Murder by the Seashore (A California Bookshop Mystery) by Samara Yew
About Murder by the Seashore
Murder by the Seashore (A California Bookshop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Setting - California
Crooked Lane Books (October 17, 2023)
Hardcover : 256 pages
ISBN-10 : 1639104933
ISBN-13 : 978-1639104932
Digital ASIN : B0BSKSHZF5
Perfect for fans of Jenn McKinlay and Ellery Adams, Scarlett Gardner’s dream was to open a bookshop in Southern California, but it soon becomes a nightmare when she finds the dead body of a customer—and becomes the prime suspect.
Southern California is where dreams come true—or so Scarlett Gardner thought. When she moved there and opened the Palm Trees and Page Turners bookshop, she thought her boyfriend and business partner would be part of the story. When he leaves her for a better job, Scarlett finds herself struggling to keep her new business afloat. That’s not the only thing she has to worry about—she discovers something underneath the pier by her bookshop that she didn’t outline for her life’s story: the dead body of a book-buying customer.
After Scarlett gives a statement to the police, she thinks her life can go back to business as usual. But when a lawyer, representing someone named Lorelai Knight, tells Scarlett that she now stands to inherit a small fortune, she’s left with more questions than answers. Before she can make sense of any of it, the police bring her in for questioning; the body she found was Lorelai Knight. And the evidence they have against Scarlett doesn’t look good. Business is booming as Scarlett returns to Palm Trees and Page Turners, but for all the wrong reasons – curious tourists don’t want books, they want a glimpse of the Bookshop Killer.
Who could really be behind all of this? And why frame Scarlett? To clear her name, she’s going to have get creative—and hope she can remain one page ahead of the killer.
My Review
Scarlett Gardner is the owner of a bookshop near a California beach town. Scarlett and her boyfriend opened Palm Trees and Page Turners. Everything is looking good until her boyfriend abruptly leaves for a better opportunity. Now she’s without a boyfriend and a business partner. She’s doing whatever she can to make a success of her shop, but it’s not easy. Things take a really bad turn when she finds a dead body on the beach near her shop.
It’s not long before Scarlett finds herself as the number one suspect, which is crazy since she didn’t even know the woman. When Scarlett discovers she’s the sole heir to the woman’s fortune, the police become even more convinced of her guilt. Still, Scarlett has no idea who the dead person is or why she’d inherit all her money.
Meanwhile, Scarlett’s bookstore is getting quite a bit of attention, but not the way she would want. Nobody is buying books. They just want to see a killer in person. With the help of her friends, Scarlett sets out to investigate and find out what is happening.
I enjoyed this book right from the start. I love the California beach setting as well as the bookstore. I always adore books about bookstores or libraries and this is a good one.
The cast of characters range from quirky to suspicious to annoying to people you’d like to call friends in real life. Scarlett is an interesting character. She starts out as naive and timid, but you see her character growth as you continue with the story.
I could not put this one down. I was totally engrossed in finding out whodunit. The author gave us several possibilities and kept this reader guessing to the end.
I’m looking forward to more books in this series. It’s off to a great start.
For reading challenges:
Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge 2023
FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from the author and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
About Samara Yew
Samara Yew is a cozy mystery author who writes about adorable bookshops and dead bodies. A full-time mom, full-time dog servant, and part-time writer, Samara lives in British Columbia, Canada, where she can often be found watching Psych reruns. Samara loves to travel, especially visiting her husband’s home country of Singapore or donning Mickey ears in Disneyland. She’s a member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers.
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