Olivia Matthews

A Hallmark Publishing Peach Coast Library Mystery

Murder by Page One

Sarah Sammis

Marvey is a smart woman and immediately gets the help of others in her friend group. I much prefer the group of friends as sleuths to the solo character sleuth who somehow simultaneously feels safe enough to ask a bunch of invasive questions but not safe enough to enlist help. I also like that goal isn't to solve the mystery. Instead the goal is to create reasonable doubt.

More please.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2021/comm...

Cindy Lieberman

A cozy mystery for bibliophiles and/or cat lovers. The new director of community outreach for the local library has relocated from Brooklyn to this small town in Georgia where she befriends the local bookstore owner and asks everyone she meets if they have a library card. An admirable first novel with likeable characters, some tension established for future books as well as a potential love interest. Wardrobe descriptions mostly about color (a rich chocolatey brown, a brilliant blue) and too much detail about a passion for chocolate-covered almonds that did not figure into the mystery. I received a download of the audiobook from NetGallery in exchange for this honest review.

Katrina White

Murder By Page One had everything this cozy mystery lover loves. There was a cozy town with gossipy villainous neighbors. Not one but two bookish locations; To Be Read the most adorably named bookstore I've ever come across and the main character's (Marvey) library for which she's trying to improve patronage. Spence the rich, sort of love, interest rounds out the main cast.

 Marvey even has a moody cat that takes up a considerable amount of time on the page. It isn't super obvious but shortly into the story I began to realize these were people of color and I was so excited. I need more cozy mysteries with POC!

For me, cozy mysteries take me to a place I suspect don't exist, wrap me up in warm quilts, and gives me warm coffee /tea/chocolate while watching quirky townspeople pass through gossiping about the latest murder. This one did that and more because it surprised me with Black people! I wish there was a little more between the hot rich newspaper guy but maybe in future installments?

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

If you love Hallmark mystery movies, you’ll love this cozy mystery with humor, intrigue, and a librarian amateur sleuth. Marvey, a librarian, has moved from Brooklyn to a quirky small town in Georgia. When she’s not at the library organizing events for readers, she’s handcrafting book-themed jewelry and looking after her cranky cat. At times, her new life in the South still feels strange...and that’s before the discovery of the dead body in the bookstore. After one of her friends becomes a suspect, Marvey sets out to solve the murder mystery. She even convinces Spence, the wealthy and charming newspaper owner, to help. With his ties to the community, her talents for research, and her fellow librarians’ knowledge, Marvey pursues the truth. But as she gets closer to it, could she be facing a deadly plot twist? This first in series cozy mystery includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Classic Peach Cobbler.

Murder by Page One A Hallmark Publishing Peach Coast Library Mystery

Reviews