Reviewed by annieb123 on
Murder at the Priory Hotel is the fourth Flora Steele bookshop historical cozy by Merryn Allingham. Due out 8th July 2022, it's 269 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. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free (along with the rest of the series).
I love small-town cozies, historical mysteries, and light British crime. This one ticked a lot of boxes for me. It's capably written with an intelligent and appealing young bookstore owner investigating a murder yet again in the company of her crime writer friend. The story is satisfyingly twisty with numerous disparate plot threads intertwining ever closer into a satisfying denouement and resolution. The action does move resolutely forward, and it never drags, so although simple, it's an enjoyable and engaging read. There is no bad language or triggering content. It has a nice historical nostalgic and safe vibe and was a relaxing and fun read.
Four stars. This is an enjoyable historical bookshop cozy. Fans of the genre will find a lot to like here. With four books extant, it also makes a good candidate for a weekend binge read. The mystery and resolution are self contained and the necessary back-story is written into the story so readers won't have any trouble following along with the plot if they hop in here.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 14 July, 2022: Reviewed