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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Death on the Page” the 2nd instalment in the “A Castle Bookshop Mystery” series by Essie Lang.
I love the setting of Alexandria Bay, nestled in upstate New York’s breathtaking Thousand Islands region. I liked the idea of two bookstores and having a book signing, then overnight stay in the castle. But there were several side plots that distracted me from the murder without adding a interest to the story. I am hoping the characters will be developed more as the series progresses.
I enjoyed this one more than the first book in the series, and I look forward to the next instalment to see where it goes.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book through Netgalley/Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest opinion.
Thousands Islands bookstore owner Shelby Cox is hosting a book signing event with best-selling author Savannah Page. Savannah is working on a new true crime book and plans to spend the night at Blye Castle to learn more about the original owner’s mysterious death. When she is found dead the next morning, Shelby decides to do some sleuthing of her own, much to the dismay of her boyfriend and the police chief.
Death on the Page is a fun, enjoyable read. The beautiful and unique setting quickly drew me into the story. The plot is well-written, engaging, and keeps a steady pace. The main character Shelby is easy to like and I found her to be a very good sleuth. The secondary characters are well-developed. This is the first book I have read in this series, and I found it very easy to keep up with everyone and their backstories. I enjoyed getting to know the residents of Alexandria Bay and look forward to seeing more of them in the upcoming books. The murder mystery has plenty of suspects and red herrings to keep readers guessing until the reveal. I will definitely be reading the next book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Death on the page is the 2nd book in the Castle Bookshop Mystery series in which we head back to Blye Island and Blye Castle in the beautiful Thousand Islands of upstate New York. Edie and her niece Shelby, co-owners of Bayside Books, are prepared for a special book signing by best-selling true crime author, Savannah Page. It seems that Shelby is involving herself in the investigation of the murder of Savannah, who died in the secret passage of the castle where she was staying the night to see if the ghost of Joe Cabana showed himself for her new true crime book.
I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read the next one. The characters are well developed and the book kept me guessing until the end! I want to thank NetGalley for the copy of this book.
A great setting (the Thousand Islands) brought to life.
Intriguing characters that keep your attention.
With a puzzling mystery and plenty of possible suspects.
An entertaining read.
Another good Castle Bookshop Mystery by Essie Lang. This time around Shelby is enjoying her time in her new-to-her hometown of Alexandria Bay. She’s become fast friends with local chocolatier, Erica, has gotten to know her Aunt Edie much better, and is enjoying spending time with the handsome Coast Guard Special Agent, Zack. Aunt Edie’s knee is healing nicely and she’s back to working part time at the main bookstore with her friend Trudy until she takes a tumble and is back to resting her knee. They are all busy planning for the book signing with author, Savannah Page, at both the main bookstore and the castle bookstore on the island. Things go smoothly at the first signing at the main bookstore until a very angry local shows up and levels a hefty accusation at Savannah. She’s quite flustered, but calms down enough to go out to dinner with her fiance and Shelby after the event. They have a nice evening and all seems well for the signing the next day at the castle. The castle event is a huge success and Savannah is all set to spend the night at the castle to try to do some research on her upcoming book about the former resident. Things don’t go as smoothly for her overnight … in fact, she ends up being found dead at the bottom of the stairway leading to a secret tunnel in the castle! Shelby really liked Savannah and decides she is going to try to help figure out what happened to her and who is the blame for her murder. There are many suspects and motives and the story is quite interesting as Shelby figures out what happened. Definitely a good read! I look forward to seeing what happens in the next book in the series!
A Deadly Chapter is the 3rd book in the wonderful Castle Bookshop Mysteries cozy series. There are castles, books, family, friends, and a little romance so what’s not to love! This series is pleasant (no graphic or intense scenes) and there is a lot going on to keep the reader intrigued. Shelby Cox is co-owner of 2 bookstores and she works at the one on fictitious Blye Island in the beautiful Thousand Islands in Northern New York. Her Aunt Edie runs the main store in Alexandria Bay. Shelby lives on a houseboat and finds a body floating near her boat. He isn’t local but she becomes friends with his daughter so Shelby gets involved. Also, Shelby’s boyfriend Zack gets a promotion and that could mean a change. Shelby’s got family turmoil to deal with as well.. The characters are likable and friendly. This is a very pleasant and enjoyable cozy mystery. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an honest review. #NetGalley #ADeadlyChapter #CrookedLaneBooks
Bayside Books co-owner, Shelby Cox, is thrilled with the success of two signings from true-crime author, Savannah Page. Savannah is in town to do research on their local, Prohibition-Era mobster, Joe Cabana who had owned the castle. She’s even given permission to stay in the castle overnight. Unfortunately, Savannah’s body is found the next morning at the bottom of a staircase in a secret passageway. Shelby tries to stay out of the investigation this time but can’t seem to stop asking just a few questions.
I really enjoyed this book which was definitely worth the wait after the first one. The book’s well-written with well-rounded characters, some of whom you’ll like and others you won’t. This book is a great addition to the new Castle Bookshop series. It captured me from the beginning and kept me hooked until the end. I’m very eager for a third book in this series and highly recommend this one. I do suggest reading the books in order.
I love the Thousand Island setting of this series and a book store located in Blye Castle. In this second book in the series it is the end of tourist season and things are winding down at the book store location in the castle and Shelby is thinking about how things will change for her when the store and her rented houseboat will both be shuttered for the winter. The book store is hosting a signing by a famous true crime author, Savannah Page, and she will be doing signings at both locations. These are great events for the book store with one exception, a woman shows up and accuses Savannah of stealing her idea and research for a book. After this is where things do not go as planned for Savannah. Shelby starts investigating, but I wish that she had done more sleuthing at the castle, especially looking at the secret passage ways and getting more history of the castle. I did enjoy this book and look forward to more books in this series. Although this is the second book in the series, it could be read as a stand-alone.
I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I am enjoying this series. It has a wonderful setting and characters. It was a very nice diversion to get my mind off the craziness of the real world. I am looking forward to book three.
Death on the Page by Essie Lang is the second novel in A Castle Bookshop Mystery series. It can be a standalone if you have not read Trouble on the Books. Shelby Cox co-owns Bayside Books in Alexandria Bay, New York with her aunt, Edie Cox. They have an auxiliary location in Blye Castle on Blye Island which is one of the Thousand Islands. It is the 35th anniversary of their bookstore and Savannah Page has agreed to do a signing of her latest true crime novel. Savannah also got the board of directors of Blye Castle to allow her to stay at the castle over the weekend. The author plans on researching Joe Cabana, a prohibition mobster, whose murder was never solved. Shelby arrives to open the bookstore on Sunday to learn that Savannah is dead at the bottom of a staircase in a secret passage. Shelby is curious about the secret passages and the author’s death, so she begins asking questions. There are a variety of suspects from the castle’s caretaker to the author’s fiancé. Shelby asks questions of people involved in the case despite being told by her aunt, boyfriend and Chief Stone to stop being a nosey parker. The mystery is straightforward, and readers will have no problem solving the whodunit before the solution is revealed. When Shelby is not sleuthing, she is working at the bookstore, visiting friends or her aunt, spending time with Zach Griffin (the Coast Guard agent she is dating), or indulging in coffee at Chocomania. I wish the story had contained more action. I found the pace to be on the slow side (for me). I would like to see Shelby become more mature especially with regards to her relationship with Zach. It would be nice is the author fleshed out the main characters (Erica, Matthew, Aunt Edie, Zach). I also wanted more sleuthing at the castle. I felt the author lost out on an opportunity to make this an intriguing mystery with Shelby sneaking around the castle and finding clues in the secret passages. The ending seemed abrupt and lacking in a solid conclusion to the mystery (I have questions). Those readers who prefer more cozy than mystery will enjoy reading Death on the Page. Death on the Page has secret stairs, chocolate coffee, pocketed objects, injured individuals, tricky thieves, and a cagey killer.
When settling down to read the second entry in a new series, I always wonder if the second could be as good as the first or will it suffer from a sophomore slump. No worries here, this is another winner from Essie Lang.
Shelby Cox and her aunt Edie run two bookstores and one of them is in Blye Castle on Blye Island. What’s not to like about that? Well, having a murder in the castle, for instance. Shelby and her aunt are hosting a book signing for a very popular true crime writer, Savannah Page. While Savannah is in town she gets permission to spend the night in the island castle, all part of her research for a future book. Part of the castle’s history includes prohibition law breaking. Seems like she has crossed paths with somebody who has secrets to keep – her body is found in a passageway and Shelby finds herself involved in another hunt for a killer.
I like everything about this series, from the setting in the Thousand Islands in New York state, the Blye castle and the town of Alexandria. Shelby and her Aunt Edie are very well developed characters, a pair of ladies I would like to have in my circle of friends. I would be spending a lot of time in their bookstores. Not sure how I would do if I was to be drawn into one of their investigations. As in most amateur sleuthing the local police wish Shelby would tend to her bookstores and leave the crime solving to them. So what else is new, right? The secondary characters are people I would like to know more about in future books. As for the reason we read cozies, the mystery is very well crafted, the writing style flows smoothly and, as with all mysteries that make it to my TBR series, the puzzle kept me guessing to the final reveal.
Death on the Page by Essie Lang is book two of the A Castle Book Shop Mystery series. This was the first one I have read but was able to follow the characters quickly.
Shelby is hosting book signings by a popular true life crime author, Savannah Page. Page has agreed to the signing but, wants to be able to stay in the castle alone and over night to do research on the death of a former owner of the castle. When Page is found dead the following morning at the bottom of a flight of stairs in a secret passage in the castle the suspect list is long but the big question is “how did they get to the island”.
There are great characters, a unique setting, and plenty of twists and turns to have you guessing until the end.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.
This is the first book I’ve read in this series but had no trouble following along. I enjoyed the book. I liked the description of the castle and town, and the peak at owning a bookstore. The story was interesting with lots of red herrings and the pacing was good. The characters were believable and the dialog was natural.
I received an advance copy via NetGalley and this is my honest review.
Location, location, location. The setting of this story had me checking a map and dreaming of a vacation. Alexandria Bay sounds like a charming place both in the book and in the real world. Beyond that it was an easy to read mystery with a touch of romance that I enjoyed.
Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.
Death On The Page is the second book in the A Castle Bookshop Mystery series.
Shelby Cox is co-owner with her Aunt Edie of two bookstores. Edie manages the store in Alexandria Bay and Shelby the store in Blye Castle on Blye Island. Shelby is excited when Edie tells her that crime writer Savannah Page is coming for a book signing of her latest book. She is also surprised when she is also told that Savannah will be staying overnight at the castle. Normally the Alexandria Bay Heritage Society is very protective of the castle and has never allowed anyone to stay there overnight. Savannah’s next book will center around Joe Cabana, reputedly a mobster and smuggler who had owned the castle before being murdered, and she hopes to get a sense of his life while living in the castle.
Savannah arrives for the book signing and has a very successful book signing until the end when a lady confronts Savannah, saying that she stole her idea for the story about Cabana. After having dinner with Savannah and her boyfriend, Shelby escorts her to the castle.
The next morning Shelby goes to open the bookstore and to see how Savannah night in the castle has gone. But when Shelby goes to Savannah’s room she isn’t there. She goes in search of Savannah and soon finds her dead at the foot of the staircase in a hidden passage.
Shelby will be some investigation of her own, as she wants to know why the security guard didn’t hear anything, how the killer got in, and who wanted Savannah dead.
The story is well-written and plotted and has an interesting and a cast of believable and likable characters. The book reads at an even pace and there are enough red-herrings that kept me guessing until the end.
I will be watching for the next book in the series.
How I love coming back to Blye Island and Blye Castle in the beautiful Thousand Islands of upstate New York! When reading the first novel in this delightful Castle Bookshop Mystery series, Trouble on the Books, I fell in love with the castle, its bookstore, the characters, and JT, the cat. The people of Alexandria Bay are personable and well-defined, and the mystery is tough to solve!
Edie and her niece Shelby, co-owners of Bayside Books, are prepared for a special book signing by best-selling true crime author, Savannah Page. One signing will be in the original store that Edie runs with her best friend and long-time employee, Trudy. The next afternoon, Savannah will sign books at the Blye Castle location. The board approved her special request, so Savannah will spend the night at the castle, which has never been done before. Matthew, caretaker of the island and castle, lives on the island and is available in an emergency, and Frank, retired from the local “mainland” hotel, has been hired to be a butler for the night to see to the author’s needs.
The book signings are a huge success with one notable exception. Jenna, a local, came into the main store, very upset with the author. She claimed that Savannah took her ideas and research for a book Jenna had planned to write and discussed with Savannah earlier that year. It was going to be about Joe Cabana, a reputed mobster in the days when rumrunning was big, especially on Blye. He was murdered on the island he called home and the crime never solved, so Savannah wants to write about this cold case. The atmosphere of staying overnight in the castle might help her research.
Savannah’s fiancé Liam is in town with her, but he will stay alone at their hotel that night as Savannah didn’t want any distractions when she worked. They were seen arguing at the dock where the boat going to and from the island would pick her up.
When Shelby arrives at the castle the next day, the daytime security guards are searching the castle and grounds. Savannah is missing, not having been seen since the prior evening. Shortly after, Shelby heard they found Savannah. She was dead at the bottom of the stairs of one of the hidden passageways Shelby thought was the stuff of rumors. It is determined she was murdered.
Despite her best intentions, the orders of Police Chief Stone, and request of Zack, the protective guy she is dating, Shelby gets involved in the investigation. After all, it took place at the castle where she works. She met, had dinner with, and liked the fascinating author. Clues and theories simply keep dropping into her lap! Matthew, the caretaker, is also one of the chief’s suspects, albeit a reach, but Shelby isn’t willing to let her beloved aunt’s dear friend be railroaded.
This exciting mystery has several plot twists that increase the suspects. I followed my “pet” suspect throughout, then came up with a second choice. I was somewhat surprised to discover which of the two “pet suspects” it really was, and very surprised at the why! The end is completely satisfactory, with all loose ends tied up. I highly recommend this to those who appreciate well-written cozy mysteries with unique settings, bookstores, and engaging characters. This is a series I really enjoy!
From a thankful heart: I received a copy of this from the publisher and NetGalley, and this is my honest review.
I would love to own a bookstore and how cool would it be to have that bookstore in a castle. You would think that Shelby would have plenty to do just taking care of business, her aunt, and her cat. She does seem to find time to ask lots of questions. Are these questions going to get her into trouble? Have you ever gone to an author signing? I love to meet authors and hear about how their stories came to be and learn the process they go through to get the book written. It was fun to hang out with Shelby, Erica, Zack, and the rest of the crew. Do you think an author would do what Savannah was accused of? I really enjoyed the story line and the characters. I hope you do too. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.
New from Essie Lang (AKA. Erika Chase/Lina Wiken) comes the second book in the “A Castle Bookshop Mystery” book store cozy series, Death on the Page published by Crooked Lane Books.
Shelby has begun to think of the Castle bookshop and Blye Island as home. She doesn’t want anything to ruin her newfound happiness, and even though she doesn’t go looking for trouble, it ends up practically on her doorstep. In this latest book store cozy, the main character finds herself asking questions that could lead her into danger, or worse. Shelby is a wounded character, a quiet and isolated childhood, with a father who didn’t trust anyone made for a lonely life until she moved to Blye Island. It takes a lot of patience and love to gain her trust and friendship. But slowly, she is beginning to grow emotionally and realizes that she loves having friends and family around.
The characters in this book store cozy are everything a reader would want, with just a hint of weirdness we all need in our lives. Some are lovable, some are quirky, and some are stubborn, but they all keep readers wanting to know more. Blye Island is a perfect setting for a book store and a murder. The suspects are sparse but enough to keep readers guessing. The investigation seems to be a little on the lite side and motives slim. I did not wholly believe the ending. The killer did not seem likely, and this took away some of my enjoyment, but not so much that I don’t want to read the next book in the series. Death on the Page is an enjoyable read that won’t take up too much of the reader’s time. The characters are fun, the plot, although done many times in murder mysteries, is still interesting.
Battling Authors and Murder
While this book is part of a series, it stands alone quite well. The plot is very intriguing. There are plenty of moving pieces and suspects. The final reveal is quite surprising. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
Shelby and her Aunt Edie are expecting a famous author to have a book signing in both their shops. Savannah Page writes true crime books. At the first signing, a patron accuses Savannah of stealing her book idea. Savanna’s next book is about a gangster who died in the castle. Savannah wants to stay overnight in the castle to soak up the history in preparation of her book. However, someone decides to kill her there instead.
This was an entertaining cozy It didn’t keep me turning the pages, hence the 3 star rating. Shelby and her Aunt are fun characters. The story moves a bit slowly or maybe it was just that I couldn’t find the time to read for more than a few minutes a day.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and offer my honest review of this book.