The plot thickens for American gothic writer Penelope Parish when a murder near her quaint British bookshop reveals a novel’s worth of killer characters.Penelope Parish has hit a streak of bad luck, including a severe case of writer’s block that is threatening her sophomore book. Hoping a writer in residence position at The Open Book bookstore in Upper Chumley-on-Stoke, England, will shake the … will shake the cobwebs loose, Pen, as she’s affectionately known, packs her typewriter and heads across the pond.
Unfortunately, life in Chumley is far from quiet and when the chairwoman of the local Worthington Fest is found dead, fingers are pointed at Charlotte Davenport, an American romance novelist and the future Duchess of Worthington. Charlotte turns to the one person who might be her ally for help: fellow American Pen. Teaming up with bookstore owner Mabel Morris and her new friend Figgy, Pen sets out to learn the truth and find the tricks that will help her finish her novel.
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This is a good start to a new series
You can check out my booktube video review at https://youtu.be/sAzduUP2WP8
or read my review on my blog at https://lisasiefert.com/murder-in-the-margins-by-margaret-loudon-the-open-book-mysteries/
Ready for a short trip to England? No baggage required. Tag along with newly published author, Penelope Parish, as she heads to the charming English village of Upper Chumley-on-Stoke. She has been chosen as the new writer-in-residence at the local bookstore, the Open Book. She plans to break through her writer’s block and finish up her second American Gothic novel. Pen’s plans are suddenly sidetracked by a murder at the Duke of Worthington’s manor house. Investigating the murder proves to be an excellent distraction from her frustration with the plot of the book she is writing. Can Pen solve the local murder as well as keep her fictional heroine from being TSTL (Too Stupid To LIve)? With the help of her new friends Figgy and Mabel, as well as her lovely tuxedo cat, Mrs. Danvers, anything is possible. Grab a cuppa at the Open Book’s tea shop, the Teapot, and follow along as the gothic-inspired cozy plot unfolds. One question does remain unanswered. Is there a Lower Chumley-on-Stoke? Safe travels. Enjoy!
Murder in the Margins is the first book in a new series by Margaret Loudon. Penelope “Pen” Parish is in England for a spell to clear her mind and hopefully eradicate a serious case of writer’s block. She’ll never meet her book deadline if she can’t unfreeze her brain. Pen believes taking a writer-in-residence position in Chumley-on-Stoke will be just what she needs.
What she doesn’t need is to deal with the suspicious death of the Worthington Fest chairwoman, Regina Bosworth. Deal with it, Pen does, however, and she finds herself donning an amateur sleuth’s cap to assist Charlotte Davenport. Charlotte is set to wed a Duke and is now a strong person of interest in the murder. Pen finds no shortage of suspects who could have taken Regina’s life but figuring out the motive is harder than she expected.
Well, I seem to one of the few readers who had a hard time really getting into Murder in the Margins. I can’t put my finger on the problem but I typically devour cozy mysteries and this book took me over a week to get through. I did find there were blunt shifts in thoughts, conversations, and actions so maybe those were my issues. The characters were fine, the mystery was well-thought out, and Pen didn’t make too many rookie mistakes. I just wasn’t as engaged in Murder in the Margins as I usually am when it comes to cozies.
I plan to continue with the series and hope I am able to be more engaged in the next book.
I was provided a copy of this book to read.
Murder In The Margins is the first book in The Open Book Mysteries series by Margaret Loudon.
Penelope(Pen) Parish was happily pleased and surprised when her first book hit the bestseller list. But now that she is starting work on her second book, she faces the “sophomore jinx” and is having a severe case of writer’s block. But good fortune must have been on her side when she saw an ad in Writer’s magazine for writer-in-residence at the Open Book bookstore in England. Pen was very happy when she received an email telling her she got the position and that they were looking forward to working with her.
When Pen arrives in Upper Chumley-on-Stoke, she notices that the annual Worthington Fest will begin the next day. The Fest will be held on Lord Worthington’s estate and will be a chance for the attendees to meet Worthington’s fiancee, Charlotte Davenport, an American romance author, and view the estate. The fest has opened, and Pen and Mabel Morris, proprietor of the Open Book bookstore, have their stall ready to greet visitors. Pen hears a scream from near the step to the lower level and soon finds Gladys Watkins screaming that there is a dead body in the basement. Pen and India, a friend and customer of Open Book, proceed to the basement and find the body of Regina Bosworth in a walk-in freezer.
Regina Bosworth was the chairwoman of the Worthington Fest. Mrs. Bosworth has a reputation in Chumley as opinionated, snobby, and bossy. Also, she has been very vocal that she thought her daughter should be the one marrying Lord Worthington.
Pen and Charlotte have met before. They had attended the same writer’s conference and sat on a panel together. So, when Charlotte becomes a person of interest with the police, she asks Pen to do some sleuthing. Pen soon finds no shortage of possible suspects, ranging from Regina’s husband to other residents and Charlotte’s secretary.
I really liked this book. I felt the story was well-written and plotted. I thought the characters were all well-developed, believable, and engaging. I’m looking forward to learning more about the bookstore and its customers. I found a couple of the Open Book’s lady customers to be immensely entertaining. I’m also interested in seeing if anything will start to develop between Pen and Detective Maguire.
I’m eagerly awaiting the book in this beautiful new series.