Hello, and welcome to Palm Trees and Page Turners Bookshop! My name is Scarlett, and I would love to help find the perfect beach read for your vacation in sunny Southern California. I opened my bookshop on the beach a few months ago, but my original plan was derailed quickly. I was going to run it with my boyfriend, Connor. He would do most of the numbers side of the business, and I would do the literary side a.k.a. the fun side. But then the Slime King, as my roommate/BFF calls him, left both me and Palm and Page for a better job offer. So here I am, trying to run both sides of the business on my own. Well, not quite on my own. My employee, Evelyn, is amazing. She might not have much business experience either, but she is very encouraging, and I’m positive that Palm and Page is mostly still afloat because of her. She’s just on her lunch break in the back now, or else I’m sure she would love to say hi.

Anyway, Lucia—that’s my roommate/BFF—says I should stop complaining about my personal woes to customers, so I am working on that. What was it you were looking for again? Romance? Fantasy? Mystery? I personally love all genres so would be happy to chat with you about anything.

Once you’ve picked your book—or books, hmm?—there is always plenty of space outside on the beach to lounge and read. Did you remember your sunscreen and floppy beach hat? I also suggest going for a walk along the pier. It’s one of my favorite places in Oceanside. I love strolling to the end where there’s nothing but the Pacific Ocean around you. Breathing in the salty air is a balm to any of my troubles. For lunch, I recommend either the nachos from the snack stand or the carnitas tacos at the Guac ‘n’ Roll food truck near the beach.

Okay, I have to admit I’m a little jealous of your beach day. It sounds so relaxing. Maybe I’ll hang out there after work. But I really don’t mean to make it sound like I’m complaining. I love my job. It can be a bit overwhelming sometimes, but owning a bookshop on the beach is a dream come true. We got in a large shipment of new book releases this morning, and I’m so excited to mark them into our stock and put them out on the shelves. I love watching customers’ faces light up when they discover we have a favorite book of theirs in stock or they find something brand new to them to enjoy. And chatting with customers about books, just like we’re doing now, is the best part of my day. Thank you for stopping by! Visit again soon.

Murder by the Seashore, A California Bookshop Mystery Book #1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: October 2023
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

Perfect for fans of Jenn McKinlay and Ellery Adams, Scarlett Gardner’s dream was to open a bookshop in Southern California, but it soon becomes a nightmare when she finds the dead body of a customer—and becomes the prime suspect.

Southern California is where dreams come true—or so Scarlett Gardner thought. When she moved there and opened the Palm Trees and Page Turners bookshop, she thought her boyfriend and business partner would be part of the story. When he leaves her for a better job, Scarlett finds herself struggling to keep her new business afloat. That’s not the only thing she has to worry about—she discovers something underneath the pier by her bookshop that she didn’t outline for her life’s story: the dead body of a book-buying customer.

After Scarlett gives a statement to the police, she thinks her life can go back to business as usual. But when a lawyer, representing someone named Lorelai Knight, tells Scarlett that she now stands to inherit a small fortune, she’s left with more questions than answers. Before she can make sense of any of it, the police bring her in for questioning; the body she found was Lorelai Knight. And the evidence they have against Scarlett doesn’t look good. Business is booming as Scarlett returns to Palm Trees and Page Turners, but for all the wrong reasons – curious tourists don’t want books, they want a glimpse of the Bookshop Killer.

Who could really be behind all of this? And why frame Scarlett? To clear her name, she’s going to have to get creative—and hope she can remain one page ahead of the killer.

About the author
Samara Yew is a cozy mystery author who writes about adorable bookshops and dead bodies. A full-time mom, full-time dog servant, and part-time writer, Samara lives in British Columbia, Canada, where she can often be found watching Psych reruns. Samara loves to travel, especially visiting her husband’s home country of Singapore or donning Mickey ears in Disneyland. She’s a member of Sisters in Crime, including her local chapter SinC-Canada West, and International Thriller Writers. To keep up to date with all her bookish news, please visit her website at samarayew.com.