Wow, what a wonderful read. This is my first book I have ever read by Olivia Matthews and definitely not my last by her. This book was such a wonderful funny cozy mystery. I hope Hallmark makes a movie out of this book because I'd definitely watch it.

Murder By Page One by Olivia Matthews

This novel is a copy mystery with humor, romance, and a librarian amateur. Sleuth.

The librarian, Marvey, who is trying to fit into her new town, now has to help her friend, Jo, a local bookstore owner, to find the person who murdered a local author. This was well-written with interesting characters. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

I love Hallmark movies especially Hallmark Murders and Mystery’s they are my favorite. This lived up to all that is expected out one of the movies! I love cozy mysteries!! This one height the spot!

Murder by Page One is an awesome mystery by Olivia Matthews! Marvey is a New Yorker who has moved to a small town in Georgia. Marvey’s friend Jo Is suspected of murder after a dead body is found in Jo’s bookstore. Marvey and her friend Spence, as well as Marvey’s library coworkers, help her find out who is really the murderer in order to clear Jo’s name. This is a lovely cozy mystery and I believe other cozy mystery lovers will enjoy this book too. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book! (This review is also on Goodreads.)

This was a good beginning to a new cozy mystery series, that I would definitely recommend checking out!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

I am a cozy mystery lover, and this one delivers. The author nails a leisurely southern drawl to her story about a New York librarian who has moved to Georgia and gets caught up in a murder investigation. I liked the set up of the murder, almost a locked room mystery, with the victim killed in the back room of a bookstore where only the suspect (who the main character is trying to help) had been through before the murder.

The southern atmosphere permeates the book and, at times, sets back the pacing. But the plot is compelling enough to move the reader through.

It wasn't my favorite book, but I did like the characters and the setting. I just felt the slow pace, which fits the setting, hurts the book. That's really the reason for my lower rating. There's a lot to like about it, it's just hard to access with the slow movement of the plot. I would read another book in the series to see if the pace picked up.

Thank you to NetGalley for the electronic advanced copy of the book.

Rating: 3 stars

Olivia Matthews introduces a new series, Peach Coast Library cozies with Murder by Page One. Marvey, a librarian, has moved from Brooklyn, New York, to small town Georgia where she works for the local library. Her friend, the local bookstore owner, is in the frame for the murder of a local author, Fiona, who is found in her store.
Marvey decides to recruit the local newspaper publisher Spence to help her find the real villain. Get a look at small town relationships and a determined librarian with a cranky cat.

This is the first book in a new series, featuring a librarian who moves from New York City to a small Georgia coastal town. It takes some adjustment to the different pace and lifestyle there, and her cat is having an even more difficult time with the move. When attending a book signing at a friend's bookstore, one of the authors is found murdered in the back room. The friend is implicated in the murder, so the librarian and her friends try to figure out who really did it. I really enjoyed the inclusion of the culture differences between Brooklyn and small-town Georgia, having experience something similar. The characters are interesting, and I especially liked the inclusion of the mysterious cat behavior. I found myself laughing and also emotional about the situation. The story line has enough twists to keep you interested. Looking forward to the next one in the series.

This book piqued my interest when I read the description and saw the cover.
I am a fan of books, library and anything book related.
It was a fun, charming with an interesting story set in a lovely small town filled with many interesting characters.
It is well worth picking it up and reading and be hooked by Murder by Page One.

Small town murder mystery. When Jo has a book signing for a local author, only to find the author dead. Jo’s friends Spence and Marvey work hard to try to get Jo off the suspect list.

This is a good story, but it was slow to get going.
Thanks to Netgalley for complimentary copy.

This is a fun and intriguing cozy mystery. I enjoyed the Peach Coast community all the cast of characters in the book. At first the main character, Marvey, annoyed me because she compared everything that happened in this small Southern town to her life in New York City. But Marvey changed throughout the story and came to appreciate life in a small Southern town. This mystery kept me guessing all throughout the story. It wasn’t until the last couple of chapters that I thought I had the mystery solved. I liked the author and look forward to reading ore of her books.

This is a super fun read. I really enjoyed this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Murder by Page One
By Olivia Matthews

I love the Hallmark Channel and was excited to get this book.

Marvel Harris with her cat Phoenix move from New York to Peach Coast a quaint southern town to be head Librarian. While attending her friends launch party at her bookstore, everyone is waiting for the author to show and when she doesn’t everyone starts looking for her only to find her in the back storage room of the bookstore.

The detective only has eyes for Jo as the main suspect. So Marvy and her friends talk to the people who knew the victim best. The killer is getting upset with Marvy’s interference and there are a few attempts on her life that the police don’t take seriously. But that isn’t going to stop her from clearing her friend.

I loved the characters in this book and how Marvy wouldn’t back down. I can’t wait for the next book in this series!!

I received this temp e-book from Hallmark publishing and NetGalley for my honest opinion.

It was a wonderful read. Great characters to get to know and come back to time and time again!!!

Marvey is new to Peach Coast, Georgia. She has a great job and some great new friends. When one of her new friends is accused of murder, Marvey is determined to help her out. Can she navigate the investigation, her cat's stress, and being the new person in town?

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was a great start to a new cozy series. I loved Marvey as a character. She was really interesting to think about and I loved getting to know her. I loved the town of Peach Coast and kept trying to figure out if it was based on a real city. I really enjoyed getting to know all of the characters. I can't wait to read more!

Marvey moves to Georgia to become the public relations co-coordinator for the Peach Coast Library. She was tired of being a small cog in the big picture in New York's library system. She's loving the small town and is making headway into getting more people into the library. At a book signing at the local bookstore, Marvey finds one of the authors dead in the back office. Determined to save her new best friend from a life in prison she helps the police solve the crime. This is book 1 in the Peach Coast Library mystery series and I'm looking forward to book 2. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

When Marvey Harris and her cat Phoenix leave Brooklyn, New York for her new library job as director of community engagement in Peach Coast, Georgia, she’s not expecting to be trying to solve a homicide. When a local author is murdered in Marvey’s friend Jo’s bookstore To Be Read at a signing event, police focus their attention and investigation on Jo. Marvey and friends set out to prove Jo’s innocence before she’s charged.

Ms. Matthews has the start to a good series. It took time to get to know some of the characters and the pace was a bit slow in places, but there is a solid framework of characters and friends in this small town to create an interesting series of cozies.

I can see publisher Hallmark Publishing adapting this series to television movies.

Murder by Page One is the first in a new cozy mystery series. Marvey is a librarian who makes the move from Brooklyn to a small town in Georgia when she accepts the job as the town librarian. Not only is she learning the new job, she also gets a crash course is southern culture and euphemisms. Not long after moving there, Marvey puts on her amateur sleuth hat when an author if found murdered at the local bookstore on the day of her book signing. Marvey is working through her long list of suspects while someone is making clear to her to stay away from the case. Have no fear though. Marvey is working hard tracking down a killer, but she always makes sure she is signing up patrons to the library. I had my suspicions about who did it, but I was definitely surprised at the end when the case was solved.

This book is complete with all the components of a cozy mystery you would expect and I definitely see the potential for it to become a movie on Hallmark movies and mysteries. I look forward to the rest of the series.

Thank you to Hallmark publishing and Netgalley for a copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

A solid entry in the cozy mystery genre. With libraries, bookstores, & peach cobbler, it's hard to go wrong! Marvey is a traditional Brooklynite that has moved to the small town of Peach Coast, Georgia. Not only is she' busy in her job as the town library's director of community engagement; but she's also trying to navigate the 'rules' of Southern society. However, it's the New Yorker in her that gets her into trouble when she decides to take it upon herself to investigate the murder of a budding author who was killed in her friend, Jo's bookstore; of which Jo is the prime & only suspect according the police.

Olivia Matthews has delivered a strong debut for a new series. Her writing is descriptive, whether it be characters, places or things. All is easily visualized. The main character, Marvey & all secondary characters were given individualized personalities and each had a distinctive voice. The ups/downs/politics of the small community were handled deftly. There wasn't one thing that felt flat or one dimensional. This despite the fact, she kept using & re-using the phrase, "He/She spread her hands/arms." (That got a little old)

The mystery itself was good; but was the weakest link. As Marvey goes about trying to find 'evidence' to show the police that Jo didn't do it & there were others that had motive, the progression of her investigation was authentic to the genre. However, very few 'clues' were ever gathered. There was no gradual putting the pieces together to finish the puzzle. The big reveal of the killer was like, "Poof!" there it is. I'd like to see more concrete puzzle pieces that fit together like a jigsaw in the next book.

I'd still recommend this book. It was enjoyable with strong characters & community setting. It felt like watching a Hallmark Mystery Movie. One of the stronger entries in this genre I've read in quite awhile.

Thanks to NetGalley & Hallmark Publishing for a free copy for an honest review

Princess Fuzzypants here: Marvy and her cat Phoenix are transplants from Brooklyn to Georgia. While she loves her job, it is a culture shock from the hustle and bustle of the big city to the slower pace of a small town in the rural South. Despite her occasional social faux pas, Marvy is settling in better than Phoenix. She has friends both from work and the community so when one of them becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation, she is drawn into sleuthing. The local detectives have focused on her friend for the simple reason the murder took place at her business. There are many more people with stronger motives but the cops are fixated and refuse to broaden their consideration.

Marvy and her friends grill those who knew the victim best. The woman, a recently published author, had very few friends as rumours abounded about her character and not in a nice way. The more Marvy learns the more she realizes the woman was unfairly maligned. She was not at all as she was portrayed. But as she continues to ask questions, the killer is becoming peeved. Several attempts on her life are made, although not taken seriously by the police. The villain is not happy with her interference. Yet, rather than back off, Marvy gets more determined to find the answer.

There were lots of things that I liked about the story, it took me a while to get into the characters. Sometimes they leap off the page and grab you. I had to get to know Marvy better to empathize. By the end of the book, I was there but it took time. Four purrs and one paw up.

I wanted to like this book. After all, it has libraries, bookstores, and author signings. I just didn't warm to the main character. Not much pizazz. I did like the story.