The Fatal Folio (Cambridge Bookshop, #3)

by Elizabeth Penney

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Fatal Folio is the third Cambridge Bookshop cozy by Elizabeth Penney. Released 24th Oct 2023 by Macmillan on their St. Martin's Press imprint, it's 288 pages and is available in mass market paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.

This is a fun and engaging bookstore cozy set in Cambridge (the one in the UK). This installment follows on from the previous books with MC Molly back again to help untangle an academic adjacent murder and a previously undiscovered Gothic manuscript in her boyfriend's family's ancestral library..

The book is admittedly formulaic, but it is very well written and fun and full of the whimsical amateur cozy vibe which keeps readers of the genre ticking over the pages. I liked Molly's enthusiasm and honesty. There's some romance, but it doesn't overpower the plot. There were a few twists on the way, and the ending is satisfying and complete. The language is squeaky clean without on page violence.

Four stars, entertaining and full of whimsy. With three books extant in the series and a fourth due out in late fourth quarter 2024, it would make a good choice for a series binge or buddy read. With a popular, prolific, competent author and a mainstream publisher, it will likely already be on the acquisition lists for most public libraries and would be worth a search for fans of shopfront light whimsical cozies.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.