Life is good for Shelby, part owner of Bayside Books as she helps run the main bookshop and the other one nestled in Blye castle on Blye Island. Sure she has been involved in solving a few murders, much to the dismay of the local police. Despite all of that, nothing prepared her for a corpse to find its way to her very doorstep. Yes, houseboats don't really have doorsteps but this corpse was making a good attempt. She had seen him a couple of times at the store when he asked about a woman who had moved there almost a decade before. The police want her to stay away from the case but the man's daughter asks Shelby to help catch the killer. With enough experience from her previous investigating, Shelby agrees. It isn't long be fore the list of possible suspects is rather long and Shelby finds herself in harms way. She has a knack for taking undue risks but she also manages to catch the killer. Added to Shelby's life are several personal events that will have a serious impact on her future.
As with most cozies, the setting is great, the characters are people I would like to spend some time with and the puzzle satisfying. While I prefer to read series in order, this can easily be read as a stand alone.
My thanks to the publisher Crooked Lane Books and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

A Deadly Chapter is the third book in the Castle Bookshop Mystery series by Essie Lang.

This is the first book I’ve read in this series and it was easy to read as a standalone book.

Shelby wakes up and finds a body in the water next to her houseboat. She was warned not to get involved in the investigation by the police chief, but there wouldn’t be a story if that happened. On top of that, there are unexpected relationship issues she has to deal with.

While investigating, Shelby makes some potentially dangerous mistakes which she will hopefully learn from for the sake of her family and friends.

The characters and setting are wonderful and it sounds like a place I’d like to visit. There were definitely twists in this that I didn’t see coming and I look forward to continuing with this series.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

This was another fun visit to the Alex Bay area which I think would be interesting to go visit someday. I just love Aunt Edie and Matthew, they're so darn cute together, and Matthew is just the most amazing and loyal friend anyone could have. Shelby and Zack were at a point in their relationship where she found she cared so much for him, it was a real dilemma for her when he announced he got a promotion that would put him in Boston.

There's a lot more than just a mystery going on in one of these books like dinner with good friends and Aunt Edie, as well as a lot of going over the case between Shelby and various friends. In some places, it did tend to drag a bit, and I started wondering if anyone would figure out who killed the guy Shelby found in the water by her houseboat. The side mystery which involved his search for a mystery woman also had Shelby intrigued and asking the usual too many questions.

The showdown was a little tense, but Shelby got things under control to save herself. It was a good little twist toward the end too. Then the actual ending was very sweet and made me happy to read it.

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

A Deadly Chapter by Essie Lang is a cozy mystery with Shelby, the bookstore proprietor who lives on a houseboat. if that isn't fun, enough I'm not sure what is. Of course , there is a murder, a stranger really, until it turns out a lot of people knew him, even though he didn't love there. The sad thing is that Shelby discovered the boys floating between her houseboat and the dock. Off-putting, to say the least. The police were there in no time, including their 70-year-old female chief. An interesting cast of characters wandered through this book, including Zack, Shelby's Coast Guard police boyfriend who wanders in and out; Edie, her coffee shop owning friend; and her aunt Edie, who is her partner in the bookstores and works in the other one. Oh, yes, I forgot to mention that Shelby's bookstore is on an island with a castle.

This book started off a little slow, possibly my fault as this is the first of the series I have read. Shelby turns out to be a pretty good character and a decent sleuth, not shy, although she says she is; and clever at putting together clues. She juggles well, keeping a lot of plates in the air, including some that will be revealed as the book progresses. Her houseboat seems like a good place to live, and he job keeps her pretty busy for a bookstore at a tourist destination. It is a good book, worth the read..

I was invited to read a free ARC of A Deadly Chapter by Netgalley. All opinions contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #adeadlychapter

This is the third book in a Castle Bookshop Mystery series. I love the setting in the Thousand Islands in a castle and nearby town. I enjoy Shelby and Edie as main characters.
The story was good. However, I felt like the mystery was only a side note. Shelby had a bunch of things going on in her relationship with Zach, with training a new employee, with making friends in her new home, with planning a mystery weekend, with getting injured and dealing with family surprises.
We spent a lot of time in Shelby’s head and with Shelby doing things to avoid the situations in her life. The resolution to her emotional situations was slightly unsatisfactory for me.
There were a couple of continuity issues in the pre-release version I read. Shelby was walking places, but then her car would be at the location when she went to leave even though she had walked there. I hope it was caught in editing.
The resolution to the murder was quite interesting but I had never been invested in finding the murderer because it was such a minimal part of the book compared to the the other issues.
When I heard there was going to be a third book I was very excited to read it. When I finished I was just a little dissatisfied, but I would read the next book if there is one.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read a pre-release copy.

A Deadly Chapter is the latest installment in A Castle Bookshop Mystery series by Essie Lang. Full disclosure: I have read every book in the Castle Bookshop Mystery series and have loved each one and A Deadly Chapter did not disappoint! Shelby Cox wakes up one morning to a dead body floating outside between her houseboat and the dock and she is put on the case, despite not actively wanting to be on the case or trying not to be on the case. It was nice to see how Shelby's relationships have blossomed since the last book--especially when her relationship with her boyfriend Zack goes to the next stage of potential forever. Things are further complicated, beyond the murder, when Shelby's long-lost mother shows up looking to reconcile. I really enjoyed this book because it was a nice clean cozy mystery by my standards. I highly recommend this book to fellow cozy mystery fans! Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book! I can't wait to find out what happens next in the Castle Bookshop Mystery series! (The review is also on GoodReads.)

This is book 3 in the very enjoyable cozy series, Castle Bookshop Mystery. It can be read as a stand alone but the first two books are excellent and give background. Set in the beautiful Thousand Islands of New York, Shelby runs the bookshop on the island with Blye Castle. Not as big or famous as Bolt Castle Island, Shelby travels daily from her houseboat and keeps up with all the employees to her shop. When she finds a body in the water she remembers him from the previous fall asking questions about local residents. A good mystery to solve with great characters and a setting I've visited. A fun read. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A Deadly Chapter by Essie Lang is the third book in her Castle Bookshop Mystery Series.

A standardly solid cast of characters, engaging mysteries as well as a lovely setting make this book series a success.
I particularly love the location of a library, main characters houseboat and the cozy feel the books give me.
Protagonists are relatable and realistic, their lives keep developing and growing, and at the same time they manage to grow on readers more with each new book. They experience their ups and downs, little failures and great victories and over time become as close friends. It adds another dimension to the mystery.

Stories are told in an easy and engaging way makes it unputdownable. There are always several red herring but the clues are clearly presented to all should the reader chose to solve the mystery along with the main protagonist.
I like that the leading character is smart, level headed and sensible. Very down to earth and careful. She doesn't put herself in danger unnecessarily nor does silly things.
There is a bit of romance throughout the series that only adds to the credibility.
Solid, absorbing mysteries with likeable and realistic protagonists.

A Deadly Chapter is the third book in the A Castle Bookshop Mystery series by Essie Lang.

One morning Shelby Cox goes out to stand on the deck of her houseboat. Out of peripheral vision, she notices something floating in the water between her houseboat and the dock. She soon learns that it is the body of a man. Police Chief Tekla Stone later returns with a picture of the man. Shelby realizes that he had come into her Blye Castle bookstore. She doesn’t know who he is but remembers that he asked about a woman who moved to Alexandra Bay some seven years ago. Of course, Stone warns Shelby about investigating, but Shelby is smart enough not to promise not to get involved. Shelby was interested in learning who the victim was but wasn’t really doing any sleuthing until the victim’s daughter came to town asked Shelby to help her find out who killed her father and why.

Also, Shelby and her boyfriend, Zack Griffin, have reached a difficult decision in their relationship. Zack is an investigative officer with the Coast Guard and is being considered for an assignment in Boston and would like Shelby to move there with him. Shelby doesn’t want to move and is unsure about having a relationship that far away. It hasn’t been that long ago that she learned that her mother is still alive, having been told as a young child that she had died. Out of the blue, her mother has come to town and would like to see her.

I always enjoy my visits to Alexandra Bay/Byle Island and Shelby’s time and the wonderful and believable residents. The story is well-written and plotted. There were enough red herrings in the book that kept me guessing who the killer was until the end.

I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in this delightful series.

This book was hard to get through. The main character I felt was too amateur with this being the third book. Her connection to the murder and her obsession with it didn't mesh well. I didn't like the relationship she had with the local police, like by now she should have taken the hint and left things alone.

Shelby also had so many other things happen in her personal life that her obsession with solving the murder seemed insincere.

I don't think I will be continuing with this series.

I enjoyed this 3rd book in this series. I like the characters and the relationships Shelby has with Zack and with her Aunt Edie. It is a great setting, a bookstore in a castle. I’d like to visit! I like to read some cozy mystery series more than others, and this is a good one for me!

This one opens with a thunk when Shelby finds a body floating between the sock and her houseboat. Shelby recognizes the man as someone she met twice - the previous fall and the day before. He had been looking for a woman he believed had moved into town seven years before. Feeling that she needs to find the murderer since the body washed up against her rented houseboat, Shelby starts investigating. Then the victim's daughter asks for Shelby's helping in finding the killer.

This is the third book in the series. I didn't like this book as much as I did the first two books. The subplot with the love interest didn't seem to work like it should. I did like the main plot, the setting, and the characters.

I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher and/or author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Shelby Cox co-owns Bayside Books along with her Aunt Edie. She works at the second store on Blye Island and lives in a houseboat. Her boyfriend is an investigator for the Coast Guard, and she has a cat named JT. Her life is pretty great...except when she wakes up one morning and finds a body floating against her houseboat. Calling the police chief, she's eventually told she needs to leave and not come back until it's clear.

Showing up at her aunt's home in her pajamas, she wears her borrowed clothes to go to work but wants to know who he is. That's resolved in a way when the chief shows her a picture and she recognizes him as a man who's been to both bookstores looking for an unknown woman. But the story ends there, or it should -- until the man's daughter shows up asking Shelby for help in trying to find out who killed her father and why. Shelby, understanding Hillary's need to know, tells her she will ask a few questions...but a few questions could get her killed, if she asks the wrong person...

This is the third book in the series and I have to say that I've been enjoying the progression of Shelby's life in Alexandria Bay. When she arrived she knew no one except Edie, but that's changed and she has friends all over town. She's also gained a boyfriend in Zack, and things are progressing nicely. What I enjoyed most about this book was the fact that we're starting to learn more about Shelby's mother, Merrily, who abandoned her when she was a child. It's an interesting journey that I hope to see more of.

When Shelby starts asking questions, it seems innocuous enough, but then she discovers things about some of the people she's been questioning, and it draws the attention of Chief Stone, which is never a good thing. She also has another problem to deal with concerning her personal life, and it's causing her angst in trying to decide what to do.

Shelby is having more than enough problematic situations in her life right now, and dealing with any of them isn't going to be easy. But she takes her time thinking through most of them, and you know that the right conclusion will come about.

When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, the surprises are there, as there is more to the story than anyone could have guessed. While it was all resolved satisfactorily, I eagerly await the next in the series, hoping to continue the journey with Shelby. Recommended.

I felt like Shelby’s personal life intruded into the mystery too much. And Shelby wasn’t the most skilled investigator. But I did like the setting of a castle bookstore on an island.

I just reviewed A Deadly Chapter by Essie Lang. #ADeadlyChapter #NetGalley I received this book as an advanced reader copy from Crooked Lane Books through Netgalley. This was the first book in the Castle Bookshop Mystery series that I have read. I enjoyed this read. I did not feel that I missed anything important or was confused by not reading the first two in the series. There were references to previous book events but not enough for me to not be able to follow the plot. I loved the setting and would love to visit a place just like Alexandria Bay. The camaraderie of the community pulls you in to feel like you are there experiencing the events with them. I enjoyed the main character Shelby and all her adventures to try to solve the mystery. She is a smart character and showed genuine interest in helping others despite her personal struggles she was dealing with.. As the story progressed I kept trying to solve it and guess the ending, but I never saw the ending coming. It was a great story that kept pulling me in with every new twist to the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

Solid writing and very well developed characters stand out in this book. The author also does an amazing job at describing the setting in a way that really makes you want to visit this town.

A Deadly Chapter is the 3rd book in Essie Lang’s Castle Bookshop Mystery series. I will start by saying, I did not know this was a series when I requested the advanced copy and I have not read the first two in the series...but it didn’t matter, because I loved it! Missing the first two wasn’t a problem to understand this book but I definitely want to go back and check out the first two.

Shelby Cox is part owner of a bookshop in small Alexandria Bay, New York. When a body bumps up against her houseboat one morning, she is thrust into a murder mystery—and the local police chief isn’t happy that it isn’t her first time. When the dead man’s daughter shows up and wants answers, Shelby can’t help but get involved and use her people skills to quietly question the locals. If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, this seems like a fun series. I enjoyed Shelby and all her friends, and she’s got a little side story about her and her budding romance with a local law enforcement agent. Easy, fun read!

It isn’t in my nature, but I just couldn’t finish this. It seemed to go on and on. It may be that my tastes were the problem and wedding dress fittings, and an overbearing mother-in-law are not my thing. When we finally got to the group of ladies sitting around in their yacht estate suite beginning to draw facts together and work out the murder, I thought it would pick up. By that time though I think it had been too long for me.

Yow- Shelby finds a body floating next to her boat one morning0 and it's clear the man, who looks familiar has been murdered! Indeed, he'd been in her bookshop in Alexandria Bay, looking for a woman. His daughter, Hilary asks for Shelby's help in finding out what happened to her dad and this sets off an interesting mystery. Know however, that there's some other drama as well. Shelby has a challenging relationship with her boyfriend Zack, a member of the Coast Guard, who may well be moving on to a new assignment. And, she's dealing with a recalcitrant low law enforcement officer, as well as the results of an accident. I enjoy this series for the people and the setting (oh to be able to travel up that way again!). Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. This is the third in the series but it will be fine as a standalone. A classic cozy and fun read.

It was delightful to be back in the castle bookshop for another cozy mystery. Not my favorite in this series, but still enjoyable and entertaining. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.