Murder by Page One by Olivia Matthews
Series Name: Peach Coast Library #1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: March 23, 2021
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Marvey, a librarian, has moved from Brooklyn to a quirky small town in Georgia. When she’s not at the library organizing events for readers, she’s handcrafting book-themed jewelry and looking after her cranky cat. At times, her new life in the South still feels strange…and that’s before the discovery of the dead body in the bookstore.
After one of her friends becomes a suspect, Marvey sets out to solve the murder mystery. She even convinces Spence, the wealthy and charming newspaper owner, to help. With his ties to the community, her talents for research, and her fellow librarians’ knowledge, Marvey pursues the truth. But as she gets closer to it, could she be facing a deadly plot twist?
Dru’s Short Musing:
This was a well-written whodunit with a comfortable tone that immediately drew me in from the introductions of Marvey, her friends Jo and Spence and the other characters they encountered. The author did a fine job in telling this story with a small suspect pool, but it was the clues that were uncovered that kept me in the game trying to figure out what was going on. When I thought I had an inkling on the suspect and motive, the author changed directions which gave me pause because that meant the killer was hiding in plain sight. With visually descriptive narrative, every scene appeared to me like I was watching a movie, along with engaging dialogue and a wonderous backdrop that oozed southern charm. When all was said and done, the book left me with a yearning for more adventures with Marvey, Jo and Spence. This was a nice debut, and I can’t wait for the next one in this delightfully charming series.
FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
Thanks for the great review, Dru! I’m anxious to read this one, and I’ve pre-ordered the book.
I’m looking forward to this one!