Murder of a Bookstore Babe by Denise Swanson is the 13th book in the “Scumble River” mystery. Publisher: Obsidian (Penguin), March 2011
Who could be driven to kill by books and sweets? While school psychologist Skye Denison eagerly anticipates the grand opening of a new bookstore called Tales & Treats, many of Scumble River’s most outspoken citizens want to shut down the owners before they even open—and one is angry enough to commit murder.
Dropping off some books at Tales & Treats, Skye trips over a toppled bookcase, which has crushed a woman beneath its weight. While police search for motives, Skye sees the messy aftermath of a half-baked plot to murder somebody else. Skye is juggling her own busy life, but when all the clues lead to dead ends, she turns up the heat on her own investigation … and stumbles upon the deadly secret that got this bookstore babe done in. And if Skye isn’t careful, the killer just might make her the sequel.
Skye is excited about the opening of the new bookstore. When she stops by later with donated books, she stumbles upon a woman’s dead body. Assisting the police and with help from an ex-student, Skye will separate fact from fiction and bring this killer to justice. I love the pace of this story as we watch Skye interact with her friends, family and the townspeople. I adore the characters, especially watcher her mother May manipulates her family members. Skye’s devotion to her multiple jobs and her family remain strong and I like that she is holding her own more against her mother. The author did a good job at capturing my attention and kept me guessing as to the identity of the killer, and when I did, I enjoyed seeing Skye put the pieces together. This was a good read and I look forward to the next book in the likable series.
FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of this book
previously posted on the Cozy Chicks blog