Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett is the first book in the “Booktown” cozy mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime (Penguin), April 2008
Stoneham, New Hampshire was a dying town until community leaders invited booksellers to open up shop. Now,its streets are lined with bookstores—and paved with murder.
When she moved to Stoneham, city slicker Tricia Miles was met with friendly faces. And when she opened her mystery bookstore, she met friendly competition. But when she finds Doris Gleason dead in her own cookbook store, killed by a kitchen knife, the atmosphere seems more cutthroat than cordial. Someone wanted to get their hands on the rare cookbook that Doris had recently purchased—and the locals think that someone is Tricia. To clear her name, Tricia will have to take a page out of one of her own mysteries—and hunt down someone who isn’t killing by the book.
I know why I loved this series…the characters, the town’s atmosphere and the pleasant tone of the author. This cozy mystery was a perfect read. My rating: 4 stars
*pseudonym of author Lorraine Bartlett