Poisoned Pages by Lorna Barrett is the 12th book in the “Booktown” mystery series. Publisher: Penguin Random House, July 2018

Mystery bookstore owner Tricia Miles learns that nothing kills a good party like a murder in the latest entry in the New York Times bestselling Booktown Mysteries.

Tricia Miles, mystery bookstore owner and amateur sleuth, throws a housewarming cocktail party in her new apartment and has cooked all the food by herself–quite a feat for someone who previously couldn’t boil water. Then one of her guests is poisoned and dies. Tricia’s left to wonder if her cooking is to blame or if there’s something much more sinister at play. Either way, Tricia’s once again in hot water with her ex-lover, Chief Baker.

Meanwhile the charming town of Stoneham is being disrupted by a vandalism crime wave. It’s the hot topic in the race for Chamber of Commerce president which sees Tricia pitted against two bitter rivals. With all that’s going on can she find the killer before she’s the next item on the menu?

This is one of my favorite series that I eagerly wait for each year. In their latest adventures, Tricia prepares a meal and one of her guests dies from food poisoning and Angelica is dealing with her own issues. Mayhem is striking their small town and it’s up to Tricia to do what she does best – get down to the bottom of it all.

I like the premise of this multi-plot whodunit that pulled me in immediately as I had to know what was going to happen next. The author does a great job in setting this mystery up with plenty of suspects sprinkled with clues and a few surprising twists and turns that enhanced how well this story was being told. The pacing was on par and the tone was comfortable making it easy to follow along with the plot. One of the things I like about this series is how the town supports one another in the face of adversity. As always, it was a joy to see the other supporting characters, Mr. Everett and Pixie, have a role in this engaging and entertaining tale. This was an enjoyable read and I look forward to the next exploits with Tricia and her friends.