Murder Out of Character by Olivia Matthews is the second novel in A Peach Coast Library Mysteries. It can be read as a standalone if you have not read Murder By Page One. I enjoyed the descriptions of Peach Coast, Georgia. It sounds like a charming southern town. We are introduced to quite a few characters in the first chapter. It is difficult to keep them all straight. We are given scant details on them (name, what they look like, and their occupation or the business they own). I wish there were fewer characters. I would like the characters including Marvey to be fleshed out. I like that the library is part of the community. Marvey is finding ways to interact with the townspeople and bring new patrons to the library. The mystery was interesting, but it was uncomplicated. I correctly identified the killer early in the book (before Marvey found the note with the list of names at the kickoff party). I did feel the mystery progressed slowly. Marvey with help from some friends sets out to learn how the people on the list are connected and who is behind the murders. There is some repetition of information. Marvey is told multiple times by various characters to leave the investigating to the professionals (it becomes annoying). There are some events (it would be a spoiler if I was more specific) that I find hard to believe (could only happen in a fictional world). I liked that there was more activity near the end. I do feel there is too much romance for a cozy mystery. Marvey and Spencer are friends, but Marvey is clearly attracted to Spencer. Her whole reason for investigating the murders is to keep Spencer safe. I did tire of hearing (Marvey's thoughts) how perfect Spencer is (attractive, kind, charming, helpful, etc.). Marvey's parents are a little overprotective. Marvey is an adult (despite the fact that she sometimes acts like a teenager having her first crush). Her parents subscribe to the Peach Coast Crier so they can keep tabs on Marvey and what is happening in the town. They worry about her about her safety since there have been two murders in a short amount of time (she lived in Brooklyn where I am sure the crime rate is higher). I enjoyed the Southernisms in the story. They are phrases that you only hear in the south. Pecan Pralines were featured in the story and there is Anna May's recipe for them at the end of the book. I liked the idea of a book swap at a library. It is a clever idea, and it is one that more library's should implement. Murder Out of Character is a lighthearted tale with library revelry, a note with names, a dead friend, pet adoption, puzzling pennants, scrumptious pralines, picturesque Southernisms, and sleuthing librarian.

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I love Hallmark. I love the stores with cards and gifts to mark holidays and special occasions. I enjoy the rare opportunity to watch the movies - wholesome, formulaic, and predictable. And I enjoy the novels - like Hallmark movies in book form. I don't like how "white" most things Hallmark are. The company is getting better at including diversity in its products, but it has a long way to go. That's why I was excited by the chance to listen to Murder Out of Character by Patricia Sargeant (written using the pen name Olivia Matthews) a Black author. As a Hallmark mystery, this is the coziest of cozy mysteries.

At the kick-off event for a fundraising drive to benefit the Peach Coast, Georgia public library, Marvey Harris, Director of Community Engagement, discovers a random piece of paper with the names of four community members written on it. The people don't seem to have a strong connection to each other, and one of the names is Spencer Holt, her good friend.

Soon the first two people named on the paper are murdered, and Marvey is very concerned for her friend's safety, even though he, and the local police, don't take the note seriously. This (of course) leads Marvey, her friend Jo, and fellow librarians to investigate the murders.

As a former fundraiser, I related to the challenges and pressures of relying on community support to maintain programs. The audiobook narration by Janina Edwards perfectly personified Marvey as a young woman establishing her personal and professional relationships in a new city far from home.

I enjoyed all of the library talk and the main character's interactions with her parents. This is the second book in the series; clues in the prose filled in some information I missed by not reading the first installment. I rolled my eyes at the excessive descriptions of characters' clothing, accessories, and hair, and the mystery seemed to drag a bit in the middle.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media, Hallmark Publishing, and NetGalley for the review copy of this mystery.

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