Murder Is Binding by Lorna Barrett
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Book Reviews of Murder Is Binding
Book Review: Hooray for a new series
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the first book in a new series, and it is a promising beginning. Stoneham, NH, one of those typical New England towns whose center has died, figured a way out. Turning all of main street into bookstores, each with a specialty subject,(cookbooks, mysteries, history, etc.) and catering to tour busses, the town is pulling itself up by its bootstraps. Our protagonist owns the mystery book store, of course. She has a difficult sister who comes to town. These two play well off each other. Since I like the characters, I am sure I will keep reading the series. Unfortunately it will be 2009 before we see the next one.
Some of the reviewers found the flaws in the plotting. I suspect a bigger flaw might be that making much of a living with this kind of store is very hard. Fortunately our heroine lives over the store and only needs to support herself. The book is a good read.
Book Review: fun New England cozy mystery
Summary: 4 Stars
Stoneham, New Hampshire, is experiencing a bit of a Renaissance, what with all the new bookstores brought into downtown by the Chamber of Commerce, and Tricia Miles, owner of the store dedicated to mysteries, is having a grand old time until the unpleasant cookbook store owner is found dead -- by Tricia. When she becomes the number one suspect, Tricia decides to use her mystery skills to clear her name, which is seeming more difficult all the time, particularly when Tricia's annoying sister drops in for an unexpected visit.
As mysteries go, this is not a very compelling read, but the characters are fun and Barrett is a fine writer. I would read others in the series, watching for a better mystery.
Book Review: Enjoyable bookstore mystery
Summary: 4 Stars
It's too bad, just like another reviewer mentioned, that the setting isn't a real place. I'd love to visit.
I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next in the series. This first book revolved mostly around the setting and the plot, with most of the character development centering on Tracy. It will be interesting to see how the other main characters evolve in future books. The ensemble cast has a lot of potential, and several of the characters were interesting. The only character that I found unrealistic was the sheriff. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll just say I don't think she'd have been so easily fooled.
Book Review: A good cozy mystery
Summary: 4 Stars
Likes:
Lorna Barrett paints a picture of a small, quiet, close-knit community. Also, I like the idea of the bookstores being the main tourist attraction of the small town. The story flowed nicely and I liked the 'twist' ending. It was a good start for the series.
Dislikes:
Tricia (the main character) didn't have enough of a backbone. She just seemed to do whatever anyone told her and she never really spoke her mind. Also, Sheriff Wendy Adams never did her job, she was too intent on proving Tricia guilty of the murder.
Overall, I liked the book and will be picking up the next in the series.
Book Review: Fun New Series
Summary: 4 Stars
This shapes up to be a fun new series. The mystery bookstore owner is a fun sleuth along with her very different sister. The idea of a mystery owner as a sleuth is similar to that of Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand series and those who enjoy that SC series will also enjoy this NH series.
The concept of a bookstore town is fun to consider and offers lots of potential for this series.
The mystery was fairly easy to spot, but hopefully the mysteries will improve as the series continues. With the first one done, and the sleuth done being the main suspect, we should expect some braching out in the future.