Beck O’Rourke and her grandmother own Beach Reads bookstore and coffee shop, a gathering place for locals and tourists, a block off the ocean in Manatee Beach, Florida. They live above the bookstore with Beck’s feisty younger sister, Lizzie, a lifeguard. Beck is excited to host the country’s bestselling cozy mystery writer for a book signing event until a member of the audience turns up dead … up dead later that night.
Afterward, Beck decides to pursue her lifelong dream of being a detective to try to catch the killer. The amateur sleuth finds a slew of suspects, but the murderer isn’t happy about her interference.
Neither is the town’s handsome new police detective who has a history with Beck.
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This may be the start of a new series, but if you have read Somebody in the Neighborhood you will recognize the town and some of the characters including Scratchoff and Dorothy.
This new series features Beck and her grandmother Alice that run a bookstore and cafe in Manatee Beach Florida. Beck has always wanted to be a detective and now she is getting her chance to investigate (on the side) a murder that happened close to their bookstore and was someone they had met.
I enjoyed this cast of characters and I think this will make a wonderful series in this sleepy town in Florida. I foresee a possible romance between Beck and Devon, who is a new detective to the force and someone she knew from college despite the fact that he wants her to stay out of the investigation so she doesn’t get hurt.
The list of possibilities for who the murder might be isn’t too long. There are many that could potentially have a good motive and I wasn’t sure who was the most likely candidate. Let’s just say this person was on my list but I couldn’t figure out why they would be the killer until it was revealed in the end. There are a few clues that might point you in this character’s direction, but not many. You will have to piece together the different clues to get you there.
And for you dog lovers, there is a Great Dane named Coquina (which is the name of a very small shell) and Dorothy’s poodle, Fifi, that we see on a couple of occasions.
Overall a fantastic start to a new series and we give this book 5 paws up.
A Book Signing to Die for by Judy Moore is a great start to a new cozy mystery series! For me it’s all about the characters when it comes to a cozy (and location/hobbies is a close second). They have to be characters I enjoy and could see be friends with in order for me to want to return again and again to their small towns. And with Grandmama and Lizzie, Moore has accomplished this in spades. I liked Grandmama instantly with her crankiness that you just knew was hiding a heart of gold. Lizzie took me a bit to warm up to, but she seems so wise and confident for a 19 year old that she won me over.
And even the characters that aren’t so nice, like the jewelry shop owners and the guest author (at least at first) are written really well. Moore seems to have the character descriptions down perfectly.
As for the town and surrounding areas, Moore describes them so you feel as if you are really there and want to take a look around. I love that Beck, Lizzie, and their Grandmama live upstairs from the bookstore, and both are described in such great detail that I want to visit the shop and live above it myself!
There is a bit of a love interest sparking with the detective, so I’m interested to see where that goes. In this book he kept telling Beck not to investigate, and it does get really dangerous at one point, but we’ll see if he changes his tune and starts to help her a bit in future books.
And the whodunnit was done very well. I didn’t figure out the killer early. I thought it was two other people working together, and I was not even close. A fantastic start and I look forward to visiting the O’Rourke ladies and their Florida town again soon!
A Book Signing To Die For: Beach Reads
By Judy Moore
5 out of 5 stars
I loved reading the book A Book Signing To Die For: Beach Reads by Judy Moore. It is a cozy mystery that hooked me in from the beginning and I found myself not wanted to put it down until I had finished the last page. I loved the character of Beck O’Rourke. She and her grandmother own a bookstore. Beck has always wanted to be a detective so when a member of the audience at a book signing event ends up murdered, she becomes determined to investigate. Beck soon finds herself with a bunch of suspects. However, someone doesn’t want Beck to find out the truth. Will Beck solve the case before the murderer can stop her interference? There is a new police detective in town. He is both handsome and someone with whom Beck has had a history. What does the future hold for Beck? Read this book to find out. Beck is intelligent, kind, and tenacious. She is not someone who backs down. I also enjoyed reading about Beck’s younger sister Lizzie. While Beck sometimes only sees the differences between them, at times Beck finds that she and Lizzie think alike. This story has mystery, an investigation, danger, and a bit of romance. It is a story that I would highly recommend reading.
A fun cozy mystery book! I really enjoyed this book set in Manatee Beach, Florida! Beck and her grandmother run a bookshop and café. The bookstore is hosting an author talk and book signing for famous cozy mystery author, Marcia Graybill. When a group of tourists comes into the store, the older woman recognizes the author as a former classmate. She decides to attend the book signing while her son and daughter-in-law go to dinner. The woman, Peggy Davidson, has been flashing around her valuable emerald ring at the bookstore event and the author does not seem very pleased to see one of her former classmates. Following the signing, Peggy’s son and daughter-in-law show up at the bookstore looking for her. Later that evening, Beck and her sister, Lizzie, are awakened by police activity in the alley behind the store. Peggy has been found dead and her emerald ring missing, apparently from a mugging. Beck is upset by the incident and it doesn’t help that the detective on the case is someone she knew in college and shared an embarrassing moment with during one of her classes. Beck sets out to investigate with the help of her grandmother to find the truth about what happened to Peggy. A truly enjoyable book set in a charming Florida beach town with interesting characters and an intriguing storyline. I enjoyed following Beck and her grandmother as they searched for the killer. The killer was a definite surprise to me and one I didn’t see coming. I look forward to reading more of this series and hopefully seeing a relationship develop between Beck and Devon. Highly recommend!
Judy Moore has created an immersive mystery in this quick read. Join Beck, her grandmother, and her sister Lizzie in Manatee Beach, Florida in their bookstore and coffee shop. Become a detective with Beck and help solve the murder.
Be prepared; not everyone will be happy to help you or will want you to solve this mystery!
Beck O’Rourke and her grandmother, who Beck affectionately calls grammy, own Beach Reads bookstore and coffee shop. It’s a place where locals and tourists alike can stop in to get their favorite books to read while on the beach, or to stop in for a snack and get out of the sun for a bit. A well known author is scheduled to stop in for a book signing for the tour on her latest book. Beck is excited as this author is one of her favorites. Things seemed to have gone well as the turn out was pretty good, but then one of their attendees turned up dead nearby. It seems that the victim was the target of a mugging and things got out of hand, but after further investigation the murder looks to have been personal. Beck decides that she wants to try her hand at investigating as she once had the dream of being a detective herself. Of course, neither the detective or murderer are happy that she is sticking her nose where it seemingly doesn’t belong. Is Beck biting off more than she can chew? Is she in danger of winding up murdered as well? Is Beck more of a help or hinderance to the investigation?
Beck O’Rourke and her grandmother own Beach Reads bookstore and coffee shop in Manatee Beach, FL. The store is frequented by locals and tourists alike. Everyone is excited when the store is hosting a book signing by a best-selling mystery author. This excitement is short-lived when one of the attendees is found dead just feet from the store. Beck decides to put her lifelong dream of becoming a detective and all the skills she’s learned from reading mysteries and the few college classes she took in criminal justice to use.
This is the first book I have read by author Judy Moore. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely read more of this series. The characters are likable, relatable, and well-developed. I am looking forward to seeing how the characters’ chemistry develops over the series. The mystery has plenty of twists and turns and suspects to keep the reader guessing right up to the big reveal. I was completely surprised by who the killer was.
All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way have I been influenced by anyone.
Great mystery with plenty of suspects. I was sure convinced it was someone and then wow, what a surprise twist. Love the characters and the setting and am looking forward to the next adventure.
A Book Signing to Die For was another one of those recommendations through my Kindle Unlimited subscription. Because it was centered around a bookstore it was sort of a no-brainer for me. I love any type of cozy that is book-related. This was an enjoyable first book in a series. I enjoyed the relationship between Beck and both her grandmother and her younger sister. There are some colorful secondary characters and a possible love interest for Beck, but I think that may be down the road. The pace was steady as clues were dropped and the mystery was unraveled. What really took me by surprise was the identity of the killer. The author did a really good job of being circumspect and hiding the clues well. This is a series that I will be continuing to read and would recommend to others.
This is the first book by this author that I have read and it won’t be the last! The storyline is well written and plotted out. I really enjoyed the setting and the characters are definitely enjoyable. I’m looking forward to reading more in this new cozy series. I received a copy of this book from the author and I’m voluntarily providing an honest review
A Book Signing to Die For by Judy Moore is a charming cozy mystery that kept me turning the pages. Ms. Moore is a “new to me” author but I definitely want to read more of her books now.
Beck, Miss Alice and Lizzie are all characters that were both likable and relatable. This mystery is set in Manatee Beach, Florida at Beach Reads bookstore and revolves around a book signing at the store. The plot is quickly paced, there were several suspects and the red herrings kept me guessing until the reveal. I thought I had figured out who was behind the murder but I was wrong and I love being wrong because the reveal was dramatic with a huge twist.
The author provided me with a copy of this book to review. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.
Beachy Cozy
This is the first book I have read by this author, and though there were a few things I didn’t particularly care for, I enjoyed this book and look forward to trying some of her other ones. What I didn’t like was what felt like an information dump at the beginning of the first chapter. I am just never a fan of those. But once I got beyond that, I enjoyed the well-crafted and unique characters that she created, particularly the two sisters and their grandma. But she also did well with the required quirky secondary characters that we have to have in a well-written cozy mystery. The author was also well able to imbue the story with a sense of place, both with Manatee Beach and the bookstore run by Beck and her grandmother. Beck has a particular love of mysteries, so her store features them prominently, and as the book opens, she is about to have a book signing by a famous mystery writer. But the mystery really happens when one of the audience members dies. Beck, much to the chagrin of local law enforcement (that she has a history with), has to get involved with solving the mystery. Compared to the characterization and setting the scene, the mystery itself felt a little weak, but it was so well-written that I liked it anyway. All in all, I enjoyed this book, and I look forward to the next one by this author.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
Description :
Beck O’Rourke and her grandmother own Beach Reads bookstore and coffee shop, a gathering place for locals and tourists, a block off the ocean in Manatee Beach, Florida.They live above the bookstore with Beck’s feisty younger sister, Lizzie, a lifeguard. Beck is excited to host the country’s best selling cozy mystery writer for a book signing event until a member of the audience turns up dead later that night. Afterward, Beck decides to pursue her lifelong dream of being a detective to try to catch the killer. The amateur sleuth finds a slew of suspects, but the murderer isn’t happy about her interference. Neither is the town’s handsome new police detective who has a history with Beck.
Review :
This is my second book by Judy Moore. She is an amazing writer. She did a great job of bringing the small town of Manatee Beach, Florida and all of the characters to life. The first book was Somebody In The Neighborhood. Both books are set in the same small Florida town of Manatee Beach. They are not in the same series and have different main characters, there are some secondary characters who show up in both. Highly recommended!
A very neat cozy mystery book which I enjoyed reading thoroughly. It has all the elements of a good book in it, a solid plot, good characters, a murder and a hint of romance. Sometimes you pick up a book not knowing much about the author or the book itself and read it with an open mind, with minimal expectations, it is a very pleasurable feeling when the book starts growing on the reader as you flip it page by page. This is precisely the effect this book had on me.
Beck O’Rourke co-owns Beach Reads bookstore and coffee shop with her grandmother. They live in an apartment along with Beck’s sister above the bookstore. They have book signing events which happen very frequently where they get small time and relatively well-to-do authors to speak and then sign the books bought in their store. On one such book signing event, they invite a Cozy mystery author, Marcia Graybill to their bookstore. As people love her mysteries, they get an audience of over 50 that day and the event turn out to be very successful.
Shortly after, in the night, there is a dead body found behind the jewelry store, which is adjacent to the book shop. The police department, headed by a handsome police detective Devon, arrive on the scene of the crime and make their own conclusions, which Beck does not concur with. She heads off to investigate the murder on her own. The murderer does not like this intrusion and neither does the police department. Now Beck’s life is in danger and she has to go all out to crack this case by herself.
It is a brilliant plot and a very edgy read; I could not guess the murderer till the very end. There are times however when I did feel Beck was taking too much liberty and it was amusing that people did not mind her intrusions or her queries. She is not a hired detective after all. It was like reading one of Ms. Marple’s mysteries of Agatha Christie, but Ms. Marple would take an effort to acquaint herself with her suspects personally before extracting information from them. Beck goes a fast forward route and with one visit or one phone call, her suspects seem to disclose quite a lot to her, which I found slightly amusing. I was also expecting a slightly longer romantic liaison between the main leads, but considering it a cozy mystery, it is understandable that the inferences have to be subtle.
Otherwise I loved every bit of it, the characters were adorable. And as I said earlier, I read this book with a very open mind and as a reader, reaped the rewards. A very fine book and looking forward to read more from this author!
A Book Signing To Die For by Judy Moore. This isn’t my first read by this author but I will say it’s probably my favorite so far. This book definitely pulled me right in and I couldn’t put it down not even for sleep. The characters are unique and fun, each one brings this story to life. It’s got everything I could have asked for mystery, suspense and Murder. I’m a sucker for a great who done it with characters I love and this definitely gave me it all. I found myself on more than one occasion trying to read faster and slower at the same time. Trying to get to the next part to see what happens and not wanting it to be over too quickly. It’s a well written story and I enjoyed my time with all the characters. Five stars all the way and highly recommended!
A Book Signing To Die For is both hilarious and romantic! From someone who has been to a book signing, the facts and how Judy Moore described it is spot on. I love how A Book Signing To Die for a romantic comedy and its approach to female sleuths. Judy Moore is a wonderful author who writes with witty enthusiasm and love in her heart. A Book Signing To Die For is not like other romantic comedy that you will read and will have you laughing at the antics the heroine of the story gets up to. Throw in a hot officer and you have a novel to die for.
This book is a very lovely read. Beck is determined to track down the culprit. This cosy Mystery really had some twist and turns on the book which were unexpected. It is very fast paced. With wonderful characters to help set the scene. Murders happen there’s always a who dunnit but this really suprised me.
A Book Signing to die for
By
Judy Moore
This is a story about a small seaside town that we all dream about. Beck and her grandmother own a bookstore/sandwich shop. Beck grew up wanting to be a investigater and because a murder falls into her lap she is able to rekindle her passion. Author Judy Moore does a really good job painting a good picture of the town and the people in it. The story is written so well that it keeps you guessing who did it all the way through till close to the end. I really enjoyed this book.
A Book Signing To Die For is a wonderful murder mystery novel by Judy Moore. Beck O’Rourke is a lover of mysteries, just like her mother. She owns a bookstore and coffee shop, Beach Reads, with her grandmother in Manatee Beach, Florida. Beck, her grandmother, and Beck’s little sister Lizzie live above the bookstore. Beck tries hard to make the bookstore a local hang out place, but her grandmother is stuck in her ways and is strictly business. With a bestselling mystery writer coming to do a book signing, Beck is super excited, until someone from the audience dies! Now Beck can use all her detective skills she gained from her mystery novels to try to catch the killer. She’s able to make a little head way but some people aren’t happy with her progress. This novel was entertaining, enthralling, and kept me on my toes. Just when I thought I knew who the killer was, I would be thrown a curveball. I highly recommend this mystery and look forward to reading other stories by this author.
This was my first book by Judy and I liked her writing. Her characters were great and I love how for a mystery you had to keep reading to figure it out. I like books that are not too predictable and she did a great job. I love small town books and I look forward to reading more from Judy.