Let's start with the plot. Jen, a murder mystery writer, is struggling with writer's block so spends most of her time at her friend Aletha's bookstore drinking coffee and eyeing up the attractive barista, Russell. This small-town set up seems perfectly calm and cosy until, after Aletha is witnessed arguing angrily with her husband, she is murdered! Jen is named the inheritor of the bookstore and suddenly becomes a prime suspect. Jen is determined to bring Aletha's murderer to justice but can she find the killer before they find her?
This was an entertaining mystery, and who doesn't love a book that centres around a bookshop?! Although not enough of it took place in the cosiness of the bookshop in my opinion! In fact, there were many not-so-cosy, quite tense moments as Jen tried to catch the killer - some of these moments didn't quite fit with the vibe I had in mind from the cover and blurb, but they did propel the drama at least.
In terms of characters, Jen's best friend Brittany was super example of a feisty sidekick with plenty of girl power. I think I'd want her on my side in the hunt for a murderer! Unfortunately, Jen herself didn't win me over. I found her a little bit irritating to be honest. And her decisions were almost unbelievably stupid!
Surrounding our main women, there was a good range of minor characters to form a long list of suspects. However, I must admit I did guess the guilty party very early on, which speaks for itself really - I never usually manage to guess!
All in all, an easy read with some intrigue, but maybe too easy an ending!

This is the first book in the bookstore mystery series. Jen is returning back to her hometown from battling a writers block. She gets embroiled in a murder when the owner of the bookstore where she was frequenting is murdered. This was a fun book, with its share of cozy and quirky characters. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Murder at the Bookstore by Sue Minix is the debut of The Bookstore Mysteries. Murder at the Bookstore was a letdown. I was a not a fan of Jen Dawson. She is twenty-eight going on sixteen. The story is told in the first person, so we are subjected to all of Jen’s thoughts especially about Russell, the barista at the bookstore. She goes on and on about his physical features (reminds me of a teenager with their first crush). I wish Jen was more likeable and relatable. I found her to be self-absorbed. The characters were lacking development. There were general details on Jen especially regarding her recently failed romance (I got tired of hearing about it). The whodunit can be solved before the victim is killed. The author did everything but hire a skywriter (I could envision a giant neon arrow with the word killer pointing at the guilty party). The why for the crime is no mystery. Jen asks questions in her quest to identify the killer. She has all the subtlety of a bull in a china shop. Jen makes bad decisions and puts herself at risk several times. The reveal is long-winded. All the details are revealed. I did like Jen’s best friend, Brittany Dunlop. She is a true friend. Murder at the Bookstore is a small-town whodunit with a creative roadblock, a dead friend, a becoming barista, rope trouble, a misplaced pen, a blink bind, and ravenous readers.

What a setting, what more could any bookworm want than a book set in a bookshop with a writer main character.
I found the characters in this book slightly irritating but I think that served to make it seem more realistic.
I would absolutely read more from this author

Struggling with writer's block on her second novel and a failed relationship, Jen Dawson moves back to her small hometown. She hangs out at the local bookstore and befriends its owner, Aletha. Aletha is killed in a sailboat explosion and Jen comes under suspicion so she takes it upon herself to look into Aletha's death. This was a promising start for a new series and I liked that is wasn't as cutesy as most cozy mysteries set in a bookstore would be.

Jen Dawson is back in her hometown of Riddleton and finds herself heavily involved in a murder investigation. Her friend, Aletha died in a boat explosion. Jen has friends to aid her; Brittany and individuals from the police. This, the first in a new series, shows potential. There are some dark moments in the tale. I am onboard for the next instalment.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Avon Books UK via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Jen is caught up in a murder investigation when her friend, Aletha, is murdered. Back in her hometown of Riddleton, Jen has old friends to help her, such as her best friend Brittany, and members of the,police department. When warned of the dangers, Jen persists in her own investigation. This was the first in a new series, showing promise. I liked it. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Murder at the Bookstore is the first book in a new storefront bookish cozy series by Sue Minix. Released 19th Jan 2023 by HarperCollins on their Avon Books imprint, it's 336 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a promising start for fans of small town shopfront cozies. Crime novelist Jen is drawn into real-life sleuthing when her friend (and owner of her local book-and-coffee shop) dies under violent circumstances. The usual pool of small-town-oddball characters are present, there's skullduggery and hidden motives to be unearthed, and there's the hint of developing romance/frenemies between Jen and a local guy.

Some of the characterizations and plot developments are admittedly a bit over the top and there are some twists which require a healthy suspension of disbelief, but all in all, it's a pretty good example of why the shopfront cozy subgenre is so popular. I found the denouement and resolution unexpectedly violent and abrupt but fairly well written.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours and 48 minutes and is narrated by Rebecca LaChance. She has an interesting and nuanced voice. She enunciates very well and although her voice is youthful (she's young), it doesn't detract from the read at all. The sound and production quality of the recording were high throughout.

Three and a half stars. This would be a good light read for fans of cozies. It would be perfectly safe for work/commute reading. I'm interested to see what comes next for Jen and the bookshop.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This is a great cosy mystery! It is witty, charming, and full of adventure!
The story involves Jen, who loves going into Aletha's bookstore Ravenous Readers. Then Aletha is killed, and Jen is determined to solve the mystery. She is under suspicion herself but looks for others who may have motive. Really fun characters!
This is a highly entertaining read with memorable characters and a page turner of a plot!

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed is entirely my own.

I absolutely devoured this book because of a) the plot b) the setting of the book and c) because the author engrossed the reader into the story . The book follows Jen who is a crime fictional writer who is riding high on her first book's success but has to deliver another bestselling book . She goes to her hometown suffering from writer's block and thus hopes to get inspiration at a local bookstore that provides coffee. But alas the game is afoot when she ends up finding more than coffee and inspiration when the bookstore owner dies and she has to become a real life sleuth. Fast paced, engrossing, well written down and twisty.. Everyone should read it!

This new cozy series is off to a good start. The main character, Jen Dawson, has penned a best selling mystery but the downside is that everyone wants to know when the next book will hit the market. A nice problem for an newbie author to have but not for Jen. She has a major case of writer's block and a fast approaching deadline. She decides to seek shelter and inspiration at the local bookstore and starts a friendship with the owner, Aletha.
Things turn sour when Aletha is murdered and Jen becomes one of the prime suspects. The other suspect is Tim, Aletha's husband. With the threat of prison looming over her, Jen figures that, as a successful mystery writer, she has a reason to start her own investigation. She has a lot to learn - will some of it make it into her next book or will she go down in flames. I enjoyed this debut enough to add the next in the series, The Murderous Type, due out May 25, 2023, to my TBR list.
My thanks to the publisher Avon and to NetGalley, for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was just OK. It started out well with a cozy setting and an interesting premise but fell apart somewhere along the way. Jen makes an interesting character but fell prey to the TSTL mentality of some cozy MCs and it irked me. The mystery was well paced but didn’t hold my interest and I figured out who the murdered was early on (it wasn’t hard). It definitely wasn’t your typical cozy as it delved into more darker issues, particularly her relationship with her mother. I will read the next in the series and hope I can connect better with Jen.

This is the first in a new mystery series featuring author Jen Dawson, who is trying to write her second mystery novel when her friend Aletha, owner of the Ravenous Readers bookshop, is murdered. Suspicion falls on her, so using her amateur sleuthing skills, she sets off to solve the mystery.

I had high hopes for this novel as it was a cozy mystery, featuring both an author and a bookshop, but it sadly didn't live up to my expectations.

It started off well, introducing a cast of interesting characters in a small town setting, then it just went downhill for me from there.

I didn't warm to the main character Jen at all. She was slightly annoying and was constantly making poor decisions that made little sense to me.

Also, to me, it didn't have the feel of a cozy mystery. There's usually some light-heartedness along the way, but there were some parts that I thought were a bit intense for this sort of mystery, especially when it came to the relationship between Jen and her mother and stepfather.

Then there was the actual whodunnit. I guessed it pretty much from the beginning and, I'll be honest, I only read to the end, hoping for some sort of twist which didn't happen.

Sadly not for me, but if you like a murder mystery with a small town setting, then you might like this.

This first entry in a new series has some high points, but can’t quite escape a mediocre mystery. The good news is that the main characters are very interesting and I certainly would like to read about them again. The set up at the end of the novel holds a lot of promise for the series to continue and grow.

I really enjoyed Jen, she was a really relatable MC and I really am looking forward to the next installment. This is a typical amateur sleuth situation and Jen did some silly things at times to try and solve the murder, but thats what we all love in an amateur right?

Jen is an author, stuck on her second book after a best-selling debut. She finds herself truing to write in a local bookstore, making friends with the owner, and enjoying the view of the local barista. When a shocking murder takes place, can Jen help solve the mystery, and stay safe herself?

A good first book in the series, solid characters, twists and lots of potential for future installments. I'll definitely look out for more.

It took a little while for me to get really interested in this one, but I picked it up again and finally got caught up in the story. Hate it when a character I like and think I'd like to see again gets bumped off in the first book. I think the character would have been a nice foil for our protagonist. There aren't a lot of suspects, but the author provides enough twists to keep it interesting.

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

I AM GOING TO UPLOAD THIS TO MY INSTAGRAM SOON

I gave Murder at the Bookstore by Sue Minix 3.75 stars.

Crime writer Jen returns to her small hometown with a bestselling book behind her and a bad case of writer’s block. Finding sanctuary in the local bookstore, with an endless supply of coffee, Jen waits impatiently for inspiration to strike.

But when the owner of the bookstore dies suddenly in mysterious circumstances, Jen has a real-life murder to solve.

The stakes are suddenly higher when evidence places Jen at the scene of the crime and the reading of the will names her as the new owner of the bookstore…

--------- REVIEW --------

This was a good start to a new series. The mystery was intriguing and there were some nail-biting moments that kept me on the edge of my seat. However, I did figure out whodunit early on, but I was still curious about the motive.

I liked that the author included snippets from the book Jen is writing. I hope we get to read more about her job in the upcoming books. That is something I really enjoy about cozy mysteries, the mundane life. I am also looking forward to seeing how Jen is dealing with becoming an owner of a bookstore.

This book comes out January 19.

Thank you Net Galley and Avon Books UK for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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This is the first in a new series and I liked it a lot! I think I would consider it more a cozy+, rather than just a cozy as it has some darker elements. I liked that the main character was an author and thought that was different than others I read. I will definitely read the next in the series!

Murder at the Bookstore is the first instalment in "The Bookstore Mystery series". I enjoyed this fun debut mystery and look forward to the next in series. Thank you to the author, the publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read for review. My review opinions are my own.

Jen has written her first book which was a success in crime writing. She is however stuck on her second book and moves back to her hometown where she goes to the local book shop to write. She befriends the owner and they become fast friends. Jen is a likable protagnist with many good qualities . When the owner is killed Jen is the primary suspect and must save herself by solving the mysterious murder. The suspicion on her is complicated by the fact she has been the only heir to the book shop.
She is good at delving into clues and soon utilizes the townspeople to help her solve this case. As clues and red herrings abound Jen soon finds herself in danger and takes a chance to finally catch the suspect.
This was a well crafted sleuth that was fun to read to conclusion. I enjoyed the charcters, the setting and of course