Bookmarked for Murder
After some post-Christmas retail therapy in the Windy City, mystery bookshop owner and historical whodunit novelist Sam Washington is returning home to North Harbor, Michigan, on a chartered bus. With Nana Jo and her gal pals Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae from Shady Acres Retirement Village along for the ride, it’s a lively trip. But one passenger is not so lively; a gentleman Irma befriended is found dead in his seat after an unscheduled stop. The ladies immediately shift gears to find out who punched his ticket, while Sam slips into the driver’s seat to make sure Nana Jo and her crew steer clear of fatal conclusions.
Series: Mystery Bookshop – Book #5
Author: V.M. Burns
Genre: Cozy Mystery/ Amateur Sleuth/ Bookstore
Publisher: Kensington Books
Page Count: 256
Rating: 
The incredible new addition to the bookstore cozy series “Mystery Bookshop” comes Bookmarked for Murder from author V.M. Burns and Kensington Books.
Sam and Nana Jo are highly entertaining characters in this bookstore cozy. Nana Jo is a no-nonsense, feisty kind of gal, and Sam can keep up with her with no problem. Other characters are interesting, spunky, and would be a blast to hang around with in real life. Of course, you can never go wrong with a series with a bookstore as the main focus, and this series keeps readers busy and happy.
The victim isn’t well known, and most of the people involved in the investigation aren’t grieving all that much. Those who did know the victim aren’t any better. The killer will come as a surprise to many readers, but it isn’t burdensome to put all the clues together and come out with the right person. The setting of a retirement village is always fun, seniors aren’t out to impress anyone, and they are willing to try many things and get into many situations that younger people fear. My one complaint, if there is one, is that even though this is a bookstore-based cozy, the store itself is not the center of the action.
In the end, Bookmarked for Murder is a fantastic bookstore cozy murder book, and the “Mystery Bookshop” series is an enthralling read that makes me smile and has me hoping my retirement will be just like Nana Jo’s and the other characters. This book is beyond entertaining. It’s a page-turner that is filled with remarkable characters that have readers coming back for more.
Other bookstore-based cozies readers may enjoy are J.C Kenney’s literary cozy series “An Allie Cobb Mystery” or Lauren Elliott’s “A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery” series.
About the Author:
Valerie Burns was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana. She graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Urban Studies. Valerie later went on to get a Master of Science in Administration from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University.
By day Valerie is an Operations Manager at a call center for an appliance manufacturer. At night, Valerie writes cozy mysteries, children’s books, and screenplays. Valerie currently lives in Eastern Tennessee with her two poodles.
Contact Valerie: author@vmburns.com
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