Description: When Tricia moved to Stoneham six months ago, she was planning to fulfill a lifetime dream of opening a mystery bookstore. She had a plan... a plan that didn't include becoming the number-one suspect in a murder investigation. As if that wasn't bad enough, her annoying older sister has popped in for an unannounced visit. But at least business is booming...

My thoughts: Doesn't a town whose economy is based on classy used bookstores sound like a great place to live?

It took me a couple of chapters to get into this story, but I ended up really enjoying it. Tricia is a fun protagonist; I kind of wish I had her life. The interaction between she and her sister, Angelica, was highly entertaining. There are plenty of other quirky characters in the town of Stoneham to keep the story moving along, as well. Lots of potential for future installments.

The mystery here was just the right amount of intriguing, and not too grisly. A perfect book to curl up with on a rainy afternoon. (Not that I would know that from personal experience- I have kids!)

Anyway, I don't have a whole bunch to say about this book, other than that it was a fun and quick read. If you enjoy "cozy mysteries" this is a great choice for you! ( )

I love mysteries and bookstores so this seemed the perfect combination when I won a signed copy to me in a blog contest In the book the town, Stoneham built a Booktown to increase revenues. It reminded me of the famous Welsh Hay-on-Wye book village which due to a time restraint I was unable to visit while traveling in Great Britain. In this series the main character, Tricia owns the mystery bookstore which is right next door to the Cookbook store where a murder takes place. You will probably figure the murderer out but I enjoyed getting to know this cast of characters though I want to see Tricia developed further in the rest of the series. Her sister shows up and you see how the two got where they are today, not very close, but you also see that changing. I look forward to reading the next one in this cozy mystery series. ( )

The writing is good, nice and smooth, but so was the plot. By the second chapter I had everyone pegged, but I kept reading, assuming that there would be a twist at the end to change the obvious characters. I was wrong, it sailed smoothly along, never deviating from what was obvious at the beginning of the book.
If you read for comfort, not minding the recipe mystery formula, then this is the book for you. But not me. ( )

First in a series about Tricia Miles, divorcee who began a new life as owner of a mystery bookstore in Stoneham, New Hampshire. The town has also reinvented itself by taking Hay-on-Wye as a model and becoming a mecca for book lovers. Tricia's store has been open for five months, and she is doing well. Her sister, Angelica, whom Tricia has never gotten on well with, comes for a visit and reveals she too is getting a divorce. Meanwhile the cooking bookstore next door suffers a fire and the murder of its owner, and the local sheriff suspects Tricia.

I found myself liking this book better after having read it than while I was reading it, oddly. It creates an interesting community and characters, and I plan to read the rest of the series. ( )

I really enjoyed this book, and I didn't expect to like it much. Color me surprised.

I am not a fan of Cozy mysteries. They seem too perfect too plastic. They lack the sense that they are about lives that have been intersected by violence/mystery, rather they seem carefully constructed lives just for the mystery.

Anyway the supporting characters here won me over, as did the way the main character's difficult relationship with her sister was handled. The POV seemed to grow and yet it wasn't made perfect by the end of the book.

The book is set in fictional Stoneham, NH which has become a Booktown, with many small stores coming in to revive the dying town. It is based on nearby Milford, NH. I ended up reading it for a RL book group.

The story of this book is the owner of the Cookbook store is murdered, and the POV, the owner of the Mystery bookstore is the main suspect. She has to investigate to prove her innocence, since the local sheriff has already decided she is guilty.

I was eventually sucked into the story, despite the early plastic-ness. There was also a genuine warmth for the characters and their lives that I really liked.
The story had an awkward moment when there was shift from one suspect to another. But it was minor. The ending was quite exciting. I will read the next one. ( )