A Fatal Chapter by Lorna Barrett is the 9th book in the “Booktown” mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime, June 2015

New York Times bestselling author Lorna Barrett presents another page-turning chapter in her Booktown Mystery series. This time mystery bookshop owner Tricia Miles is about to find out murder is no walk in the park. . .

While out walking Sarge, her sister’s bichon frise, Tricia is led by the agitated dog to a man lying in a gazebo. She’s startled when she recognizes Pete Renquist, the president of the Stoneham Historical Society, who appears to be suffering from cardiac arrest. When Pete later dies in the hospital, the discovery of a suspicious bruise and a puncture mark on his arm suggests he may have been murdered.

Haunted by Pete’s enigmatic last words to her, Tricia begins to consider who had a motive to kill her friend. Did Pete take his flirting too far, only to have a jealous husband teach him a lesson? Or did he discover something in the town’s historical records that his killer wanted kept secret? Tricia is determined to get to the bottom of things before someone else becomes history. . .

Lorna has done again by delivering a brilliantly executed drama that I could not put down until the last page was turned and boy did she keep me in suspense with this thoroughly engaging whodunit.

Tricia is once again thrust in another murder and try as she might, she just had to do a little investigating and when she was done, well, you’ll just have to read this book. Everything about it kept me glued to the pages and those twists and turns were explosive with several outcomes I didn’t even expect. Tricia really shined in this book, showing her vulnerabilities, yet still being a determined soul. I enjoyed the direction this story took beckoning with new beginnings with old and new friends. This was an excellent read and I look forward to more adventures with Tricia and her family and friends.