For Whom the Book Tolls by Laura Gail Black is the first book in the NEW “Antique Bookshop” cozy mystery series, coming September 8, 2020.
In this cozy series debut from Laura Gail Black, Jenna Quinn finds her uncle murdered in his antique bookstore, and Jenna–his primary beneficiary–becomes the prime suspect.
Trouble follows Jenna Quinn wherever she goes. Fleeing some unsavory doings in her hometown of Charlotte, Jenna accepts her uncle’s gracious invitation to stay with him in small-town Hokes Folly, NC. In exchange, she’ll help him out in his antiquarian bookstore. But soon after she arrives, Jenna finds her uncle’s body crumpled at the base of the staircase between his apartment and the bookstore.
Before the tragedy even sinks in, Jenna learns that she’s inherited almost everything her uncle owned: the store and apartment, as well as his not-so-meager savings and the payout from a life insurance policy. . .which adds up to more than a million dollars. This is all news to Jenna–bad news, once the police get wind of her windfall. An ill wind, indeed, as a second murder cements Jenna’s status as the prime suspect in both deaths.
Jenna can hit the road again, taking her chances that she can elude trouble along the way. Or she can stick it out in Hokes Folly, take over the bookstore, and try to sleuth out her uncle’s killer. On the one hand, she’s made some wonderful new friends, and she feels she can thrive in the genial small-town environment. On the other hand, trouble knows her address–and so does the killer, who is determined to write the final page of Jenna’s story.
Dru’s Musing:
This was one of those books that I did not want to end. There’s so much going on with both what has happening in the present to Jenna and what happened in the past that caused her arrival in Hokes Folly.
This was a fast-paced and action-packed drama with a comfortable tone that made it easy to follow along with what the author intended. I could not put this book down, quickly becoming a page-turner as I had to know how this was going to end. The author did a great job in setting the stage with visually descriptive narrative and engaging dialogue that kept me immersed in all aspects from Jenna’s arrival to the discovery of her uncle’s body to being the prime suspect to searching for a killer in order to clear her name. I like how the author introduced us to a variety of characters, giving us just enough of their backstory to whet our appetite as to the pivotal role they played in how well this story was being told. Jenna is a likable heroine and the supporting cast was wonderful in how they rallied behind her. Overall, this was a fun and enjoyable tale and I can’t wait to see where we go in the next book in this delightfully charming new series.
FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
I will add this to my TBR list. I love books that take place in bookstores.