Bookshop owner Addie Greyborne must solve a locked-room murder in a supposedly haunted mansion to recover a priceless Sherlock Holmes original . . . The seaside New England town of Greyborne Harbor is home to many grand estates, including the Queen Anne Victorian Addie inherited from her great aunt. Now one of those mansions is holding an estate sale, which is just what the bookshop owner needs … bookshop owner needs to replenish her supply of rare editions—even if the house is rumored to be haunted. Assisting an overwhelmed insurance appraiser with the inventory, Addie discovers an 1887 magazine containing Arthur Conan Doyle’s first Sherlock Holmes novel, A Study in Scarlet, which she estimates to be worth over one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
But when Addie later finds the appraiser dead in the estate’s private library, with the door bolted from the inside, and the priceless edition missing, it’s a mystery worthy of the Great Detective himself. She’s certain the death and the robbery are connected—but who, other than a ghost who can walk through walls, could have gotten in to do the deed? It’s up to Addie to find the key to the crime—before she’s the next one cornered by a killer . . .
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cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, family-dynamics, friendship
Enter the world of appraisers of books, including priceless first editions. Addie Greyborne, owner of the Beyond the Page booksellers is a vetted appraiser of rare books but also cheerfully sells reading copies. By happenstance she becomes involved in a locked room murder with no apparent cause, is dogged as a suspect by a hostile FBI agent who is sloppy in her due diligence, and is forced to find valid evidence of her innocence and point to the real culprit. Absolutely amazing twist at the end!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you
I received and read an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Over the last few months, I’ve devoured Lauren Elliott’s cozy mysteries set in Greyborne Harbor. I’m starting to convince myself that this sleepy tourist town on the Massachusetts coast is really out there and that I might be able to get myself a part-time job at Addie’s store, Beyond the Page. I love how determined Addie is to solve the murders that she always finds herself at the center of. I love all the characters and their little quirks that make them seem like real people. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t also love reading about Marc and Simon and their fight over which one of them will end up with Addie in the end. I’m not sure if this is the conclusion to the series or not, but if it is, what a way to end. Proof of Murder had everything you could possibly want. Murder in a small town, jealousy, deception, Sherlock Holmes, and ghost stories. I mean, is it really New England without a few ghosts?
When the local haunted house goes up for sale, Addie jumps at the chance to see if any rare books for her shop might be up for auction. When she gets convinced to help out the insurance appraiser she finds some extremely valuable Sherlock Holmes books that she hopes to bid on at the auction. When she later finds the appraiser dead and the books not just missing, but replaced with replicas, she’s certain the death and the theft are connected even though the room in which the body was found was locked from the inside. What follows is a classic whodunit with all the deduction and hidden passages we all dream of finding. On top of trying to figure out who stole the books and caused the appraiser’s death, Addie is also trying to prove her innocence in the eyes of Marc and his new lady friend, who clearly has it out for her. I was worried when it took a good 60 pages before Marc or Simon appeared, but don’t worry, there’s enough of both of them to go around and unsurprisingly they both end up getting dragged into the amateur sleuth’s investigation.
My favorite thing about this book was the homage to Sherlock Holmes. Addie’s solved a lot of mysteries since she moved to Greyborne Harbor, but this one felt different. I feel like it might be the best one yet. It drew a lot from the works of Doyle and Christie and reminded me why I love murder mysteries so much. No matter how many are written there are always some that still surprise me. Typically, they’re those written by Agatha Christie, but Lauren Elliott sure knows how to craft a mystery that will leave you scratching your head until the very end. The body in the library is never just a body. The carvings on the mantelpiece are never just carvings, and a locked room is never really a locked room.
If you’re looking for a really well written cozy mystery series, this is it. Elliott’s books and writing stand out amongst the hundreds of other cozy mysteries you can find at any bookstore. The wheels won’t stop turning until the very end, and event then you still might find yourself with questions. I still have some, but I trust that all ends will be tied eventually whether we know it or not. Greyborne Harbor has someone looking out for its citizens in Addie Greyborne.
Thank you to Lauren Elliott and Kensington Books for providing me with an ARC.
I was lucky enough to receive an Advanced Readers copy from the author for an honest review. Thank you!!
Needless to say, this book catches you and doesn’t let go till long after reading it! I look forward to another 5* book from Lauren Elliott!
I think this one may be the best one yet. Greyborne Harbor, the seaside town that this series is set in, has lots of huge, very old mansions. And of coarse Addie Greyborne, owner of the Beyond the Page, a bookstore. She will be attending an estate sale in one of the Mansions that is rumored to be haunted. There should be items for her bookstore at the sale. The twist and turns in this book are so interesting. There is a death or is it a murder??? There is a theft does it have to do with the murder? Only Addie will be able to figure this out or did she do the theft and murder herself.
Reading this book was a page turner and I really believe you will love it like I do.
Highly recommend this book.
I recently discovered Ms. Elliot’s work. I have enjoyed the Beyond the Page Bookstore series and this installment is no exception. Addie’s love triangle issues are laid to rest and she chooses her knight in shining armour. The progression of Addie’s love life occurs along side an intriguing mystery involving Arthur Conan Doyle and a surprise cousin. This book keeps you reading and wondering what will happen next. If you have enjoyed the series thus far, this will be no exception.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Emotions are high with this book! Love is in the air. Whether it be falling in love, pretending to love, or moving on from love lost. You have Addie’s love life and Serena’s too. Us a new characters “love” life to explore. There are also some characters you want to slap! You cry with the main character (Addie) and want to jump in and save her at the same time.
The haunting at Hill Road House will leave you wanting a night light while sleeping. Ghosts and cold air floating around the house will make you think they are around you at times.
It’s up to Addie to figure out what all is going on so as to keep herself out of jail. I also learned some facts about Sherlock Holmes and one of his books. You will feel bad for the appraiser who had been killed. The manor was the most fearful way I have ever read!
Needless to say, this book catches you and doesn’t let go till long after reading it! I look forward to another 5* book from Lauren Elliott!
I was lucky enough to receive an Advanced Readers copy from the author for an honest review. Thank you!!
Addie Greyborne, owner of the Beyond the Page, a bookstore in the beautiful New England town of Greyborne Harbor, is heading out to an estate sale in search of rare editions of books to add to her inventory for her shop. The estate sale is being held in one of the town’s grand mansions that has long been rumored to be haunted though Addie doesn’t believe in things like that. When she is asked to help the appraiser with the books in the library she finds a magazine with Author Conan Doyle’s first Sherlock Holmes novel in it which is a very rare find and worth six figures. When the appraiser is found dead in the locked library of the mansion, and the rare find is missing, suspicion falls on Addie. Not one to sit idly by she starts an investigation of her own. Is the mansion really haunted? Who would kill the appraiser and why? And who stole the rare find? Is she putting herself in danger? Trying to investigate and dealing with her personal feelings for two men…one is the handsome police chief and the other is an equally handsome doctor, Addie has her hands full. This book is full of wonderful characters that I love and a very well written mystery that will keep you turning the pages. i highly recommend this book!
This series really pulls me. I really enjoyed this volume eventually, this author likes to tug on your emotions and swing you back and forth before she leaves you in a good place! I really thought I had suffered a time warp or had mixed up my series, I had to go back to the last book to realize I hadn’t lost my mind. Addie has a lot going on in her personal life in this book, romantic entanglements, long lost relatives, friends and neighbors. I thought at the beginning of the book that really was confusing and disorienting but as she always does the author spun one heck of a mystery!
The mysteries in this series are always interesting and Addie’s ability to notice things, ask questions outside the box and push forward relentlessly are what make her such an interesting character. The fact that she had to do them while dealing with some seriously emotional tangles makes this a very good read. Bravo Addie!
I strongly recommend the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mysteries by Lauren Elliott. I just finished Proof of Murder and it’s just as good as the first three. I really enjoy the characters and wish Addie’s store was real so I could go visit. It’s a real page turner because I just have to know what happens. I hate putting the book down. The story keeps you engaged from the first page to the very last. I can’t wait to read the next one.
Proof of Murder is a delightful read and the fourth installment in Lauren Elliott’s Beyond the Page Mystery series. As usual, we find Addie Greyborne right in the middle of trouble and chaos.
I was hooked on page one and couldn’t put it down. The characters are charming and the story was realistic and interesting. There were just enough plot twists to make this cozy a page-turner. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m sure you will too. I received an Advanced Reader Copy and the opinions are solely my own.