Killer Words
Bookshop owner Sam and Nana Jo are back in sleepy North Harbor, Michigan, where Sam is eagerly awaiting the publication of her first book. In search of more immediate excitement, Nana Jo hits the casino with her fellow Shady Acres Retirement Village gal pals and senior sleuths, but they get more than they bargained for when they witness Detective Bradley Pitt decking mayoral candidate John Cloverton.
As Sam well knows, mystery novels are full of brilliant detectives, genius sleuths, and hero cops. Detective Bradley Pitt, aka “Stinky Pitt,” is another story. In the past, the dull-witted detective has mistakenly accused members of Sam’s family of crimes they didn’t commit. Now, it’s his turn: when Cloverton turns up dead, he’s arrested. With his predilection for polyester, Pitt has been wanted by the fashion police for years, but Nana Jo knows her former elementary school math student would never commit murder; it doesn’t add up. Somebody’s framed the flatfoot to take a fall, and Sam and Nana Jo must step in to restore the reputation and good name of Detective Pitt.
The Details
Series: A Mystery Bookshop Mystery – Book #7
Author: V.M. Burns
Genre/Category: Cozy – Bookshop/OlderSleuth
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
ISBN: 1496728971
Page Count: 256
Rating: 
The Review
I love the “A Mystery Bookshop Mystery” series, and with the addition of the latest installment, Killer Words, this series is definitely one of my all-time favorites. Sam and Nana Jo are magnificent characters, along with the senior sleuths who make readers laugh, cry, and lead them down a path of excitement and entertainment without any pretense. There is nothing about the characters, the setting (who doesn’t love a bookshop?), or the mystery that would make readers put this book down. Add in the chapters from the novel Sam is writing, which are sprinkled throughout the book, and you have the perfect who-dun-it and more.
When Detective Pitt finds himself arrested and put behind bars, he relies on Sam and Nana Jo to clear his name, not that he would ever ask them to do that, but he finds he is grateful that someone believes in his innocence. Having wrongfully accused Nana Jo and Sam of crimes they didn’t commit previously, he now knows what it’s like to be in their shoes. Sam puts the bookshop and her novel to the side as she and the senior sleuths jump into action to save the Detective from going to prison for a murder he didn’t commit and catch a killer.
Killer Words is perhaps the best book so far in this series, but it is hard to say as all of the books are wonderfully written and immensely enjoyable. The suspects are believable, and their motives could easily come from real-world murder cases. The clues are there to be found, but some readers may need a bit more concentration to realize they are a clue at all. Finding the clues and figuring out which suspect is a killer will keep readers happily busy. When the senior sleuths and Sam finally reveal the murderer’s identity, many readers will be surprised. Sam’s bookshop doesn’t play as big of a role as I would like, but that is mainly because I am a glutton for books. This is the only complaint I have with this story. To put it bluntly, this book and series are perfect, and readers will thrill at each and every word.
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.
More books in the “A Mystery Bookshop Mystery” series readers will want to grab include Wed, Read & Dead, or perhaps Bookmarked for Murder.
Represented by: BookEnds Literary Agency
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