Murder by the Book

Murder by the Book by Lauren Elliott is the debut novel in A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery. Addie Greyborne has had a rough year with the murder of her fiancé and the death of her father. Thanks to an inheritance from her great aunt, Anita Greyborne, Addie has relocated to Greyborne Harbor and is ready to open Beyond the Page Books & Curios. Opening day begins by Addie almost getting run over by a black sedan. After opening the bookshop, she meets Serena Chandler who owns SerenaTEA next door. The day spirals out of control when someone uses a distraction to steal a 1961 copy of Alice in Wonderland. Late that night, Addie awakens to a noise and finds that someone has broken into her home. Several of the rooms have been ransacked but Addie has no clue what the thieves are after. When her shop suffers another break in, the local shop owners are less than pleased with Addie. The next day there is a commotion outside Fielding’s Department Store involving Serena. She has been arrested for murdering Blain Fielding. Addie uses her keen eye for detail and sleuthing skills from tracking down rare books and artwork to expose the guilty party behind this nefarious plot. Can Addie clear Serena of the murder charges? Come along for the investigation in Murder by the Book.

Murder by the Book is a book full of action. It starts off with a bang with a car almost running down Addie. Addie has lost her fiancé, father and a great aunt in one year. She leaves her job at the Boston Public Library to start over in Greyborne Harbor. In her new home, Greyborne Manor she discovers numerous books which gives her the idea to open a used bookstore. Then someone starts breaking into her home and shop. We are left wondering what the thieves are trying to locate. Then there is the murder and slowly more details are revealed. The mystery is complex yet simple at the same time. There are hidden rooms, rare books, a secret staircase, a black sedan, and unknown thieves. Some details/clues are provided as the story progresses, but others come to light just before the reveal with the remainder explained at the end. I would have liked more clues interspersed throughout the book to allow a reader to play sleuth along with Addie (the best part of a mystery is solving it). Most readers, though, will have no problem identifying the guilty party. Addie quickly becomes friends with Serena and her new employee, Paige. I thought the relationships developed too quickly. It seems Serena became Addie’s instant friend and she trusts Paige despite her disagreeable mother. For some reason, the bakery owner, Martha has taken a disliking to Addie. We are not given Martha’s last name, the name of her establishment or why she dislikes Addie. Actually, very little information is provided on Greyborne Harbor. Addie has been in town three months and seems to have met no one. A prequel to the series would have been beneficial or the author should have started the series with Addie receiving her inheritance. I loved the description of Addie’s Queen Anne Victorian. It sounds beautiful inside and out (period details with antique furnishing including a desk with hidden compartments). I would like to know more about Addie (her growing up years). I appreciated her enthusiasm for books and knowledge of rare books. I hope the author lets the romance build slowly between Addie and Marc especially since Addie is not over her fiancé. I enjoyed reading Murder by the Book. It captured and held my interest which few books have done recently. My rating for Murder by the Book is 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). I thought it was a delightful beginning to A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery series, and I look forward to reading Prologue to Murder.

Not sure what happened – this book had such a good premise but I couldn’t really get into it.

You can check out my booktube video review at https://youtu.be/V9X2DfpvDaI

or read my review on my blog at https://lisasiefert.com/book-review-murder-by-the-book-by-lauren-elliott-a-beyond-the-page-bookstore-mystery-1/

This is a joint review for the first three books in this series. I actually read paperbacks I got at the library, but I apparently purchased book 1, Murder by the Book, at no cost from Amazon AND I got books 1 and 2 from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Well, I guess that shows that the blurbs really interested me.

The mystery aspect (what crimes happen and why) was fairly interesting and different in all three. What isn’t good and makes me give the set of three a 2 star rating are the characters, specifically Addie and her two beaus. This is a mystery series, there shouldn’t be so much focus on her relationships (or lack thereof). The three of them are like middle schoolers instead of professionals in their 30’s (though Simon seems the most mature). Addie’s issues with the men play way too big a role in the books taking away from the mystery.

I read cozies because of the likable and relatable main characters and sidekicks. This is the second series I’ve read recently with not so likable characters.

Even some of the mystery elements are off, especially Addie’s dealings with her almost father in law in the third book, Murder in the First Edition, are strange.

November 11. 2018
DID NOT FINISH
Stopped at 20% [Read some of the end and it was just so ludicrous I am so glad I didn’t waste my time].
ZERO STARS!!!!

First, I am glad that I got this as a NetGalley ARC and that I didn’t actually pay money for it.
Second, I am VERY glad that the audiobook was on Hoopla so I didn’t pay money for that either [because I would so be returning it if I had paid good money for this].
Third, I realize I am going to be in the minority here [considering all the 4 and 5 star reviews I am seeing. Clearly we are not reading the same book].

The things I didn’t like about this book:
1. The main character. CAN anyone be stupider? I find it hard to believe that she ever lived in a big city. Ever. She is careless, overly-naive [to the point of being stupid] and has the “poor me, WHY is this happening to me” kind of attitude. She grated on my last nerve. When two women CLEARLY run a con on her to get her keys, she is so clueless about it I wanted to both scream and bang my head against my desk. Someone one like that NEVER worked and lived in a big city like Boston or London. Sigh.

2. Freaking romance. Again. Seriously? The main character and the cop/police chief/detective. This story-line arc is getting seriously old and I sure wish authors would figure that out. P L E A S E.

3. The even ditzier “best friend” [who she meets and two seconds later they are best friends like they have known each other their whole lives, even though someone is breaking into her shop and trying to run her down, she immediately believes that it CANNOT be this girl blah blah blah]. I actually like Serena better than Addie, but still.

4. The fact that almost everyone in this town has a GINORMOUS chip on their freaking shoulders and they are all just mean. Plain and simple, they are a very mean bunch. And they do not care who they hurt with their words and actions. I am not sure why Addie would even want to stay there to be honest, because they are horrible. Their snide remarks, harsh criticism and just plain meanness was a huge turnoff from the beginning and just continued to be as I read on.

5. The ending/reveal. Because I read ahead. No. Just no. SO glad I didn’t waste my time for THAT. Puh-LEESE!!!!

What I liked about this book:
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You get the picture.
I will not be reading the next one in the series [there is a spoiler chapter at the end and it is clearly more of exactly the same as was in this book. EXACTLY. Pass. Pass. P A S S.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Addie has moved to a little New England town to open a bookstore after her aunt’s death. The best present of all is the numerous first editions her aunt owned. Unfortunately, not everyone in town is appreciative of a Greybourne continuing the Greybourne legacy. One woman, in particular, the bakery owner next door, is trying to run Addie out of town. As Addie tries to figure out why the woman does not like her strange things start happening to Addie. A car tries to run her down, her new friend is arrested for murder, and “friends” from her past start acting strangely. Will Addie be able to prove her new friend is not a murderer before Addie is run out of town?

I cannot decide if I like the book or not. The mystery was very interesting but it felt very drawn out. I think because the author tried to give so much background into Addie and surrounding characters that eventually things started to get a bit muddled. Reflecting on what I have read now there are items I can’t remember and I know they are important.

I enjoyed learning about the world of rare first editions and the high theft of rare first editions. I guess I never really thought about books being a high ticket item for thieves. Early editions of the Bible yes but Alice in Wonderland, nope.

Will I read the second book? The jury is still out. I will reevaluate when it publishes.

Please do not take my opinions as a reason NOT to read this book. Just use my opinion as a caution. Please read the book and make up your own opinion.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kensington through NetGalley. Any and all opinions in the above review are entirely my own.

A very fun cozy mystery that has great characters. I loved the rare book aspect of the book. Wish I didn’t have to wait for spring for the next one!

This first in a new cozy mystery series hits the ground running! I like many things about this clever cozy mystery, beginning with the setting of a New England old/ rare books and curios bookstore. The mystery is complex, with plot twists that include outrageous treachery from those who were thought friends. The characters are detailed, especially Addie, who learns a few family secrets.
Addie has faced many crises in the past year. The most recent was that her great-aunt Anita Greyborne, who she didn’t even know existed, passed away. It was thought that Anita was the last of family line whose ancestors founded the town until Addie inherited her estate, including Greyborne Manor. As a young woman who had studied about and worked with rare and antique books, when she saw the treasures in the attic, Addie knew she had to start a bookstore.
A year earlier, after being “loaned” to the British Museum by her employer, Boston Library, her fiancé David was murdered. The police deemed it a crime of opportunity and blew off her questions. David, like her father, searched for and reclaimed stolen rare books and art for an international company, but police didn’t think the crime rings he busted had anything to do with the murder. Six months later, her father died leaving Greyborne Harbor, and police closed the case claiming he was driving too fast for foggy conditions. Then her great-aunt passed away.
Opening day for Beyond the Page arrives, and a car that aims and speeds up, barely missing Addie. Serena, of SerenaTea next door, came to her assistance. As they chat, someone tries to pry into her back door and Martha, the crotchety old baker, threw a bag of trash at him. As they cleaned up, Addie saw that someone had come in and thrown books off the shelf to the floor. Only one book of relatively lower value was missing.
Addie faces break-ins, a pair of women who are working together, and her new friend Serena is arrested for murder of a local department store owner. Serena’s brother Marc is the police chief, so he must conduct a completely impartial investigation. As he gets to know Addie, she helps with the investigation as only a researcher of her caliber can do, seeing things that Marc would not have recognized. The trouble and treachery against Addie and her friends heightens.
I really enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it for reasons including:
The characters, especially Addie, are as transparent as necessary. I like Addie, Serena, her brother Marc, and Addie’s new assistant Paige for their unique qualities, loyalty, and creative intelligence. They work well together to find the bad guy. The number of characters is limited; each one has an important role. There are no superfluous folks to distract from the case.
This is a thorny novel that includes more than one mystery. Addie is certain that everything is interrelated. There are many plot twists, including secret collections, past employers, and treachery. Friendship is a key factor in helping Addie get through the treachery, find who the bad guys and good guys really are. While I had a vague idea of the common thread, I wasn’t sure whodunit and the depth of motive. I was happy to see how my curiosity played out and stunned to see who was behind the murder and thefts. This is the impressive start of a new series that I hope to see much more of!
From a grateful heart: I received an e-Arc from the publisher through NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

Murder By The Book is the first book in the A Beyond The Page Bookstore Mystery series.

After Addison Greyborne’s father dies in an automobile accident and her fiance is murdered. She has inherited her aunt’s home and extensive book collection and decides to move to Greyborne and with the extensive book collection, her aunt had she decides to open the Beyond The Page – Books & Curios store. But bad luck is continuing to follow Addie, as she’s heading to her store for the first time she is nearly run down by a speeding automobile. As Addie is straightening item in the store, Serena who has SerenaTEAS shop a few doors down the street comes in to welcome Addie. While they are discussing their shops, there is a disturbance out back and when they check what it was they encounter Martha who owns the bakery next to Addie’s who says someone with a crowbar was trying to get in Addie’s store. When Addie goes back into her store, she finds that it has been vandalized. Later she gets a message from Blaine Fielding, owner of the local department store asking her to come over. As she is heading across the street, Serena is being led out of the store be her brother, Marc who is also the police chief, in handcuffs. Fielding had been killed and Serena had been found holding the murder weapon.
Soon, there are also break ins at her home too. Addie doesn’t feel that Serena is guilty and wants to clear Serena’s name. After some reflection, Addie begins to wonder if she wasn’t the one meant to find Fielding and to be framed for his murder. She soon believes that there must be something valuable enough hidden somewhere that is worth killing for and getting her out of town.

I found this to be a very interesting new series and there are a couple of other subplots, that if I would discuss, would take away from the mystery itself. I felt that the story was well written and had an interesting cast of characters. I’ll be looking forward to learning more about Serena, Addie, and her possible romantic interest with Marc.

I will be watching for the next book in this interesting new series.