Setting the Scene: After a tornado wreaks havoc in North Harbor, including at the public library, Sam Washington finds herself hosting the Mystery Mavens Book Club, headed by local literary icon and syndicated book reviewer Delia Marshall. Things get ugly quickly when Delia threatens a lawsuit and a crushing review that could end Sam's dreams of owning her bookstore, as well as her budding writing career.. When Delia is found murdered in Sam's bookstore that same night, it isn't just her bookstore and writing career that are in jeopardy. Thankfully, she has Frank, with his mysterious contacts, Jenna, her attorney sister, and last but certainly not least, Nana Jo and her cronies; but will they be enough?

What I Thought: I love this series, and Bookclubbed to Death did not disappoint. The book within a book is sheer genius, and using Sam's writing to decipher the clues in the current day mystery is brilliant. If Sam's historical mysteries were published in full length, I would read them. The characters, both modern and historical, are intelligent, fun, and well developed. The mystery is well done; the humor entertaining; and the wit sharp. I particularly enjoyed references to author S. M. Themoney, whose latest works seemingly have become "search and replace" efforts; or the British puzzlement over the Americanism "dadgum." Clearly, I highly recommend this latest in the Mystery Bookshop Mysteries.

Samantha Washington, trying to be a good citizen, offers her bookstore as the replacement location for the library book clubs to meet while the library recovers from a flood. Little did she know, no good deed goes unpunished. The Mystery Mavens Book Club is headed by a local book reviewer is not only extremely demanded but condescending to all those around her. Afraid that the reviewer could destroy the release of her book, Sam is very careful to do everything that the reviewer asks. However, when the reviewer is discovered in Sam's bookstore, dead from an apparent blow from the complete works of Agatha Christie, Sam becomes a chief suspect.

Can she clear her name before her book release?

I love the series for the characters as well as the "book in a book". Hope there are many more.

This is part of a series. I haven't read prior books, but this one did make sense as a standalone novel.

I enjoyed the story within a story, as well as the bookstore, angle. The two storylines did start out a bit slowly, but things picked up. The cypher angle was interesting. Characters felt a bit one dimensional. We're given the details on them, but they don't really feel "alive." As a result, I never got as engaged as I would've liked. But if you're looking for a quick, cozy mystery, this one might fit the bill.



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Sam makes the mistake of offering her book store as a meeting place for a book club. Little does she know that the leader of the club is blackmailing other members to make a career for herself as a reviewer. When the leader is found dead in the bookstore with a book that Sam ordered for her, Sam becomes the prime suspect in the case. A good read...great supporting characters who aid Sam in the search for the murderer.

The beginning of V.M. Burns' 'Bookclubbed to Death' grabbed me with its intensity and maintained that throughout the entire book. There were many suspects in the death of an influential literary critic and the police had focused on Samantha Washington as the murder occurred in her bookshop. The delightful cast of characters surrounded and supported Sam in an effort to find the real killer. I was kept guessing until the final reveal. A bonus in the story is the book within a book as we are exposed to the book that Sam herself is writing for publication. I love the A Mystery Bookshop Mystery series and highly recommend it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

A tornado strikes North Harbor, Michigan and due to damages Samantha's Book store is closed and the local library damaged.. Samantha offers the closed store for the Library's Mystery Mavens Book Club to hold their meetings. An so begins the mystery. First of all it is great to be back with Samantha(Sam) , Nanna No and the "girls" from Shady Acres. Irma cracks me up! The book club facilitator,Delia, is a Hot Shot reviewer and not the friendliest of readers. She is found dead at the Bookstore one night and Sam is the suspected killer.She calls upon her sister Jenna to be her attorney.
There are many suspects who had run ins with Delia....but to the point of murder? The girls get together, as is their MO, to figure out who the real killer is!
This was a very satisfying cozy mystery read. As throughout the series, the reader gets two mysteries; the historical mystery Sam is writing as well as the current one. Two cozy mystery genres under one book cover....bonus!! The historical cozy is released in this book.
Sam and Frank's relationship is still going strong and marriage discussion still happening. .....But is Sam ready to meet Frank's mother? We will have to wait and see.
As a toy poodle Mom I loved all the parts that Oreo and Snickers were in.
I'd like to thank NetGalley, the author and Kensington Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book. Bookclubbed to Death publishes on 12/27/22

Love this series , as well as the characters themselves, and love how it's a story within a story.And how the characters play off on each other, I would have to say my favorite is the grandmother.

No good deed goes unpunished. When a tornado hits North Harbor, Michigan, the library is badly damaged. In an attempt to show support for her community, Samantha Washington agrees to allow a local book club to meet at her bookstore. She's a bit overwhelmed by how grateful the librarian is but Sam figures out why about two seconds after she meets the head of the group, Delia Marshall. And as it turns out, the librarian isn't the only one who's happy to see the last of Miss Delia.

I will admit I wasn't super crazy about this series in the beginning. But even as I was twitching over some questionable timeline issues I could tell this series had a ton of potential and (as you will see if you read this far into it) I was right. Sam is a great main character (I love series where the MC follows their dreams and has a supportive team around, helping to make it happen) and I also love all the side characters, her grandmother and her friends, her sister and her children, and Sam's fiancé Frank. I also really like the story-within-the-story, despite the fact that there are several dozen characters in it and I have never have any idea who any of them are.

The investigation was fun in this one, Sam, Nana Jo, and the girls all hunt for clues, sometimes together and sometimes independently, and they always turn up just the right information to solve the case. I'm not super crazy about Frank being a fancy spy who just happens to know someone who can get any information they need or perform any task that may need to be accomplished. It feels a bit too easy sometimes, certainly in this book we would have seen a lot more action if Frank hadn't been there. Not that I don't like Frank, but his character is too much of a crutch at times.

If you like book-themed cozies, this is a reliably good series.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

It all starts with a tornado.

Sam(antha) Washington opens up her bookstore to the Mystery Mavens Book Club after their usual meeting place, the library, is damaged by the tornado. The club leader, Delia Marshall, is anything but friendly, however, and soon has Sam sputtering as she exits the first meeting there after threatening to sue her and have her beloved dogs put down for attacking her. Never mind that she kicked one of them first and the other was merely acting to protect. Sam's friends and family rally around her, however, and a phone call from Delia reassures her that all will be well, Delia has bigger fish to fry, so to speak, but she wants the special order Agatha Christie book she ordered immediately if not sooner. Sam drives the book to Delia's home, only to find it empty. Imagine her surprise to later discover Delia's body in her bookshop. Even worse, she's the prime suspect.

I have to admit, Sam's stunned reaction to events seems much more realistic than some in mysteries. Instead of immediately turning into Miss Marple reborn, her reaction is more human. It pretty much amounted to wanting to just go home, go to bed and pull the covers over her head and go into ignore mode. Somehow, I'm inclined to think that would be more what most readers would do than the transformation into sleuth.

The group of friends about her is amazing. Although I've read another book or two in the series, I was still a bit amazed at who these people are and how they became so adept at working as a team to solve a mystery. For instance, Frank, the restaurant owner boyfriend who seems to have ties to "someone who knows" how to do, well, just about anything. While this didn't stop me from seriously enjoying the book, which included Sam's book-within-the-book set in the time of King George VI, I did think that reading previous books in the series might have kept me from wasting time wondering how this crack investigative team came about. Also, I'll note that given that I'm typing this just as his daughter Queen Elizabeth has been laid to rest, that literary setting seemed rather timely, albeit coincidental. I won't detail the plot further except to say don't skip those inserts. 4.5 rounded to 5

Thanks #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for inviting me over to visit Sam's bookshop, browse the bookshelves, and try my hand at figuring out who did it. This one kept me guessing until the end.

Bookstore owner and amateur sleuth, Samantha Washington, agrees (without being given much of a choice) to hosting several book club meetings, after the library is damaged. Big mistake. One of the meetings is hosted by a tyrannical book reviewer. It turns out that she isn't immune to a little blackmail also.

Needless to say, she turns up murdered. And Sam is the prime suspect.

This is a wonderful book. The characters are quite fun. The solution is elusive. And the author has a great writing style. I look forward to reading more in the series.

First, I loved the cover and felt it really represented the premise of the story well. In this cozy little mystery there is a murder in a bookstore caused by a good thump on the head by a huge tomb of the entire collection of Agatha Christie. Owner of the town bookstore, Samantha Washington gets roped into hosting a bookclub run by the renown but rude Delia Marshall at her bookstore. Sam is also a mystery writer wannabe, hoping to sell her first book and have Delia really like it However, Delia is demanding and an over the top b---- to everyone around her, and hates Sam’s dogs Oreo and Snickers. She first wants to sue Sam after falling in her bookstore, accusing Sam’s cute little poodles of attacking her, but then later wants to blackmail her for a good review on her book that she wrote. It turns out that Sam is not the only recipient of Delia’s wrath and many from the Mystery Maven book club speak out in frustration that they could just kill her. Then the next day, Delia is found in Sam’s bookshop, dead, and Sam becomes the prime suspect. It seems that Sam has a history for helping the local police solve a murder in their town. So Sam, her Nana Jo, her sister Jenna, her fiancé Frank, and Nana Jo’s friends from the retirement home set out to clear Sam’s name and find the killer. Also included within is another story that seems to be the new historical mystery book set in old England that Sam is writing. I found this confusing even if the story was pretty good. Sam did use inspiration from what was happening currently to infuse in her storyline. This cozy mystery is a light read and I do love when old people show spunk and their wisdom in solving a mystery, with nana Jo being my favorite character here. Some twists and turns and red herrings made this a fun mystery to read about and try to figure out with the gang. I’ll have to check others in this series.
Many thanks to #netgalley #kensingtonbooks #bookclubbedtodeath for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review "Bookclubbed To Death", the 8th Mystery Bookshop tale.
Hail, hail, the gang's all here - Nana Jo, Dorothy, Irma, Ruby Mae, Samantha Washington, Snickers and Oreo and the various friends, boyfriends, lovers and fiancés, back for another cozy mystery; and so are the denizens of 1939 England.
This entry in the series starts off with a tornado, which leads to flooding at the local library (and elsewhere, of course), which leads to a book club relocating to the book shop - which leads to a murder!
The murderee (if that's not a word it should be) in this case is a high-profile reviewer and full-time blackmailer. And she's certainly not above blackmailing anyone that she can.
On the verge of having her first book published, the protagonist of our series, Samantha Washington the proprietor of the bookstore runs afoul of the vicious Delia Marshall, who threatens to sue her for an incident at the store. And then Delia is found - dead - in the store (head bashed in with a compendium of Agatha Christie novels, plays, poems, etc. which is fitting) and the police settle on Sam as the perpetrator even before investigating.
As with all the books of the series, there is the simultaneous mystery-within-the-mystery that somehow parallels current events, but in pre-war England
As the gang works against the clock, ticking down to a possible arrest and also to the publication of Sam's first novel, we the readers are given a crash course in subterfuge and codes (such as stenography).
Without giving too much away, the outcome is as expected, but there's no shortage of intrigue (along with the usual dash of humour that is prevalent in all books in this series), twists and turns and each character gets his or her own chance to shine.
Recommended, but you really need to read the other books in the series to appreciate how far this series has come.

A fluffy cozy. Sam Washington is anxiously awaiting the publication of her first novel when reviewer Delia Marshall implies she is willing to write a favorable review for a price. A day later Delia is found dead in Sam's bookstore. The police are sure Sam killed her and this leads Nana Jo and her cohorts into another investigation. Good pacing and I learned about secret codes knitted into socks and other apparel during World War II.

Bookstore owner Samantha Washington is eagerly awaiting the publishing of her first book, when there's a storm in her area resulting in the local library having to close down due to flooding. Sam offers her bookstore as a temporary meeting place for the Mystery Mavens book club. The day after the meeting, book club leader and influential literary critic, Delia Marshall, is found murdered in the bookstore with a heavy Agatha Christie Tome and Sam becomes the prime suspect. Sam, Nana Jo, and the old ladies from the retirement village put their heads together to find the real killer. This was a nice light read with well drawn out characters and plenty of red herrings as the victim had plenty of enemies.. Thank you to Kesington publishing and netgalley for this advance copy.

This mystery is a story within a story. The bookstore owner, Samantha, writes to mull things over, and while she does, we read the period mystery as she writes it. I wish I had known this. At the time, I was not in the mood to read about Lady Elizabeth and Lords so-and-so solving a murder for King George just prior to World War 2. Later, it was fine, but I prefer knowing ahead of time.

The two stories were a bit slow to begin, yet entertaining, and the code/cypher factors (always a plus for me) were interesting. Samantha's writing seemed much more vivid than the rest of the book (despite a long list of faceless people), which I eventually skipped over.

I didn't feel the people come alive as much as I'd hoped. We are given height and weight, and hair color, but it's like reading off a rap sheet instead of introducing a character. That part could be improved. I also wish bookstore owning characters did bookstore-related work. A little bit. Just for realism's sake.

This point may be overly picky, but as a long-time in-person bookstore customer, it bothered me a great deal--especially since it was a key factor in the story. No bookstore owner in their right mind would order a book without the customer pre-paying for $5, and certainly one for over $2,000.00. The cost of shipping may have been unknown at the time, (and would certainly be hefty considering the weight of the book), but starting a mystery with such a flaw, gives it a very shaky foundation!

I liked the total book over all. But I think a couple of too-common methods were used to put the characters conveniently in places, which felt unimaginative. Some key characters were not well developed, and it made the story less immersive.

2.8/5 Stars Needs more work.

Thanks to Kensington Books, Kensington Cozies, and NetGalley for the temporary ecopy preview of this book; any review is voluntary and entirely my own opinion.

#BookclubbedtoDeath #NetGalley
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#ValerieBurns #ValerieBurnsAuth
#MysteryBookshopBook8
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#StoryWithinAStory

These story has a rather familiar storyline, but it makes sense for the author to use it here considering the events in Sam's life. This time around, it's primarily Sam and Nana Jo though Jenna gets a meaty scene and the other secondary characters pop in briefly.

I just found Sam to be a bit wimpy this time around. It's been awhile since I read a book in the series so perhaps I forgot. Who orders a $1,200 book and doesn't get it paid in advance or at least a substantial deposit?

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Bookclubbed to Death by V.M. Burns is a fun and engaging read. I liked that this story had a story within a story. The main character is an author, so some chapters include this character's story. It was good but did get confusing with so many characters.

I loved the poodles, Snickers and Oreo, and my dog, too, doesn't like storms! I really liked the Wizard of Oz references. The Nana Jo character was great. The story had a solid mystery, held my interest, and the author also engaged the reader by using all five senses to describe scenes.

I would rate this a solid 4 out of 5 stars. A very nice cozy mystery read, and I will read more books by this author.

#BookclubbedtoDeath #NetGalley @KensingtonBooks

Great read! My first by this author but not the last! I loved the characters and the book within a book. Sam, Nana Jo, Jenna, Frank, and the girls were wonderful to spend time with. Sam is a first time author and owner of a mystery bookstore (why isn’t there one in my town?). Nana Jo (my favorite) finds a book critic dead in the bookstore and everyone pitches in to help solve the murder. Can’t wait to read the other books in this series!

No good deed goes unpunished. When the local library is flooded, Samantha Washington offers up her bookstore to host a book club meeting. The leader of the Mystery Mavens Book Club is an odious woman named Delia Marshall. Instead of being grateful, she sashays in demanding that Sam supply lunch and ban Sam's two poodles, Snickers and Oreo. Fittingly, Delia is killed with a giant tome of Agatha Christie's works. A nice touch :) Delia is the obvious suspect but when she and her friends investigate it turns out Delia rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. A satisfying mystery with likeable characters. Highly recommend.

Another super cute cozy mystery. I tend to read cozy mysteries in blocks and this one didn't stand our. Nor did it fade in the background in anyway. It was formulated in a smart way. Super fun quick read. Recommended if you're feeling down and need a pick me up. Definitely a fun one.

Thank you netgalley for the arc