On Spine of Death
Bestselling author Tess Harrow and her teenage daughter Gertrude have decided to make Winthrop their home. Their cabin is fixed up, and now they’re turning to the family hardware store that Tess inherited from her late grandfather into the town’s first independent bookstore. It’s too bad that it’s the home of human bones and a possible serial killer.
When renovations unearth bones from a cold case and send them toppling, literally, onto Tess’s head, the work comes to a grinding halt. With the whole town convinced that her grandfather was a serial killer, Tess has to call in a fellow horror author for reinforcements. Together, they’ll devise a perfect story to make all the clues fit and solve a mystery more than thirty years in the making.
The Details
Series: By the Book Mysteries – Book #2
Author: Tamara Berry
Genre/Category: Cozy – Amateur Sleuth/Writer
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
ISBN: 1728248639
Page Count: 408
Rating: 
The Review
On Spine of Deat is the delightful second book in the “By the Book Mysteries” series, and fans of Tamara Berry are thrilled with this fun and exciting addition. I adore Tess Harrow and her fiction detective, as well as the real-life version of him, Sheriff Boyd. Between them, they find human bones, dig up a thirty-year-old mystery, and chase a serial killer. You couldn’t ask for a more action-packed cozy.
Tess decided to turn her grandfather’s old hardware store into her dream bookstore. She didn’t figure that being tied to a chair in the basement and having human bones rain down on her head would be a possibility when she started the renovation, but she figured it wrong. Not only do bones keep showing up, but it looks like a serial killer was at work thirty years before when her grandfather was alive, and he is the prime suspect. But when another mystery involving Sherriff Boyd’s sister pops up, Tess questions the evidence that has been uncovered so far.
The characters in this series will make you smile and even laugh. Tess keeps you on your toes, and Sherriff Boyd will endear himself to readers. Tess’ daughter, Gertrude, is not your average teenager; she helps solve mysteries alongside her mother. The town of Winthrop is tiny, but it is also described in enough detail to make readers want to visit, even with human bones being dug up every day and a serial killer roaming the countryside.
The victims all seem innocent, and it is difficult to find a motive for their murders. And for someone to bury their bones under the hardware store. The serial killer, even though a nasty piece of work, has a personality that comes through as ruthless and sadistic. Of course, when the killer is identified, the reader finds out that their personality matches the clues and the motive. Tess is in a life-or-death struggle to prevent herself from becoming the next victim, save the day, and save her grandfather’s reputation.
Readers will love On Spine of Deat. It has everything you could want in a cozy mystery, bones, a serial killer, and Tess’ whacky sense of humor. Along with characters that make you happy, even when they are miserable, a town you can see yourself walking around, and a story that is gripping and tantalizing. I am happy to recommend this book to readers who love a thrill ride.
The Author
Tamara began her writing career in 2012 as romance author Tamara Morgan. Since then, she has expanded to include cozy mysteries (Tamara Berry) and puppy-themed romantic comedies (Lucy Gilmore). Her books are fun, lighthearted, and always have a guaranteed HEA.
Tamara graduated from Eastern Washington University with an English degree, where she learned about very important literature and that she prefers to read about love and murder. She lives in Washington state with her family and has far more pets than they need.
Another book in this series that readers will enjoy is Buried In A Good Book, or one of Tamara’s other series, such as “An Eleanor Wilde Mystery” series, starting with book one, Séances Are for Suckers.
Represented by: Handspun Literary
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