Review by debbieaheaton
In Barrett’s mystery novel, Tricia Miles, owner of Haven’t Got a Clue Bookstore, is once again knee deep in murder. Helping her sister, newly elected Chamber of Commerce president, organize her plans for the new venture, Tricia finds herself trying to solve the murder of the Chamber’s cranky receptionist after she is seemingly crushed under a falling bookshelf at her sister’s bookstore. When she stumbles across the deceased’s will, she finds more people with motive and surprises than she can properly investigate.
In addition to trying to solve yet another murder, Tricia finds secrets in her own past that shed light on her childhood and her relationship with her mother.
As closure looms on the horizon, Tricia will need to watch her back with care to ensure she is not next on this murderer’s agenda.
Lorna Barrett never fails to deliver a fast-paced, well-thought out mystery the reader just can’t put down.
In addition to trying to solve yet another murder, Tricia finds secrets in her own past that shed light on her childhood and her relationship with her mother.
As closure looms on the horizon, Tricia will need to watch her back with care to ensure she is not next on this murderer’s agenda.
Lorna Barrett never fails to deliver a fast-paced, well-thought out mystery the reader just can’t put down.
Other Member Reviews
Book Clubbed made me feel very at home with the characters. The story is set in Stoneham, New Hampshire, aka Booktown, a town that sprang back to life with several book themed businesses. Lorna Barnett made the characters real for me. This is the eighth in a series and it does well as a standalone. Tricia Miles is the owner of Haven’t Got A Clue, a very unique used bookstore. Angelica, her sister owns a café, Booked for Lunch and is the new President of the Chamber of Commerce. Betsy Dittmeyer is the receptionist for the Chamber of Commerce and she is never welcoming and her current and past life is loaded with many dark secrets. Pixie Poe and Mr. Everett work for Book Clubbed and are great and lovable employees.
Betsy Dittmeyer has plenty of enemies, an ex-husband her sister, Joelle and most of the town. One day, a lot of commotion is heard upstairs. Betsy is found dead, crushed under a bookcase. With a pause for revelations about Tricia Mile’s mother that seems to explain a lot, the story plunges in the murder mystery. Some of the scenes are firmly etched in my memory and I didn’t want them to end! The author’s talent shines through this tale for connecting people, creating the deepening friendship between the two sisters and the friendships. I am now so hungry for the rest of the books in a series. I definitely love the characters, all unique and having their own histories.
I highly recommend this exceptional cozy mystery.
Betsy Dittmeyer has plenty of enemies, an ex-husband her sister, Joelle and most of the town. One day, a lot of commotion is heard upstairs. Betsy is found dead, crushed under a bookcase. With a pause for revelations about Tricia Mile’s mother that seems to explain a lot, the story plunges in the murder mystery. Some of the scenes are firmly etched in my memory and I didn’t want them to end! The author’s talent shines through this tale for connecting people, creating the deepening friendship between the two sisters and the friendships. I am now so hungry for the rest of the books in a series. I definitely love the characters, all unique and having their own histories.
I highly recommend this exceptional cozy mystery.
It is winter in Stoneham, New Hampshire and the store owners, including Tricia Miles owner of the Haven't Got a Clue bookstore, have plenty of time on their hands since business is slow. Unfortunately for Tricia, that time is soon filled when Chamber of Commerce receptionist Betsy Dittmeyer is murdered and Tricia, as she so often has in the past, begins to investigate the case. As Tricia does so, she discovers Betsy had many secrets - some of them nasty, some disgusting, and some sad. Someone killed Betsy because of one of those secrets and Tricia needs to be careful while investigating or she may lose everything that she cares for. “Book Clubbed” is the eighth book Lorna Barrett’s Booktown cozy mystery series and I really like the way the books and characters have grown throughout the course of the series. I especially like the way the relationship between Tricia and her sister Angelica has grown close throughout the series - Angelica has really grown on me as a character. One common theme in this book is secrets that people are hiding. Betsy isn't the only one with secrets - Angelica reveals a major one in this book that turns Tricias's world upside down and fits in nicely with another plot theme in the book (which I won't reveal). The mystery is well plotted with many twists and turns - I've read hundreds of cozy mysteries but the twists in this book still took me by surprise. Something that happens near the end of the book is quite a shocker - I'm sure I'm not show more the only reader who was holding her breath as events unraveled.
“Book Clubbed” is another great cozy mystery by Lorna Barrett. show less
“Book Clubbed” is another great cozy mystery by Lorna Barrett. show less
There aren’t enough clues scattered in the mystery for readers to guess who the murderer is until the very end. Still, there are twists along the way, a major secret that Angelica exposes to Tricia, and some life-changing events concerning the the characters of the town - plenty to keep readers engrossed in the story. It may not be the best of the series, but it is still plenty good.
3.5 stars
Tricia’s sister Angelica is now president of the town’s Chamber of Commerce. Unfortunately, they don’t have a real place to work out of, so the secretary (Betsy) is working in Angelica’s business space. It’s not long before there is a ruckus in the back and Tricia and Angelica discovery Betsy’s body in the back crushed by a book case! Betsy wasn’t well-liked, so when it’s discovered it wasn’t likely an accident, there are a number of people who might have done it. Tricia, as usual, chats up people around town to see what she can find out.
I liked this one (although I’m not sure there are any in this series I have disliked yet). It’s the 8th book in the series, and I really enjoy many of the characters, though there are definitely some odd “ducks” in the crowd! Tricia’s (current lack of) love life is a bit creepy, though, as two former suitors are still interested and trying to win her back. But really, I think this series (at least for me) is just as much about the characters and their relationships to each other as the mysteries themselves. There was one extra worrisome (and surprising) bit in the book toward the end.
Tricia’s sister Angelica is now president of the town’s Chamber of Commerce. Unfortunately, they don’t have a real place to work out of, so the secretary (Betsy) is working in Angelica’s business space. It’s not long before there is a ruckus in the back and Tricia and Angelica discovery Betsy’s body in the back crushed by a book case! Betsy wasn’t well-liked, so when it’s discovered it wasn’t likely an accident, there are a number of people who might have done it. Tricia, as usual, chats up people around town to see what she can find out.
I liked this one (although I’m not sure there are any in this series I have disliked yet). It’s the 8th book in the series, and I really enjoy many of the characters, though there are definitely some odd “ducks” in the crowd! Tricia’s (current lack of) love life is a bit creepy, though, as two former suitors are still interested and trying to win her back. But really, I think this series (at least for me) is just as much about the characters and their relationships to each other as the mysteries themselves. There was one extra worrisome (and surprising) bit in the book toward the end.
Tricia Miles, owner of Haven’t Got a Clue Bookstore, and her sister Angelica are getting ready to go to an estate sale to check out the books, when there is a crash overhead at Angelica's store and the girls rush up, only to find Betsey Dittmeyer, Chamber of Commerce receptionist (Angelica is the current president), dead under a fallen bookshelf. The chamber had been using the storage room since they lost their offices so Angelica had items moved to her building while a new office was being located. Neither Tricia or Angelica were big fans of Betsey, but they diligently set out to find the murderer. While hunting for clues, they uncover numerous secrets about the victim that could have lead to her demise.
The mystery was entertaining and the regular characters are always fun. I'm glad the romantic situations are clearing up but was saddened by a result of the solution. Hopefully it will be remedied in future installents.
The mystery was entertaining and the regular characters are always fun. I'm glad the romantic situations are clearing up but was saddened by a result of the solution. Hopefully it will be remedied in future installents.
A New Hampshire town facing financial ruin has reinvented itself as a “book lovers” destination. Each store on Main Street is devoted to books. A book store that sells mysteries, a book store that sells cookbooks, a book store that sells history books, etc.
Angelica, the cook with café and the owner of the cookbook store is the new President of the Chamber of Commerce. The previous “pres”, the town realtor, out of pique cancelled the Chambers lease and with nowhere to go the Chamber is operating out of Angelica’s store room.
The Chamber receptionist, Betsy Dittmeyer, hates the location and is being a pain about it. But she certainly didn’t deserve to be murdered.
Trish, Angelica’s sister and owner of the mystery book store sets out to solve the murder as the stipulated “female sleuth” of the cozy with Angelica as her Watson.
The characters seemed off to me but it could be my west coast casual versus east coast characters. Do people still have tea parties? The main character role is shared by two sisters, Angelica and Trish, in their 40s and they seemed to be from the 1960s in many of their attitudes (I did check publication date 2013 so I’m not sure why). Maybe it is because this is the 8th book of a series and I need a better sense of the backstory. It put me in a quandary - did I even wanted to read more than the first few pages. While I was trying to decide the plot sucked me in and I had to finish before I could go to bed!
Angelica, the cook with café and the owner of the cookbook store is the new President of the Chamber of Commerce. The previous “pres”, the town realtor, out of pique cancelled the Chambers lease and with nowhere to go the Chamber is operating out of Angelica’s store room.
The Chamber receptionist, Betsy Dittmeyer, hates the location and is being a pain about it. But she certainly didn’t deserve to be murdered.
Trish, Angelica’s sister and owner of the mystery book store sets out to solve the murder as the stipulated “female sleuth” of the cozy with Angelica as her Watson.
The characters seemed off to me but it could be my west coast casual versus east coast characters. Do people still have tea parties? The main character role is shared by two sisters, Angelica and Trish, in their 40s and they seemed to be from the 1960s in many of their attitudes (I did check publication date 2013 so I’m not sure why). Maybe it is because this is the 8th book of a series and I need a better sense of the backstory. It put me in a quandary - did I even wanted to read more than the first few pages. While I was trying to decide the plot sucked me in and I had to finish before I could go to bed!
Sisters, Tricia and Angelica, are chatting away in one of the bookstores they own when a series of bangs & then crash from the 2nd level room has them scurry up the steps and finding one of the town’s curmudgeons squashed beneath a case of back stock books. Who and why is their intention as they again set out to solve the mystery behind the murder.
With a severe case of hoarding, a bit of embezzling, a fire or two, and some pretty sordid family history, Tricia smokes out the murderer, but not before suffering in the wake of justice.
The regular cast of characters grace the pages and add their own flair of interest and woes.
The thing I like best about “cozies” is that even tho people die in every book, they are generally insignificant, insofar as usually just introduced or a minor chart. Not so in this book. Suffice it to say, this is the first time (and I hope the last) that I cried over a cozy mystery. Be ready.
Recipes always included for Angelica’s creations in the end. Going to give that carrot cake a try!
With a severe case of hoarding, a bit of embezzling, a fire or two, and some pretty sordid family history, Tricia smokes out the murderer, but not before suffering in the wake of justice.
The regular cast of characters grace the pages and add their own flair of interest and woes.
The thing I like best about “cozies” is that even tho people die in every book, they are generally insignificant, insofar as usually just introduced or a minor chart. Not so in this book. Suffice it to say, this is the first time (and I hope the last) that I cried over a cozy mystery. Be ready.
Recipes always included for Angelica’s creations in the end. Going to give that carrot cake a try!
I was so excited to finally get my hands on this book! When I stared reading cozy mysteries several years ago, the Booktown series was one of the first I read. If it hadn’t been for this series and a few others, my love for cozies may have been short lived.
BOOK CLUBBED is now my favorite book in this series. It had all of the same wonderful storytelling as the volumes that came before, but amped up to a whole new level. Author Lorna Barrett held nothing back with this one, calling on al of her talent as a writer. Action packed with one exciting story twist after another, I was left breathless by the end.
And keep reading after the story is over for yummy recipes, and a sneak peek of the next Booktown mystery, A FATAL CHAPTER!
If you’re already a fan of the Booktown Mysteries, you are going to be blown away when you read BOOK CLUBBED. If you haven’t started this series yet, do yourself a favor and please do. But I suggest getting them all at the same time because you’re going to want to binge read this series!
BOOK CLUBBED is now my favorite book in this series. It had all of the same wonderful storytelling as the volumes that came before, but amped up to a whole new level. Author Lorna Barrett held nothing back with this one, calling on al of her talent as a writer. Action packed with one exciting story twist after another, I was left breathless by the end.
And keep reading after the story is over for yummy recipes, and a sneak peek of the next Booktown mystery, A FATAL CHAPTER!
If you’re already a fan of the Booktown Mysteries, you are going to be blown away when you read BOOK CLUBBED. If you haven’t started this series yet, do yourself a favor and please do. But I suggest getting them all at the same time because you’re going to want to binge read this series!
I've read this series since it started and I really enjoy the cozy mystery although I'm having trouble liking the characters as much as I did. I think the mystery aspect is getting better with each book but it's almost as if that's pulling away from the characters. Rather ironic since the woman who was killed wasn't very likeable either. Keep the mysteries coming hopefully the ending of this book will cause Trisha to reevaluate what it is she wants from life. And while she's at it maybe Angela can slow down a bit. Can't wait to find out more about their family.
I've read this series since it started and I really enjoy the cozy mystery although I'm having trouble liking the characters as much as I did. I think the mystery aspect is getting better with each book but it's almost as if that's pulling away from the characters. Rather ironic since the woman who was killed wasn't very likeable either. Keep the mysteries coming hopefully the ending of this book will cause Trisha to reevaluate what it is she wants from life. And while she's at it maybe Angela can slow down a bit. Can't wait to find out more about their family.
I've read this series since it started and I really enjoy the cozy mystery although I'm having trouble liking the characters as much as I did. I think the mystery aspect is getting better with each book but it's almost as if that's pulling away from the characters. Rather ironic since the woman who was killed wasn't very likeable either. Keep the mysteries coming hopefully the ending of this book will cause Trisha to reevaluate what it is she wants from life. And while she's at it maybe Angela can slow down a bit. Can't wait to find out more about their family.
I've read this series since it started and I really enjoy the cozy mystery although I'm having trouble liking the characters as much as I did. I think the mystery aspect is getting better with each book but it's almost as if that's pulling away from the characters. Rather ironic since the woman who was killed wasn't very likeable either. Keep the mysteries coming hopefully the ending of this book will cause Trisha to reevaluate what it is she wants from life. And while she's at it maybe Angela can slow down a bit. Can't wait to find out more about their family.
I've read this series since it started and I really enjoy the cozy mystery although I'm having trouble liking the characters as much as I did. I think the mystery aspect is getting better with each book but it's almost as if that's pulling away from the characters. Rather ironic since the woman who was killed wasn't very likeable either. Keep the mysteries coming hopefully the ending of this book will cause Trisha to reevaluate what it is she wants from life. And while she's at it maybe Angela can slow down a bit. Can't wait to find out more about their family.
Death by books - a case full of murder.
A unique voice among cozy authors, capable of making us want more with every book, Lorna Barrett has returned to Booktown with this latest outing, Book 8 of the series. Lorna has given us many unusual ways for a killer to kill, and this book is no exception.
Angelica has taken over the Chamber of Commerce in a vote against former Chamber president Bob Kelly. But where is he? For reasons unknown, he has disappeared...or has he? The receptionist for the Chamber is not a person anyone would really attempt to make a friend. She is downright nasty...could that be the reason for her literal downfall? A tremendous crash brings Angelica and sister Tricia running and once again Tricia has found a body. No wonder she is known as the 'town jinx' and often assumed to be the suspect! But Tricia has many more things to confuse her and take up her time. With an ex-husband and ex-boyfriend trying to get back in favor with her, she also is, naturally, sleuthing to clear her name and solve the murder along with sister Angelica. Why was Betsy Dittmeyer so nasty? What secret has she harbored that sister Joelle needs to know? What is she hiding and who didn't want anyone to find out?
Meanwhile, it appears there is a new boon coming...a virtual explosion of future residents in the picture, along with Angelica's determination to expand the coverage of the Chamber of Commerce there should be a re-awakening of the small town and Tricia is privy to some of the show more newcomers already on the way, a secret that many people seem to know.
With this latest book, aside from the secrets, mysteries, murder and possible attempted murder, the author has left some tantalizing bits of what may be to come in a future book and indeed I, for one, am hoping that Booktown will survive it's latest crisis. Recipes are included in the book.
Disclaimer: Review based on Advance Reading Copy (ARC) show less
A unique voice among cozy authors, capable of making us want more with every book, Lorna Barrett has returned to Booktown with this latest outing, Book 8 of the series. Lorna has given us many unusual ways for a killer to kill, and this book is no exception.
Angelica has taken over the Chamber of Commerce in a vote against former Chamber president Bob Kelly. But where is he? For reasons unknown, he has disappeared...or has he? The receptionist for the Chamber is not a person anyone would really attempt to make a friend. She is downright nasty...could that be the reason for her literal downfall? A tremendous crash brings Angelica and sister Tricia running and once again Tricia has found a body. No wonder she is known as the 'town jinx' and often assumed to be the suspect! But Tricia has many more things to confuse her and take up her time. With an ex-husband and ex-boyfriend trying to get back in favor with her, she also is, naturally, sleuthing to clear her name and solve the murder along with sister Angelica. Why was Betsy Dittmeyer so nasty? What secret has she harbored that sister Joelle needs to know? What is she hiding and who didn't want anyone to find out?
Meanwhile, it appears there is a new boon coming...a virtual explosion of future residents in the picture, along with Angelica's determination to expand the coverage of the Chamber of Commerce there should be a re-awakening of the small town and Tricia is privy to some of the show more newcomers already on the way, a secret that many people seem to know.
With this latest book, aside from the secrets, mysteries, murder and possible attempted murder, the author has left some tantalizing bits of what may be to come in a future book and indeed I, for one, am hoping that Booktown will survive it's latest crisis. Recipes are included in the book.
Disclaimer: Review based on Advance Reading Copy (ARC) show less
Book Clubbed is the 8th Booktown Mystery. I haven't read numbers 2, 4, 5, & 7, so I've missed some character developments. Luckily, the author did provide some information that helped me catch up.
It's February, a slow time for the tourist book trade in Stoneham, New Hampshire. Our heroine, Tricia Miles, owns Haven't Got a Clue mystery bookstore. Her older sister, Angelica Miles, owns another of the bookstores in 'Booktown': The Cookery. Not content with that, Angelica also owns the Booked For Lunch café and has a half interest in a local bed-and-breakfast called the Sheer Comfort Inn. She's the new president of the local Chamber of Commerce. Angelica has even published a cookbook or two. The sisters' relationship had been pretty rocky most of their lives, but has improved since Angelica moved to Stoneham.
Today they have an opportunity to look over a private book collection. It's an opportunity they are doomed to lose. The former Stoneham Chamber of Commerce president, Bob Kelly of Kelly's Realty, has been a sore loser. He cancelled the lease for the CoC building, which leaves Angelica having to use part of the Cookery's storeroom for the chamber's business until she can get a new one. So far, every prospect has insisted she go through Bob and he hasn't been setting up appointments.
It doesn't help that Angelica has the chamber's receptionist, Betsey Dittmeyer, working in the storeroom. You see, Bob fired the previous receptionist, Frannie May Armstrong a few years back. show more Angelica hired Frannie to manage the Cookery. Frannie is making more money and has good health care benefits, which Betsy resents. Understandably, the two don't get along. That Betsy is making things difficult doesn't help.
Then the inconsiderate Betsy gets herself murdered before Angelica and Tricia can leave on their errand. They're two of the people who were in The Cookery when it happened. As usual, Tricia finds the body. Privacy goes out the window during murder investigations, so expect to find out that the late Betsy had a secret or three up her sleeve.
Angelica freaks out, of course, because that upstairs storeroom was right next to her apartment. Yes, her apartment was broken into. Luckily, her darling Bichon frise, Sarge, is all right. (He was kicked like a football in book 5, Sentenced to Death.
Now Tricia is being courted by two men, both of whom have let her down before: her ex-husband, Christopher Benson (the divorce was all his idea), and the local Chief of Police, Grant Baker. They both have green eyes, for which Tricia is a sucker, but she doesn't feel like being suckered again. Grant certainly isn't doing anything to endear himself to her during the initial crime scene discussion. Objectively, it's good to have a police chief who isn't going to write off two otherwise-viable suspects just because he cares for one and the other is her sister. Subjectively, that hurts,
Tricia retreats to her store, where Ginny Wilson-Barbero, who runs the Happy Domestic store, comes with her own tail of woe. It seems she's pregnant and fears that her husband, Antonio, and boss, Nigela Ricita, will want her to give up her job. She loves her job. (The tragedy that Ginny recounts happened in book 5, Sentenced to Death.)
No sooner has Tricia gotten Ginny feeling more optimistic and about to leave when Nikki Brimfield-Smith enters with the same news. Nikki is understandably confused when Ginny bursts into tears and runs out. Nikki's reaction to her impending motherhood is the opposite of Ginny's: she wants to sell her patisserie and be a stay-at-home mom. How will their husbands react?
Tricia's ex, Christopher, walks over from his workplace, the Nigela Ricita Associates office across the street from Tricia's store. He's living in the apartment above the office. How...nice...) He moved to Stoneham only two months ago and is the only financial advisor in town. He has information about Betsy. He offers that as bait to get Tricia to go to lunch with him. Will our heroine bite?
Mrs. Dittmeyer's sister, Joelle Morrison, drops in to cry on Betsy's shoulder. Are they crocodile tears or the real thing? Joelle was a suspect when Stan Berry was murdered in book 7, Not the Killing Type. Just because she was innocent that time doesn't mean she's innocent now. Joelle does mention a few persons who didn't have tender feelings for her sister. She also brings up a tragedy in Betsy's life that makes the victim's unpleasant personality a little more understandable.
Don't think that interactions among the regular cast and speculation about the murder are all that's going on here. It turns out that Angelica has some files she and Tricia can look through. One of the discoveries may not have anything to do with the murder, but it doesn't make this reader think any better of the victim.
Another discovery is more serious.
NOTES:
Chapter 4:
a. The author tells us about Sarah Jane, the large, ugly vinyl doll her colorful assistant, Pixie Poe, gave to Tricia several months ago. Pixie has made the doll the store mascot and dresses her up for holidays and other special occasions. The doll freaks Tricia out, but the customers gladly buy whatever book Pixie puts in the doll's hands.
b. Tricia had a murder happen in her store in book two, Bookmarked For Death.
Chapter 5:
a. Nigela Ricita Associates bought the local 'roach coach' and Happy Domestic in Sentenced to Death.
b. Ginny used to be Tricia's assistant. Tricia was not pleased when Angelica came to Stoneham in book 1, Murder is Binding.
c. Angelica finally tells Tricia why their mother never loved her.
d. Both sisters have the Miles nose.
e. From the sentence at the end of the chapter, I suspect the sisters are humming "That's Amore".
Chapter 8: Grace Harris and William Everett's wedding two years ago happened in book three, Bookplate Special. William's birthday is on Valentine's Day and his wife has plans.
Chapter 9:
a. Because Angelica took back her maiden name after she divorced husband number four, her name in the Chamber of Commerce membership list is 'Angelica Miles Samuels Collins Beck Prescott Miles'. As Tricia remarks, that's a mouthful.
b. Michele Fowler was managing an art gallery in Sentenced to Death.
Chapter 10: Bob Kelly smashed pumpkins in Bookplate Special. He rigged the raffle at the Sheer Comfort Inn in book 6, Murder on the Half Shelf.
Chapter 11: Tricia ate food rescued from a dumpster in Bookplate Special.
Chapter 14: The Outer Limits Sci-Fi and Comics shop is next to By Hook or By Book.
Chapter 16: The Stoneham Police Department has only seven officers (and Polly Burgess, their receptionist/dispatcher)
Chapter 19: Look here for a stupid prank that Bob Kelly pulled when he was in high school. (I wouldn't want the nickname it earned him back then.)
Booktown mysteries fall into that category of cozies that I enjoy while I read them, but seldom remember anything but the characters after awhile. In fact, I read this book only a month before I started my review (relying on my bookmarks for characters and places to list), and I was half through this book before I remembered who killed Betsy and why. I remembered the party at the end instead of the suspenseful climax. But it was fun going through it again.
Cat lovers: Tricia's gray Miss Marple is on the job.
Dog lovers: Angelica's bichon frise, Sarge, gets to be part of some of the excitement.
I suppose it's only fair that Miss Marple gets the cover this time because she was there for the climax, but the overturned bookcase that was part of the murder scene was in the building that's Sarge's territory.
Angelica's recipes for this entry are Blue Cheese Popovers (pp. 306-307), Cream of Tomato Soup (pp. 307-308), and Spanakopita (pp. 305-306). show less
It's February, a slow time for the tourist book trade in Stoneham, New Hampshire. Our heroine, Tricia Miles, owns Haven't Got a Clue mystery bookstore. Her older sister, Angelica Miles, owns another of the bookstores in 'Booktown': The Cookery. Not content with that, Angelica also owns the Booked For Lunch café and has a half interest in a local bed-and-breakfast called the Sheer Comfort Inn. She's the new president of the local Chamber of Commerce. Angelica has even published a cookbook or two. The sisters' relationship had been pretty rocky most of their lives, but has improved since Angelica moved to Stoneham.
Today they have an opportunity to look over a private book collection. It's an opportunity they are doomed to lose. The former Stoneham Chamber of Commerce president, Bob Kelly of Kelly's Realty, has been a sore loser. He cancelled the lease for the CoC building, which leaves Angelica having to use part of the Cookery's storeroom for the chamber's business until she can get a new one. So far, every prospect has insisted she go through Bob and he hasn't been setting up appointments.
It doesn't help that Angelica has the chamber's receptionist, Betsey Dittmeyer, working in the storeroom. You see, Bob fired the previous receptionist, Frannie May Armstrong a few years back. show more Angelica hired Frannie to manage the Cookery. Frannie is making more money and has good health care benefits, which Betsy resents. Understandably, the two don't get along. That Betsy is making things difficult doesn't help.
Then the inconsiderate Betsy gets herself murdered before Angelica and Tricia can leave on their errand. They're two of the people who were in The Cookery when it happened. As usual, Tricia finds the body. Privacy goes out the window during murder investigations, so expect to find out that the late Betsy had a secret or three up her sleeve.
Angelica freaks out, of course, because that upstairs storeroom was right next to her apartment. Yes, her apartment was broken into. Luckily, her darling Bichon frise, Sarge, is all right. (He was kicked like a football in book 5, Sentenced to Death.
Now Tricia is being courted by two men, both of whom have let her down before: her ex-husband, Christopher Benson (the divorce was all his idea), and the local Chief of Police, Grant Baker. They both have green eyes, for which Tricia is a sucker, but she doesn't feel like being suckered again. Grant certainly isn't doing anything to endear himself to her during the initial crime scene discussion. Objectively, it's good to have a police chief who isn't going to write off two otherwise-viable suspects just because he cares for one and the other is her sister. Subjectively, that hurts,
Tricia retreats to her store, where Ginny Wilson-Barbero, who runs the Happy Domestic store, comes with her own tail of woe. It seems she's pregnant and fears that her husband, Antonio, and boss, Nigela Ricita, will want her to give up her job. She loves her job. (The tragedy that Ginny recounts happened in book 5, Sentenced to Death.)
No sooner has Tricia gotten Ginny feeling more optimistic and about to leave when Nikki Brimfield-Smith enters with the same news. Nikki is understandably confused when Ginny bursts into tears and runs out. Nikki's reaction to her impending motherhood is the opposite of Ginny's: she wants to sell her patisserie and be a stay-at-home mom. How will their husbands react?
Tricia's ex, Christopher, walks over from his workplace, the Nigela Ricita Associates office across the street from Tricia's store. He's living in the apartment above the office. How...nice...) He moved to Stoneham only two months ago and is the only financial advisor in town. He has information about Betsy. He offers that as bait to get Tricia to go to lunch with him. Will our heroine bite?
Mrs. Dittmeyer's sister, Joelle Morrison, drops in to cry on Betsy's shoulder. Are they crocodile tears or the real thing? Joelle was a suspect when Stan Berry was murdered in book 7, Not the Killing Type. Just because she was innocent that time doesn't mean she's innocent now. Joelle does mention a few persons who didn't have tender feelings for her sister. She also brings up a tragedy in Betsy's life that makes the victim's unpleasant personality a little more understandable.
Don't think that interactions among the regular cast and speculation about the murder are all that's going on here. It turns out that Angelica has some files she and Tricia can look through. One of the discoveries may not have anything to do with the murder, but it doesn't make this reader think any better of the victim.
Another discovery is more serious.
NOTES:
Chapter 4:
a. The author tells us about Sarah Jane, the large, ugly vinyl doll her colorful assistant, Pixie Poe, gave to Tricia several months ago. Pixie has made the doll the store mascot and dresses her up for holidays and other special occasions. The doll freaks Tricia out, but the customers gladly buy whatever book Pixie puts in the doll's hands.
b. Tricia had a murder happen in her store in book two, Bookmarked For Death.
Chapter 5:
a. Nigela Ricita Associates bought the local 'roach coach' and Happy Domestic in Sentenced to Death.
b. Ginny used to be Tricia's assistant. Tricia was not pleased when Angelica came to Stoneham in book 1, Murder is Binding.
c. Angelica finally tells Tricia why their mother never loved her.
d. Both sisters have the Miles nose.
e. From the sentence at the end of the chapter, I suspect the sisters are humming "That's Amore".
Chapter 8: Grace Harris and William Everett's wedding two years ago happened in book three, Bookplate Special. William's birthday is on Valentine's Day and his wife has plans.
Chapter 9:
a. Because Angelica took back her maiden name after she divorced husband number four, her name in the Chamber of Commerce membership list is 'Angelica Miles Samuels Collins Beck Prescott Miles'. As Tricia remarks, that's a mouthful.
b. Michele Fowler was managing an art gallery in Sentenced to Death.
Chapter 10: Bob Kelly smashed pumpkins in Bookplate Special. He rigged the raffle at the Sheer Comfort Inn in book 6, Murder on the Half Shelf.
Chapter 11: Tricia ate food rescued from a dumpster in Bookplate Special.
Chapter 14: The Outer Limits Sci-Fi and Comics shop is next to By Hook or By Book.
Chapter 16: The Stoneham Police Department has only seven officers (and Polly Burgess, their receptionist/dispatcher)
Chapter 19: Look here for a stupid prank that Bob Kelly pulled when he was in high school. (I wouldn't want the nickname it earned him back then.)
Booktown mysteries fall into that category of cozies that I enjoy while I read them, but seldom remember anything but the characters after awhile. In fact, I read this book only a month before I started my review (relying on my bookmarks for characters and places to list), and I was half through this book before I remembered who killed Betsy and why. I remembered the party at the end instead of the suspenseful climax. But it was fun going through it again.
Cat lovers: Tricia's gray Miss Marple is on the job.
Dog lovers: Angelica's bichon frise, Sarge, gets to be part of some of the excitement.
I suppose it's only fair that Miss Marple gets the cover this time because she was there for the climax, but the overturned bookcase that was part of the murder scene was in the building that's Sarge's territory.
Angelica's recipes for this entry are Blue Cheese Popovers (pp. 306-307), Cream of Tomato Soup (pp. 307-308), and Spanakopita (pp. 305-306). show less
This was an ok mystery. I liked that it was set in a bookstore, and the main character was a bookstore owner. When the reason for the murder was revealed, it seemed really out there. Not something the reader could have possibly guessed. And I definitely wasn't happy with the very end of the book. I don't like the direction it has taken for the main character.
Listened for Review (Tantor)
Overall Rating: 3.00
Story Rating: 3.25
Character Rating: 2.75
Audio Rating: 4.50 (not part of the overall rating)
Read It File It Review: Book clubbed by Lorna Barrett is one of those books that if you like Tricia (the main character) in previous books, you are going to love this story. I like Lorna Barrett's writing. I think she tells good stories. Here is my problem. I don't like Tricia. She is snobbish, judgmental, and down right unlikable. Since the story is told from her POV, this series seems to work for me best when the focus is on the crime. The rest of the town is delightful. This particular entry the "case" was maybe a 1/4 of the story and that meant far to much time on Tricia's life (her relationship with her mother, her relationship with men, her judgments of the townsfolk around her). So while this one didn't work for me, I will pick up the next because of Lorna Barrett's writing and Karen White's narration skills.
Audio Thoughts:
Narrated by: Karen White/Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
Karen is great at bringing these characters alive. I really like how she makes Tricia and her sister different and yet she brings alive the "sister" banter that Lorna writes very well. I really like this series on audio! (even the ones that Cassandra Campbell narrated--both narrators have a great knack at getting these characters)
Overall Rating: 3.00
Story Rating: 3.25
Character Rating: 2.75
Audio Rating: 4.50 (not part of the overall rating)
Read It File It Review: Book clubbed by Lorna Barrett is one of those books that if you like Tricia (the main character) in previous books, you are going to love this story. I like Lorna Barrett's writing. I think she tells good stories. Here is my problem. I don't like Tricia. She is snobbish, judgmental, and down right unlikable. Since the story is told from her POV, this series seems to work for me best when the focus is on the crime. The rest of the town is delightful. This particular entry the "case" was maybe a 1/4 of the story and that meant far to much time on Tricia's life (her relationship with her mother, her relationship with men, her judgments of the townsfolk around her). So while this one didn't work for me, I will pick up the next because of Lorna Barrett's writing and Karen White's narration skills.
Audio Thoughts:
Narrated by: Karen White/Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
Karen is great at bringing these characters alive. I really like how she makes Tricia and her sister different and yet she brings alive the "sister" banter that Lorna writes very well. I really like this series on audio! (even the ones that Cassandra Campbell narrated--both narrators have a great knack at getting these characters)
Another good book in the Trisha & Angelica series. The two sisters are discussing the slowdown of business because of the bad winter when they hear a scuffle upstairs over Angelica's restaurant. They go investigate and find the Angelica's secretary for the Chamber of Commerce dead underneath a toppled bookcase. Trish starts investigating on her own and discovers the victim was a hoarder with lots of secrets. Big surprise at the end.
I continue to love this series. Tricia and Angelica get involved in another murder when the Chamber secretary is killed in Angelica's cookery shop. Betsy is found under a bookshelf in the storeroom. Now the question is, why was she killed and who has a motive?
All the normal characters are here, Mr. Everett and Grace, Ginny and Antonio, Russ and Nikki, as well at the animal character of Miss Marple and Sarge. They make the books feel comfortable and familiar, even with a different storyline each time.
Looking forward to more in this series.
All the normal characters are here, Mr. Everett and Grace, Ginny and Antonio, Russ and Nikki, as well at the animal character of Miss Marple and Sarge. They make the books feel comfortable and familiar, even with a different storyline each time.
Looking forward to more in this series.
The secretary of the Chamber of Commerce is killed when a bookshelf falls on top of her. Tricia and Angelica rent out her old storage place, and soon find that Betsy was a hoarder. Then the autopsy report comes back, and the sisters find themselves searching for a killer.
continue to love the characters and setting. but I didn't love the solution to this mystery.
A very good cosy series. Second reading as good as the first.
A fun Cozy Mystery takes place in a small town where a lot seems to always be happening
Good Series
Good Series
A very good cosy series. Second reading as good as the first.
Another great book by Ms. Barrett.
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