Second book in the Main Street Book Club mysteries!
You won’t be able to stop turning the pages of this small town mystery, which is:Perfect for Fans of Ellery Adams and Lorna Barrett
A riveting book club cozy mystery
For readers of club mysteries and small-town cozy mysteries
This murder will have to be solved by the book…
It was only a few months ago that the ladies of Arlo’s Friday Night … by the book…
It was only a few months ago that the ladies of Arlo’s Friday Night Book Club—Fern, Camille, and Helen—solved the murder of the renowned author, Wally Harrison. So when they select Wally’s bestseller, Missing Girl, for their next discussion, Arlo is hopeful it will be the end of their mystery hunt.
But since their recent success as sleuths the crew officially see themselves as a women’s mystery club, and they’re convinced Missing Girl was inspired by a 50-year-old cold case. It’s a case from their own Sugar Springs, Mississippi—the disappearance of Mary Kennedy—and Arlo can do little to stop the book club ladies from investigating.
But what starts out as a fun hunch quickly turns into a very real cold case murder mystery when a young girl is murdered in the exact place the women believe Mary went missing all those years ago. It’s clear the two cases are connected—and the mystery book club is determined to find answers. With Arlo’s help, they may just be able to crack the case.
more
A story filled with quirky characters and a very interesting mystery. A great “who did it?” story. I received a complimentary copy of the book. No review was required.
Book store owner Arlo thought forming a book club would be fun but she has had her hands full ever since three elderly go-getters formed that club. They continue to suck her into the vortex of mystery solving by rash actions that Arlo is continually trying to hamper. It does not help that the police chief is her ex-boyfriend from high school.
I enjoyed the humor of the elderly book club members and liked that they were portrayed as vibrant individuals. Thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.
I enjoyed this second in the Main Street Book Club Mysteries set in Sugar Springs, Mississippi where Arlo and her friend Chloe own a bookstore and coffee shop on Main Street. Arlo wanted to start a Friday night book club where she was hoping to attract young people but instead a group of almost eighty year old ladies meet at the shop to discuss books, only it’s every day around noon. Oh well. The ladies are reading a book written by a local author Wally Harrison, that we met in the first book in the series, and is now deceased. They believe that Wally’s book, Missing Girl, is really about a local mystery never solved, where local piano teacher Mary Kennedy disappeared fifty years ago after giving lessons to the young son of a wealthy family. They have now another mystery to solve because while they were at the estate doing a little sleuthing, a young girl falls down the stairs while they are standing in the entryway. It is later discovered that she was murdered before falling. Arlo has her hands full keeping Helen, Fern, and Camille out of trouble as they brazenly investigate both mysteries. She is also dealing with some unfinished business from high school with ex-beaus PI Sam and local police chief Mads, both of whom have recently returned home. Camille is in love with a new man in town and Sam cannot find any information on him. This is a fun new read with the feisty book club ladies and others. It is filled with twists, turns, and layered with different surprises along the way.
I received a complimentary ARC from Poisoned Pen Press through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine only.
If you’re a reader, you probably love stories with book stores and book clubs as much as I do. This particular book club is a hoot. Three ladies, Helen, Fern, and Camille, all of the older generation, make up the book club. They meet at Arlo’s book store and she does her best with them. Do wish your book club could meet every day? I so enjoyed these ladies and their escapades. Grab a drink and join in the fun as these ladies take you on some interesting adventures. I enjoyed all the characters in this book and I think you will too. Now to find out who Daisy James-Harrison is. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.
I loved being back with this book club, and of course, Fletcher!
In the first book these lovely ladies solved the murder of Wally Harrison, and now they are at it again. They are convinced they know whom his book is about, and they are going to prove it, but then, another body!
You are going to want to join this Friday Night Book club, they sure are a hoot, and you know what, listen to what they have to say. I would love to hang around with these ladies!
As the book progresses surprising facts are revealed, and keep reading there are bombshells that are dropped right up to the last page.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Poisoned Pen Press, and was not required to give a positive review.
There is nothing better than a great mystery and I loved this one. I loved the first book and this book is a great addition to the series. I loved reading about the fun characters in the book club and how they get wrapped up into a cold case and a fresh case.
I loved the mystery and the humor, both in this fun page-turner. The book club ladies turn into investigators, once more and run into a murder of a young girl. This is a cozy mystery and if this is your genre, you will just love it! The interweaving of the book that they are reading in their club and what is actually going on is very cool. Book club members in their 80’s can make for a lively and fun read.
I received an ebook copy from NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.
A MURDER BETWEEN THE PAGES by Amy Lillard brings small town living, a cozy book store/coffee shop, quirky characters and humor to this cozy mystery. It is the second book in the Main Street Book Club Mysteries series and is set in Sugar Springs, Mississippi.
Our protagonist, Arlo Stanley, is co-owner of a bookstore and coffee shop with her high school friend, Chloe Carter. Arlo started a Friday night book club which three octogenarians, Fern, Camille, and Helen, joined. Their next book selection is by a local, deceased author and focuses on a missing girl. The women believe the book was inspired by a cold case that occurred in their town during the 1970’s. When another young woman, Haley, dies at the house where the girl disappeared, the book club decides to investigate both cases. What happened fifty years ago? Did the girl run away or was she murdered? Did Haley have an accident or is there something more sinister behind her death?
Arlo is a character that seems to be the ‘straight man’ to the three octogenarians who were the stars of the book in my eyes. She tries to keep them out of trouble, but continues to be pulled into their shenanigans. This makes for some comical scenes that lighten some very serious themes. However, we gain insight into Arlo’s personality through her interactions with these women and this makes her feel more real and relatable. Her voice manifested in her mindset, vocabulary, opinions, body language and her internal narrative. There are a lot of characters to get to know rather quickly, but if you pay attention, they become clear and distinct.
The author did a great job of creating a strong sense of place. The first part of the book had several instances of “telling” rather than “showing” and this detracted from the initial flow. However, as events transpired and the action picked up, I soon felt like I was living the events alongside the characters. There were several twists in the book, but most of them were not great surprises except for the last sentence in the book.
If you like entertaining and amusing cozy mysteries, then this is one you should check into. It worked well as a standalone novel, but would likely add background and depth if read in order. This is the first book that I have read by this author and I look forward to enjoying the next book in the series.
Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Amy Lillard for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for November 24, 2020. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.