Essie Lang’s second Castle Bookshop mystery is perfect for fans of Lorna Barrett and Vicki Delany.Thousand Islands bookstore owner Shelby Cox sleuths the slaying of a true-crime writer who may have learned too much about a murder case that should have stayed shut.There are a thousand stories in New York’s scenic Thousand Islands, and Bayside Books co-owner Shelby Cox stocks them all. But lately, … Cox stocks them all. But lately, the Blye Island bookseller’s life is more about investigation than inventory. True-crime writer Savannah Page caps off two successful signings at Bayside Books with a night in Blye Castle. She’s there to research Joe Cabana, a colorful Prohibition-era mobster who owned the castle–until he was found dead in the island Grotto.
But crime becomes all too true for Savannah. Her body turns up the next morning, in a secret passage at the bottom of the stairs. The last thing Shelby Cox wants is to sleuth another murder, but she’s intrigued about how a killer could have reached the island after hours. She’s not at a lack for suspects either. It could have been anyone from Savannah’s fiancé, Liam Kennelly, who argued with her the evening before, to island caretaker Matthew Kessler, recently cleared of his wife’s murder. Can Shelby keep regular store hours, elude the police chief, and assemble the clues into a hard-bound case without getting permanently shelved?
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historical-places-events, cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, murder-investigation
A bookshop in a castle on an island in North America is a delightful idea and the fact that it has a matching shop on the mainland year round is good business sense. The co owners are niece and aunt, but the aunt is sidelined with a knee injured too soon after replacement surgery. So niece is tasked with a lot more work including an author’s book signing, issues within the castle management, and a personal need to find out who murdered that author in spite of the cautioning by all of her friends. Let the sleuthing begin! A nicely twisty plot with plenty of red herrings and a budding romance or two. Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
In Death on the Page, Thousand Islands bookstore owner Shelby hosts a signing for true crime author, Savannah Page. The author rounds off her event at the store by spending a night in Blye Castle, to research the topic of her next book. A prohibition-era mobster owned the castle and it’s rumoured that his ghost still haunts the grounds. In an Agatha Christie style plot, Savannah’s body is discovered the next morning, in a secret passage. The only other person there that night was the butler… I loved the bookstore setting, and the banter between the characters!
DEATH ON THE PAGE by Essie Lang is a well-written cozy mystery novel that is the second book in the Castle Bookshop Mystery series. The story takes place in Alexandria Bay and Blye Island, New York and the main character is Shelby Cox.
Shelby is co-owner of two bookstores and she is finishing her first season at the annex store located in a historic castle. She and her aunt Edie arrange to host a true crime author including book signings at both bookstores. The author, Savannah Page, is spending one night in the castle for research for her next book. The next morning Savannah is found dead in the castle. With this interesting setting, the entertaining and absorbing plot unfolds.
The author did a great job of pulling the reader into the setting and characters. Her writing is very picturesque. There were plenty of suspects and red herrings. Shelby’s character is well developed and the writing is such that the reader experiences her emotions. I would like to see more character depth in the secondary characters as the series progresses.
While this is the first book I have read by Essie Lang I look forward to reading the other books in the series. Overall, it was engaging, expressive and compulsively readable.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books, Essie Lang and Net Galley for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
Death on the Page by Essie Lang is the second book in her Castle Bookshop series and was a good addition to the series.
Ms. Lang’s descriptive writing always makes me feel like I’m quite at home both in Alexandria Bay and Blye Island. I enjoyed getting to know more about Shelby and Edie in this one. The characters are developing well and the secondary characters are also growing in this second book. The plot is smoothly paced but did lag some in the middle. There were a few twists and several suspects that Shelby just “had” to question to satisfy her curiosity. The reveal was a dramatic and I enjoyed Erica rescuing Shelby. Girl Power!
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.