Tag: Penny Brooke

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

A Vow of Murder by PennyBrooke

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Title: A Vow of Murder
Author: Penny Brooke
Series: A Seabreeze Bookshop ‘Cozy Mystery #7
Location: Somerset Harbor, Massachusetts
Main Character: Rue
Other Characters: Diana, Jeanne Marie, Elliot, Elizabeth, Angela, Mark, Belinda, Sargeant Mott, Andy, Felicia, Clinton
Pets: Golden Retriever named Gatsby & 2 cats, Oliver & Beasley
Rating: 5

A Vow of Murder is the seventh book in the Seabreeze Bookshop Cozy Mystery series, and it certainly lives up to expectations. Ms. Brooke crafts a captivating and engaging story from the very first page.

Rue Collier finds herself entangled in yet another murder mystery when she is invited to a cake tasting, only for one of the wedding guests to end up murdered. With plenty of suspects and unexpected twists, Rue, along with her loyal dog, Gatsby, set out to find a killer.

If you enjoy cozy mysteries featuring well-developed characters, intriguing plots, and a touch of small-town charm, you will love this book. of course, I love Gatsby, the Golden Retriever, who adds a delightful touch to the story. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking a captivating mystery filled with twists and turns to catch a killer.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Murder in the Cul-De-Sac by Penny Brooke

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Title: Murder in the Cul-de-sac
Author: Penny Brooke
Series: Green Oaks Bookbinding Cozy Mystery #4
Location: Green Oaks
Main Character: Charlotte Young
Other Characters: Isla, Brandon, Bruce, Greta, Max, Gillian, Zara, Elise, Nat
Pets: Charlotte’s cats Archimedes and Roma; Elise’s dog Rocky
Rating: 5

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read with an interesting plot that will keep the reader guessing until the very end. 

In this episode of the Green Oaks Bookbinding series, Charlotte once again finds herself entangled in a murder investigation. When a local resident, who is disliked by many, is murdered, it sets off a chain of events that keeps both Charlotte and the reader on their toes.

The quest to uncover the truth is captivating, filled with enough red herrings and surprises to make it an enjoyable read, and a enough suspects to keep readers guessing. One of the book’s strengths lies in its character development and enough twists to keep the story interesting. Each resident of the cul-de-sac harbors their own secrets and motives, adding significant depth to the story. But who could have disliked the victim so much to commit murder? 

Overall, “Murder in the Cul-de-sac” is a delightful addition to the cozy mystery genre. The author has crafted a story that is both entertaining and heartwarming, making it a perfect read for a cozy afternoon.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

A Map of Murder by Penny Brooke

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Title: A Map of Murder
Author: Penny Brooke
Series: Seabreeze Bookshop Cozy Mystery series #6
Location: Somerset Harbor
Main Character: Rue
Other Characters: Eloise, Greta, Andy, Dennis, Melanie
Pets: Rue’s dog Gatsby and her cats Ollie & Beasley.
Rating: 4

A Map of Murder is a great addition to the Seabreeze Bookshop series. Set in the quaint town of Somerset Harbor, the story revolves around Rue Collier, who partners with the local library to organize a literary scavenger hunt during the Merchants Guild Spring Fling. However, the event takes an unexpeted turn when a body is discovered at the antique shop, and Rue finds herself entangled in a murder investigation.

I really enjoyed the small-town atmosphere of this book and the characters are well developed and interesting. with a plot that keeps you guessing. Rue is a great protaganist and is deteremined to discover the truth behind her friend’s murder. The mystery has enough twists to keep the reader engaged.

Some readers might find the pacing a bit slow in the beginning, and a few secondary characters could have been more developed. Despite these small issues, A Map of Murder is a thoroughly enjoyable read and will appeal to cozy mystery fans.

Overall, this book has an engaging plot with a charming setting, and well-crafted mystery. If you’re looking for a cozy read with a touch of intrigue, this book is definitely worth picking up,

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Murder in the Bloodline by Penny Brooke

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  • Title: Murder in the Bloodline
  • Author: Penny Brooke
  • Series: A Green Oaks Bookbinding Cozy Mystery #2
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Green Oaks, Massachusettes
  • Main Character: Charlotte
  • Other Characters: Isla, Lauren, Faye, Phillip, Edie, Brandon, Amy Felicity, Jeff, Beau, Nat, Levi, Becky
  • Pets: Charlotte’s 2 cats Roma & Archimedes
  • Stars: 5

Once again an outstanding book by Penny Brooke. After moving to Green Oaks, Massachusetts, Charlotte started restoring the home she inherited from her grandmother. When we last saw Charlotte, she had cracked a 1920s murder case. Her wish is to put murder mysteries behind her. Or at least that is what she thought.

Charlotte is going through boxes of her grandmother’s old books to determine which ones would be good candidates for her favorite pastime of bookbinding. One of the books has an envelope sticking out of it, which she notices. Inside the envelope she discovers a note written to a young woman, Lauren, who killed herself around a year ago. Since the cops are not interested in opening this cold case, Charlotte is sure that something else is going on and decides to investigate it herself. Through her investigation she discovers a mystery about a missing woman, her sister’s apparent suicide, and long-kept family secrets.

Another thriller in the Green Oaks Bookbinding series that will keep you guessing throughout the entire book. I read it in one sitting since I couldn’t put it down. This novel explores a family with many secrets by taking the reader through a number of events to an ending you won’t see coming. Will Charlotte be able to pull together the evidence to crack another unsolved mystery?

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Murder at the Festival by Penny Brooke

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  • Title: Murder at the Festival
  • Author: Penny Brook
  • Series: A Word Travels Mobile Bookshop #7
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Birch Creek Harvest Festival in Birch Creek, VT
  • Main Character: Claudia
  • Other Characters: Aunt Daisy May, Ellis, Parker, Phoenix, Holly, Joy. Flo, Ben, Noa, Detective Sterling
  • Pets: Jasper, Claudia’s black cat
  • Stars: 5

A Word Travels Mobile Bookshop cozy mystery series continues with Murder at the Festival, book seven, and the author never lets readers down. Her diverse range of personalities makes each of her characters interesting and the story is always engaging.

This story takes us to the village of Birch Creek, Vermont, about 2 hours from Greenwood, in time for the Birch Creek festival. Spending a stress-free weekend away from Greenwood excites Claudia. She has taken her mobile bookshop to the festival hoping is hoping to make some money selling her books. Vans come to the festival from all over to sell their products. Claudia’s friend Ellie is also there to promote her famous whipped coffee. Claudia is loving catching up with Ellie, and being away from murder investigations. She was loving it, however, until she heard a spine-tingling scream in the middle of the night from a neighboring van.. Aunt Daisy Mae and Claudia rush outdoors to find Holly yelling that her boyfriend, Phoenix, is dead. Claudia discovers herself smack dab in the heart of a murder investigation, just when she was hoping for a quiet weekend. As it happens, Phoenix isn’t very well liked as he is well-known for being a womanizer and and a cheater. Claudia calls Detective Sterling to run some background checks on Phoenix and Holly, despite the fact that this isn’t his jurisdiction. Holly and Phoenix appear to have secrets of their own. Is it possible Holly killed her boyfriend?

The author takes us on an exhilarating roller coaster ride to identify a killer once more. Every one of her books has a twist to an unexpected ending. Just when you think you have it all figured out, another twist is thrown in the mix. It is also enjoyable to see how Claudia and Detective Sterling have gone from being adversaries to becoming friends. And could Daisy Mae actually have a love interest. As of this writing, this is the last book in the series. I am hoping for more adventures with Claudia and I can’t wait to see where Daisy Maes new romance will lead.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Murder at the Villa by Penny Brooke

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  • Title: Murder at the Villa
  • Author: Penny Brooke
  • Series: A Word travels Mobile Workshop #6
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Greenwood, VT
  • Main Character: Claudia
  • Other Characters: Aunt Daisy Mae, Arden, Grace, Eris, Logan, Melanie, Lucas, Detective Sterlings, Noah
  • Pets: Jasper the black cat
  • Stars: 5

A Word Travels Mobile Book Shop’s sixth book transports us to an Italian-style property approximately half an hour’s drive from Greenwood.

Claudia’s favorite novelist has asked her to a murder mystery dinner at her Italian-style villa. Claudia is ecstatic to get this invitation, and she plans to attend with her Aunt Daisy May. The hostess, Ardin Billings, greets them as soon as they enter. Claudia is a little star-struck because she is a huge fan of Ardin’s & her novels. lArdin introduces her to the other guests, each of whom has a quirky side. Their Murder Mystery Fun ended abruptly by one of the guests actually being murdered. Although all the evidence points to Arden as the murderer, Claudia is certain she couldn’t have done it. Claudia learns that Arden is keeping some secrets but was she willing to kill to keep them hidden.

Once again, the author pulls off a gripping story of mystery in the hunt for a murderer. The plot was exciting, and every character was interesting and well-thought-out. This narrative will appeal to readers who love a good cozy mystery with unexpected turns with a surprise ending.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Murder by the Mountain by Penny Brooke

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  • Title: Murder by the Mountain
  • Author: Penny Brooke
  • Series: A Word Travels Mobile Bookshop #5
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Greenwood, Vermont
  • Main Character: Claudia
  • Other Characters: Aunt Daisy Mae, Detective Sterling, Lexi, Elenore, Jim, Tommy, Eva, Nicole
  • Pets: Jasper the black cat
  • Stars: 5

Ms Brookes delivers another great Cozy Mystery in book 5 of A Word Travels Mobile Bookshop.

Claudia and Aunt Daisy Mae are traveling in the mobile bookshop, to local schools in order to introduce Greenwood’s new literacy program. While working at one of the schools, they learn about a ten-year-old cold case concerning the mysterious disappearance of a teacher employed by the school. Although foul play was suspected, there was no body and no proof, thus the matter was closed. Claudia finds herself enmeshed in the cold case mystery when she discovers a dead body on school property that has evidently been there for some time. Is there a possibility that this body is connected to the missing teacher? If yes, what happened? With the cooperation of Detective Sterling, Claudia once again puts her sleuthing skills to work to solve this cold case.

Claudia my have some competition when a local podcaster, who is also an amateur sleuth goes to all lengths to obtain material for her podcast. However, when the podcaster deceives Claudia and provides her with false information, Claudia comes to the conclusion that she cannot be trusted.

To solve this unsolved cold case, the author takes the reader on an extremely suspenseful journey. Claudia is the ideal protagonist and everyone could use an aunt like Daisy Mae. I also enjoy every one of the supporting cast members. Before the cold case is solved, there are many more twists and turns to this mystery. Check out this book to find out if Claudia will fall victim to a murderer once more.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Murder out of Wedlock by Penny Brooke

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  • Title: Murder out of Wedlock
  • Author: Penny Brooke
  • Series: A Word Travels Mobile Bookshop #4
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Greenwood, Vermont
  • Main Character: Claudia
  • Other Characters: Aunt Daisy May, Detective Sterling, Rachel, Sarah, Noah, Ellie, Felix, Aubrey, Riley
  • Pets: a black cat named Jasper
  • Stars: 5

This is the 4th book in the Word travels Mobile Bookshop and Ms Brooks never disappoints.

Detective Sterling and Claudia have never seen eye to eye. She was the main suspect in one of his cases from a previous book, and she constantly seemed to get embroiled in his murder investigations. In this installment The detectives ex wife is in town and it is obvious there is no love lost there when Claudia over hears a heated argument between the two. Claudia is working hard on the reopening of the local library, where her friend had been murdered in a previous book, but when Detective Sterling turns to her for help, she can’t help but lend him a hand. The Detectives ex has been murdered and he is the primary suspect. Obviously he can’t work that case so he has been put on administrative leave. Claudia discovers additional information about Detective Sterling’s past during her research, leading her to wonder if he is connected to the murder. Claudia can’t get rid of the feeling that she is being stalked and after being the victim of a hit-and-run, the detective becomes enraged and informs Claudia that he no longer needs her assistance. Luckily Claudia didn’t listen to him and continues to find the real killer even if it leads to the detective. She puts a plan in action to catch a killer.

This installment takes the reader on an exhilarating journey to unravel the mystery, just like the previous books in the series. Claudia is an amazing protagonist, and you can’t help but adore her devoted kitty companion Jasper, who is by her side virtually all the time. Claudia and her aunt Daisy May are having some conflict as Aunt Daisy May is deliberating about a significant choice. We also get to see Noah, Claudia’s long-distance boyfriend, It is always fun to see where their relationship is going . If you love a small town cozy mystery with great characters and a twist to an unexpected ending, you will enjoy this series.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

A Photo of Murder by Penny Brooke

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  • Title: A Photo of Murder
  • Author: Penny Brooke
  • Series: A Seabreeze Bookshop Cozy Mystery #3
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Somerset Harbor, Massachussets
  • Main Character: Rue
  • Other Characters: Elizabeth, Andy, Marguerite, Heather, Beth, Joe, Max, Brenda, Elise
  • Pets: a Golden Retriever name Gatsby, a Cat named Oliver & a Cat named Beasley
  • Stars: 4

“I Slept in Room 282 at the Kingfisher Inn.
“And I Lived to Check Out.”

This is the 3rd book in the Seabreeze Bookshop series and it is another quick read and a good little cozy mystery.

It is the off season in Somerset Harbor and Rue is dividing her time between running her Gran’s bookshop & running a local event, Martinis in the Garden. While Rue is busy with her event, her friend Elizabeth is gathering old photos from the families in the area for an exhibit.

It is a busy time and everything is going great until it all comes to a crashing halt when Rue’s friend and owner of the local Inn, Marguerite, is found murdered in the haunted room #282. Between ghostly spirits, and a ghost hunter there is a lot of activity at the Inn which is interfering with the homicide investigation. Rue, being the amateur sleuth that she is, is convinced that the local police are going in the wrong direction to find the murderer so she does her own investigation. Could some old photos hold some clues as to who could have wanted Marguerite dead?

I enjoyed this mystery. There were several possible suspects & it takes the reader on some twists & turns with some surprises until the killer is revealed.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

A Letter of Murder by Penny Brooke

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  • Title: A Murder of Murder
  • Author: Penny Brooke
  • Series: A Seabreeze Bookshop Cozy Mystery #2
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Somerset Harbor, Massachusettes
  • Main Character: Rue
  • Other Characters: Andy, Elizabeth, Allie, Brian, Adriana, Rob, Roger, Regina
  • Pets: Golden Retriever named Gatsby and a Cat named Oliver
  • Stars: 5

“Sometimes in the past lie all the answers to the present.”

After the first book in this series, I almost didn’t read this one but I am so glad I did.

We visit with Rue again and her friend Elizabeth . Elizabeth is working on project and is asking if anyone has any old letters that she can use in her project. Allie, a friend of Rue’s, brings a letter written by her mother before she passed away. When Allie is found dead and it is discovered that she died the same way her mother did, Rue starts to believe that there must be a connection. Could the letter that Allie’s mother wrote hold some answers to this puzzle? When someone else in town dies in the same way, it throws some additional suspects to the mix. Will Rue, amateur sleuth, help her private detective friend find the killer before someone else is killed.

This book was a fast read that kept you guessing through the entire book. I love the twists it takes the reader on while trying to solve a murder. I am so glad I decided to continue with this series and I am looking forward to book 3.

“when you see a bluebird, that means things will be okay.”

Happy Reading!