Being approved for the second book in this By the Book Mystery series has fulfilled my wish of meeting Tess and Gertrude again. This reunion was everything I expected it to be; crazy, sassy, unbelievable, and of course there’s human remains in the air this time around as well.

Crime thriller writer Tess Harrow and her teenaged daughter, Gertrude, have now decided to stay long term in Winthrop and modify the old hardware shop belonging to Tess’s grandfather into an independent cozy bookstore aptly named The Paper Trail. If only things were this easy. What begins as the discovery of human remains, old and new, evolves into a cold case turning into an active one leaving Tess to figure out how to prove that her grandfather was not a murderer.

Beloved characters Boyd, Ivy, and Nicki are back again along with new ones, together attempting to solve this mystery so that Tess’s super popular fictional Detective Gonzales has a brand new story to uncover.

Thank you @netgalley for letting me meet Tess and the gang a bit before they meet the rest of the world next month. As before, I will always be on the lookout for requesting the next instalment.

👩🏻

#tamaraberry #onspineofdeath #bythebookmysteries #netgalley

Oh, this was so much better than the first in the series. It's so hard starting a series. The characters and the settings have to be introduced without turning into a data dump and still keep the plot spinning smoothly along, and it's almost impossible to accomplish. The first book was a little rocky, but this one really takes off with another great opening sequence. This time no explosion. Tess Harrow, famous mystery author, is in the basement of her grandfather's old hardware store seeing firsthand what it would be like to be held hostage (with daughter Gertrude as captor) while contractors are restoring other parts of the store, when the floor above suddenly caves in, and surprise, surprise, human bones rain down on her head. As this is the second time dead bodies have come flying her way, townspeople start shunning her, and her dead grandfather begins to develop a reputation as a serial killer. What's a girl to do? Why call in reinforcements, of course, in the shape of a horror author who is also a forensic specialist revered by local law enforcement. At that same time a young dishy FBI agent comes to aid Nicki undercover, and the games begin.... And the games do get delightfully twisty and wild, with a good bit of excitement, nice dollops of humor and a pinch of romance. Nice to see such enjoyable character relationships developing. Great fun all around.

Setting the Scene: Tess and her teenage daughter, Gertrude, are settling in at their new home in Winthrop, modernizing the rustic cabin (i.e., adding running water and electricity, thank goodness) and renovating Tess' late grandfather's dilapidated hardware store to create a bookstore. While she is zip tied to a chair in the basement of said store - how else does a best selling thriller author determine if her character can actually free him/herself before writing the scene in her latest book - Tess' daughter and handyman are demolishing most of the first floor. Thus it begins. At least it does when the floor above Tess gives way, and human skeletal remains rain down on her head.

What I thought: I only recently discovered this series, and once I realized this copy received from #Netgalley was the second in a series, I had to read Book #1 first. (I am rather OCD about that sort of thing.) As much as i enjoyed that first book, I loved this one. In fact, I began reading it in the afternoon and read straight through until after 4:00 in the morning in order to finish it. Tess is a delightfully quirky but intelligent character, as is her daughter. The relationships in this book are priceless and unique, whether familial, friendship, professional, or romantic, and sometimes those relationships overlap. The mystery is multi-layered, and there are enough red herrings and mis-directs to keep the most devoted mystery fan interested. The other element on which I insist for my favorite reads is humor, and that is not in short supply throughout this book.

I highly recommend this book to any lover of cozy (and maybe even not so cozy) mysteries.

This is a great cozy follow up to Buried in a Good Book. Perfect for a fall read. There wasn't any undo plot dumping or exposition driving that was unnecessary. Perfectly paced. Will definitely pick up a copy for my permanent collection at home! Thank you netgalley and Poisoned Pen. Can't wait for Murder Off the Books!

We were first introduced to Tess Harrow, successful thriller writer, in Buried in a Good Book. Escaping a failed marriage, she moved to her late grandfather’s cabin in the woods with smart teenage daughter, Gertrude.

With things calming a little from the crime spree in book one, Tess has decided to stay in the sleepy town and has started work on renovating her grandfather’s other property, the town hardware store. But when part of the floor collapses, building integrity is the least of Tess’s problems – the skeleton remains uncovered put gramps first in the firing line as a serial killer! Things take an even stranger turn, when the crimes seem to have been written into the plot of a book – one that has Tess’s seeming stamp of approval.

I rather enjoyed the first book in this new series, although felt Tess’s character was trying a bit too hard. I’m very glad to say that frantic feeling has calmed while still leaving the character pleasantly quirky and imaginative. It’s also very plausible that she’s going to want to investigate the murder, as she needs both to clear her family name and figure out how the mysterious author of the book not only knew too many details of the crimes, but also seems to be predicting what happens next.

There are also some new characters to add to the mix, including fellow horror author with a very appropriate range of expertise to help out with the case. The range of suspects is wide enough to keep you guessing right until the big reveal. There’s also a new love interest for Tess, although she’s still more interested in the town sheriff. None of the ‘love triangle’ action overshadows the mystery, and does add to the plot – a rarity in the genre, but very appreciated!

Overall, this was a hugely fun read. It’s got a great vein of humour, a great case to unravel, and is just really well done. Looking forward to many more in the series!

In Spine Of Death by Tamera Berry, Tess Harrow is starting renovations to her grapndfathers hardwear store. While doing demolition to skelingtons are found. Tess calls in a friend who is an expert in horror writing and forensics, that brings to light that these murderers just like a book he once read. Now Tess must put the peices together a find the murder before he decides to kill her.

This book is addictive and I enjoyed it immensely. I just love how the skeletons are found parallel to a story in a book that written a few years ago. The characters are well written, I especially like the new edition of the hacker and Peter her writer friend. We also got to see another side to the Sheriff Boyed. Alot of the loose ends on book 1 was solved in this book and was satisfying to their thrilling conclusion. It was part of the story line, not just added in. The love triangle was a nice edition too. There were so many twist and turns it kept you wanting to read more. I can't wait for book 3 in the series.

This was the second chapter in this series, but the first for me. Popular mystery writer Tess Harrow and her teenage daughter Gertrude have recently moved to a small town in Washington state where her grandfather left her his hardware store and cabin. Tess is trying renovate the old store and turn it into a book store, but when the basement ceiling collapses it drops two skeletal bodies literally on Tess’s head. Both are the bodies of young women who had disappeared from the town, one over 30 years ago and the second had only gone missing during the last five years. Both sets of bones showed marks from a hatchet. It looks like the work of a serial killer and it all points to Tess’s grandfather.

Tess is determined to find the killer and to prove her granddad innocent. She is aided by her daughter Gertie who thanks to her taste for the macabre is serving as a volunteer with the local coroner. They are also reluctantly aided by the local sheriff and his deputy. along with a number of other locals.

All of the characters are fun and quirky and the book well written, which makes for an enjoyable read. The mystery is good, and although I guessed the killer’s identity there was nevertheless another big surprise that I did not see coming. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author. Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC! This was a fantastic edition to a series that is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I was truly surprised by the ending, but once the reveal happened, it was so fun to see how the breadcrumbs were laid out. I felt that Tess had been toned down just a bit (in a good way), so she now just felt overeager instead of slightly annoying.

Highly recommend this book and this series! The humor, fun characters, and the mystery author bit all work fantastically together.

What do you get when you combine cozy mystery, WTH moments (in a good way), and quirky characters? Oh, and throw in a bit of funny snark for good measure! You get By The Book Mysteries by Tamera Berry; and you better buckle up because you are in for a fun and gratifying ride with plenty of twists and turns.

On The spine of Death is the second installment in the series. Middle-aged mystery writer Tess and her teenage daughter Gertrude are renovating the family hardware shop into a bookstore when they discover bones – human bones. And it turns out these bones belong to a cold case from many years ago. And worst of all, Tess’s grandfather was the number one suspect.

With the help of a few friends, the mother-daughter duo do a bit of investigative digging to clear their family’s name and pave the way to a successful bookshop opening. The twists and tuns keep coming. Soon, another body is found in the shop, and it becomes more and more imperative that they find the killer.

This book is one part mystery and two parts humor. I recommend this book for a fun ready on a lazy afternoon or evening. It will grab you at page one.

Having devoured Buried in a Good book (twice in as many weeks), I knew I wanted to read On Spine of Death asap. I was so excited to start a new adventure with these amazingly wonderful and funny characters.
Coming right off the end of Buried, Spine jumps right into the heat of the action and has Tess doing what she does best, living out the live action of her fictional characters life!

Not only is she back to her writing and explaining ways to survive, but she finds herself and her daughter once again in the very center of a giant bone mystery. Tess is not one for handing off mysteries, especially if she can use them later for her writing, so we get to follow her on yet another fun and crazy cozy mystery ride. And oh, what a ride it is!

Adventure, a new mystery, a lot of snark and humor and a great twist and On Spine of Death is another wonderful cozy hit for your fall. In these pages there is a store remodel, a death mystery, action, science, guessing, logic, and comic relief. There is also familiar characters and new ones to enjoy and a crazy fun plot to boot! The story is packed full! I can never get enough of Tess and the Sheriff together and I want a lot more of them in the future.

If you love the dynamics of the first book, then you will enjoy this one as well. The story has a much more solid punch to it, and I can’t stop turning the page, giggling as I did. This has instantly become one of my favorite series and I cannot wait for more!

I received an ARC via NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press and I am leaving an honest review. I have pre-ordered this for my bookshelf so that I can share this wonderful story with the rest of my friends and family. Guess what every reader is getting a copy of for the holidays? Bwhahaha.

On Spine of Death is the second book in the By the Book Mysteries series. There is just enough detail to get you up to speed with the characters. The opening scene grabs your attention right away. The main character, Tess, is trying to escape and the clock is ticking. A big sigh of relief ensues as we find out this is part of Tess’s research for writing a new book. However, the bones that fall on Tess’s head during the renovation of her Grandfather’s hardware store bring to light old and new mysteries to be solved.

This story kept me on my toes and had me convinced that I knew who did it. Wrong, on all accounts. I really enjoyed how the writer led me along and surprised me when the murderer was revealed. I also enjoyed the setting, Winthrop, WA, as I recently visited there.

Thanks to NetGalley and Source Books for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my goodness what a great book! The main character is a mystery thriller writer, the setting is rural and wooded and the dialogue truly wonderful. Great read and won't be the last of Tamara Berry that I blind buy!

On Spine of Death is a clever cozy mystery, the second in the series. Luckily, you don't have to have read the first to enjoy the second!

Tess writes mystery novels, and the book begins with her tied up in a basement, trying to escape. Fortunately, it is her own basement, and she asked her family to zip tie her to a chair so she could try to escape. Tess believes in making her novels authentic through experiencing what her characters to through. But we she tries to get loose, the floor of her store falls down on her, covering her with dirt, dust, debris... and a skeleton.

Victor Boyd is the sheriff (whom Tess's fictional detective is based on), and he grudgingly allows Tess to help with the investigation, after they find a second body in the shop. Tess inherited the shop from her grandfather and worries that people will think he was involved in the murder or the cover up. Tess and Victor also are not-quite-dating, which becomes an issue when a cute FBI agent investigating another crime works on her store restoration crew as a cover.

This is a really fun mystery with a lot of improbable happenings that tie the story together. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries! Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.

On spine of death is a combination of the TV series "Castle" and good old "Nancy drew" sudh the best parts combined. We have a middle aged divorcee Tess, who is mystery writer by profession, with her teen/pre-teen daughter Gertude are living in a small quaint town where murders just seem to follow them. This is the second book and I've not read the first one but it didn't take me a lot of time to figure out the story. Tess and gertie find two bodies in their store and it's their mission to find the culprit of two decade old murders with her rag tag team of Nicki, her FBI/"librarian" friend living in town to nail another bad guy in town, and the Sherrif, who she would be absolutely lovely with as a pairing. She also brings in reinforcements as Peter, a world renowned forensic expert, and Jared, another FBI agent working on another case with Nicki. Together they try to clear Tess and her family's name.

It's an addictive book. I love a good mystery with multiple twists and "WHAT THE HELL" moments which this book gave me plenty. But I won't go calling it the most serious book as it matched its comic content with the macabre. I love Nicki for her quick sassy replies to Tess to shut her up and Gertie for being a quintessential teen. There were a lot of loose ends which is making me search the entire internet for the next book and how I can get it! Overall this was a nail biting read and I can't even wait for the sequels while I finish the prequel.
Reasons why you should read this book
• Mystery and murder and thrill
• Nancy drew vibes at every turn
• Super cute relationships
• Love triangle
• Twists on Twists
• Mind blowing reveal

Grab yourself a piece of left over dessert and coffee so that you can go deep in the night to finish this book and sleep peacefully once you finished it.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. On Spine of Death is the second book in Tamara Berry's new cozy mystery series featuring bestselling author Tess Harrow and her inquisitive teen daughter. After book 1, the duo have decided to live permanently in the tiny town of Winthrop and open a bookstore on the site of Tess's late grandfather's business. Of course, being Tess, she finds not one, not two, but three dead bodies during the renovation. This second book was just as funny, quirky, and cozy as the first, and I really enjoy the relationship between Tess and her daughter. If you like a cozy with a dash of humor, you will really enjoy this series!

This is a rare instance where I think I like book 2 more than book 1!

Tess Harrow and her daughter have decided to stay in the sleepy town of Winthrop and turn her grandfather's old hardware store into a beloved bookshop. Problem is, bones from multiple victims are showing up and the whole town thinks her gran was a serial killer.

Enter her ragtag team of helpers plus a few new very lovable characters and you have the perfect receipe for an immensely enjoyable cozy mystery.

This book is due out November 29th so check out book 1 before then.

Thank you @netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. On Spine of Death is the second book in a new cozy mystery series by Tamara Berry. This book had me hooked right away! I loved the storyline! I was very surprised by the ending. I thought I had it figured out and I was all wrong. I am going to go back and read the first book in her series. I’ll be waiting for the next one!

Received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest opinion.
I absolutely love this book, it was so funny. I don't read a lot of mysteries, but I've been trying to get back into it. The setting here is so funny, and the characters make you really care about them and what happens. The daughter reminds me a lot of my youngest, she wants to be a coroner or a funeral mortician too. Give this one a go, you won't be disappointed.

On Spine of Death takes the reader through a fictional author's journey as an amatuer detective in a small town in the mountains of Washington state. Tess Harrow finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation after bones fall on her head during renovation of her late grandfather's former hardware store. Wanting to clear her grandfather's name Tess inserts herself into the investigation sometimes helping other times not as much. With the FBI conducting an undercover nonrelated investigation, Tess soon has the help of a handsome agent posing as her hired handyman. With humor and many twists author Tamara Berry weaves a story that will take the reader down unexpected paths to a conclusion that will have you wanting to read what happens next.

This fast-paced and well written drama immediately grabbed my attention from the first page and never let go its hold until the last page was consumed. The author knows how to tell a story with an intriguing plot that drove the way this whodunit was moving with few suspects but a whole lot of mystery that started 30 years ago. It’s the bits and pieces and the here and there that when combined it was interesting to see it this tale fall into place, especially with a few red herrings to throw us off our game. The superb supporting cast added to how well this story was being told with visually descriptive narrative, engaging dialogue and the small-town atmosphere. The best part was getting that “aha” moment and it was fun watching the discovery of the person responsible coming to fruition. Overall, this was a fabulous read and I can’t wait to see where we go next with Tess, Gertie, and Victor.