Murder on the Half Shelf

May 7, 2012
At the outset of Agatha-finalist Barrett’s unsatisfying sixth Booktown mystery (after 2011’s Sentenced to Death), Tricia Miles, owner of the Haven’t Got a Clue bookstore in Stoneham, N.H., who’s been invited by her sister, cookbook author Angelica, to share in a free night at the new Sheer Comfort Inn, stumbles across the body of Pippa Comfort, one-half of the couple running the inn. Tricia soon becomes aware that Jon Comfort, Pippa’s husband, is not what he seems, and begins receiving disquieting packages from someone apparently well versed about her own past. Police chief Grant Baker, Tricia’s boyfriend, is inclined to think that Tricia isn’t an innocent bystander to the crime, while Bob Kelly, Angelica’s former boyfriend, may be involved in shady dealings. Situations that strain credulity and a culprit who appears without sufficient foreshadowing will disappoint some readers, but series fans should enjoy the colorful smalltown characters and the cliffhanger ending. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds.

June 15, 2012
When a mystery bookstore owner and her ambitious cookbook-writer sister accept a free pre-opening night room at the Sheer Comfort Inn, they walk right into murder. Cooking maven Angelica, who's won the room for the night, not only invites Tricia to come along, but insists on sneaking in her dog, Sarge. As Tricia is walking Sarge, they discover the body of Pippa Comfort. Tricia recognizes Pippa's husband, Jon, as Harrison Tyler, author of a famous mystery novel and her former boyfriend, who was supposed to have drowned in a boating accident 20 years before. The alibi that Harry Tyler claims now puts Tricia squarely in the sights of her current boyfriend, Police Chief Grant Baker. Because Tricia is divorced from her wealthy former husband and has seen another romance go sour, she feels hurt by Grant's efforts to be objective and treat her as just another suspect. It doesn't help that Tricia's already known as the town jinx, since Pippa's is not the first body she's found (Sentenced to Death, 2011, etc.). Now she realizes that she's going to have to investigate the latest murder, if only to clear her name. Stoneham, N.H., may seem like a quiet, quaint little town, but there's a lot going on behind the scenes, and Tricia's sleuthing may lose her more than some friends, since a desperate killer will do anything to stay free, including killing again. Barrett's sixth Booktown mystery features a quirky collection of characters, a mystery that keeps you guessing and some appealing appended recipes.

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2012

Mystery bookstore owner Tricia (Sentenced to Death) can't escape murder cases even when she and her sister are trying out a new bed-and-breakfast for fun. But this time an old flame is the accused.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2012
Arriving at Sheer Comfort Inn, the new bed-and-breakfast in Stoneham, New Hampshire, mystery-bookstore owner Tricia Miles and her sister, Angelica, who owns a cafe, plan to have a relaxing evening as they and other local entrepreneurs give the B&B a test run before the tourist season. But first the bossy Angelica sends Tricia out to walk Sarge, her bichon frise. And so, for the fourth time in the three years that Tricia has lived in Stoneham, she finds a body. Not just any body, but the body of the innkeeper, whose husband turns out to be Tricia's long-disappeared former boyfriend and a best-selling mystery author. Her current beau, the chief of police, suspects Tricia and isn't sympathetic to her fears as she receives anonymous messages. Tricia and her fellow shop owners seek out clues and follow leads, learning the truth behind long-hidden secrets as they go about their business. The characters are believable, and the several subplots lend depth or comedic relief, particularly Angelica's effort to host a cooking show. The extras are recipes for three of Angelica's tasty specialties.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)