About the Book
Synopsis from Goodreads:
The bookshop comes with a cat. The cottage comes with a ghost. The village comes with a body in the garden. Cleo Marchmont travelled to her great-aunt’s Sussex cottage for a funeral.
She did not expect the cat.
She did not expect the ghost.
She really did not expect the dead woman at the bottom of the garden steps.
When Cleo arrives in Firlestone for a quiet week of cottage-clearing, she gets an opinionated tabby called Boswell who is choosing her against her better judgement, and a Great-Aunt Vivienne who has been waiting eighteen months for someone to talk to.
Then the village’s most disliked resident is found dead at the foot of her own garden steps.
The constable is content to call it a tragic fall.
Vivienne, with one raised eyebrow, is not.
A scone still warm on the counter. A kettle on a low heat. A bone-coloured hairpin in the gravel.
Cleo has four days to catch a killer, pack the cottage, and post the keys back to the solicitor. Someone in this village has already noticed she is asking too many questions.
And in her bag are the keys to a struggling Bloomsbury bookshop she has not yet seen.
The First Edition is the standalone prequel novella to The Bloomsbury Bookshop Mysteries. For readers of Lucy Connelly, Verity Bright, and Jackie Baldwin.
My Review
Cleo Marchmont travels to Sussex to clean out her great-aunt Vivienne’s cottage. She inherited the cottage along with a bookstore. Much to her surprise, there’s also a cat named Boswell that comes with the cottage, but that’s not the only surprise. Her great-aunt’s ghost is also hanging around waiting to talk to Cleo.
As Cleo gets to know the town and its citizens, she learns not everyone is well liked. In fact, one of the most disliked women in town is found dead at the bottom of her garden steps. The police initially think it’s an accident, but Cleo is convinced otherwise. Now, with the help of her kitty Boswell and ghostly aunt Vivienne, Cleo searches for a killer.
This is a short prequel and a quick read. I really liked all the characters involved. It will be interesting with a ghost involved. The story felt like a classic mystery and is an enjoyable read.
I’m really looking forward to seeing where this series goes. I love books set in bookstores and Cleo is on the way to restore her great aunt’s legacy. It should be fun.
For reading challenges:
Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge 2026
Disclosure: This one is from my own e-book collection. I received it as a freebie. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
That looks good.
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