Thank you #NetGalley and #SevernHouse for this ARC!
I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy bookshop mystery starring Charlotte James, writer of Steve Sheppard's bestselling mystery series, who decides to take a break and return to her quiet hometown of Austin to rethink her life choices.
There, she reunites with her friend Zane, who was on the verge of opening her own business when her partner vanishes and leaves her high and dry. It's the opportunity Charley was waiting for to turn her life around, open her own bookstore, and lend a hand to Zane.
But things get complicated when her former partner's body is found, and Detective Grant and Agent Donaldson enter the scene, while Charley and her assistant, Poe the cat, work against the clock to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.
It's an entertaining, fun, and well-paced read, and I can't wait to continue reading the series.
#MurderOnTheBooks #CozyBookshopMystery

An author turned bookstore owner in a cozy mystery, sign me up! This book was great and was everything I wanted in a cozy. I can't wait for more in the series!

This book has everything: bookstores, tea, and a cat sidekick. A very fun read! I enjoyed following Charley and Poe as they unspooled the mystery. This is not my usual genre, but I feel like I certainly fit the demographic. It gave me all the cozy feels.

'Murder on the Books' follows Charlotte (Charley) James, a successful thriller writer who after experiencing a burnout decides to take a break and go back to her hometown, where not everyone knows about her author status as she has been writing her books under a pseudonym. Through an interesting turn of events, Charley finds herself in charge of a bookshop, as her best friend's business partner Sheila suddenly disappears, which in turn puts her in the middle of a murder mystery when she ends up discovering Sheila's dead body in the basement.

The book certainly lives up to the cosy mystery claim, it's a fun and fast read that keeps you invested. The plot isn't too complex, and it does require some suspension of disbelief in regards to the circumstances, but that is pretty much the norm of the genre, especially when it involves a civilian main character taking it on their own to investigate a murder. Charley felt real and relatable, her connection with her best friend felt refreshing, and the approach that the book takes to experiencing a burnout, needing a break, and to mental health in general, feels also quite realistic. With a plot that involves its main protagonist moving to a small town, taking over a bookstore, adopting a cat, and using their intellect to solve a crime, there's a lot to like here.

As this is the first of the 'Cozy Bookshop mystery' books, the characters are newly introduced and their circumstances are just being established, but the book soon finds its pace and becomes both a highly enjoyable read and a promising beginning to the series.

Big thank you to Severn House for providing an advance review copy. The book is coming out on the 1st of July, 2025.

Murder on the Books by TC LoTempio is a cute cozy mystery with humor and small town charm. I really enjoy TC LoTempio’s writing style, I have read a few books of hers in the past. All of her books have very relatable characters and lots of humor and wit. Easy and fast reads but extremely enjoyable. Highly recommended if you love cozy mysteries!


Thank you #NetGalley and #SevernHouse for this ARC!

⭐️ 5/5
First person POV, single narrative
Linear timeline
FMC: Charlotte/Charley

This is exactly what the cover says, a cozy bookshop mystery. I sped through this and it was a major page turner! I also appreciate the glimpse of chemistry Charley experiences and hope to see more of that romantic tension tied into future books in this series.
I love the sub-plot of Poe, Charley’s unexpected little sidekick and support pet!

Thank you Severn House for providing me this ARC via NetGalley for review consideration! All opinions are my own.

Murder on the Books is your fairly standard, cosy mystery. Books, a cat, a stubborn female protagonist, and a brooding romantic interest - it ticks all the usual boxes.

The story is narrated by Charlotte (Charley) James, who is tired of writing bestselling crime novels and decides to take a break and move back to her hometown. For some reason no one in her home town knows she became an author (she writes under a pseudonym) and she decides to lie when anyone asks what she did for work in New York, also for further unknown reasons. However, mysteries can't seem to stay away from Charley when she discovers a body and sets out to solve the crime.

The mystery is fairly basic and easy to follow, not much brain power required, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why Charley decided to investigate. It's not like the police aren't also investigating, and at some points, she hinders their efforts by stealing and withholding evidence and important information. I genuinely hoped she would be arrested for interfering in police business. The reasons she gives for not trusting the police I think is that one of the officers is hot and the other one she didn't get on well at school with? There's also a bit of "I'm not like other girls" going on. Charley actually says this at one point when the hot detective comments on her drinking black coffee, something which no woman has done before ever.

I've been quite harsh in this review, but Murder on the Books still kept me entertained. If you like a cosy mystery, then you'll enjoy this. If you don't, you won't.

Unfortunately did not finish. This book was a little *too* cozy for me from the very beginning. The way the characters speak to each other didn't feel natural, which kept me from really feeling immersed in the story. Plus the ease with which the main character returns to her hometown and takes over an investment on a bookstore just wasn't believable. A small thing to be bothered by, but it stuck with me and made the rest of the story hard to buy into.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

What a nice cozy mystery book. I enjoyed it more because it was a fast read that kept me going.

Highly recommend.

I always like to read cozy mysteries with cats on the covers! Thankfully, the cat on the cover was in the book. I really enjoyed this lighter cozy mystery. Nothing dark but the characters were likeable and I liked the concept of a mystery writer solving a murder! It was a fast read but always enjoyable

I can’t wait to read the next book in the Charlie James saga! This cozy book was more suspenseful than I was expecting and the character driven story was what kept me reading. Loved the cat in the story as well. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Charlotte James, a very successful but secretive mystery author, is taking a break from writing and returned to her hometown to decide what to do next. She arrives back in Austin, Pennsylvania, to discover her lifelong best friend, Zane, a successful baker, who was about to open her own bakery in a double store front is in trouble. Her business partner has skipped town leaving the book store half of the new venture dead in the water and suddenly Charley knows exactly what she's doing next; she knows all about books, how hard could it be? Of course that was before she found a dead body and turned her store into a crime scene!  Can Charley solve the mystery, get the shop ready, and stop thinking too much about the new Homicide Detective as well as opening on time?

I love T C LoTempio's two other series but came to them late so was excited to be able to read this right from the beginning and I wasn't disappointed. I like Charley, Zane, and Poe the cat, all of whom will, I'm sure, have great adventures together. The will they, won't they, relationship between Charley and the detective is also fun and I'm looking forward to reading more.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Severn House, but the opinions expressed are my own. This is a great start and is recommended.

Who ever said that working in a bookstore is a safe job?

In what I hope to be the first of many in a series, we meet author turned bookstore proprietress Charley James. A successful thriller author that writes under a pseudonym, she takes a break by going back to her hometown of Austin and catches up with her best friend Zane. Zane's business partner recently backed out of their dual bookshop-bakery property and thinks she'll have to forfeit her dream until Charley takes over the literary side. As the two women prepare to open the business, they make a gruesome discovery that brings question upon question along with it.

This book does a wonderful job of introducing the reader to a new cast of characters, while also establishing the cozy vibes that one often associates with their own hometown. Charley is very likeable, and I kept waiting for someone to figure out her writer identity. The introduction of a cat always helps a book for me, so Poe is a sassy and welcome addition to the entirety of the story.

The mystery itself kept me guessing for quite awhile, thinking that I had nailed down the killer early on. The author does a great job of providing legitimate suspects, instead of trying to convince readers to fall for an obvious red herring. The chemistry between Charley and a character (whose name I will not mention to prevent spoilers) is that exciting sizzle, providing room for future romance building.

The way that the author also deals with mental health is honest and doesn't shy away from discussing it as real people would. Bravo for this!

I for one hope that this isn't the last I've read about Charley, Poe and company.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

Charley, a retired writer moves back to her hometown in order to take a much needed writing break. Her life is turned upside down when a business partner of her friend disappears and a real life murder takes place.

This book is a quick, entertaining and even sometimes a funny read, with an interesting cast of characters. It has all the qualities of a cozy mystery- an amateur sleuth, a cat companion, a bookshop and a small quaint town. As I read a lot of cozies, the the mystery itself felt a little predictable but then this happens often with books in this genre. It reads so well though, that I didn't mind this much. I'd also give it an additional star for the budding romance story line!

Overall I really liked this book, it has good pacing, reads like a pleasure. This is what I what I call a perfect cozy mystery! I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this new series.

I really enjoyed this cosy mystery and found the characters to be relatable and well developed.
Charley has moved back to her home town from NYC, hiding the fact that she is a best selling mystery writer from all but her best friend. Needing a break from her plot twists, she decides to help her best friend out and jointly open a bookstore and bakery. When Charley is sifting through boxes of stock ahead of opening, she finds the body of the previous owner!
This embroils her into a plot worthy of her own writing skills. With twists, surprises and plenty of suspects, Charley throws herself in, much to the dismay of Ian Grant, the homicide detective.
Sparks fly between them and around them as former prom Queen Barbie also has her sights on him.
A great read, I would certainly like to see more from this series! Poe might be the best character- certainly a favourite of mine!

We are introduced to Charlotte 'Charley' James as she arrives back in her quiet home town. Charles is a bestselling Author who writes under the name C. J Barrett, and is taking a break due to writers block, Charleys BFF Zane, is supposed to be opening a bakery, her business partner Sheila opening a bookstore in the other side. When Sheila disappears leaving a note, Charley steps in to open the bookstore. When checking out the basement Charley comes across an antique trunk, finding Sheila's dead body inside, a victim of stabbing. The Book then follows Charley and newly adopted cat Poe as she attempts to do some investigating herself. But will she get to the bottom of what happened to Sheila before the killer gets to her?

This is the first in a new series of books by the author. It had quite a small town cozy feel to it, despite the murder. Nothing overly detailed that could be too gruesome, or scary.
Aside from the murder we have a difficult relationship between the BFFS and the towns Police officer, relating back to their school days. A possible future relationship between Charley and the Detective called in to help on the case. Along with friendships old and new.
I felt like I had a good intro to the characters and I look forward to seeing how they progress in the next installment. The perfect book for those who prefer a murder mystery to a thriller.

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to read a Hallmark Mystery movie in book format, wonder no more. Murder on the Books from best-selling author T.C. LoTempio is as close as you will ever get.

By the way, that is not a bad thing. In fact, from a cozy mystery perspective, it’s a great thing!

I could practically see the movie play out in my mind's eye as I read it. And I loved it.

The story goes that Charley James is a best-selling author who writes under the pseudonym CJ Barrett - but only her best friend knows that.

Tired and needing a break, she has returned to her hometown of Austin, Pennsylvania, after more than a decade in New York.

When her best friend's business partner, Sheila, ups and disappears, Charley steps in to take over the lease on her bookshop.

It's only then that Charley makes a grim discovery - Sheila's body in the basement of the bookstore.

Now she's on a mission to find the killer - much to the frustration of Detective Ian Grant.

But can she find out whodunit before the culprit strikes again?

--------------------------------

I loved this book. It's a quintessentially cozy mystery that ticks all of the right boxes. Great characters, plotting, and enough clues to keep you engaged in trying to guess the killer.

There are a lot of chatty townsfolk who are happy to give Charley all the info she needs, which is highly unrealistic, but it's a plot device, and it works to move the story along.

There's a budding romance, lovely friendships, and an impending bookstore opening in a quaint town - what's not to love?

Perfect for cozy mystery fans, maybe not so much if you prefer something a little grittier.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read Murder on the Books by T.C. LoTempio in exchange for my honest opinion.

ARC review: Exactly as described -- a "cozy mystery!" I can't articulate what exactly makes this a cozy mystery, but it was a fun, quick murder-mystery read. I enjoyed the small moments here and there, where Charley goes around the small town following up on clues or leads. Being from a small town, it makes me oddly appreciative of the close-knit and slower pace of small towns. I do wish there was more bookshop/cafe action because that is the dream but this is the first of the series, but I like the premise, surroundings, and characters. On the mystery aspect - it was fairly average, but still good and I'm glad I was able to read this one. I will check out the author's other books while awaiting for an eventual sequel :)

(thanks netgalley, the publisher, and author!)

ARC Review

Thank you for allowing me to read this ARC.

A cosy mystery. I really enjoyed the premise of a witty mystery author solving mysteries herself. Also Poe. I really appreciate a pet and also that the cat on the cover is actually in the book! It’s overall just an enjoy name read, not outstanding but nice to sit down and relax with.

What really lacked for me was suspense. There were many moments that shocked me. As the first book in the series, it feels like it was introducing the setting and characters of the small town more than the plot for much of the book. For such a short book this left me a little disappointed.

This is my first read by T.C. and I LOVED it! It was the perfect cozy mystery, it gave me everything I needed. It was a perfect break from some of the more intense mysteries and romance books that I usually read. I would definitely go back to this series or read some of their others books.