Bookshops, mysteries, and a touch of faith? Yes, please!

These four novellas are packed with quirky characters, charming settings, and just enough suspense to keep you flipping pages faster than a bookseller restocking bestsellers. Each story brings a unique twist to the cozy mystery genre while staying true to what makes it so lovable—small towns, amateur sleuths, and plenty of intrigue.

The faith elements felt as natural as sunlight streaming through a dusty bookshop window, gently illuminating the pages. Quiet moments of truth that added depth to the mysteries. And the romance? Just the right touch, like finding a forgotten love letter tucked inside a well-loved novel.

Each story pulled me in with its own brand of charm. The mix of intrigue, humor, and faith made for an irresistible combination.

If you love bookish mysteries with a side of suspense, a pinch of romance, and a whisper of faith, this collection delivers. Just don’t be surprised if you start eyeing your favorite bookshop for secret passages—or suspicious characters!

I received a digital ARC of this book Barbour Publishing and NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review nor paid to do so. This is my honest and unbiased review. My thoughts and opinions expressed in this book review are my own. My review focuses on the writing and story’s content, ensuring transparency and reliability.

Secrets Between the Shelves by Cynthia Hickey, Linda Baten Johnson, Teresa Ives Lilly, Marilyn Turk.

Thank you NetGalley for this copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

Rating: Three and a half rounded to four for NetGalley and Goodreads

Language/Profanity: None in any book.

Faith: There is praying in each book, though in one it is only thanking God for food; in most there is talking about God at least once; mention of Bible reading in one; and a Bible verse in another; 'going to church';
Note: In the last book especially, it seems to be portraying 'being a Christian' as just 'going to church' and thanking God for food, and such. But it is much more than that.

Romance/Sex: In at least two there is mention of how shirts fit well on men...(not my cup of tea really); there is flirting, in the first book it is said someone is a 'gorgeous hunk of a man'; a woman wearing tight jeans; a woman (not the main character) wering skin tight tights and a sports... bra; Kisses,

Violence ect.: All of these books are murder mysteries, don't be confused by the fact that it is cozy mysteries. That doesn't mean that it will be mysteries that don't deal with murders; In a few the characters are threatened; also hit on the head;
Note: Book two deals with child trafficking.

Other: Gossiping (why does that have to always be in books?)

Part of a Series: Some of the books do conect to other books the authors have written.

Synopsis:
Mysteries Leap Off the Page
 
Murder and mayhem haunt four newly-opened bookstores.
 
The mysteries enjoyed in books come to life, threatening four businesses. Amber’s new bookshop and tearoom draws rare book collectors, but when one ends up dead in the mystery section, the shop’s future is questionable. Lilly’s pirate themed bookshop fits right into Harbor Inn, Maine, but she never expected to find a young pirate dead on her shop’s floor. Abby opens Secret Passages Bookshop in a Wyoming mountain town, not realizing her historic building held a real secret passage and a missing teenager. Kelly moves to Florida and frequents the Bayside Books and Reading Room, where she is strangely attracted to the owner—who is suspected of killing his wife. Can the store owners and their patrons solve the mysteries before their businesses go under?

Thoughts:

BOOK ONE:
Three Stars.
A well written book, but I wish it wasn't continually said how handsome, and hunky the guy is. Honestly that brought my rating down lower. The mystery was pretty good, but there was so many characters that it was hard to know who was who.

BOOK TWO:
Three and a half stars. Note: this book deals with child trafficking. As much as this dealt with such a sad topic, it was really good. It ended a happy note, and, honestly, it seemed more real than the first one. The situation those children are in is heartbreaking, and I am glad the characters got a happy ending in this book.

BOOK THREE:
Three and a half stars. This is my favorite one in the collection, as it has pirates. Sort of. The mystery was intresting, and the person I was expecting to be the one who done it wasn't, so there is that. The romance seemed way to quick for me.

BOOK FOUR:
Two and a half stars. This one was okay, it just wasn't my cup of tea. It was clean, with no language or even kisses. This one was different then the others, because the bookshop did not belong to the main character, the main character was just there when the death happened.

Thanks to Netgalley for my review copy.

The premise of this book of 4 novellas is interesting as what is more fun than cozy mysteries around a bookshop. The book is an easy read with 4 different novellas with a similar theme. They all have different levels of faith elements in the stories.

Murder in the Mystery sections
Amber has just opened a new bookstore, Through the Looking Glass when there is a murder. The victim's nephew Brandt joins with Amber in trying to find out why and who. Add an interesting Grandmother and there are some fun scenes. The story follows the common formula with those investigating warned to stop. It was a fun story.

The Secret Passage Bookshop starts with Abby in hospital after being attacked in her new bookshop. She is still setting it up when all this happens. Zach is helping with renovations and helps with working out what is happening. Then a murder happens. This story was well written and does deal with some serious subjects. While a cozy mystery it goes further than most will in dealing with a serious situation. But dealt with well.

By Hook or by Book is the 3rd novella and the one I loved the most. I started and couldn't stop reading it in one sitting. I now want to read more books by Teresa Ives Lilly. In this story Lily has opened a pirate themed bookshop and has an idea to use college students dressed as pirates to read stories. She also has other ideas to increase community involvement and sales. There has been someone trying to break in and Police officer Dwayne is there to help find the culprit. Dwayne has a knack for very corny jokes. This mystery was slightly different which made it even better. I loved how it played out and if it was just this book it would be 5 stars.

The Missing Chapter is also different to the others as Kelly is opening a shop to sell local artists work on commission. She goes into the bookstore where a murder happens although it is being ruled as accidental. Kelly isn't buying it. The Story has a lot of interesting people and piecing together what may have happened is interesting to watch. I really enjoyed this story but like a few have mentioned thought it ended too abruptly. To me there are a couple of pages or scenes missing that would have ended it much better.

Overall if you like Cozy mysteries this is a good read.

Secrets Between the Shelves is a faith-based cozy mystery anthology with four novellas by four different authors.

The four mysteries are:

Murder in the Mystery Section by Cynthia Hickey
The Secret Passage Bookshop by Linda Baten Johnson
By Hook or By Book by Teresa Ives Lilly
The Missing Chapter by Marilyn Turk

All four mysteries are different stories with different characters in different cities. The common thread is that all four stories are mysteries set in bookshops. There is a pirate-themed bookshop, a rare bookshop/tearoom, a bayside bookshop, and a bookshop with a secret passageway.

Each novella contains between 11 and 14 chapters and can be read in one sitting. The mysteries aren't overly complex, but they are all entertaining and worth a read. All four writers are talented and do a good job of structuring the mysteries and offering glimpses into their characters and bookshops.

The stories contain some faith-based content but they are not heavy-handed or preachy.

I would recommend Secrets Between the Shelves to readers who like cozy mystery novellas, clean reads, and faith-based reads.

I got a free ARC of this book from Net Galley and Barbour. All opinions are my own.

"Secrets Between the Shelves (4 Cozy Bookshop Mysteries)" by Cynthia Hickey, Linda Baten Johnson, Teresa Ives, and Merilyn Turk are all Christian Bookstore Cozy Mysteries. The fourth story is more bookstore adjacent since the crime takes place in a book store but the main character is the only one of the four that doesn't work in or own a bookstore. The fourth one also has the least of the side Christian theme but it is still there.

All four are quick reads. The first story is a bit choppy on its transitions but an interesting story. The second story needs a bit of a trigger warning. It covers the subject of child/human trafficking. The third story was a but predictable but mostly in that the suspect was a little on the obvious side. For the fourth one there was a bit more put into the main character's relationship than in her investigation, so I didn't quite see that ending coming.

This is a nice set of clean cozy mystery stories. Each story focuses on a murder mystery centered in a bookstore.
I received an advanced reader's copy of the book from Barbour Books through NetGalley. This is my unsolicited opinion. I enjoyed the four quick and cozy reads. Each are told in first person by the main character. Three are voiced by the store owner and the fourth is by the store owner across the street from the bookstore.
"Through the Looking Glass" Amber Swanson is the new owner of the store. On her opening day Mrs. Peabody accuses her of stealing a vintage book. On the second day, a murder occurs. Despite warnings to stop trying to investigate the situation, Amber continues to try and prove her innocence with the help of the victims' nephew, Brandt Thompson. Amber's grandmother is a hoot in this story.
"The Secret Passage Bookstore" The owner, Abby, is trying to get her bookstore prepped for opening. Zach Cooper is working on the reconstruction of the building.
Abby discovers a body and things get intense. There are several valuable secondary characters in this story. Ben True is a mentor who she works for at the Rocking T Ranch. Sheriff Hawthorn and he are protective of Abby in a tough sort of way. There's good humor here.
"By Hook or By Book" A bookshop in Maine with a pirate ambiance. Lily Carter just knew this would bring people to the door. College students show up to ask for work. Someone else is bringing break-ins to the new store. A police officer, Dwayne Forgione, shows up to investigate. As a reader I got a kick out of his corny jokes. Oh, a dead body shows up too. This is a good murder mystery.
"The Missing Chapter" Kelly Stephens, new owner of Artistic Adventures, introduces herself to Matilda "Tillie" Thompson the clerk and Jep Pennington, owner of Bayside Books and Reading Room. She is seeking artists to partner with for inventory in her store. She thinks this will be a good area to settle her business in. Within days she questions her decision about a great place with a death in the bookstore and learning of the missing wife of the owner. I like the diligence of Kelly when she just knew something wasn't right. Nice display of faith in this story.
I recommend this collection of stories for those who like a cozy read and good clean mysteries.

I expected to enjoy this one more than I did, as usually I love when books have bookstore settings, and was excited to see how this would fit into the cozy mystery genre. However, I found the majority of these stories were a bit lacking, and the mysteries ended up being rushed and not plotted out as well as I was hoping for.

That being said, my favorite of the four was By Hook or By Book, and I pretty much breezed right through it. The mystery was compelling, the characters were interesting, and the plot moved at a quick pace, while still making sure everything was explained along the way. I'd probably give this particular title 4.5/5.

Overall, this was still a fun collection, and I enjoyed how each author was able to take the same plot starting point and still pen a story completely different from any of the others. I personally enjoyed last year's Barbour cozy mystery novella collection release (Death By Food Truck) more than I did this one, but it was still a cute collection with a faith foundation and sweet romances that added to the story rather than taking away from it.

If you're a fan of cozy mysteries that are clean and heartwarming, then this collection may be something you want to go ahead and give a try.

Final Rating: 3/5.



Thanks so much to Barbour for allowing me to advance read and review this title!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Barbour) via NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review.

Secrets Between the Shelves is the first time I am reading from any of the four authors works. This is a Cozy Bookshop Mystery. This is kind of a new genre to me, and I could see the draw to it.
I loved that each one had a tie to bookshops and also some faith aspect to it. I enjoyed each story. I look forward to reading some more coy mysteries in the future.
In all 4 stories the romance was light and perfect. The murder element was light and nothing graphic. The humor was evident, and the mystery was fun.

This was a nice collection of Christian Cozy Mysteries. It might miss its target audience by not including this in the description or summary.

Each story is well-written and has relatable characters. I did enjoy a couple of the stories more than others. This is for you if you are looking for a good, clean mystery with some romance. Happy Reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for an ARC for an Honest review.

I was excited to receive a review copy of this as I love cozy mysteries, bookshop settings, and we have some Christian elements sprinkled in that I appreciated. I would say my favorite story was the 1st one, as it reminded me of the Aurora Teagarden mysteries on Hallmark. If you love Hallmark mysteries, I think you will love these 4 novella mysteries.

Thanks NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for my copy of Secret Between the Shelves. All opinions are my own.

Fantastic book with many great mysteries! I loved every story, there was not a single one that didn’t pull me in from page one. Great characters and each story keeps you guessing on who the criminal is. I have now added 4 new Amazing cozy mystery authors to my must read list. Each story is clean with bits of faith woven in making them the perfect read that you can’t put down. I will definitely being reading more books from each of these authors!
Was given a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Secrets Between the Shelves is an impressively constructed collection of four engaging novella mysteries by four very talented authors. The common thread is that each story features a murder that occurs in a quaint bookstore. The story- lines are unique with no connection in content to the other stories. All the stories are well-written with mystery that drew me in quickly and kept me guessing to the end. Whatever the location—Arkansas, Wyoming, Maine, or Florida—authentically sketched settings transport you to the scene and help you visualize the story. A dash of sweet romance and inspiring faith add interest to the narratives. All in all this is a very light, entertaining cozy mystery novella collection, and I highly recommend it.
I received a copy of this book from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley with no obligation to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a collection of four novellas that have a bookstore theme running through them.. There are romance and Christian angles, but they are woven in and not overwhelming. Due to the short nature of each story, there was not a lot of character development or intricate storylines. I think I would have enjoyed some of these a bit more if they had been longer stories. There was some predictability to them, but if you are looking for a quick, cozy mystery, these might fit the bill.

I thoroughly enjoyed this compilation of Cozy bookstore mysteries. These were all new authors to me and I am interested in reading more from them now. The addition of faith content was a bonus as well. Not overly preachy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy. This is my honest review.

Secrets Between the Shelves is a compilation of four mysteries taking place around the shelves of a bookstore. All are very enjoyable stories that are fast reading with a bit of romance thrown in with interesting characters. I received a complimentary copy from Barbour Publishing and Net Galley and was under no obligation to post a review.

This book was a compilation of four novellas centered around bookstores. Two things straight off these mini mysteries really didn't have as much to do with bookstores as I would have thought, and two, these are Christian based stories although this was not mentioned in the summary when I requested this book. Neither of these things affected my ability to enjoy the stories but a heads-up to potential readers. Each story had a pleasant story with a small mystery, some being a bigger part of the story than others, however, these stories are definitely short on the mystery and more just nice stories. I definitely enjoyed some more than others, but they were all easy reading and pleasant enough. I would definitely explore more from several of these authors who were all new to me. Thanks to #Netgally, #BarbourFiction, and the authors for an opportunity to try them out! #SecretsBetweentheShelves #CynthiaHickey #MarilynTuck #LindaBatesJohnson #TeresaIvesLilly #bookreview #bookideas #retiredreader

This is a collection of four cozy mysteries, each a sperate stories of intrigue and romance. Each author does a great job bringing their characters to life and keeping you guessing in each case until the end.

"Secrets Between the Shelves" is a great Novella collection from Barbour. These four stories are well written cozy mysteries with a dose of Christian faith. I liked how each novella revolved around a mystery in a bookstore. All four stories were great, but the last story was my favourite.
I highly recommend this collection. These stories are all cleanly written with just a bit of kissing. There are murders and danger in each of the stories, but nothing too descriptive. Each story are separate and in no way connected.
Thank you Barbour Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions expressed are my one. The book releases 2/1/25

4 bookstores, 4 stories, 4 murders, lots of mayhem!
1. Murder in the Mystery Section - Imagine opening a new bookstore & tearoom and finding a dead woman on the floor! Amber finds herself involved in a real life mystery that involves more than scones and murder.
2. The Secret Passage Bookshop - Abby buys a run down building to turn into a bookstore. While looking the building over, she gets bopped in the head. As the mystery develops, the bookstore and her very live is threatened. Follow this mystery of books, secret passages & tacos to find out more.
3. By Hook or by Book - Lily makes her dream come true of owning a bookshop in Maine. When a dead pirate is found in her bookstore, it threatens more than just the store.
4. The Missing Chapter - Kelly opens her store and witnesses a very suspicious death. Can she prove the bookshop owner next is innocent?
Lovely short stories of murder, suspicion & books! All are well written, with characters you can relate to. I received a complimentary copy of this book by Barbour Publishing & was under no obligation to post a review.

I wish I could give it a higher rating, but unfortunately, it didn't meet my expectations. 😕

The stories were pretty good, but underwhelming and predictable. The mystery aspect of each story was, for the most part, not very mysterious. I wasn't sitting on the edge of my seat or hurriedly reading the book to see whodunnit. The characters were good, but a bit bland in my opinion. The setting in each story was nice and fit well with each plot. The faith aspect of the book was a gentle reminder that God is with us always and wants the best for us, despite horrible circumstances that occur due to evil in this world or by imperfect humans. 🙏🏼

But that's all I really have to say about it. If I had to choose my favorite story, it would have to be the first one. But that one was also pretty underwhelming.

I received an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and statements are my own.