Little Bookshop of Murder by Maggie Blackburn

Little Bookshop of Murder (A Beach Reads Mystery, #1)

by Maggie Blackburn

A Shakespearean scholar inherits her mother’s romance bookstore—and a puzzling mystery—in this delightful cozy mystery series for fans of Kate Carlisle and Ellery Adams.

Summer Merriweather’s career as a Shakespeare professor hangs by a bookbinder’s thread. Academic life at her Virginia university is a viper’s pit, so Summer spends her summer in England, researching a scholarly paper that, with any luck, will finally get her published, impress the Dean, and save her job. But her English idyll ends when her mother, Hildy, shuffles off her mortal coil from an apparent heart attack.

Returning to Brigid’s Island, North Carolina, for the funeral, Summer is impatient to settle the estate, sell Beach Reads—her mom’s embarrassingly romance-themed bookstore—and go home. But as she drops by Beach Reads, Summer finds threatening notes addressed to Hildy: “Sell the bookstore or die.”

Clearly, something is rotten on Brigid’s Island. What method is behind the madness? Was Hildy murdered? The police insist there’s not enough evidence to launch a murder investigation. Instead, Summer and her Aunt Agatha screw their courage to the sticking place and start sleuthing, with the help of Hildy’s beloved book club. But there are more suspects on Brigid’s Island than are dreamt of in the Bard’s darkest philosophizing. And if Summer can’t find the villain, the town will be littered with a Shakespearean tragedy’s worth of corpses—including her own.

Reviewed by Baroness Book Trove on

5 of 5 stars

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I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Little Bookshop of Murder by Maggie Blackburn gives a new take on characters within the cozy mystery genre.

Can Summer Merriweather figure out who killed her mom?


Summer Merriweather


Summer Merriweather is our main character and the daughter of the first victim for the series Hilda Merriweather, aka Hildy. She is a thirty-two-year-old only child who has a doctorate in Shakespearan literature and is a college professor. Summer is an interesting character for a sleuth as she analyzes things logically before doing anything, and she has had a plan for her entire life that is being postponed a bit. I like that throughout the book, we see Summer change in her ways of thinking a bit, and I love that about her. Another thing that I love about her is that she speaks her mind a lot. I would love to be able to visit Beach Reads and take a look through their many selections of romance and mystery books on their shelves.

The Mystery


The mystery is a straightforward one. Who and why would anyone kill Hildy Merriweather? Hildy is a prominent member of the town, and everyone loved her. Except for one person. Hildy Merriweather died of a heart attack but showed no symptoms of one. Plus, she was a healthy sixty-year-old woman who was a vegetarian and led an active lifestyle. Whoever it was didn't like her a lot and wanted her gone. The same goes for her daughter. I guessed who did it, but I did sadly guessed the motive wrong. So beware of not only the red herrings but false motives. 
Five Stars

Little Bookshop of Murder by Maggie Blackburn is a great book. I loved every minute of reading it. Summer is a great character, and I can't wait to see what else this Shakespearean professor does in this small island town. Especially if it is another murder investigation or even to see what she has done to Beach Reads. Ms. Blackburn is a great author. It's five stars and a recommendation worthy of this Karen the Baroness. 


Giveaway


Prize: (1) Novella Killer Spring Fling. (e-book only) and a $10 Amazon gift card.

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This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 7 September, 2020: Finished reading
  • 7 September, 2020: Reviewed