Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower

Crime and Poetry (Magical Bookshop Mystery, #1)

by Amanda Flower

From the national bestselling author of the Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries comes the first charming caper in the Magical Bookshop Mystery series.

Rushing home to sit by her ailing grandmother’s bedside, Violet Waverly is shocked to find Grandma Daisy the picture of perfect health. Violet doesn’t need to read between the lines: her grandma wants Violet back home and working in her magical store, Charming Books. It’s where the perfect book tends to fly off the shelf and pick you...

Violet has every intention to hightail it back to Chicago, but then a dead man is discovered clutching a volume of Emily Dickinson’s poems from Grandma Daisy’s shop. The victim is Benedict Raisin, who recently put Grandma Daisy in his will, making her a prime suspect. Now, with the help of a tuxedo cat named Emerson, Violet will have to find a killer to keep Grandma from getting booked for good...

Reviewed by Silvara on

5 of 5 stars

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I received this book for free from Obsidian in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This was such a fun book! I didn't guess who the killer was, I was thinking it was one of two other people. But it made total sense once the reveal happened. I loved Grandma Daisy, she was fun and perfectly fit the mischievous meddling grandma role, with a few extra quirks thrown in.

I also really liked Violet. And how her past slowly revealed itself as clues to the main mystery appeared. There are hints about a love triangle, but honestly her old boyfriend, now the mayor, irked me. I'm really hoping the police chief wins out, and it certainly looked like he was going to. But we'll have to wait and see.

The whole premise of a magical bookstore was neat. Not a lot happened with the store in this one, most likely because it was setting up the series. Books followed Violet around, and a few customers were chosen by a book instead of the other way around. I'm guessing more will happen now that she believes in the store. I can't wait to see what the store will do in the next books. And I really liked the talking crow, and Emerson the cat. All the characters were well-written, with strengths and flaws. The town felt real, and I loved getting to know most of the characters that appeared in the book.

This totally made my keepers shelf, and I can hardly wait to see what happens in the next book!

This review was originally posted on Fantasy of the Silver Dragon

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 20 March, 2016: Finished reading
  • 20 March, 2016: Reviewed