I’ve been here a while now but I still get a thrill every morning when I open my eyes. I’m living above a bookshop that’s been in my family for over 400 years. The building is ancient, with wood framing and diamond-pane windows like something out of a fairy tale.

And that’s what my life has become. Well, for the most part. My relocation to England somehow awakened a dormant ability to solve murders. Not exactly on my bucket list.

I grew up in Vermont, the daughter of a poet and a college professor. They both instilled a love of books and I became a librarian as a result. Then Dad died and Mum and I got an invite from my Great-Aunt Violet. She needed our help running Thomas Marlowe, Manuscripts and Folios, located on Magpie Lane in the very heart of historic Cambridge, England, one of the most literary cities in the world.

Not an offer we could refuse, right? Back to daily life. Usually my adopted stray cat, Puck, jumps on me and wakes me up. He likes an early breakfast. The bookshop already had a cat, a fat tabby named Clarence, and thank goodness the two boys are finally getting along.

Forced out of bed by Puck, I wander down to the kitchen where I brew a cup of coffee or go across to the tea shop to buy one. Yes, British tea shops now sell coffee and it’s very popular, threatening to unseat tea as the morning drink of choice.

During breakfast, I consult with Aunt Violet and Mum about the day ahead. While we share customer service duties in the shop, Mum does the books, I handle social media, and my aunt is head buyer and appraiser. She’s teaching us everything she knows about old books and it’s fascinating.

One of the best parts of my new job is, of course, spending time with books. Leafing through them, reading them, even just looking at them. I have a favorite spot in the bookshop where I sit, bookshelves all around, and work on special projects. My favorite office ever.

When we first decided to move to England, I was a little worried about finding new friends. I’ve been extremely lucky. Daisy, who owns the tea shop, is my best friend. I’ve also started dating Kieran, who owns the bike shop next door. That’s one of the neat things about Cambridge. Most people ride bikes instead of driving. Isn’t that cool?

Anyway, Kieran is great. Kind, smart, funny—and a member of the nobility. Yes, seriously. He’s the son of Lord and Lady Scott, who own the magnificent Hazelhurst House in a nearby village. I’ve been invited to a garden party at their home, which will be the first time I’ve met them.

I’ll tell you later how it goes. Meanwhile, the shop bell over the door is jingling. It’s time to get to work.

Chapter and Curse, A Cambridge Bookshop Mystery #1
Genre: Cozy
Release: September 2021
Purchase Link

In Elizabeth Penney’s Chapter and Curse, Molly Kimball is used to cracking open books . . . but when a poetry reading ends in murder, she must use her skills to crack the case.

Librarian Molly Kimball and her mother, Nina, need a change. So when a letter arrives from Nina’s Aunt Violet in Cambridge, England requesting their help running the family bookshop, they jump at the chance.

Thomas Marlowe—Manuscripts and Folios, is one of the oldest bookshops in Cambridge, and—unfortunately—customers can tell. When Molly and Nina arrive, spring has come to Cambridge and the famed Cambridge Literary Festival is underway. Determined to bring much-needed revenue to the bookstore, Molly invites Aunt Violet’s college classmate and famed poet Persephone Brightwell to hold a poetry reading in the shop. But the event ends in disaster when a guest is found dead—with Molly’s great-aunt’s knitting needle used as the murder weapon. While trying to clear Violet and keep the struggling shop afloat, Molly sifts through secrets past and present, untangling a web of blackmail, deceit, and murder.

About the author 
Elizabeth Penney is the author of more than two dozen cozy mysteries, among other novels. Elizabeth spent her early years in England and France and now lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire where she pens novels and tries to grow things. Visit elizabethpenneyauthor.com to learn more.

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