Lori C. (dollycas) reviewed Trouble on the Books: A Castle Bookshop Mystery on + 704 more book reviews
Dollycas's Thoughts
Her aunt has just had knee surgery so Shelby Cox arrives in Alexandria Bay to help manage her aunt's bookstore and open a satellite store in the castle on Blye Island. She is surprised when her aunt informs her that she, in fact, owns fifty-percent of Bayside Books. She has a lot to learn but she is surrounded by a great staff. The island is a popular tourist attraction so her main focus is getting the castle bookshop open as before the tourists start arriving by the busload.
After a busy grand opening Shelby is excited about her new life as a bookseller. That is until she finds a dead body floating in the Grotto. She knows immediately that it is the prickly volunteer coordinator for the Castle. The police quickly peg Matthew Kessler, the Castle caretaker as their prime suspect. When the Coast Guard gets involved Shelby starts to think the murder may be linked to smuggling, something the island was used for during Prohibition. She can't stop herself from sticking her nose into the investigation much to the dismay of Coast Guard Special Agent Zack Griffin. She is determined to solve the case and Zack is determined to keep her safe.
The setting of this story grabbed my attention right away. A bookshop in a castle on one island that is part of the Thousand Islands area off New York. A truly perfect setting for a cozy mystery series.
Shelby Cox is an interesting protagonist. She has her work cut out for her. She admits she isn't a people person and knows that has to change if she is going to be a success in her new profession. She is curious, a trait every amateur must have. She is also intelligent and detail oriented so I know she is going to succeed in both of these endeavors. In addition to trying to solve a murder, Shelby hopes to learn more about her mother. She was quite young when she lost her and has so many questions.
Ms. Lang has surrounded Shelby with a great supporting cast. Aunt Edie was my fave. She is a strong woman too who hates being still and away from her shop. Her recovery is moving quickly and I am excited to get to know her better when she isn't hindered at all. Romance is two-fold in this story. Caretaker Matthew Kessler is very important to Edie and Agent Zack appears to be very interested in Shelby.
The murder happens early in the story. Shelby's first investigation is a bit clunky as to be expected, it is her first, but it messed with the story flow in places. When she found her rhythm so did the story. Clues fell into her path and the twists and turns kept her and the reader guessing.
The subplot of Shelby's mother blended in nicely, but I must confess I was almost more interested in it than murder. I feel this is a credit to the author because I was invested in her main character and cared about her and her feelings very early in this first book. She has left so much room for all the characters to grow.
This is a fine start for this series. Endearing characters drew me in and their lives and the mysteries thrown into their paths kept those pages turning. I am excited to learn more about these characters and to see what the author has in store for them next.
Her aunt has just had knee surgery so Shelby Cox arrives in Alexandria Bay to help manage her aunt's bookstore and open a satellite store in the castle on Blye Island. She is surprised when her aunt informs her that she, in fact, owns fifty-percent of Bayside Books. She has a lot to learn but she is surrounded by a great staff. The island is a popular tourist attraction so her main focus is getting the castle bookshop open as before the tourists start arriving by the busload.
After a busy grand opening Shelby is excited about her new life as a bookseller. That is until she finds a dead body floating in the Grotto. She knows immediately that it is the prickly volunteer coordinator for the Castle. The police quickly peg Matthew Kessler, the Castle caretaker as their prime suspect. When the Coast Guard gets involved Shelby starts to think the murder may be linked to smuggling, something the island was used for during Prohibition. She can't stop herself from sticking her nose into the investigation much to the dismay of Coast Guard Special Agent Zack Griffin. She is determined to solve the case and Zack is determined to keep her safe.
The setting of this story grabbed my attention right away. A bookshop in a castle on one island that is part of the Thousand Islands area off New York. A truly perfect setting for a cozy mystery series.
Shelby Cox is an interesting protagonist. She has her work cut out for her. She admits she isn't a people person and knows that has to change if she is going to be a success in her new profession. She is curious, a trait every amateur must have. She is also intelligent and detail oriented so I know she is going to succeed in both of these endeavors. In addition to trying to solve a murder, Shelby hopes to learn more about her mother. She was quite young when she lost her and has so many questions.
Ms. Lang has surrounded Shelby with a great supporting cast. Aunt Edie was my fave. She is a strong woman too who hates being still and away from her shop. Her recovery is moving quickly and I am excited to get to know her better when she isn't hindered at all. Romance is two-fold in this story. Caretaker Matthew Kessler is very important to Edie and Agent Zack appears to be very interested in Shelby.
The murder happens early in the story. Shelby's first investigation is a bit clunky as to be expected, it is her first, but it messed with the story flow in places. When she found her rhythm so did the story. Clues fell into her path and the twists and turns kept her and the reader guessing.
The subplot of Shelby's mother blended in nicely, but I must confess I was almost more interested in it than murder. I feel this is a credit to the author because I was invested in her main character and cared about her and her feelings very early in this first book. She has left so much room for all the characters to grow.
This is a fine start for this series. Endearing characters drew me in and their lives and the mysteries thrown into their paths kept those pages turning. I am excited to learn more about these characters and to see what the author has in store for them next.
Brenda H. (booksinvt) -
Trouble on the Books is the debut of the A Castle Bookshop Mystery series set in Alexandria Bay, a small town nestled in the Thousand Islands region of upstate New York. Shelby Cox is on a temporary leave from her book editor position so that she can help her Aunt Edie, who is recovering from knee replacement surgery, with the day to day operations of Bayside Books. Edie operates her bookstore in two locations: one on the Main Street of town and the other in a castle on nearby Blye Island.
Shelby is tasked with opening the Blye Island shop and is immediately confronted by the cantankerous curator of the castle, Loreena Swan. The woman seems to have her own ideas of what books the store should carry and how the displays should be arranged, and Shelby is not taking kindly to the criticism. It's not long after a verbal confrontation that Shelby discovers Loreena floating face down in the grotto. While she is briefly considered a suspect, Chief Tekla Stone points the finger at island groundskeeper Matthew Kessler who has a troubled past. Aunt Edie asks Shelby to help clear her friend's name and soon Shelby finds herself in the center of a murder investigation.
I had a difficult time getting through the book. At times the writing seemed disjointed with red herrings thrown out that were never explained. It was somewhat exasperating that the main character, new to town, would go around questioning locals that she didn't even know, and for those reasons I found it hard to have a connection with Shelby or any of the other prominent characters. There is a subplot in the book that will need to be answered in forthcoming additions to the series so I will give the next installment a try just to curb my curiosity.
Shelby is tasked with opening the Blye Island shop and is immediately confronted by the cantankerous curator of the castle, Loreena Swan. The woman seems to have her own ideas of what books the store should carry and how the displays should be arranged, and Shelby is not taking kindly to the criticism. It's not long after a verbal confrontation that Shelby discovers Loreena floating face down in the grotto. While she is briefly considered a suspect, Chief Tekla Stone points the finger at island groundskeeper Matthew Kessler who has a troubled past. Aunt Edie asks Shelby to help clear her friend's name and soon Shelby finds herself in the center of a murder investigation.
I had a difficult time getting through the book. At times the writing seemed disjointed with red herrings thrown out that were never explained. It was somewhat exasperating that the main character, new to town, would go around questioning locals that she didn't even know, and for those reasons I found it hard to have a connection with Shelby or any of the other prominent characters. There is a subplot in the book that will need to be answered in forthcoming additions to the series so I will give the next installment a try just to curb my curiosity.
Trouble on the Books has an intriguing premise with a bookshop in an old castle on an island (love it). Shelby Cox is twenty-nine years old and has been working as an editor for Masspike House in Massachusetts. When Aunt Edie needs Shelby's assistance, she takes a leave of absence and returns to Alexandria Bay. Shelby is living on a houseboat until winter and managing the new satellite location of Bayside Books on Blye Island inside the historic Blye Castle (it would have made more sense to live with Aunt Edie who needs her help getting around). I knew Loreena Swan would end up dead after the altercation with Shelby and the way she treats the volunteers at the castle. The murder occurs early in the book. There is little investigating by Shelby until later in the story when Shelby asks various people questions (people she does not know). I wish the mystery had been more of a focus with more complexity. I found it a snap to solve this crime. Shelby's attention is split because she is determined to learn more about her mother. Her father would not discuss her mother who died when she was three, and Shelby is hoping to learn more about her from the people that knew her in town plus Edie. Shelby is searching the local cemeteries for her mother's grave. I was curious why Shelby did not research her mother online (death certificate would pop up). The pacing of the book was lethargic which made it hard for me to stay interested. The author is a detail oriented which slowed down the pace (an example is making teaâgetting the kettle, filling it with water, putting in on the stove, turning on the stove, etc.). Add in a daydreaming main character with a significant amount of internal dialogue and repetition of information. Shelby also has trouble remembering people's names and figuring out a person's age (makes it hard for a reader). She states she is not a people person, but Shelby is working in a bookshop frequented by tourists (an oxymoron). I felt that Trouble on the Books needed more pizzazz (oomph). The characters failed to come alive for me. We are not given many details on them which I found disappointing. I hope the characters will be fleshed out more in the next installment. I did enjoy the descriptions of the castle, island and bookshop. Trouble on the Books could have benefited from further editing (there are inconsistencies). A Castle Bookshop Mystery series has potential which I hope the author will achieve.
