annieb123
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Murder Between the Pages is a standalone historical mystery set in the 1940s by Josh Lanyon. Originally released in 2016, it's 157 pages and is available in 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.
The author is adept and prolific and usually known for cozy M/M romantic mysteries. This entry starts with a (literal) bang with a shooting in a bookstore. It provides the setting for a perfect locked room puzzle leading to a cleverly constructed denouement and satisfying resolution.
There are some pacing issues in the first half of the book but readers are compensated for sticking around with a well rounded and engaging solution. As in much of the rest of the author's oeuvre, an enemies to lovers subplot is a significant part of the read. The romance content is between two rival male authors and there's a fair bit of delightful dialogue where they're sparring about their supposed mutual loathing for each other's fictive sleuth (and one another in general).
Four stars. Short, well written, and fun.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes