
She has a beautiful mansion to live in, servants to do the cooking and cleaning and all she is required to do is rest. What more could she want? It should be perfect but it’s not. All she hears is how wonderful the missing wife was and how she was so loved. Colleen wants to be loved too but it is hard to feel loved when you are living in the shadow of another person. It seems everyone resents her. There are secrets that she is not privy to, rooms that are locked and then when a body is found near the house things begin to get scary.
A chilling, suspense filled book that will hold you until the shocking end.
Don’t pass this one up!