Murder Is Binding by Lorna Barrett
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Book Reviews of Murder Is Binding
Book Review: engaging regional amateur sleuth cozy
Summary: 4 Stars
The town of Stoneham, New Hampshire is considered the safest place in the sate because it hasn't had a murder in sixty years. However, Stoneham is ironically also a dying town until the President of the Chamber of Commerce and owner of Kelly ERealty Bob Kelly lured several used specialty bookstore owners to open shops on Main Street.
One of the newcomers is Tricia Miles who opened her mystery bookstore. When she visits the cookbook store, Tricia finds proprietor Doris Gleason dead with a knife in her chest. The rare cookbook that Doris purchased is missing. The female sheriff has taken an instant dislike of Tricia and is determined to find enough evidence to prove she killed Doris; she looks nowhere else for motives. When the victim's twin sister arrives to take over the cookbook store, Tricia is shocked that the newcomer has no interest in who killed her sibling. Tricia begins her own inquiries to clear her name and soon finds an elderly woman committed to a nursing home due to dementia but seems quite lucid when they talk. As local businessman Mike shows he is interested in her as does the sheriff for different reasons Tricia keeps digging to uncover who killed Doris.
Stoneham seems so real that readers will regret when they recall it is fictional as it seems like a heavenly place to foliage for books. The townsfolk are friendly and helpful to Tricia and other newcomers, but in the heroine's case that somewhat changes when many assume she is the killer; their logic is impeccable as why else would the sheriff consider her a person of major (and only) person of interest. Fans of regional amateur sleuth cozies will want to visit the bookstores of Stoneham guided by Tricia as she learns first hand that MURDER IS BINDING.
Harriet Klausner
Book Review: great cozy
Summary: 4 Stars
Tricia Miles is the proprietor of Haven't Got a Clue, one of the many bookstores in Stoneham, New Hampshire. Doris Gleason is her not so friendly neighbor, who owns The Cookery next door. When Tricia finds her dead body and a rare cookbook stolen, she is the prime suspect. It doesn't help that for some reason the local sheriff, Wendy Adams is determined to pin this murder on Tricia and won't even consider other suspects. That leaves Tricia to clear her own name and start investigating suspects herself, while dealing with the fact the her older sister, Angelica has come for an unexpected visit and wants to make it permanent. Then there is an accident that may not have been an accident. All this in a town that hasn't seen a murder in sisty years.
my review: What could be more fun than a mystery with books?! Murder is Binding is a fun, engaging mystery with colorful characters, enough that I wasn't sure who the killer was. I also liked the idea of a town with so many bookstores as a tourist attraction. I wish I lived there. Angelica is a hoot, she's annoying at times, but protective of Tricia and an amazing cook.
There are lots of references to classic mystery authors. Tricia's cat is named Miss Marple.
This was a quick read, though the ebook formatting was not very good, but that is usually what happens with some of these lighter reads. And there were some delicious sounding recipes at the end.
I look forward to reading the next in the series, Bookmarked For Death.
rating 4/5
reread want to read rest of series first
recommend- for any cozy mystery fans
Book Review: A new cozy series that shows real promise.
Summary: 4 Stars
Yes, we've seen a small town mysteries-only bookstore before, and, sure, there are some typos or out-and-out errors (artesian and artisanal are two entirely different words, and only one applies to cheese), but I don't think it's reasonable to open a paperback cozy and expect deathless prose coupled with flawless plotting. What one can expect for his seven dollars, I believe, is a delightful diversion with likable characters and a plot that sustains interest, and these Ms. Barrett delivers.
Our heroine, Tricia, is a fortyish bookstore owner in a small New Hampshire town that has been resurrected by opening an entire street of bookshops, (something I sincerely wish would happen in my small town!) The supporting cast includes Tricia's sister Angelica, bookstore employees, the local sheriff (a rather poorly drawn woman, but at least not someone destined to be the policeman-boyfriend), a newspaperman, a politician, a real estate agent, and other bookstore owners. The small cast of characters does limit the plot complexity somewhat, I suppose, but it does make it easier to keep track of who's who, which is sometimes a problem in series' beginnings.
If you're looking for gut-wrenching drama, you won't find it here, but Ms. Barrett provides the plot twists, friendly folks and atmosphere that we cozy readers look for. A nice touch is that the recipes for the delicious-sounding dinners that Angelica makes are in the back of the book - and the crab puffs are wonderful.
I look forward to the next installment in this light, fun series.
Book Review: Stoneham Fun
Summary: 4 Stars
What a wonderful new addition to the cozy mystery genre. No need to do much in the way of recapping as it has been admirably done by others. I liked, by and large, Ms. Barrett's characters. They were not all wearing the usual black and white hats. Some actually wore gray in that you might feel one way about them at first but that could change. Tricia is the spunky heroine who owns the town's mystery bookstore and her loud and obnoxious sister, Angelica, has decided she is going to move to Stoneham--much to Tricia's dismay and chagrin. Looking down the road, I can see this "Snoop Sister" act--with their sparring and dichotomous ways--entertaining us throughout. I don't necessarily agree, as has been indicated, that this tale takes us through the mystery book genre and author world as might have been the case. Such a shame. I was rather hoping for a cozy rendition of John Dunning/Cliff Janeway... Even though I don't usually enjoy books with cooking and recipe sharing, it was fairly subtly done. Mr. Everett is a very likeable Stoneham resident and comes across as the town's moral compass. I even like the cat--except for the name. The sobriquet, Miss Marple, is a bit heavy handed.
The only thing I found ridiculously out of touch with reality was the sheriff's character. There is no way that a sheriff facing an election is going to treat a seemingly upstanding business owner they way Wendy (the sheriff) treated Tricia.
That aside, the book was well crafted and a pleasure to read.
Book Review: Nice Introduction to a New Series
Summary: 4 Stars
So, what did happen to the alarm tech, did he ever show up? The reason I ask is because lead character Tricia Miles has ongoing alarm problems throughout the book and I was really waiting for the tech to make an appearance on the last page asking "did someone call for service". Guess it just wasn't meant to be.
Stoneham, New Hampshire is on it's way to becoming a ghost town when a local developer / real estate agent decides to rent his shops to book stores only. Sort of a one stop town shopping experience for booklovers. Quite a clever idea, that is until Doris, the owner of the Cookery, is found bludgeoned and Tricia the newest transplant to Stoneham, who is also known as the town jinx, is quickly zeroed in on as the main suspect.
In true cozy fashion and with the help of her very funny sister Angelica, who is very reminiscent of Joanne Fluke's character Andrea in the Hannah Swensen series, the two very different sisters set out to find the true killer. Though you can see the ending coming, it does seem to hit out of the blue, but that was ok, there was no real surprise and all the loose ends were neatly tied up. All except the alarm system, but that must be for another day.
I enjoyed the characters and the little town that Ms Barrett introduced me to. I look forward to the next book and seeing what Angelica, my favorite character, is going to get up to next. For some reason, the sidekicks are always more appealing to me.