Little Bookshop of Murder - A Review

 

Little Bookshop of Murder

by

Maggie Blackburn 

This book is a cozy mystery that did not meet my usual expectations for a great cozy. It starts off with a great premise - Summer Merriweather’s mother has died after suffering a heart attack. The police see no evidence of foul play, but Summer and her group of new friends are not so sure. They have two tasks - prove it was murder and find the murderer.

It is a great premise, but the book falls short in its presentation. A number of things bothered me. The biggest was that the book was predictable - I had the murderer identified very early in the book. The author spent most of the 300+ pages convincing me I was correct. In addition, the book ended with too many open ends. The potential love interest was dropped halfway through the plot, Summer’s occupational future had way too many holes to provide a satisfying ending to the story. The future of the bookstore was left hanging as the story ended. Many of these holes could be answered in a sequel, but with no obvious sequel in the character's future the reader is left with open wounds.

The book might find a place on the public library or on the shelf for those who are fans of Maggie Blackburn. For now, I’ll keep it off my shelf.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.