First in an adorable new cozy series! Ellery Page, aspiring screenwriter, Scrabble champion and guy-with-worst-luck-in-the-world-when-it-comes-to-dating, is ready to make a change. So when he learns he’s inherited both a failing bookstore and a falling-down mansion in the quaint seaside village of Pirate’s Cove on Buck Island, Rhode Island, it’s full steam ahead! Sure enough, the village is …
Sure enough, the village is charming, its residents amusingly eccentric, and widowed police chief Jack Carson is decidedly yummy (though probably as straight as he is stern). However, the bookstore is failing, the mansion is falling down, and there’s that little drawback of finding rival bookseller–and head of the unwelcoming-committee–Trevor Maples dead during the annual Buccaneer Days celebration.
Still, it could be worse. And once Police Chief Carson learns Trevor was killed with the cutlass hanging over the door of Ellery’s bookstore, it is.
**This story contains NO on-screen sex or violence.more
A cozy mystery (I’ve never read one of these before but right now, cozy is good!). A hint of romance, but it really is all about the mystery. Just what I needed to read on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
You can’t go wrong with any book in this series!
Great first book in a new series. I absolutely loved Ellery.
M/M cozy-mystery, law-enforcement, family-dynamics, friendship, bookseller, small-business, small-town, island-life, amateur-sleuth, murder, murder-investigation, verbal-humor, situational-humor*****
I had gotten book three in the series from NetGalley and liked it so much that I got this and the next one in audio. The story truly follows all the cozy criteria and has a great plot, fascinating characters, and laughs. It also has a police detective, a bookshop owner (and former professional TV actor) named Ellery (like Ellery Queen mystery writer!), a frenetic puppy named Watson (is there any other kind?), the Scallywags, and the Silver Sleuths. It’s set in an island off New Jersey (USA) that’s accessible by ferry (that’s why they can have cars). Ellery inherited the bookshop and rundown Dutch Colonial from an ancient of his father and has only been a resident for three months when he finds the first murder victim in his store. And then he gets convicted in the local press, so what else can be done but learn to become a sleuth? Loved it!
Matt Haynes is the laid back voice actor who really knows how to underplay the laughs.
This was a true delight. I don’t know why I haven’t started this series before now: nobody does murder mysteries like Josh Lanyon.
“Murder at Pirate’s Cove” is the loveliest cozy mystery. It has everything you can wish for in it: a twisty murder mystery, a small village atmosphere where every single inhabitant is an unrepentant gossip, quirky and weird and eccentric. It has a romantic subplot, the most wonderful slow burn that left me feeling warm and tingly.
Ellery, the protagonist, is lovely. He’s a failed screenwriter from New York, fleeing his crumbling life and relationships to start over in Pirate’s Cove, where he’s inherited a mystery bookshop. He’s a bit of a mess, but he’s also nice and decent and fairly sensible (and he’s also NOT actively trying to be an amateur slueth). I loved him and I loved all of the side characters, from Dylan and Nora to Chief Carson. And the murder mystery kept me on the edge of my seat for the whole time.
I’m jumping right into book #2. I need to know what else happens.
I fell in love with the mystery genre when I was very young. I was reading Encyclopedia Brown right along side Sherlock Holmes. This story had so many of the elements that I adore about both. I was smiling when one of the characters mentions Encyclopedia Brown.
As usual, Josh Lanyon has created some interesting characters. This first volume has all the feel of an origin story. I can’t wait for the next volume where to get more background on Ellery’s story.
The narration was a good addition to the story, and I enjoyed the character voices.
I was in the mood for something different and Murder at Pirate’s Cove certainly fit the bill. I enjoyed the cozy mystery blended with a low key romantic interest. The town was adorable, the characters varied, and the writing smooth. Even better, there were enough twists, red herrings, and suspenseful moments to keep me invested start to finish. I’ll definitely be continuing with this series.
*Received copy via Netgalley. The author had no influence over this review*
I love cozy mysteries. This has likable characters, potential for romance.
I haven’t read a Josh Lanyon story in ages, and a couple of pages into this book reminded me of why I enjoy them so much. I loved Ellery as a character and the tone of his narration which sucked me in, then swept me along with the action. I was amused by his inheriting a mystery bookshop and being quite clueless of the genre while the tropes of it unfold around him. I thought Jack was an interesting foil to Ellery’s personality and I’m looking forward to reading more about them. Although this is definitely more of a detective story than a romance, I still enjoyed their growing relationship within it. I liked the balance between the two.
As all good mysteries, I found myself trying to figure out who the culprit was from the first murder. The plot is very clever, with its sprinkling of red herrings, and I especially enjoyed the twist once all is revealed. I loved all the literary and book references, and how Ellery uses scrabble to work through his thoughts.
This story has all the tropes of a cozy mystery, and I loved the characters who populate the village of Pirate’s Cove, and I’m looking forward to getting to know those who survived this story, in future books. Nora totally rocks, and I love her. Ditto Watson.
More please.
I am a huge fan of Josh Lanyon’s work and a fan of cozy mysteries, though I’ve never read one with a gay protagonist. As a result, I was interested to see what Lanyon entering this genre would be like. No surprise, it’s an unqualified success!
Cozy mysteries, like most genres have specific requirements in order to qualify for the label. As such, there is no on-page violence or sex. And while there may be romance it is a distant second place to the main purpose, the murder mystery. That may be a bit of a shock for Lanyon’s regular fans but rest assured, her usual character driven storytelling works well in this genre and you will appreciate the storytelling. (Unless a lack of violence and sex doesn’t do it for you…then you may want to move along!)
The protagonist of this first book in a series is Ellery Page, who has inherited a failing mystery bookstore and a dilapidated mansion in the small town of Pirate’s Cove, RI from a great-great-great aunt that he knew nothing about. He discovers the body of a town resident, who has been harassing him to sell the bookstore to him, and of course becomes a suspect. Enter the hunky widowed police chief Jack Carson who of course considers Ellery a prime suspect. There is a subtle undertone of potential romance here, but it appears we are destined for a truly slow burn.
The secondary characters are at turns irritating and amusing and Lanyon is establishing an interesting cast of characters for her series. The mystery is intriguing, and the red herrings are deftly done. Like any good cozy the hints are there to the resolution and I did figure it out prior to the on-page reveal…which it seems to me most cozy mysteries want the reader to be able to do. It lends a bit more tension to the read as you anticipate what is going to happen to the protagonist before all is revealed.
I really enjoyed the creation of the setting, the use of the Scrabble device, the spunky Nora, and of course the cute puppy! Looking forward to the next book in the series!
*I voluntarily read an ARC and this is my objective review *
This was such a fun read. I’ve never read a cozy mystery before but I really enjoyed it.
Ellery is a great character. Everyone in this small town has their own quirks and I liked getting to know them. The mystery is really well done and the end was a total surprise.
This is such a comfort read. I really love a good mystery. And Chief Carson is so mysterious. I can’t wait for the next book. Also Watson, Ellery’s puppy is adorable!
*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (
It’s been a while since I read a Josh Lanyon book and now I’m wondering why!! I absolutely loved this and can’t want to start book 2. A cosy mystery with a teeny tiny bit of romance. Wonderful MCs, an intriguing plot and a fabulous secondary cast. Marvellous.
I received a free copy from Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.
I haven’t read many cozy mysteries with a male main character or a gay male main character as the case here. I liked the sound of this one so I decided to request it from Netgalley. Sadly it’s not quite what I had hoped for. It was a decent enough read, but failed to fully pull me in.
Murder at Pirate’s Cove follows the story of Ellery page who recently moved to Pirate’s Cove, a small town. He inherited a bookshop and house from his late great-great aunt. The story starts after he’s been here for a while. The bookshop isn’t doing as well and the house is falling apart around him. And things sure don’t improve when he becomes the main suspect in a murder case.
The victim of the murder is Trevor, who had an argument with Ellery shortly before he died. To clear his name Ellery tries to figure out who is the real murderer. For some reason the mystery just didn’t grip me. I didn’t really feel like we got to know the victim and frankly I didn’t really care who killed him. There weren’t a lot of clues or reveals or interesting twists along the way. Then at the end there is this frankly awesome twist, but it lacked the impact as there are only a few clues that pointed in that direction and it thus lacked that sense of pieces falling on it’s place for me.
Ellery isn’t as involved in solving the crime as I had hoped and he isn’t as smart either. Most of the involvement of Ellery in the mystery is him talking with the chief, who I think is the love interest in this series and while I liked he talked and shared his ideas with the chief. That was most of what he does, he does talk with a few people, but it felt mostly coincidental. He wasn’t as involved as I liked and I didn’t feel like we got as many clues as I wanted. There were no suspects that I could really cross off the list. And I didn’t feel like I came to understand more about the mystery along the way. It felt like it just muddled along till the big reveal at the end, which by the way is because the killer goes after Ellery instead of them figuring it out. There also was this whole stupid thing with the keys, Ellery’s decisions at the end of the book frankly felt stupid. He didn’t want to be afraid and face his fears and that’s great. But there is a difference between rational and irrational fear and this case his fear was definitely grounded and he should’ve listened to it instead if trying to proof to himself he wasn’t afraid.
I liked Ellery well enough, he was a decent character with a few quirks that made him interesting enough. Like him being a screenwriter, but being bad at acting. Although I would’ve liked to get to know him a bit better, but maybe that will come in the later books. He isn’t really connecting with anyone or going out in his new town yet, although he does have one friend in the shop owner next door and he connect a bit with the chief in this book.
The Pirate cove town was an interesting concept, although it didn’t to live as much as I had hoped and I think the pirate vibe and buccaneer days could’ve been expanded a bit more. I liked the idea of Ellery working in a bookstore, although not sure if I liked the focus on the mystery books, I thought the book and cozy mystery trope reference in the story were a bit too on the nose. As this was a cozy mystery and they had some talks about cozy mystery tropes and who would be the suspect if this was a cozy mystery, you know which this book is. It didn’t really work for me.
To summarize: I liked the concept of this one, but it didn’t fully work out for me. It just fell flat and didn’t grip me. The mystery wasn’t as engaging, the clues didn’t seem to lead anywhere and I wasn’t really invested in figuring out what had happened. There is an awesome twist toward the end, but it lacked the impact it could’ve had for me due to not enough clues or hints that made sense in hindsight. I liked the main character well enough, although he sure does some stupid things. I liked how he shared his ideas and information with the chief, but he wasn’t as involved in the mystery as I would’ve liked. I liked how he had some quirks which made him more interesting, although I would’ve liked to get to know him better. The pirate theme for the town seemed interesting, although there wasn’t as much about it in this book as I would’ve liked. All in all a decent cozy mystery, but it didn’t really grip me and I don’t think I’ll be continuing this series.
Just what I like in a cozy mystery and enough to bring me back for more. Josh Lanyon seems to have a way with characters at times that makes me sink right into the story and their lives. In any cozy mystery that I seem drawn to there’s a hint of romance that hooks me and gives me hope of something strong, built through moments of crazy and something deeper that we get only pieces of until it all fits together like the clues in the mysteries they solve.
There were quite a lot of frustrating moments where all I wanted was for someone I could believe that believed in Ellery’s innocence. The ones we met that said they did were suspects in and of themselves. I think it was a little far fetched to have everyone but Jack be a suspect though I will say that some of those people were quite likable anyway. Something I didn’t expect was to be a little surprised by the culprit, I mean, there were hints and looking back I can totally see who did it, but at the time I was just thinking that it was one more thing that was weird and didn’t add up.
I’m really hoping that the Scrabble thing takes off and becomes something…kitsch? but in a good way, like the something unique that toes the whole series together beyond what Ellery and Jack could have and the quirkiness of Pirate’s Cove. Ellery is interesting and his looking for a place in the town and in his own life served as fantastic draws to him as a character. We only get his perspective, though I hope to have a chance to see into Jack’s mind and heart at some point, and since the series follows Ellery it’s understandable, I’m just a bigger fan of a dual POV in general.
The story was simple and formulaic, but I’d argue that it’s in the best way because the format is one we’re familiar with so we don’t have to guess at the foundations, we can jump right into what makes these people, this mystery, this potential relationship unique and worth devouring. While I can’t say I was ravenous for the story, I was definitely hungry for more by the end.
Josh Lanyon’s new Secrets & Scrabble series starts of with Murder at Pirate’s Cove. As a fan of Lanyon’s incredibly stunning love scenes I was afraid I might miss the physical romance in this cozy mystery series, but I didn’t even notice. The characters are interesting and creative, plus the whole thing is beautifully written. I can’t wait for the next episode of the series!
4 ½ Stars
Murder at Pirate’s Cove is a fun read. For the most part, the mystery is exciting and well laid out. There was one part that did drag a bit for me, but overall it was well done.
I like Ellery’s character. He is like a diamond in a bowl full of marbles—Sharp, interesting and more sophisticated than most of the characters around him. Don’t get me wrong; the other characters are good, solid characters; they just don’t have the polish and shine that he has.
I like the Sheriff but did not get a good enough read on him before the book was done to have an opinion on him, good or bad. The assumption of a relationship between him and Ellery seems hasty to me.
I liked the lack of sex or violence on the pages. I allowed me to immerse myself in the mystery itself.
I enjoyed this, and I look forward to book two.
This is the start of the Secrets and Scrabble Series. This was a wonderful cozy mystery. I really enjoyed the quirky town it was set in. The characters were interesting and the pace was great. I can’t wait for the next installment of the series.
I love a cozy! This one was fun to read, had great characters, and promises a well crafted series. How can you go wrong?
Loved it… and I’m definitely going to read the sequel.
Cozies are interesting as a genre. They are a great pleasure to read, and this one certainly was, but they don’t stick in the mind much afterwards! I loved the light tone of this mystery set in a small town in Rhode Island and even though it was a “slight” book, I’m sure it took much effort on the author’s part.
A few jarring things: I thought the “great-great-great-aunt Eudora” concept was kind of hard to swallow; I just don’t see how the narrator could have been alive at the same time as his third great-aunt. I also didn’t like that one character got killed off-stage; that wasn’t very satisfying. And there were some scene breaks missing in my ARC.
But I loved the verve of Lanyon’s prose, Ellery’s charm, the gossipy bookstore assistant Nora, and police chief Jack Carson’s mixture of warmth and gruffness. The series holds a lot of promise. And for a book that must have been written quickly, it was done with a lot of skill. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
This was a quick read with engaging characters and a fast paced plot! Murder. Unrequited attraction. Budding friendships. Business dealings that bring threats and border on the macabre. Pirates. Costumes. A cutlass. One enchanting shop keepers assistant. And more than enough clues to keep you up until all hours of the night. Maybe a game of Scrabble will be in your future!
You’ll fall in love with Watson, find yourself worrying about the condition of Captain’s Seat, the future of the Crow’s Nest and a possible romance for Janet.
I just really want to know who sent the poison pen letter!