Murder of a Bookstore Babe

A Scumble River Mystery #13

by Denise Swanson

When school psychologist Skye Denison discovers a dead body at the newly opened bookstore Tales and Treats, which many residents of Scumble River want shut down, she, launching her own investigation, uncovers a deadly secret that could get her killed. (mystery & detective). By the author of Murder of a Wedding Belle.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Humor, Unfinished, Books About Books

351 pages, Library Binding

First published March 1, 2011

About the author

Denise Swanson lives in rural Illinois with her husband, classical composer David Stybr.

After 22 years as a practicing school psychologist, she's happiest sitting in her scree porch reading. However, when the weather turns too cold, she's willing to leave the Midwest to cruise the sunny Caribbean.

Denise is an animal lover, but her home is currently furless, since her kitty of 20 years passed away in August of 2016. Instead, she enjoys watching the wildlife out her office window.

Reviews

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder of a BookStore Babe (Scumble River Mystery, #13) Denise Swanson
A new book store opens up in Scumble River and some people are unhappy. Soon a woman is found dead under a bookshelf. Skye is determined to find the murderer.

I do love the light fun read of these books, but am finding with the latest a bit predictable. Also Skyes love-life (in my opinion) is a bit unbelievable. I will read the next in the series (that comes out this fall).

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another series I'm done with. Skye's mother is too annoying for words, Skye needs more of a backbone and Simon is really plucking my last nerve. I enjoyed this series for a while but it just went on too long with a love triangle that still doesn't seem to be resolved, even though Skye is engaged.

[Shay · Rating 2 out of 5]

The love triangle was mostly resolved in the previous book, #12 in the series. The love triangle has to be one of my least favorite things to find in a book. So, I was hopeful that the series would start to get good again. Unfortunately, it hasn't. This latest installment in the series seems stale and boring. I think that this will be the last book I read in the series. It's not that it was that horrible so much as there's so many books out there that are good and even great, that it seems pointless to waste time on the mediocre.

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very reliable series to read. Scumble River has it's own variety of characters, some loved, some I wish would be written out.

This novel revolved around a murder victim that worked at the new controversial bookstore. The only controversy I could detect was a small town aversion to a new comer. As our sleuth picks through the suspects, she is also involved in a personal mystery surrounding her brother.

This was a pleasant, but to me, predictable mystery.

[Lindig · Rating 2 out of 5]

First book I've read in this series, and won't be reading any more. I mostly enjoy books about bookstores and books, but this isn't really about that, is it. The heroine, Skye, is another of those grown women who can't stand up to their extremely overbearing, annoying, pushy, and overly dramatic mothers. And the Catholicism gets to be irritating, too. Also, I can't believe that that mother would name her baby girl Skye; it's just not in character. The teenage girls Xenia and Kayla were well-drawn, however.

[Carmen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think that this series has finally lost me. This series is usually entertaining and fun, but between this book and the last one, it is now becoming a chore to read. There comes a time in a series when you can tell that it is ready to end because it seemed like it was written just to hash out another book. I enjoy most of the secondary characters and I found myself wishing that they were featured more than Skye this time around. I have to admit that the last bit with Simon peaked my interest but I'm not sure if I will continue with the series.

[Kristi Lamont · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh, I'm not digging the ex-boyfriend as semi-stalker and mother as shrew caricatures. And the whole best friend is always out of town when something major happens and has to be brought up to speed at the beginning of the book thing? It's gotten old. As has our main character's reluctance to discuss anything serious (money, kids, housing arrangements) with her fiance. I was pleased to see the addition of some new members of the community. But, overall this was not one of the better in this series.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good mystery, I followed every red herring the author put out for me.

[Hemavathy DM Suppiah-Devi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read a cozy mystery with such an annoying and dislikeable cast of characters in a while.

First the good. The plot revolves around the murder of a young girl in a bookstore. The store is described wonderfully, and it certainly is the kind of store I'd be a regular at.

The plot was well laid out, and I didn't suspect the identity of the murderer until the very end.

Skye, our leading lady and amateur detective, is a pretty likeable character.

Now, the bad.

Worst family ever. I know cozy mystery authors think that small town America and overly suffocating, cloying relatives are necessary to making our lead characters seem saintly by contrast, but they're wrong. I won't go into much detail, but they were really horrible. Possessive, gossipy, malicious, prone to temper tantrums and sulks. Everyone was so busy being in everybody else's business (led by the spoiled diva that is Skye's mother) that it was a wonder anyone in the family had time left to actually work for a living at all.

Skye is engaged, and is being stalked (yes stalked) by her ex-boyfriend, but she feels sorry for him, and is completely ok with him finding her "private" mobile number, and breaking into her office with a key that was supposed to be kept away from everyone, especially him. And Skye is totally OK with someone called Fern for revealing the private number, and for giving him the key.

Yuck.

As it is, the only reason I read till the end was because I wanted to find out who the murderer was, and the motive. For that reason I give it three stars. But barely.

[Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have grown a little disappointed with this series as it has gone on. I really loved this series when it first came out and I enjoy visiting the characters of Scumble River, but I think it's time for the series to get shaken up a bit. I don't want to see it end, but with so many books in the series now, it's getting predictable. You know, as the reader, every time 2-3 new characters are introduced, one will be killed and the other is the killer. This the case of this series. One of my favorite authors has taken to killing off sub-main characters as a way to throw off the reader and I love this. She is taking chances with her series and letting the reader know she understands a series can become stagnate if changes aren't made. I hope Swanson will think about doing this so the series can become fresh again and allow readers to re-invest in the characters and story lines.

[Krisnow18 · Rating 4 out of 5]

i enjoy this series and have read all of them. However I am getting tired of the "conflict" between Wally and Simon, the two rivals for Sky's affections. She has made her choice; let them alone now. That is really detracting from the books. In this one a new bookstore comes to town. The local residents are not thrilled - a petition to get rid of them before they even open is being circulated. One teacher says that romance is really porn. How are the owners tied in with Sky's friend Xavier? When the murder occurs the first thing that needs to occur is to determine if the victim was supposed to be the victim or was it a case of mistaken identity. And, of course, through all of this Skye has to deal with her own engagement and her mother's reaction, her brother's engagement, and the rivalry between Wally and Simon, as previously mentioned.

[Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder of a Bookstore babe by Denise Swanson is the 13th book in a Scumble River mystery series. A new bookstore Tales and Treats opens in Scumble River and Skye stumbles across another body when she takes some of her old books there to be appraised.It was fun to catch up with the residents of Scumble River again. The best part of reading the series in order is that their lives flow on easily from the last book. Skye is now engaged to Wally and they are waiting to obtain an annulment of his first marriage. Finding out what happens with all the characters is just as entertaining as solving the murder. Can't wait to see what happens next.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Scumble River Mystery series is a fun series to read. The books are pretty short and they are fast and funny reads. School psychologist Skye Denison gets into all kinds of trouble when she plays around as an amateur investigator in each book. The mysteries are full of twists, turns and surprises and there are always plenty of suspects to choose from. I almost never know for sure whodunit until fairly close to the end. The whole series makes for excellent pool or beach reads for the summer.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised to really like this book, as I had read one other in the series and thought it was just "eh." this one was really good and I now understand why thie Scumble River books are such a hit. Skye's adventures working at a school were interesting and I enjoyed the drama between Simom and Wally, as well as Skyr's meddling mother. I will be continuing with this series!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this whole series and am looking forward to the next one Murder of a Crepe Suzette coming out August 2011. Oh one thing that was not to my liking was Skye's mother. She was very annoying and overbearing. But other than that this one was a great cozy

[Georgiann Hennelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skye Denison is eagerly anticipating the grand opening of Tales and Treats the new bookstore, many Scrumble river citizens want to shut it down before the owners even open. And one is angry enouch to commit murder...... But who could be driven to kill someone over books and sweets?

[Alton Motobu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Emphasis on character development, interpersonal relationships and a love triangle, not on plot, action or crime-solving. The dead body is found early on, but the first half of the book is about the characters in the story and their petty relationships among each other, not much about motives or solving the crime. The standard line from law enforcement is that crimes should be solved within 48 hours or they start to become cold, but this story covers eight days mostly because Wally, the police chief, does not seem to feel any urgency about it and he actually encourages Skye to do the investigation, although he complains that she should not get involved. The second half picks up as Skye suspects everyone, including her own family members, and uses subterfuge to uncover their alibis for the time of the murder. Gradually she eliminates suspects one by one as they have alibis until only one (the obvious one) is left, who confesses immediately.

The major deal-breaker for me was that Skye and Wally seem so very willing to adhere to Catholic law about the annulment of Wally's previous marriage that they postpone their wedding until the annulment is finalized. On the other hand they engage in premarital relationships, like undressing each other, skinny dipping in the lake, and having "quickie" sex (which the author implies several times). I found this not to my liking, and I will not read any more of this series, but apparently from the many positive reviews, many readers enjoy this stuff.

[Dale Safford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another in a bunch of themed murder mysteries available at my local Library is this one from the "Murder of a..." series by Denise Swanson. I obviously went for the bookstore subject. It was light entertainment, and I might read another by the author.

A new bookstore is about to open in Scumble River, eagerly anticipated by school psychologist Skye Denison but dreaded by many community members. On opening day there are protesters, even! But Tales and Treats has a great idea with a myriad of books available and a wonderful bakery, too. With a specialty in rare books, the next morning Skye comes by appointment to drop off some books she has, the door is ajar, and in seeking out the husband owner she finds the body of his wife crushed by a big bookshelf. Many people had motive to destroy the upcoming bookstore, but who would have resorted to murder? Then the wife shows up - so who was it that got murdered, and why?? Skye goes about her own investigation, questioning people involved and eliminating those who have a good alibi. Her former boyfriend Wally the undertaker keeps diligently pursuing her, but her fiance is Wally the police chief. She has got to put this all together so it makes sense.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this latest installment in the series a new bookstore opens up in Scrumble River and immediately the owner manages to upset some people. As usual some of those people are related to Skye. She finds the a young girl who has been murdered in the bookstore and sets out with her boyfriend, Wally the chief of police, to find the killer. As a police consultant she helps do some interviewing. Wally and Skye are slowly working their way to getting married and her ex-boyfriend, Simon, keeps trying to woo her back. This part is getting a bit undignified and doesn't seem to fit with how he acted in previous books. Skye's mother is tries to run everyone's life and can be a bit annoying at times with constantly checking on her kid's whereabouts and them always having to explain themselves.
Story definitely has some stereotypes about life in small towns. Lots of oddball characters. Not a deep read but fun.

[Virginia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm jumping between 2-3 stars for this book.

This is the first in the series I've checked out and honestly once Simon and Skye's mother showed up it all went downhill.

Firstly, Skye is now engaged TO SOMEONE ELSE BUDDY why are you stalking her? And why is everyone acting like that is totally fine?

And she needs to grow a backbone and stand up to her overbearing mother.

The school principal and the English teacher were some of the worst written characters.

I liked Wally and I liked our protagonist (minus the part where she has no backbone). I just wish most of everyone else was at least sufferable. The teens/young adults were just about the only characters that made sense for their actions.

The case was interesting! I love cozys that are set around bookstores.

I don't know if I'll check out more in this series yet or not... I kinda want to know if she'll stand up to her mom and stalker ex.

[Phyllis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder in a bookstore? How could I resist? And this book was actually a good read - more intelligent than many cozies. As one from a series, and the first I read, I can safely tell you it doesn't matter if you begin with #1 or #13 (as I did). Tales and Treats is the new bookstore in the small town of Scumble River, and our heroine Skye Denison (school psychologist and girlfriend of the police chief) discovers a body as she drops off some old books before the store officially opens for the day, during their first week in business! The characters are believable, the dialogue realistic, and the mystery kept me guessing. A fun gimmick was a classic book title for each chapter, which related to that chapter (The Sun Also Rises, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Pride and Prejudice). I'll soon be looking to read another book in this series.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this Scumble River installment. A solid, well-thought out Mystery is afoot and Skye is on the case. I absolutely loved the new bookstore in town, Tales and Treats. I hope it makes continued appearances in the books. Skye and Wally are well on their way to being married despite Simon’s valiant attempts to win her back. I do hope he finds someone who makes him happy. I really like the chemistry Simon has with the characters in Scumble River. May was blissfully absent during most of the sleuthing, although her rare appearances were so cringeworthy. What a mother! Hope she mellows our as her kids continue to grow up. Looking forward to the next mystery!

[L.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. Skye and Wally are engaged and trying to move their wedding forward, Vince is also heading that direction with Loretta. There’s a new bookstore in town, which is the scene of the crime but who was the victim and is that really who the killer intended to bump off? Skye’s patience with Simon is starting to get on my nerves a bit. He’s changed so much, if he’d been so interested to begin with, maybe Skye wouldn’t have dumped him. The mystery is great in this one and we get to revisit some characters from previous books… which gives me more motivation to binge the rest of the series.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new bookstore opens, and the town is divided. When there's a death, it must be associated with the bookstore.

Simon is trying to woo Skye back, Vince is MIA, and May is still being May. Frannie gives Simon Skye's new cell phone number while having been told never to do so, without repercussions. Xavier has secrets. There are some of the characters in this series that you hope just quietly go away. Simon is being an ass. Those are the annoying bits. But this story is well written and has some twists and turns, which is nice.

[Allison Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know you really like a series when you continue to read despite your extreme hatred of a couple of long-running storylines. May is insane. She slapped her husband for speaking. The histrionics make me want to slap her. If my mother had ever acted like that with me or my siblings, we would have moved very very far away, forever. Simon annoys me almost as much. Maybe May and Simon will run away together. That could solve all my problems.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute of its cozy genre. The characters are exagerrated - kind of like cartoon versions of people but the plot moved swiftly, the bookstore locale is of course always a plus, and I couldn't figure out the killer so long story short I enjoyed this one but on seeing it is one of a series am not interested in following up with the remainder of them.

[Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

One would think you would get sick of the same things over and over. But with this series it has its oddities that keep you coming back for more. This time Skye, Wally, Simon, and new bookstore owners find themselves in a messy murder. If you have read any of Denise Swansons' other books you will enjoy this one to. Also you have a tendency to read cozy-mysteries. This series is for you.

[Alabama Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new business comes to town and before the doors are even fully opened there is a murder. The suspect list covers most all of Skyes relatives. During the investigation Skye wonders if the wrong person was murdered by mistake.
During all of this Vince goes missing and Skye is torn on which direction to go.

[Dorothy Cavell]

I just couldn't get into this book. It's probably because I am jumping in at book #13, but I got this book at the library book sale and decided to give it a shot. I usually enjoy cozy mysteries. Set this aside for almost 2 months, then decided to pick it back up today. I won't be finishing it. Moving on!

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this at the book exchange at a resort. It's a cute little mystery that I enjoyed reading. And--it's a series. So I will be looking for more of these to read. It's a quick read and I loved the main character's family members--what a bunch of characters!!