This was a good second installment to the series. After solving the first murder and deciding to stay in Winthrop, Tess is converting her grandfather's hardware store into the town's first bookstore. While doing research in the basement she discovers dead bodies, yes, I said bodies. Does this mean her grandfather was a serial killer? Well, you'll have to read to find out.

I loved the twists and turns this second book took and how much we got know Sheriff Boyd a bit better. Really looking forward to the third one now!

A strong second entry in this series. Tess gets involved in another mystery, one deeply connected to the sheriff’s family. A well done mystery with strong returning characters and a smooth, enjoyable writing style. The ending leaves me a little concerned that we’re heading for a love triangle as the series continues. I recognize it’s a totally legitimate literary device, but it just happens to be one of my least favorites. We’ll see if I’m right!

Tess Harrow is a successful recently divorced author who has inherited her grandfather's cabin and hardware store. She and her daughter Gertrude have decided to settle in to the small town of WInthrop and renovate the old hardware store to turn it into a bookstore. She is doing some research for her next book by being tied to a chair in the store's basement when renovations cause old bones to fall down on her head. When her grandfather is suspected of having been a murderer, she takes it upon herself to investigate and clear his name. This is an engaging mystery full of red herrings and, enjoyably, lots of humor and likeable characters.

I truly enjoyed the second installment of the By the Book Mysteries series, possibly even a little bit more than the first!

Tess and Gertrude are settling their roots in Winthrop permanently, but it wouldn't be these two without dead bodies flying everywhere! Bones are discovered under Tess's grandfather's hardware store, and she is determined to prove that he is not the one behind these mysterious deaths. When they discover that a mystery book is eerily close to reality, even more questions arise and secrets unfold in this fun cozy mystery series.

What a fun follow up to the first book! I loved getting back with Tess and Gertie as they solve yet another mystery in their tiny town. Their banter and mystery solving skills are so enjoyable to read, and I find myself completely engulfed in these books. With the writing style in this series, I find it easy to read and can genuinely picture the town, the people, and what is happening in the story. I also am enjoying seeing the connections that Tess and Gertie are forming as they solidify their life in this town, and look forward to reading more in the series!

I felt like there were a lot of characters and a lot more going on. Between the existing people in the town, some from the past, and new characters introduced, I did have a bit of a hard time keeping it all straight at times. Especially along with details of the case and new things being discovered/happening, it felt a bit busy. With that said, not entirely difficult to follow but made me have to focus a bit more.

I am so grateful to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Very much looking forward to book three in the series next year! Full review to be posted on my IG @manis.and.manuscripts on Monday 8/29 and again shared on pub day!

Whoa! Wait! What? Why...

"On Spine of Death" doesn't fool around. From the opening scene, where we find Tess Berry tied up in a basement and, as being tied up isn't enough, frantically trying desperately to escape, to the very end, this book packs quite a punch. This was my intro to the series but I'll definitely be back.

To add punch to the opening scene, the ceiling falls in on her. Not just the ceiling but old skeletal bones. Bones from two bodies. From that point on, after, phew, we learn that Tess is simply trying to prove a point for one of her best selling mystery/thriller novels, it's pretty much non-stop action. Heck, there are even comic scenes, although I'm sure Tess didn't find basically falling down a mountain in the mud funny. Why was she on a mountain? She was, oh, no. Wait. Not telling aside from saying it has to do with reappearing bones, lost sisters, and interactions with everything from her forensic-mad daughter to a hacker with the ability to turn computers off/on at police headquarters and a specialist in hatchet-axed bones. Is there such a thing? I have no clue but, yeah, probably.

So, I guess the first question is whose bones are they? How did they get in Tess' grandfather's shop? Dang, could her late grandfather have hacked the victims to death? Scary thought, one she rejects but can't erase from her thoughts. What does a book with a mysterious author that even the best-of-the-best hackers hasn't been able to uncover have to do with everything? Does Sheriff Victor Boyd have anything to do with the strange discoveries? What happened to his long missing and presumed dead sister anyway? Could he be involved? Clues point that way. What will Gertrude have to do to be allowed to continue shadowing the town coroner? Surely there aren't a ton of high school students vying for that spot. Who....oh, never mind. No more teasers. As I said earlier, you'll just have to read the book. If you like interesting characters in an interesting small town, all served up with non-stop action and even humor, you'll thoroughly enjoy "On Spine of Death". I did.

Thanks #NetGalley and #PoisonedPenPress for inviting me to meet Tess and Gertrude, not to mention a host of other intriguing characters. I'm already looking forward to Tess' next adventure and her sometimes wacky tactics of researching her best selling plots.

This series is knocking it out of the park for me! This mystery pulled me right in, and I just held on for the ride! There were a couple of big shocks in this book that I didn't see coming and can't wait for the 3rd book to find out what happens next. The characters in this are great. Love Gertrude, Tess, Nicki, Sheriff Boyd...as well as some new additions. I didn't think there wasn't as much entertaining banter between Sheriff Boyd and Tess in this one which was missed.
I highly recommend this cozy!
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Netgalley, the author Tamara Berry, and the publisher for this opportunity.

sheriff, sheriff's-deputy, situational-humor, FBI, family, family-drama, verbal-humor, murder, murder-investigation, teens, writers, small-town, rural, cold-case, cozy-mystery, Washington-state, inheritance, suspense, romantic*****

Talk about twisty and complicated!
Tess is a recently divorced successful crime fiction writer who has moved to upstate Washington with her laser focused teenaged daughter, Gertrude (Gertie), to take up property inherited from her grandfather. The property includes a rustic cabin and a ramshackle hardware store which she is having renovated and repurposed. After the first assemblage of bones is found in the old hardware store, Gertie manages to get herself sort of hired on by Ms. Sylvie the coroner, and Tess calls upon an author friend who also publishes in Forensic Magazine (Peter). Add in an attraction to Sheriff Boyd, a friendship chief deputy Ivy, an undercover FBI (Nicki the librarian), and you have most of the cast of characters who certainly are. The mystery is very well done and the laughs are funny without becoming a farce. Absolutely loved it!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

This is the second book in the by the book series. I can honestly say that I am a big fan. I absolutely adore bestselling author Tess Harrow and her teenage daughter Gertrude. I love their relationship and their characters individually.

As their old family hardware store is being converted into a bookstore some old bones from thirty years ago are found. While the town is convinced Tess grandfather was a murderer, Tess is focused on finding out really did it. With the help of a colorful cast of characters she does her best to clear her families name.

Love this series and looking forward to reading the next book.

This is the second in a series by the author. I found the first book more interesting as I was learning about the characters and the town. This one didn’t catch my attention as much. It’s a cute story and I do recommend reading the first book just to get to know the characters first.

I have a new favorite cozy mystery series. This is book 2 in the By the Book Mystery series and just like book 1, it is an entertaining cozy mystery that revolves the engaging people in the small town of Winthrop. This time, Tess Harrow, a successful mystery writer, has had her plans to renovate the hardware store she inherited derailed when not one, but two bodies are found during demolition. The plan to convert the hardware store she inherited from her grandfather into a bookstore quickly takes a back seat to finding out what happened to the murdered women.

Bringing many of the characters from the first book, it was easy to get re immersed in the relationship between the Tess, her daughter Gertrude, and the rest of the town. We are introduced to lots of new people who provide depth to the plot. The book has good red herrings and set ups which made the chapters fly by. I find the heroine both funny and smart and her daughter Gertie is a great side kick who is anxious to get involved in everything.

This book flowed really well and there was no down time in the action or rehashing of information. I am excited to continue reading the series and see what Tess gets up to next time.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eArc in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book from NetGalley.

I enjoyed this book so much more than the first in the series! The main character Tess is definitely still obnoxious and nosey, sticking her nose in every investigation she can. And I love how the sheriff continues to be by the book with his investigations and call her out for her ridiculous behavior. Characters like Tess in other thrillers drive me crazy, I enjoy how it's regularly pointed out and joked about in these books. The mystery in this book had many twists and turn and red herrings. Every time I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong again. I continue to love Gertrude, Tess's teenage daughter. She's such a fun character: always taking care of, and calling out her mother for her nonsense. After reading the first book I was little hesitant about continuing the series, but I'm glad I did. I will definitely be reading the next book!

I thoroughly enjoyed this second book in the By the Book Mysteries series. This time, Tess, a mystery author, inherited an old hardware store from her grandfather.

Old skeletons are found during the renovations and Tess, her daughter Gertie, the local police chief, and Tess's friend, the FBI agent who drives the bookmobile get cracking in trying to solve these cold cases.

I love the fun, memorable characters in this series and would highly recommend them to cozy mystery fans.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. Cute who done it murder mystery. Excited to find out it is part of a series.

Narrator: Tess Harrow
Main sleuth(s): Tess and her teen daughter Gertrude
Animals: None that I remember
Location: Winthrop, somewhere in the PNW but I think Oregon
Sub-location: Hardware store turned bookstore
Recipes: No :<
Notes on the puns of the title: Rough, but I like it
Series #: By the Book mysteries 2
Magic?: No
Theme: Horror writers? Being a mom? Being an author?
Copaganda/police involvement: Alright well having a librarian that is also an undercover FBI agent is.... wildly against everything librarians stand for, so, negative two stars for this alone. The cops are kind of jerks in this, so like, add another half-star back, but :/ The main character is maybe possibly going to have a Romance with the sheriff, which is also. Bleh.

I really enjoyed large parts of this book -- I think Tess and Gertrude are both funny and likable, and the mystery is well-written, but I am Not Enjoying the continual Law Enforcement Presence in them. Cozy mysteries are about the main character disregarding the police and solving the mystery on their own, so I think it's against the spirit of them to have So Much Copaganda. Also, like, painting police in such a positive light can unduly influence readers into thinking that cops are Actually Like That. Two stars and a half stars, rounded up for NetGalley.

Tess Harrow is a mystery writer. She and her daughter, Gertrude, have inherited an old hardware store from her grandfather. They decide to renovate it and turn it in to a bookstore. But in the course of the renovations, they discover a skeleton. Then a second skeleton. Eventually, a third skeleton shows up.

It looks like a serial killer is at work. And everyone suspects her grandfather. In concert with her newest love interest, the local police detective, they set out to solve the mystery and clear her grandfather's name and reputation.

This book is well written. The characters are fun and memorable. The plot is well developed and not overly transparent like some of the cozy mysteries. I highly recommend this book.

On Spine of Death
Book two in the By the Book Mystery Series
by Tamara Berry
Description
Don't miss the second installment of this gripping and funny bookish cozy mystery series by Tamara Berry! This case isn't just cold, it's practically frozen shut...
In the aftermath of solving their first murder, bestselling author Tess Harrow and her teenage daughter Gertrude have decided to stay in Winthrop permanently. Now that they've made some updates to their cabin in the woods, they're turning to the family hardware store that Tess inherited and converting it into the town's first independent bookstore. But when renovations unearth bones from a cold case and send them toppling—literally—onto Tess's head, the work comes to a grinding halt. With the whole town convinced that her grandfather was a serial killer, Tess has to call in a fellow horror author for reinforcements. Together, they'll come up with a perfect story to make all the clues fit...and solve a mystery more than thirty years in the making.
My Thoughts
I really like this series for a number of reasons. The characters are the first reason. An FBI agent undercover as a librarian. Gertrude—Tess’s teenage daughter, gourmet chef,
and in this book, as obsessed with death and gruesome details as her mother, Tess Harrow, and this makes Tess uncomfortable. The budding romance between Tess and the sheriff, who is a dead ringer for the main character in Tess’s novels.
Another reason was the twisty plot. This one twisted and turned in all manner of ways. I’m still not sure I like where the plot went, but it definitely kept me on my toes. When the murderer was revealed, I was surprised, but thinking back through the plot all the clues were there. Another reason to like this book (and series) is the sense of humor the author employs. I laughed as I read this book (and the first one in the series) and that is rare for me. The dialogue as well as Tess’s thoughts keep the humor and the pace moving. What I find really funny is the way Tess’s writer brain never shuts off, even in the middle of a murder investigation.
Berry’s opening scene also drew me right in. The reader is thrust right into the action, but yet, you’re not quite sure what that action is. It’s an effective way to draw the reader in and keep them reading. I highly recommend On Spine of Death as well as the first book in the series, Buried in a Good Book. I’m looking forward to reading the third book in the series, Murder off the Books.

Other books in the series:
Buried in a Good Book


Publishing Information
Poisoned Pen Press.
Publication date: November 29, 2022
Paperback
ISBN: 9781728248639

Thanks to #Netgalley for providing a copy of #OnSpineofDeath

A fun cozy filled with humor. I loved the first book and this one was as awesome. The characters are loads of fun! The plot is intriguing with lots of twists and turns. Settle in for a delight! Thanks #netgalley and #PoisonedPenPress for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Tess, bestselling author, and her teenage daughter, Gertrude, have decided to stay in Winthrop after solving their first murder. But in the midst of renovating the hardware store Tess inherited to transform it into an indie bookstore, she finds bones from a cold case.
This cozy mystery is book 2 of the By the Book Mysteries series, but the first one I read, and now that I have read this one, I will definitely go back to read the first one. It has plenty of red herrings that keep you guessing and is a fun read.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Missed the first one of this series, but book 2 is quite enjoyable with quirky characters, humor and a quick pace to keep it interesting.

Tamara Berry is quickly becoming a must-read for me. Her first book was a mix of quirky, humorous, and mysterious. I never saw the ending coming. Book 2 in the series does not disappoint.

Tess Harrow is not really a great detective, but she is a great mystery author and that has given her an understanding of death and murder. Her daughter Gertrude is as interested in learning about death as her mother. This time, two bodies were discovered while renovating Tess's grandfather's hardware store. There are uncanny similarities with a book Tess wrote a blurb for (but did not actually read).

The mystery kept me guessing to the end, though I knew when Tess was wrong in her guesses. And I enjoyed getting to know the small town characters a bit more. It lost a star for me because I hate love triangles and the author seems to be setting one up.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.