Bookclubbed to Death

by V. M. Burns Narrated by Kate Rudd

Overview

V. M. Burns returns with the latest book in her popular Mystery Bookstore mysteries set in a Michigan bookshop specializing in selling murder mysteries.

When the bookshop she owns becomes a crime scene, mystery writer Samantha Washington discovers there is such a thing as bad publicity.

After the local library in North Harbor, Michigan, is flooded in a storm, Sam offers her bookstore as a new venue for the Mystery Mavens Book Club. Unfortunately, she immediately runs afoul of the club leader, Delia Marshall, a book reviewer who can make or break careers-something Sam can ill afford with her debut historical mystery soon to be published.

But the next morning, Sam opens her shop to find the unpleasant woman dead on the floor, bashed with a heavy-apparently lethal-tome: The Complete Works of Agatha Christie. While Sam is busy writing her latest British historical mystery in which the queen mother is suspected in the murder of a London Times correspondent, a pair of ambitious cops suspect Sam of the real-life crime.

When she gathers Nano Jo and their friends from the Shady Acres Retirement Village to review the case, they discover that every one of the Mavens had a motive. With her novel about to hit the stores, Sam must find out who clubbed Delia before a judge throws the book at her.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for The Mystery Bookshop Series by V.M. Burns


“Readers of Carolyn Hart and Vicki Delany will appreciate the lively seniors, the humor, and the bookstore environment.” —Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW on The Plot is Murder


“Colorful characters and just enough mystery trivia boost the fast-moving plot. Cozy fans are sure to have fun.” —Publishers Weekly on A Tourist’s Guide to Murder


“As good as any Jessica Fletcher story could be, Burns has a way with words and her characters are absolutely riveting. There is no doubt this is one series that will continue for a good, long time to come.” —Suspense Magazine on Read Herring Hunt


“This two-in-one mystery satisfies on so many levels, with this fifth in the series being as fresh and unique as the first.” —Kings River Life Magazine on Bookmarked for Murder

Kirkus Reviews

2022-12-14
A Michigan bookstore owner and budding mystery writer polishes off a novel while probing the death of a nuisance client.

When a tornado flattens the North Harbor public library, aspiring author Samantha Washington is happy to help librarian Charlotte Simmons by relocating the library’s book clubs to Samantha’s mystery bookstore. Unfortunately, Delia Marshall, the syndicated book critic in charge of the Mystery Mavens Book Club, wants more than just space. Imperious Delia lets Sam know that she doesn’t “need to go overboard to impress the group. A light lunch and cocktails will be fine with coffee and dessert.” She also expects Sam to lock up her ferocious 7-pound toy poodles, Snickers and Oreo, during the club’s meetings. Unfortunately, the dogs get loose, and one of them lunges at Delia, causing her to fall. Sam’s initial concern over a potential lawsuit is outweighed when Delia is found dead in the bookstore, bashed in the bean by a single-volume The Complete Works of Agatha Christie—which certainly must be heavy, since it includes 66 novels and dozens of short stories and plays—that Delia had special ordered from Sam several weeks earlier. Sam’s fears get an upgrade because the police regard her as their chief suspect. Fortunately, Delia’s enemies are legion, so it isn’t hard for Sam to come up with alternatives. Nor is it hard for her to complete her latest novel, a 1930s British thriller set in Windsor Castle and starring King George IV, large chunks of which appear in between the chapters recounting Sam’s investigations. Inserting palace intrigue into a shopkeeper cozy may sound like a bargain, but sometimes you get what you pay for.

The dark side of buy one, get one free.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940176679236
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	12/27/2022
Series:	The Mystery Bookshop Series , #8
Edition description:	Unabridged

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