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Borrowed Pages Cozy Mysteries #1
A Flight of Murder
Sometimes change is for the better.
And sometimes…it can be murder.
Helen Bennett has never been much of a risk-taker. But when life pushes her to make some big changes, she finds her way to Oliver’s Crossroads, a quaint town high in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.
With a leap of faith, she begins a new life—taking on a job, meeting the locals, and even joining a bird-watching club. On the club’s first expedition, Helen discovers a body and is thrown into the adventure of a lifetime.
Will she and her new friends be able to solve the mystery and save one of their own from prison? And will Helen actually be able to feel as though she belongs in the tiny mountain town where everybody knows everybody?
Snuggle up with a slice of Annie’s Peach Crumble Pie (recipe included!) and find out in this brand new Culinary Cozy Mystery!
And sometimes…it can be murder.
Helen Bennett has never been much of a risk-taker. But when life pushes her to make some big changes, she finds her way to Oliver’s Crossroads, a quaint town high in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.
With a leap of faith, she begins a new life—taking on a job, meeting the locals, and even joining a bird-watching club. On the club’s first expedition, Helen discovers a body and is thrown into the adventure of a lifetime.
Will she and her new friends be able to solve the mystery and save one of their own from prison? And will Helen actually be able to feel as though she belongs in the tiny mountain town where everybody knows everybody?
Snuggle up with a slice of Annie’s Peach Crumble Pie (recipe included!) and find out in this brand new Culinary Cozy Mystery!
174 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 5, 2023
174 people are currently reading
183 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
July 17, 2024
I liked the setting and the characters a lot! It was very short, but that’s the norm for cozy mystery so it’s just something I need to get used to.
Overall, I enjoyed this story and can’t wait to continue with the series! Highly recommend this first book if you’re looking to get into cozy mystery. Seems like a good place to start especially since I’m still new to it. ☺️
Overall, I enjoyed this story and can’t wait to continue with the series! Highly recommend this first book if you’re looking to get into cozy mystery. Seems like a good place to start especially since I’m still new to it. ☺️
September 25, 2023
"A Flight Of Murder" is book #1 in the "Borrowed Pages Cozy Mysteries" by Maggie Benton.
"Sometimes change is for the better.
And sometimes…it can be murder.
Helen Bennett has never been much of a risk-taker. But when life pushes her to make some big changes, she finds her way to Oliver’s Crossroads, a quaint town high in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.
With a leap of faith, she begins a new life—taking on a job, meeting the locals, and even joining a bird-watching club. On the club’s first expedition, Helen discovers a body and is thrown into the adventure of a lifetime.
Will she and her new friends be able to solve the mystery and save one of their own from prison? And will Helen actually be able to feel as though she belongs in the tiny mountain town where everybody knows everybody?"
My thoughts:
Starting a new series is always a bit of an adventure for readers. You never know if you are going to like the characters or enjoy the story. I'm not a birder - I don't have enough eyesight for that - but the rest of the plot sounded interesting. It also helped that the book was less than $1USD so if I didn't like it, I really hadn't lost much.
Thankfully, the core characters of the birder group and a few other people in the town turned out to be an interesting bunch with potential for many future storylines.
The murder victim wasn't a surprise but getting to the core of "why" and "who done it" had a some good turns before the truth was revealed.
An entertaining, quick read with a recipe included at the end.
"Sometimes change is for the better.
And sometimes…it can be murder.
Helen Bennett has never been much of a risk-taker. But when life pushes her to make some big changes, she finds her way to Oliver’s Crossroads, a quaint town high in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.
With a leap of faith, she begins a new life—taking on a job, meeting the locals, and even joining a bird-watching club. On the club’s first expedition, Helen discovers a body and is thrown into the adventure of a lifetime.
Will she and her new friends be able to solve the mystery and save one of their own from prison? And will Helen actually be able to feel as though she belongs in the tiny mountain town where everybody knows everybody?"
My thoughts:
Starting a new series is always a bit of an adventure for readers. You never know if you are going to like the characters or enjoy the story. I'm not a birder - I don't have enough eyesight for that - but the rest of the plot sounded interesting. It also helped that the book was less than $1USD so if I didn't like it, I really hadn't lost much.
Thankfully, the core characters of the birder group and a few other people in the town turned out to be an interesting bunch with potential for many future storylines.
The murder victim wasn't a surprise but getting to the core of "why" and "who done it" had a some good turns before the truth was revealed.
An entertaining, quick read with a recipe included at the end.
August 26, 2023
A true cozy mystery.
A mystery full of mostly nice people, set in a beautiful small town. The victim is a rather nasty person, and it's debatable who did the deed because she wasn't well liked by anyone. Helen is newly divorced after her husband ran away with Helen's secretary. Now, she arrived in Oliver's Crossroads to interview for a job at the town library. It's refreshing that Helen isn't all traumatized and angst ridden by the divorce. She's just focused on moving forward - moving to a new town and finding a new job is Helen's plan. This cozy mystery is short enough to read in one sitting, and it's enjoyable. There's neither a wacky best friend nor wisecracking old people. There's no "smoldering," no cussing, no snark, no gore. There are just Helen's new friends from the library, and the bird watching club that's part of her new job. They all band together to solve the murder so that one of their members doesn't end up in prison. I did enjoy this book, and I will read the next one, too.
A mystery full of mostly nice people, set in a beautiful small town. The victim is a rather nasty person, and it's debatable who did the deed because she wasn't well liked by anyone. Helen is newly divorced after her husband ran away with Helen's secretary. Now, she arrived in Oliver's Crossroads to interview for a job at the town library. It's refreshing that Helen isn't all traumatized and angst ridden by the divorce. She's just focused on moving forward - moving to a new town and finding a new job is Helen's plan. This cozy mystery is short enough to read in one sitting, and it's enjoyable. There's neither a wacky best friend nor wisecracking old people. There's no "smoldering," no cussing, no snark, no gore. There are just Helen's new friends from the library, and the bird watching club that's part of her new job. They all band together to solve the murder so that one of their members doesn't end up in prison. I did enjoy this book, and I will read the next one, too.
July 10, 2023
A cute small town and a promising group of new friends seem to suit Helen just right and she fit right in. I enjoyed how the entire group got together to give their findings when they all decided to sleuth out a murder they stumbled on. Lots of small town flavor and drama but the most important thing was friendship. And since the cute guy next door’s sticking around a bit longer, maybe even a new guy for Helen.
I hope the next book has more to do with the library as the series name indicates. I got a kick out of Helen’s coworkers in the small amount of time that the library was in the scene, Bonnie and Clyde! They made me think of the Weasley twins the way they almost finished each other’s sentences.
I hope the next book has more to do with the library as the series name indicates. I got a kick out of Helen’s coworkers in the small amount of time that the library was in the scene, Bonnie and Clyde! They made me think of the Weasley twins the way they almost finished each other’s sentences.
September 17, 2024
This was a really quick, easy read. The main characters were all likable. The small town seems like a place you'd want to visit and maybe stay for awhile. I'd definitely like to have a piece of Annie’s Peach Crumble Pie. (I'm not brave enough to try making the recipe.) Helen's move to a small mountain town where she immediately fit right in and started making friends seemed a bit too easy. Those small mountain towns tend to be a bit insular and don't often take kindly to strangers. I didn't quite understand why she would buy a house instead of renting since she was told up front that she would be on a one year probationary status at the library. I plan to continue the series.
November 12, 2025
Librarian, bird watching and gardening mystery
Helen becomes head librarian in a quaint small town to escape from her ex husband and his new wife. She finds man new friends and is enjoying being part of the community. She finds a body floating in the water while out bird watching with her new friends. The woman is from the gardening club and the birding club don't get along. The woman is hated by many so the list of suspects is large. Helen and her new friends search for the real killer after their friend is arrested. Love the small town setting and the hunt of some new romances. People are relatable, good start to the series.
Helen becomes head librarian in a quaint small town to escape from her ex husband and his new wife. She finds man new friends and is enjoying being part of the community. She finds a body floating in the water while out bird watching with her new friends. The woman is from the gardening club and the birding club don't get along. The woman is hated by many so the list of suspects is large. Helen and her new friends search for the real killer after their friend is arrested. Love the small town setting and the hunt of some new romances. People are relatable, good start to the series.
November 21, 2025
I thought that A Flight of Murder was a good first book in a series. Fifty year old Helen Bennett is divorced and looking for a new adventure. She decides to apply for the library director job in Oliver's Crossroads in North Carolina. Within a few days she gets the job and makes new friends. When on an outing with the town's bird watching group, she spies a dead body through her binoculars. It turns out to be Dolly Fagan leader of the town's garden club. Helen spends time with her new friends and eventually they solve the murder. This series was a quick read. It had interesting characters and I enjoyed reading it.
November 4, 2023
Whodunit
Helen Bennett has never been much of a risk-taker. But when life pushes her to make some big changes, she finds her way to Oliver’s Crossroads, a quaint town high in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.
There were several suspects but none of them were the right person. It wasn't even thought that the culprit was the husband of a suspect.
I borrowed this book from KindleUnlimited. This in no way affects my opinion of this book.
Helen Bennett has never been much of a risk-taker. But when life pushes her to make some big changes, she finds her way to Oliver’s Crossroads, a quaint town high in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.
There were several suspects but none of them were the right person. It wasn't even thought that the culprit was the husband of a suspect.
I borrowed this book from KindleUnlimited. This in no way affects my opinion of this book.
October 25, 2025
Very good
Helen is recently divorced and decided she needed a change and accepted a job as a library director in a new town. She is making new friends and finding out what her job entails.
While out bird watching, she witnesses a person running up a hill and a dead body in the water.
The suspect list is changing constantly and secrets are coming out. Now they just need to find the true killer.
Helen is recently divorced and decided she needed a change and accepted a job as a library director in a new town. She is making new friends and finding out what her job entails.
While out bird watching, she witnesses a person running up a hill and a dead body in the water.
The suspect list is changing constantly and secrets are coming out. Now they just need to find the true killer.
August 28, 2023
This was a very enjoyable afternoon read. Likable characters, a small community in the Appalachian Mountains, and a murder mystery that kept me intrigued with twists and red herrings. Ms. Benton's descriptive writing brought the town and the characters to life as I read which is a big plus for me. I hope this is just the beginning of a long running cozy series.
January 9, 2024
Fun murder mystery. Helen didn't expect to move for a new job and end up being involved in a murder mystery. The murder victim was an awful woman and there were a lot of twists and turns on the way to finding the murderer as so many people disliked her. Clean, cosy mystery set in a small town with interesting characters.
January 30, 2024
Quick little cozy mystery. The title throws me because it doesn't fit. New librarian goes to small town, and there is a battle between the bird watching club and the gardening club and surprise- one of the less desirable characters is found dead. Then we start to unravel how they are interconnected and it is tied up in a neat bow.
March 20, 2024
I was surprised to see that this was so highly rated but I was sure I wouldn’t really like it that much when I read it. I was pleasantly surprised. This town makes me want to live there. I liked the story. It was engaging but was too dramatic. It kept me interested without dragging out. It was very cozy to read. I think cozy mysteries might be something I read more often now.
August 3, 2024
A definite must read cozy
Divorce and a whole new life that anyone would want to experience. Great little mystery and super great characters. I had actually read all the rest and realized I missed book 1 in the series. Glad I came back and read it. I’m ready for book 13 but don’t see it coming yet. I’ll be there when it does.
Divorce and a whole new life that anyone would want to experience. Great little mystery and super great characters. I had actually read all the rest and realized I missed book 1 in the series. Glad I came back and read it. I’m ready for book 13 but don’t see it coming yet. I’ll be there when it does.
October 30, 2025
Crossroads can be interesting
So much can happen if you just take a chance. And this new place was great for that new chance and an new life. But who knew a murder would make it into the riverside area where the birdwatching group was. So let's really get involved with the all people of her new home.
So much can happen if you just take a chance. And this new place was great for that new chance and an new life. But who knew a murder would make it into the riverside area where the birdwatching group was. So let's really get involved with the all people of her new home.
July 7, 2023
Kindle Copy for Review
Helen Bennett was not much of a risk taker when she decides to move to a small town in the Appalachian Mountains. Not only she has a new town but a new job as she settles in this small community.
She joins a bird watching group but on her first sighting she gets to discover a dead body. Nothing like a body to make you feel comfortable.
She and her new friends will have to do more than bird watching to catch a killer. A new fun cozy to devour.
Helen Bennett was not much of a risk taker when she decides to move to a small town in the Appalachian Mountains. Not only she has a new town but a new job as she settles in this small community.
She joins a bird watching group but on her first sighting she gets to discover a dead body. Nothing like a body to make you feel comfortable.
She and her new friends will have to do more than bird watching to catch a killer. A new fun cozy to devour.
July 8, 2023
This is the first of what I hope is many books in a wonderful new series. The setting is idyllic and the storyline creative. The book is well written and peopled with characters that I immediately felt invested in. The mystery while not overly complex was well plotted and fun to solve. I highly recommend this book!
November 10, 2023
good start to a series
I think this was a nice start to a cozy series. The author introduced a nice cast of characters that should be around for a while and there is a nice chemistry between them. I will continue
I think this was a nice start to a cozy series. The author introduced a nice cast of characters that should be around for a while and there is a nice chemistry between them. I will continue
December 17, 2023
Hoping to get the top job at this out of the way library, who would have known about the diner, the bird watching club, the gardening club, the new single neighbor, and ... the body floating in the lake?
January 3, 2024
light happy reading
I picked this book because I was searching for a book that would be a quick light read. This book more than satisfied my search. The writing is clear, enjoyable, and captivating with characters that are believable and interesting.
I picked this book because I was searching for a book that would be a quick light read. This book more than satisfied my search. The writing is clear, enjoyable, and captivating with characters that are believable and interesting.
July 10, 2023
What a great new series. I enjoyed it very much and can’t wait to see what transpires between Helen and her neighbor.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
July 11, 2023
Great book
This is the first book in what looks to be a great series by Maggie Benton. I love all of the characters and the small town setting.
This is the first book in what looks to be a great series by Maggie Benton. I love all of the characters and the small town setting.
October 10, 2023
Very good beginning to a new series!
October 19, 2023
Mystery
December 13, 2023
who killed Dolly and why??? A tea rose??? I enjoyed this story and recommended the book.
December 13, 2023
A very easy read, pleasant cosy mystery. Needed some proofreading but other than that, I flew through it.
February 26, 2024
Who killed Dolly and why??? A tea rose??? I enjoyed this story and recommended the book.
March 24, 2024
Quick read, entertaining
May 10, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. It was short, loved the characters, town, and of course the mystery. All the ingredients for a perfect cozy.
July 24, 2024
I liked this murder plot
Meeting the Birders and Bloomers and picking up a few hints such as tea. The recipe at the back was great as I too love fresh peaches
Meeting the Birders and Bloomers and picking up a few hints such as tea. The recipe at the back was great as I too love fresh peaches
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews