I really wanted to love this book since it's straight up my alley as far as my usual kind of book I dig. Sassy heroine, cozy mystery, books. I don't know why but this fell a bit flat for me. I'd still probably tune in to the next in the series but I wouldn't rush to get it on date of publication either.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poison Pen Press for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Buried in a Good Book is a fun read set deep in the woods in northern Washington state, Sasquatch country. Successful thriller novelist and newly divorced mother Tess Harrow decides to move into her grandfather's isolated cabin without electricity or water--and her teenage daughter. When body parts are being exploded from the lake on day one of their stay, Tess immediately goes into author and amateur sleuth mode to solve the mystery. Buried in a Good Book is filled with great characters: Gertrude, Tess's daughter who grumbles about remote small town life, and Nicki Nickerson, "Okanogan County librarian and book mobile driver extraordinaire". And then there is handsome Sheriff Victor Boyd, who appears not too happy to have a famous writer in town. Buried in a Good Book is the first in the By the Book Mystery series.

A super fun read! I loved the quirky setting and characters- it reminded me a bit of Twin Peaks. Great twists that I didn’t see coming. Only gripe is that it felt like it could have been a bit shorter, but overall still enjoyed it!

This book was a solid 4 star read for me.
The characters were funny and quirky, the action and plot were enjoyable, but the reason I prefer a 4-star rating rather than giving it 5 stars is that toward the end, everything happened much too fast.
Almost three thirds of this book were at a medium pace and then BAM, in the last 50 pages or so, everything started going completely crazy.
Another complaint I have about this book is the incredibly unbelievable whodunnit. The author takes us through so many possibilities that at one point, as readers, we are suspicious of every character we come across, including those working for the authorities. And in the end... the villain was a complete disappointment, in the sense that I'm pretty sure that no one expected it and at the same time... it wasn't even someone you might have ever suspected.
Honestly, the whodunnit kind of reminded me of some Agatha Christie, which are great -- but some of them have the same thing at the end. Mr. Poirot tells us who the murderer is and the readers are shocked because they weren't aware of the proof that the detective already knew of for some time.
I think in this case, because we were presented with what went through the main character's head, we might have at least had one suspicion about the murderer... and yet there was none. She only figured it out toward the end and the narrator isn't nice enough to share it with us.

But other than that, it was a very enjoyable read. A warm cozy mystery. I also liked the parts about the main character's relationship with her daughter and strongly rooted for her and a potential male interest to do something and get together. :)

Spent a rainy day curled up with this great start to a series. I loved the differentness of this book! Human body parts coming down on the main character! Loved it! Lots of characters who are not what they seem to be. Lots of secrets. I couldn't put this one down. Thanks #netgalley and #PoisonedPenPress for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Loved it. I am thrilled to see it is the first of a series. I am eager to read more by this author. I see she has a couple of pen names. Not familiar with either of those. I enjoyed the humor and was surprised by the ending. So happy I requested this book from the publisher via NetGalley. It is always fun to discover a new-to-me author that entertains me from page one to the conclusion.

This book narrates a riveting story about a mother and a daughter isolated in a cabin deep in the woods. Without WIFI or any means of entertainment, the two embarks on a journey in solving a mystery as bodies and body parts appear in and around their cabin.

I enjoyed reading this book because it is both entertaining, mind-bogglig but a light read at the same time. A must-read for this summer!

Buried in a Good Book is the debut book in the By the Book Mysteries by Tamara Berry. I enjoyed it and couldn't put it down! It is a cozy mystery with a bit more detail. Tess is a thriller writer and is recently divorced. Tess knows a lot about killing off characters and she views her life and the people around her through her books and her experiences. Hence the descriptive scenes- not really gory or upsetting, just a little more detail than typical cozies. Tess and her teenage daughter Gertrude (Gertie) move to a cabin with no electricity or running water to get away for a month. They only just arrive and there is an explosion with flying fish parts and body parts which leads to a murder investigation. Some parts in this book are funny. There is some mother and daughter angst and growth which adds to the story. Of course Sheriff Victor Boyd plays a big part and Tess's ex-husband shows up. Tess meets Nikki, a librarian who drives a Bookmobile. Tess and Sheriff Boyd need to find a killer. As I said, I enjoyed this book. I was a little nervous about reading it because other reviews said it wasn't really a cozy and I don't care for gruesome murders or suspense. . It had more detail to the murders but the book is well written, the characters are great and the ending is a surprise. It is worth it! #NetGalley #BuriedInAGoodBook #PoisonedPenPress

I honestly thought I'd love this book, however, I was wrong.
The main character was just awful, there was nothing to like about her, she was full of herself and her personality is not one I enjoy in a cozy mystery.
Her daughter wasn't much better, and the whole theme of the book seemed to focus on someone running around in a Bigfoot costume.
I saw no logic or any of those clues that suddenly fall into place.
There was so much comparison between the story and the character's own books that I felt I needed a blueprint just to follow along.
I will not be recommending this book to other readers.

I REALLY enjoyed this book! I think this was my first foray into reading cozy mysteries, which is kind of surprising because I think it's such a fun genre. I really liked Tess Harrow, she was definitely kind of a know-it-all but I thought she was a really fun protagonist, and I loved Gertie and the rest of the cast of supporting characters. I sort of guessed what the reveal was going to be, but not entirely! And I like it that way. I think there should be enough evidence in the book that I can start to figure it out, but it still comes as a fun surprise. Overall, I really liked the style of writing and the tone, I had a lot of fun reading it, and I'm absolutely going to pick up the next book in the series! I'm really curious to see where the relationship between Tess and the sheriff goes, and if Nicki is able to catch Mason!

Tess Harrow, thriller writer and her teenage daughter. They go to her deceased grandfather's rustic cabin in the woods. When they hear two loud noises, they go to investigate and get hit with a human arm.

When meddling in the investigation she discovers lots of weird things happening in the woods. This book kept me spellbound with all the different clues in the book. I'm glad to find out this is a new series. I'm excited to see what happens next.

Book: Buried in a Good Book
Author: Tamara Berry
Format: Kindle
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Crime/Mystery
Places Featured: Washington, United States 🇺🇸
Book Club/Reading Challenge: #gltreadingchallenge2022 (Book Set in a Forest)
Review Score: ⭐⭐⭐1/2
Review: I'm a fan of cozy mysteries--they're just the right amount of escapism and mystery for me (depending on the location/characters/plot, of course), so I was delighted to see this one appear on my NetGalley shelf. I am often a little wary, though, as cozy mysteries can often too easily fall into the standard tropes and "easy" plot points...this one came a little close to that for me (especially since it's pretty far-fetched), but it does redeem itself with characters that grow on you (though it did take me awhile), a great sense of place (small town Washington state), and an interesting mystery that really did have me unsure all the way to the end. It's the story of crime writer Tess Harrow moving to a small secluded town in the woods of Washington state to spend the summer in her grandfather's rustic cabin with her teenage daughter when murder haunts their new home. I'll read the next one, but won't rush out for it.

*I was given a version of this book for free in exchange for an honest book review. The book will be released on 24 May 2022.

I absolutely loved this new cozy mystery series, and I cannot wait for the next book. Loved the characters, the plot, and the traces of humor throughout.
Tess, a mystery writer, and her daughter, Gertrude, move to a rustic cabin in the woods she inherited from her grandfather after her divorce. Tess wants Gertude to have a a break from internet and email to avoid facing the fact that her father has been MIA for over six months. What Tess didn't expect was for human body parts and fish to come raining down on them within an hour of arriving at the cabin, along with signs of tigers, toucans and cougars. After all they aren't in the jungle!. Tess can't help been immerse herself in the mystery of who died and who committed the murder, even when the sheriff is against her involvement. When the suspect list grows, the motives seem to multiply, and her ex-husband shows up, things really get out of hand.
Plot had it all....mystery, surprises, humor, friendship, and family. Great read!
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I cannot wait for the next book to come out.
I loved the premise of a cozy about a mystery writer and her daughter moving to the middle of nowhere so she can write. Then of course someone gets murdered.
One of my favorite parts of the book was Tess’ relationship with Gertrude. Tess is very supportive of her daughter, but is still very much a mother.
I do wish there were more hints to the killer sprinkled throughout the book, but I’m glad it wasn’t obvious who it was.

This is a really funny cozy mystery set in the small rural area in Northern Washington. Tess is a mystery writer who brings her teenage daughter to a rustic cabin to spend the summer while she writes her next book. The first day they hear an explosion and fish fly out of the lake along with an arm. Turns out it was murder. Tess meets the local sheriff and begins to help him solve the mystery. However, her writer's imagination makes the sheriff cringe with her imaginative input on the case.

There are quirky characters, small-town quaintness, humor, a few thrills, and it is a clean read for sex and language. I will be looking for more books in this series. I received an advanced reader's copy of this book for review.

This was a fun cozy mystery about a mystery writer who encounters a murder in real life and realizes that life does not necessarily imitate art. The mystery in this novel was interesting, but the real enjoyment here is in the humorous and warm interactions between the main character and her daughter, and the main character the local sheriff.

Dynamite fishing, Bigfoot, escaped tigers, a bookmobile, and a handsome-but-curmudgeonly sheriff, what more could you want?

Tess Harrow is a bestselling author who's looking to get away from it all after a painful divorce. By her side is her daughter, Gertie, who's been ghosted by her father and is not looking forward to roughing it at a rustic mountain cabin where her father couldn't reach her even if he wanted to. In a picture-perfect harbinger of doom, the ladies are greeted at their family's cabin by the thunder of dynamite and a rain of body parts from the sky. And things go downhill from there.

The town of Winthrop is a throwback to the old days, but nothing is as simple as it seems. Everyone in town seems to be keeping secrets, from the bookmobile librarian to the female deputy/science fiction writer. One person Tess can see right through is Sheriff Boyd - who is the brought-to-life version of her fictional hero, Detective Gonzales - and she likes what she sees!

The plot of this book may follow more closely with a suspense-thriller but the writing is cozy all the way. The things that happen are quirky and the people are sweet and funny. I absolutely love anything with Bigfoot and the perspective of the main character is unique and often hilarious. Reading about a writer internally building the plot for a book out of the things that are happening in the book you're reading made for a delightful literary labyrinth.

Though I love the cozy genre, I'm always kind of tickled when an author does something a little different and puts a twist on the story. As many cozies as I've read, this doesn't happen very often but it certainly happens in this book and I loved it! I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Buried in a Good Book by Tamara Berry is the first book in the By the Book Mysteries series. I’ve seen this categorized as a cozy mystery and that fits although it is slightly more gritty and gripping than many. It is also laugh-out-loud funny in places.

Tess Harrow is a bestselling thriller writer who has inherited her grandfather’s rustic cabin in the woods near Winthrop, Washington. Six months have passed since her divorce from Quentin and Tess has finally convinced her fourteen-year-old daughter Gertrude (Gertie) to spend the summer at the cabin. Hoping to bond, they’ve barely arrived at the cabin without electricity or running water when an explosion rocks the cabin. When they go outside, they find that it’s raining fish parts and what looks like a human arm.

Tess has a hard time separating her fictional detective’s methods, which aren’t always “by the book”, and local Sheriff’s Victor Boyd’s method of following procedure, which leads to some fascinating and funny interchanges between the two. Dealing with real law enforcement officers is harder than she expected. The normally calm and levelheaded sheriff doesn’t stay that way as he interacts with Tess. Additionally, Gertie seems to enjoy being part of a murder investigation a little too much for Tess’s comfort.

For book lovers, readers not only get a main character who is a thriller writer, but there is a bookmobile that makes the rounds of the local communities and a deputy that has been writing a science fiction novel in her spare time. Themes include a change of pace, recovery from a divorce, parent-child relationships, friendship, murder, and much more.

The writing is terrific. The characters, as well as the story, quickly engage readers. Visual and auditory imagery comes through vividly. The plot is absorbing and intriguing with a storyline that has a few red herrings, a couple of surprises, and lots of humor.

Overall, this engaging and funny novel immediately pulled me into the storyline and the lives of the characters. If you enjoy excellent cozy mysteries with a little extra grit, then I recommend that you check out this one. I am looking forward to finding out what happens in the next book of the series.

Poisoned Ped Press and Tamara Berry provided a complimentary DRC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for May 24, 2022.

I’m not going to post to Goodreads or Twitter yet, only because it’s typical of me to read all night then being ready for bed by the time I finish a book so I’ll say this until I wake and after coffee…….

I absolutely ‘love, love, looovved’ this book!! This is the epitome of what being “Being Buried In a Good (Great) Book” feels like! I’m at a loss of what this book did for me. What it helped to take me away from while reading it. I needed this with all my heart.

I have this and my last read, also by the awesome Poisoned Pen Press, to review so I’ll redo this and review that when I wake.

Thank you ‘so’ ‘so’ much for giving me access to this fantastic, funny, cozy suspenseful and mood lifting and stress freeing read, Poisoned Pen Press, NetGalley and author Tamara Berry.

Sleep, coffee, review, read, repeat. I’m over the moon for this book!! Thank you so much!! I’m already pleading for book 2, lol

Buried In a Good Book by Tamara Berry is a lovely cozy mystery that is the start to the By the Book Mysteries series!
I adore the genre of cozy mystery & the fact you will get a puzzle like mystery but things just aren’t as serious as in an intense thriller. In true cozy mystery fashion, there’s parts of this book that are outlandish & ridiculous but at the same time, it somehow comes all together. This book contains lots of twists & turns to keep you interested, but it is amusing along the way.
This book starts with the main characters visiting a cabin for a month without electricity & Wi-Fi. If you combine that with the fact there’s also mentions of Bigfoot & toucans, I was a tad skeptical at the beginning. But I will say I enjoyed how everything played out. I wasn’t able to predict everything that happened, which I love & the plot sewed an intricate mystery together quite beautifully. I loved the complex, yet strong teenage daughter & mother connection. I also loved the random crime facts & knowledge that only a mystery writer would know. I gave this a solid 3.5 stars!
Buried in a Good Book comes out May 24, 2022!
Massive thanks to NetGalley & Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me the chance to read an arc of this in exchange for a honest review.

Trigger warnings: This book mentions and/or contains gore, violence, animal endangerment/violence, kidnapping & murder.

Extra things I loved:
-if you massage your eyes, it can help with night vision! That is a fascinating fact I learned from this book!