Murder Is Binding

First in a new series, Lorna Barrett has captured the quintessential small town, with wonderful quirky characters, a unique plot and a fascinating cozy murder mystery. I loved this book, related to many cozies, but with a twist. The settings are described beautifully and the characters clearly defined while still being mysterious throughout the book. Oh, yes, and recipes included, too. The decision of Stoneham, a small dying town, to invite booksellers to open shops in a special rejuvenated section has become a success. Newcomer Tricia Miles, as a fan of the mystery genre, has opened the shop “Haven’t Got a Clue” which has become very popular. She even has the traditional bookstore cat, Miss Marple. But not all is happiness amongst the various booksellers and Tricia soon finds herself under fire and a murder suspect. The sheriff seems overwhelmingly determined to arrest her for murder and refuses to consider any other prospects for the murder. Thus begins this delightful romp as Tricia and her sister decide to solve the case themselves. I will certainly be following this new series, I can see already that it is going to become one of my favorites! Crisp and fun, well worth the read.

I would have loved to live in Stoneham. A quaint little town where there are plenty of bookstores to choose from. That’s every bookworm’s dream come true. I absolutely loved this setting. The story itself is good, and the characters are fitting for the setting. Angelica, Tricia’s sister is a typical annoying, bossy, older sister and at times she got on my nerves (like any older sister would be very skilled at). Although Tricia is partly at fault because she lets Angelica have her way most of the time. However how annoying Angelica can be, she also provides the comedy in this book. The characters overall in the book are all right and fun to read, there’s plenty of suspects and I was surprised to find more than one dead body in this mystery. There are plenty of suspects to guess from, and the ending is quite dramatic - maybe a little over the top for some readers, but I thought it ended with a good punch. The pace of the book certainly does keep the reader turning the pages though, so this book could be finished in no time at all. The little twists throughout the novel are also fun to read and does keep the plot exciting to keep the reader going. I’d say this was a cozy mystery in its’ true form. It was an absolutely delight to read, the little town was perfect for all book lovers to enjoy and the recipes in th3 back are definitely worth a try. I’m definitely going onto the second book.

I love Lorna Barrett.