Encouraging readers to come for the mystery and stay for the characters is basically the goal of every cozy mystery. Bookclubbed to Death achieves that objective with a light-hearted look at bookstore ownership and the life of a new author.
Sam is celebrating her impending marriage and her soon to be published debut historical mystery. However, after learning that a local book club needs a new venue, she offers her mystery bookshop with disastrous results. A vile and universally disliked book critic is murdered. The confused local police zero in on Sam as the number one suspect. Can Sam and her beloved grandmother Nana Jo find the real killer?
The Mystery Bookshop series of books always contain an interesting innovation. You get Sam’s doings as the main plot and also the historical mystery that Sam is currently writing included in one book. This time around I really enjoyed the book within the book, perhaps even slightly more than the main plot. In the buildup to World War II, the English king has asked his female cousin to discover who murdered a reporter who was concealing state secrets.
Once again, the author has delivered a fun cozy and a challenging historical mystery all at once. Bookclubbed to Death is highly recommended to fans of both mystery sub genres. 4 stars!
Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.