Murder by Page One by Olivia Matthews is the first book in a new cozy mystery series set in a small community called Peach Coast, Georgia. Ms. Matthews has a strong beginning in this first book. Her descriptive writing introduced the community, the protagonist and secondary characters and the drama and politics of living in a small town.

I enjoyed meeting Marvey, Spence and Jolene as well as the library staff. They are all likable and I felt like Peach Coast would be an enjoyable place to visit. Jolene is the police's number one suspect and stubbornly refuse to investigate other possible candidates. So Marvey and Spence put on their sleuthing hats to help their friend. The plot is smoothly paced with deft twists, red herrings and only a few suspects for Marvey and Spence to investigate. I look forward to learning more about the characters as they are developed while the series continues.

A solid first story in this new cozy series. Well written, engaging and fun characters. Looking forward to a return to the Peach Coast soon.

Murder By Page One is the first book in the Peach Coast Mystery series. This is a nice, light-hearted cozy mystery. As with most first books in a series, there are a lot of characters introduced and not enough time to explore each character in depth.
We have Marcella Harris, aka “Marvey” who has recently moved from Brooklyn to a small town in Georgia to work as a book promoter at a local library. She soon stumbles into a dead body and when her bestie gets incriminated, Marvey sets out to solve the murder.
This book has all the great elements of a cozy mystery featuring the love of books/library, cats, jewelry making, and small-town drama. Fans of the genre will certainly enjoy it.
Murder by Page One is scheduled to be published on March 23, 2021. I want to thank Hallmark Publishing and NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of MURDER BY PAGE ONE (Book 1 of the Peach Coast Library Mysteries) by Olivia Matthews in exchange for an honest review. Marvella “Marvey” Harris has just moved from Brooklyn to take over library promotion in a small town in Georgia. Marvey’s only been in town for a short time, but she’s already made connections and friends through her work for the library. As part of her duties to the library and to Jolene “Jo” Gomez, one of her new friends, Marvey attends a book launch party at Jo’s bookstore. When the author fails to appear, the attendees search for her and find her brutalized body in the storage room. Since there was no way out of the back room except through the store, it’s something of a locked room mystery. Local law enforcement decides Jo killed the victim and proceeds to try to collect evidence proving her perfidy. However, Marvey doesn’t believe Jo is the killer and is willing to actively support Jo’s innocence. When those same officers ignore other more-likely suspects, Marvey finds herself braving the dangers of a murder investigation; not only is Marvey in physical danger, but she also finds herself under public censure. Can Marvey save Jo from a wrongful arrest, find justice for the victim, retain her new friends, and keep the good standing with the community necessary to her new job?

I liked this book and thought it was a solid start to a new series. I recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries featuring murder, libraries, bookstores, town politics, family pressure, peach cobbler, jewelry making, and cats.

#MurderByPageOne #NetGalley

Murder by Page One by Olivia Matthews was in advanced reader copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Jo owned To Be Read, an independent bookstore in Georgia. She is the libraries new director of community engagements. Marvey makes pendants and barrettes to pay homage to great works of literature. She draws the pictures and puts them in the pendants and barrettes. Then she gives them as gifts. Many people are gathering at the bookstore for the book signing. There is quite a gathering to support the authors. One of the authors is found dead in a storeroom. The police are called and the signing is over due to the murder.
This was an enjoyable story. I liked the escapades of Marvey and Jo.

Olivia Matthews brings a fabulous cozy mystery with a town full of people you want to meet. Yet in this idyllic location, a killer lurks in the shadows. Librarian Marcella Harris and friends take on the task of proving Jolene Gomez innocent. They ruffle many feathers along the way.

I hope to return to Peach Coast and its residents soon.

I received a complimentary copy of the book without obligation. This review is my opinion.

I always am looking for new cozy mystery series and this one is off to a great start. I enjoyed the fun characters and the well-plotted mystery. I hope there are more in the series. This would make a great movie for the hallmark movies and mysteries channel.