The Vanishing Type
A Charming Bookish Cozy Mystery
by Ellery Adams
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Pub Date Apr 26 2022 | Archive Date Jun 30 2022
Kensington Books | Kensington Cozies
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Description
While January snow falls outside in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, Nora Pennington is encouraging customers to cozy up indoors with a good book. Even though the shop and her bibliotherapy sessions keep Nora busy during the day, her nights are a little too quiet—until Deputy Andrews pulls Nora into the sci-fi section and asks her to help him plan a wedding proposal.
His bride-to-be, Hester, loves Little Women, and Nora sets to work arranging a special screening at the town’s new movie theater. But right before the deputy pops the question, Nora makes an unsettling discovery—someone has mutilated all her store’s copies of The Scarlet Letter, slicing angrily into the pages wherever Hester Prynne’s name is mentioned.
The coincidence disturbs Nora, who’s one of the few in Miracle Springs who knows that Hester gave up a baby for adoption many years ago. Her family heaped shame on her, and Hester still feels so guilty that she hasn’t even told her future husband. But when a dead man is found on a hiking trail just outside town, carrying a rare book, the members of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society unearth a connection to Hester’s past. Someone is intent on bringing the past to light, and it’s not just Hester’s relationship at stake, but her life. . .
“Captivating…Bibliophilic cozy fans will be in heaven.” – Publishers Weekly
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9781496726445 |
PRICE | $26.00 (USD) |
PAGES | 304 |
Featured Reviews
Nora owns a bookstore she runs with her friend Sheldon, has 4 wonderful best friends, a new love interest, lives in an refurbished caboose, has a wonderful backstory and always talks books. What’s not to like? Adam’s characters seem very real, people I’d like to hang out with, and the mystery is always good.. I find each book stronger than the last as we experience everyday life and of course murder with this crew.
Ellery Adams' Secret, Book, and Scone Society Mysteries are a cut above most other cozy mystery series because the characters are mature, grounded, and relatable, and the plots are well thought out and thoroughly engrossing. They don't feel frivolous or silly, but they are endlessly entertaining (trust me--I've read all five).
Four women who own or manage businesses in Miracle Springs, NC started the Society a few years back when they discovered that each of them had a well-kept and harrowing secret that she longed to reveal to just a few trusted friends. Nora is the leader and protagonist, but this story also features Hester, owner of the Gingerbread House Bakery. Hester's boyfriend, a police detective, has plans to propose to her and is pretty confident she will accept, but he doesn't know about her secret. As the book progresses, more disturbing details about Hester's background are revealed, and more than one murder occurs in this quiet town. At the same time, Nora and her police chief beau are trying to figure out why a stack of books in her Miracle Books shop have been defaced, and why a series of old books--each with a different flower on the cover--are showing up in the strangest places.
I particularly love the town of Miracle Springs and the characters of the four Society members. Also keeping things fun and interesting are Nora's quirky and devoted bookstore employee, her vibrant long-distance best friend, and the bookstore's imaginative and fun events, in addition to the oft-mentioned delicious-sounding bakery treats. And if you enjoy this series, you'll want to look for the author's enthralling 7-book Book Retreat Mysteries, which have an exciting magical realism factor.
My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for allowing me to read and provide an honest review of this book.
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General Fiction (Adult), Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction