Murder in the Bookshop

Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet Mysteries #1

by Anita Davison

Someone’s been read their last rites… 1915, London : Working in the dusty bookshop that her Aunt Violet mysteriously inherited, Hannah Merrill is accustomed to finding twists in every tale. But discovering her beloved best friend Lily-Anne – with a paperknife through her heart – in the middle of the bookshop, is not a plotline she saw coming. The case is anything but textbook. With the discovery of a coded German message, and Hannah’s instinct that Lily-Anne’s husband is keeping secrets, she determines to get to the bottom of it. She can’t do it alone though. To crack this case, Hannah will need the enlist the help of her outrageous, opinionated, only-occasionally-objectionable Aunt Violet. They think they’re making progress until one of their chief suspects is found dead. And Hannah realises that she is herself now in the murderer’s sights. Will the final chapter be the ending of a killer… or just a killer ending? A totally addictive, WW1-set cozy mystery, perfect for fans of Verity Bright, T.E. Kinsey, and Agatha Christie.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Historical, Audiobook, Cozy

274 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 22, 2023

About the author

Author of the Flora Maguire Mysteries published by Aria Fiction

Reviews

[♡ Martina ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐

Molto carino ma manca qualcosa!
I cozy mystery sono sempre un'ottima lettura quando si ha voglia di una lettura senza pretese e la mia scelta è ricaduta su questo libro: un cozy mystery ambientato a Londra durante la prima guerra mondiale.
Il romanzo mi ha coinvolta fin da subito anche se poi, sul finale, sono venute fuori pecche non indifferenti.
I personaggi non sono molto caratterizzati a eccezion fatta per la protagonista e per zia Violet, che sono le uniche ad avere una caratterizzazione diciamo sufficiente (insomma non sono delle figurine di carta), il resto dei personaggi, a mio avviso, non sono molto rilevanti nel romanzo.
La parte mystery l'ho trovata molto intrigante e ben sviluppata all'inizio ma l'autrice non è riuscita a darle quella marcia in più in grado di rendere più avvincente la storia, che ha un finale davvero frettoloso.
Sinceramente spero che questo libro funga da "introduzione" per la saga e che possa migliorare nei prossimi volumi!

[Louise Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone has been read their last rites.... 1915, London: working in the dusty bookshop that her Aunt Violet mysteriously inherited, Hannah Merrill is accustomed to finding twists in every tale. But discovering her best friend Lily-Anne - with a paperknife through her heart - in the middle of the bookshop, is not a plotline she saw coming. The case is anything but textbook. With the discovery of a coded German message, and Hannah's instinct that Lily-Anne's husband is keeping secrets, she's determined to the bottom of it. She can't do it alone though. To crack this case, Hannah will need to enlist the help of her outrageous, opinionated Aunt Violet.

Set in London, 1915 during WWI, this story is filled with twists, turns and red herrings. The pace is steady. The characters are well developed. The story covers family secrets, German spies, suffragettes and murder. While Hannah and her aunt decide to investigate the murder of Hannah's best friend Lily-Anne, Inspector Farrell is doing his own investigation. I liked Hannah and her aunt. All the characters had their own parts to play.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #AnitaDavison for my ARC of #MurderInTheBookshop in exchange for an honest review.

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

After her fiancé dies in the war, Hannah moves to a house in London, much to the consternation of her wealthy parents. It’s 1915, and unmarried women don’t live by themselves. To limit her family’s complaints, Hannah’s flirty, suffragette Aunt Violet moves in with her. This only somewhat mitigates the problem, as there are concerns about Violet’s suffragette activities and her relationship with a female friend.

Violet owns a bookshop, and Hanna works there, or more accurately, is thwarted at every turn by Monty Carstairs, the store manager, who refuses to listen to any ideas Hannah puts forth to promote customer interest and sales.

When Hannah finds erotic postcards in Monty’s desk, she finally has the ammunition she needs to fire him, and become manager. Archie, the boy who has apprenticed at the shop, is happy Monty is gone, and Archie helps Hannah clean and reconfigure the shop.

The next day, coming in early, she finds her good friend Lily-Anne murdered, and this impels Hannah to find out who killed her friend because she feels the stern police inspector Farrell isn’t doing enough.

This sets off a chain of actions that result in Hannah finding out upsetting things about
-Lily-Anne
-Hannah’s deceased fiancé
-Monty
-how easily opiates can be procured and how prevalent drug addiction is, and
-Someone of her acquaintance possibly committing treason for the Germans.

I liked the premise of this, but kept finding myself irritated with Hannah, who keeps evidence to herself, and generally stumbles and bumbles her way around, then gets annoyed when she discovers Farrell is often ahead of her, and that he and her interesting aunt are getting involved. Hannah also pines after a friend who is engaged to another woman. I found him irritating also despite the author wanting readers to love him.

I would actually read more if Violet and Farrell’s roles were increased and Darius, Hannah’s love, were written out.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Boldwood Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

[Janae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, cozy mystery set during WW1 in a bookshop.
bonus: There is actually a cat; the cover doesn’t lie.

[Mackenzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing annoys me more than when a sleuth needs to be rescued from their own confrontation or trap with the murder; thankfully Hannah is too stupid to solve the crime, and has to be walked through it like a child by Aunt Violet and the Investigator.

Miss Merrill, Hannah, is our lead sleuth in this perplexing (and predictable) book shop mystery. As a reader, I would have immensely preferred Aunt Violet's recount of the investigation, but alas some things are not meant to be.

Hannah spends most of this book stumbling around London while you wait for her to investigate something that has the potential to be productive. In all fairness to Hannah, the resolution of this murder relies heavily on information that Hannah, and the reader as a result, is not privy to. This fact does not make it any easier to sympathize with her. Hannah is so naive about, and disconnected from, everything around her, including her friends, that she is incapable of competently investigating. Her perspective is entirely directionless. From the way Hannah blubbers in confusion during the murder's confession and the resolution of the story I have little hope that her character will be meaningfully altered in further installments.

[Ms D. Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Muddled

The characters are good, but there too many of them popping in and out of the action, they are not introduced properly and they confuse the plot, and then they disappear, some of them are never referred to again.
The main story is good too, but again there is more than one. If Ms Davison had chosen just one as an introduction to her main characters, she could then have used the other plots in follow-up books. Getting them all down in one book merely confuses the reader.
It is as though she has lots of ideas and has been unable to resist the temptation to tell them all straight away.
Right at the end of the book every character left a 'cliff-hanger' of a story, a "what happens next" headline, which seems to be an unsubtle message which shouts, " read the next book to see what happens" this means that there is no conclusion to any of the plots, no happy ending or otherwise to any of the stories told in this muddle of book.

[Linniegayl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting start to a new historical mystery series set in London in the early days of World War I, featuring Hannah and her Aunt Violet.

Violet owns a bookstore in London, but has nothing to do with it. She's too busy involved with home front activities for the war (although before the war she was an active sufragette, arrested numerous times). Hannah helps run her aunt's bookshop, and it's there she discovers the body of her best friend, murdered with Hannah's knife.

We're quickly thrown into a plot involving murder, drugs, spies, and more. The book was a bit slow going for me initially, and I wasn't sure I would like it. But I was soon caught up in the plot. There is the potential for love interests for both Hannah and Violet in the future. I would love to see more of Violet in future books.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This didn't work for me and it will be a DNF.

Maybe I just need a break from British cozy mysteries, but Hannah was an annoying MC right from the get-go, and the story (to the 50 pages mark where I stopped) felt frantic and a bit disjointed, jumping from one thing to another faster than made sense to me.

Moving on to something else.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder in the Bookshop was a good read with a good twist. The characters were interesting, and the ones who were supposed to be unlikable, were truly unlikable. Made trying to suss out the villain very fun. I look forward to future installments!

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased opinion.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm immediately beginning the next volume, so that says something. I seem to have a thing for WW1 mysteries. And this was a diverting way to spend an afternoon & evening.

[Flávia (Fuga de Letras) · Rating 1 out of 5]

1,5*

Well, this was a disappointment. It's not one of the worst books I've ever read, but it's just so boring that I found myself skipping parts, even when I was approaching the end. This is a very bad sign in a mystery book! It's close to 2 stars, really, but I really did not care for it at all.

There's just so much talk in the book! Hannah, the main character, only starts investigating the murder (with her aunt), apart from the detective on the case, halfway through the book. Until then it's a lot of talking, multiple times with the same characters, and the book feels very slow moving. After that? More talk, but this time focusing more on speculation rather than actual assessing clues and information they have to solve the case. I thought I'd be reading about a bookseller and her aunt sleuthing to solve a murder, but all we really get is nonstop conversation!

I didn't like the characters and Hannah felt very superficial and annoying. I did not care for the romance drama at all, it slowed things down and diverted attention from the actual case. Honestly the book feels more like a fiction book in which a murder just happens to occur, because there is never a real sense of urgency to catch the killer. I think it would have been better to cut that "romance" altogether and instead flesh out the characters more (aunt Violet, for example).

And the end? What nonsense! It came out of nowhere, too, not because the author cast different clues or ideas to keep the reader guessing, but because the reason behing the murder was not only absurd but out of the blue. There's never any inkling towards that, as the possible motive is never something that can be deduced from facts given (and neither is the killer with anything more than a suspect), because the author just never wrote about it! It's based on information that we just don't have access to. It seems really absurd and disappointing.

As I've mentioned before, the book is really boring because the "investigation" is based purely on endless talks that feel like gossip or speculation and the pacing is very slow, failing to keep the reader engaged in the story at all.

The story takes place during World War 1, so there's a more interesting historical setting we get to read about, which frankly is the best part of the book.

(I usually give 1 star to books that I've hated which is not the case here, but as I rated my last books with 2 stars - "Evil under the Sun" and "The Thursday Murder Club" - I felt I had to differentiate them somehow. I didn't hate this one, but it's not "it's okay" either, I really didn't like it, so it's closer to 1,5*.)

[Desiree Zimmermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story is fun, inventive plot, good use of red herrings, very hip setting; definitely needed more/better editing, though, which kept pulling me out of the story. (For example, at one point the MC tells her aunt “It looks better on you than on, Mother,” which is just frustrating as a reader and as an editor.)

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder in the Bookshop is the first book in the Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet Mystery series and it is a good start. Hannah Merrill has returned to London after a visit to her parents. She arrives at the bookstore that her Aunt Violet inherited and was shocked to see the condition of the store. It was filthy, books had not been shelved, overflowing ashtrays were on the table in the children's reading area and the manager was nowhere to be seen. The clerk told her that he seldom came to work, was smoking and drinking and when she found some risque playing cards, told her he was selling them from the shop. When he does show up, she fires him, but forgets to ask for the keys. The next day when she arrives at the store, she finds her best friend dead in an armchair, with her decorative knife in her chest. Who killed her and why?

This was more than just an historical cozy mystery. It is set in 1915, during WW1, and there is spying involved. There seems to be more than one suspect, but when the store manager disappears, and it was reported that he was in the shop the night before, he becomes the main suspect. When Hannah finds a coded German message in the cards, it becomes apparent that this mystery might not be as obvious at it seems. When one of the suspects is run down, Hannah calls in her Aunt Violet for some help. This is a convoluted mystery, with many suspects, lots of questions and some historical background. All in all, this was an interesting cozy set in 1915, WW1, with spies, blackmailers and more. I listened to this one, narrated by Oona Beeson and enjoyed her performance. She does a great job with the voices and her English accent is perfect for this story.

[Tissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cozy mystery, another great read! I'm really pleased, as it doesn't happen often to find two good books in a row.

The historical setting - we're in London, WWI is in full swing - gives it a first layer of depth. Historical books are a dime a dozen these days; talent lies in using the setting not just as a mere backdrop, but as another character, you know? Am I making any sense? No? Carry on :p

All jokes aside, my point is that London comes alive through Davison's words. Same goes for the actual characters: Hannah reads strong and poignant (I really liked her), her voice is clear, and she's actually intriguing enough to keep my attention tied to the pages. Archie impresses me a little less, but he's still a cool character with a distinctive voice, too.

The story itself is engrossing. As always, a special mention goes to red herrings, as I love it when a plot is not straightforward.

Third pov - good! - and a polished grammar wrap it up. My only complaint? Say. Say is a beautiful word, it slips by unnoticed, and helps with the flow. Synonyms are not always the answer.

4 stars on GR.

[Lady Tea · Rating 1 out of 5]

My problem with this?

Just not liking Hannah as a character.

..............

Yup, that's it. And considering that characters are maybe 80% important to a cozy mystery series, I think everyone can understand, if not sympathize, my giving this a 1-star rating.

[Kirsty (BookBlogger) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder in the Bookshop by Anita Davison

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Someone’s been read their last rites… 1915, London : Working in the dusty bookshop that her Aunt Violet mysteriously inherited, Hannah Merrill is accustomed to finding twists in every tale. But discovering her beloved best friend Lily-Anne – with a paperknife through her heart – in the middle of the bookshop, is not a plotline she saw coming. The case is anything but textbook. With the discovery of a coded German message, and Hannah’s instinct that Lily-Anne’s husband is keeping secrets, she determines to get to the bottom of it. She can’t do it alone though. To crack this case, Hannah will need the enlist the help of her outrageous, opinionated, only-occasionally-objectionable Aunt Violet. They think they’re making progress until one of their chief suspects is found dead. And Hannah realises that she is herself now in the murderer’s sights. Will the final chapter be the ending of a killer… or just a killer ending?

My Opinion

Anita Davison has written some interesting characters here. I was kept on my toes trying to work out who was supposed to be the murderer. Whilst this is not my usual read, I found myself enjoying it more than I thought I would. Hannah takes on the role of amateur sleuth knowing that she is a suspect in the murder of her best friend - can she clear her name? I thought that this was a great introduction to a new series.

Rating: 4/5

[Veronica ReadsandRecreation · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder in the Bookshop is a fun cozy mystery perfect for fans of quirky characters and independent women. Hannah Merrill and her aunt Violet Edwards are strong female characters determined to live their lives beyond the constraints of society. Against the backdrop of pre-war London, Hannah is determined to manage aunt Violet’s bookstore despite the criticism of nearly every person in her life. Women just don’t do such things, but Hannah and Violet are blessed with family wealth and property to fund such “indulgences.” And Hannah is determined to prove that she is more than up to the task. Unfortunately, a murder in the bookstore at the onset of her new endeavor derails her plans and sets in motion an investigation with and without the help of the authorities. With lots of false starts and welcome surprises, Murder in the Bookshop held my interest and made me chuckle from start to finish. I love the characters and look forward to seeing what else they get into as the series continues. Big thanks to #NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an early copy.

[Roberta_fralerighe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omicidio in libreria lo definirei il giallo perfetto per le giornate in poltrona, mentre fuori piove con una buona tazza di tè!

Primo libro di questa serie intitolata “ Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet mysteries” è il tipico giallo inglese che io personalmente amo da morire. Anche perché è perfetto per chiunque, da chi si appresta a leggere per la prima volta un giallo a chi invece è un veterano dei gialli e vuole qualcosa di più leggero da alternare a qualche thriller psicologico che ti toglie il sonno!

Ma veniamo al dunque, Londra 1915 la prima guerra mondiale ormai è parte integrante delle giornate degli inglesi e le suffragette cercano (dato ormai gli uomini al fronte) di ottenere l’emancipazione delle donne. Hanna Merrill vive con sua zia Violet (suffragetta) e manda avanti la libreria di cui sua zia è proprietaria, libreria che diventa la scena del crimine.
Fra intrighi, bugie, spionaggio e un pizzico di humor inglese questo libero vi terrà incollati fino all’ultima pagina.
Parola di lupetto!

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good first installment of a new mystery series, set in London during WWI. Hannah is working in her Aunt Violet’s bookstore, rejecting the usual lifestyle for a woman in her social class. When her best friend Lily Anne is found dead in the shop, suspects include Hannah and her Circle of friends. Add in German spies, bombs dropping and love interests for both Hannah and Aunt Violet, and the result is a really good mystery. Recommended, and looking forward to the next one on the series. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Francesca Morelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Molte aspettative!
Ho cominciato a leggerlo previa lettura della trama.
Ambientato in piena prima guerra mondiale, in Inghilterra e più precisamente Londra, dove
viene rinvenuto un cadavere in una libreria gestita da una ragazza ma la cosa che mi è più piaciuta
della copertina è il gatto nero!
Comunque avrebbe avuto tutti i numeri per essere un libro interessante, peccato che io l'ho vissuto in modo molto dispersivo. In questo racconto l'indagine e il coinvolgimento della protagonista è quello di una ragazza a cui è stata uccisa un'amica ed entra in gioco la curiosità piuttosto che la necessità di trovare il colpevole. L'autrice affronta, buttando l'esca e ritirando la mano, il caso delle suffragette, il caso che le donne, grazie al fatto che gli uomini sono tutti al fronte finalmente occupano dei posti di lavoro che prima si sognavano, come gestire un ospedale,per esempio, la gestione di una attività commerciale, nelle fabbriche come operaie..e vogliamo che manchi la parte romantica che più scialba non avrebbe potuto essere.
Ho fatto fatica a finirlo, ero curiosa di scoprire il colpevole, anche quel colpo d scena non c'è stato!

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more than I did. The main character I didn’t find all that likable, but the supporting characters I thought were much more vibrant, and I enjoyed many of them. But it felt like at the end of the story the author just threw in a bunch of stuff rushing to finish it, and it really took away from the story I thought. Also, I found the relationships to be a bit odd feeling. I think the pieces were there with this one, and a lot of people might enjoy it as an easy read, but it just needed a little more for me.

[Antonella Montesanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bel giallo alla Agatha Christie questo.
Il periodo è il 1915, quindi pieno di risvolti storici realistici, con la guerra e tutto quel che ne consegue.
Personaggi principali due donne, la zia Violet e la nipote Hanna, una suffragetta e una ragazza molto emancipata che lavora nella libreria della zia.
Libreria in cui avviene un omicidio, e da lì un susseguirsi di fatti e misfatti, senza, mai scene cruente, e indagini relative.
Scritto molto bene, con un pizzico di ironia a volte, un tipico cozy crime che si legge velocemente.
Consigliato.

[Bobbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I liked the characters, I didn’t find the story very interesting and my mind kept wandering.

[Catherine Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book and cannot wait to read the next one in the series

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun mystery with a few surprises in store! Historical mystery set in 1940’s England.

[Sam Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice easy read

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hannah, the protagonist, is an irritating character to read, she is supposed to be in her early twenties, but her behavior is akin to a sulky, prickly teen. The plot is annoyingly loose, the bookstore has an unused flat above, yet when Hannah is attacked in the bookstore by being hit by the door to the flat as an assailant flees neither the police, nor Hannah, bother to investigate the flat, even though a fired, disgruntled former employee- who is a suspect-still has the keys. Of course this becomes pivotal later in the plot. Hannah carries evidence she finds to a social event and of course knocks her purse off onto the floor so the contents spill. Overall, characters were superficial and holes in the plot for the writers convenience made this a two star read.

[Bryngel · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fairly good start of a new series, but feels very rushed and would have won a great deal had they put some more time on it.

Not surprising that a cliffhanger gets to end the whole, somewhat frustrating and predictable read. The main character is so unlikeable that you have to wonder what the author was thinking when she decided on her qualities.

I like my investigators to be clever and nice, not stupid and in need of saving all the time. I think it's all a matter of taste, this was far from my pick of preferable characters, so I will stay away.

(Please forgive my poor English, my excuse is I’m Swedish).

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

1915 Hannah Merrill arrived at her aunt's bookshop only to find the murdered body of her best friend, Lily-Anne Soames, stabbed. She and her aunt decide to investigate meanwhile Inspector Farrell has his own investigation going. Did Hannah real know Lily. I think Farrell would have been the more interesting character rather than focus on the somewhat immature and shallow Hannah who is obviously not as intelligent as she thinks. Maybe she will improve as the series develops.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Vicky Lee Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book to read enjoyed the strong female characters. Always good to read a story knowing who to hate and who to like.