Murder by the Book

Sweet Cove, NC #1

by Joy Patrick

Sometimes the sweetest small towns can be big on bitter secrets …Security analyst Grace Jordan never imagined she’d be solving a murder when she returned home to Sweet Cove, North Carolina. Or, that she was good it.

Harboring a decades-long secret of her own, Grace leaves her carefully controlled, predictable city life for Sweet Cove to help her whimsical Aunt Lyla run her bookstore after the death of Lyla’s sister.

When a local businessman ends up dead surrounded by a mysterious collection of books, accusations fly, and Grace is determined to put her analytical smarts to work to uncover the truth.

Meeting a motley crew of locals along the way, including a mysterious older man with an unusual skill set of his own, Grace learns that logical analysis isn’t her only tool when solving mysteries.

Scandals. Secrets. Sweet Cove.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

156 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 5, 2023

Reviews

[Emmalynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty good. Great characters, a good story, just enough action to make it cozy intense and a mystery to solve with all the twists and turns.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this book & loved it. I read it on bus into work which is a testament to how good it is, I usually can't do more than stare out the window. I even brought it camping. The characters are well developed, enjoyable & engaging. I enjoyed the fact that for once the amateur sleuth actually has the background to be able to investigate. The plot was well laid out & developed so the story flowed well & didn't seem far fetched. Looking forward to the next installment.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding Her Ideal Niche . . .

Security analyst Grace Jordan loved the routine repetition of her job, because being predictable, nothing bad or surprising would ever happen. While everyone else was out to lunch, she went to retrieve her meal and saw one cube of the 12 pieces of chicken was missing and she always counted everything out equally. She allowed herself 12 minutes to eat lunch, but after 10 minutes, her phone rang, and she always allowed 3 rings before answering so she could “guess” why they were calling and how long the conversation might last. Recognizing her Aunt Lyla, she checked her watch app to see the increase in her pulse. Her Aunt Patricia had just passed away and Aunt Lyla may need help with the bookstore, so Grace offers to come to Sweet Cove. She had a ton of vacation left, but agreed to work remotely since the boss implied they could not do it without her.

It has been 6 years, 7 months, and 2 days since Grace was last in Sweet Cove, yet she feels good vibes from the town. She drove to the bookstore to meet her aunt and told her she would be staying for a month. And she thought to herself, “It’s good to be home.” Her aunt introduced her to Karen Dupree who was now the actual owner, having purchased the bookstore to pay for Patricia’s care when she was sick. But Karen still considers it Lyla’s.

When a local businessman, Gerald Buchanan, is murdered by a single gunshot wound, and is found surrounded by a mysterious collection of books, Grace realizes she will have to get involved in the investigation. She is not convinced the police are ready to handle this, and she won’t risk her aunt being accused. Will she be able to work around their not wanting her “assistance”? Will she be able to help solve the murder regardless? And will she have gained the respect of Detective Nathan Sherwood by what she was able to do to help? Would the missing mob money ever be found? With both Sherwood and Chuck enticing her to stay, perhaps the search can continue…

[Nadine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes the sweetest small towns can be big on bitter secrets …

Security analyst Grace Jordan never imagined she’d be solving a murder when she returned home to Sweet Cove, North Carolina. Or, that she was good at it.

Harboring a decades-long secret of her own, Grace leaves her carefully controlled, predictable city life for Sweet Cove to help her whimsical Aunt Lyla run her bookstore after the death of Lyla’s sister.

When a local businessman ends up dead surrounded by a mysterious collection of books, accusations fly, and Grace is determined to put her analytical smarts to work to uncover the truth.

Meeting a motley crew of locals along the way, including a mysterious older man with an unusual skill set of his own, Grace learns that logical analysis isn’t her only tool when solving mysteries.

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This was a fun, light read, that I found enjoyable. The plot was straightforward while still being interesting. The characters were a bit on the tropey side, the hard-working big-city girl, the former big-city homicide cop, the Vietnam vet with a dark past, and trust issues.

I wish we got to learn more about Aunt Lyla. The description is also a little misleading, as Graced doesn't seem to have any secret - there's a lack of backstory that gives me more questions than a proper character setup.

Overall I definitely could see myself reading more from this author, especially on those days when I need to zone out with a story.

[Merry Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace Jordan is a security analyst in the city and very good at her job. In fact she is very OCD (obsessive Compulsive Dissorder) when it comes to her day to day living. When Grace's phone rings its 3 mandatory times according to how Grace approaches it, she finds it from her Aunt Lyla that her Aunt Patricia had died and she needed her help, Grace takes her vacation time and heads to Sweet Cove, North Carolina. Grace is surprised to find that her Aunt no longer owns the bookstore because of having to pay the medical bills for her sister, Patricia. With Grace being gone for so long from the town, she realizes things are just not what they once were. When an unscrupulous businessman, Gerald Buchanan is found dead upstairs in the bookstore with a fatal gunshot wound and books surrounding his body, Grace goes into detective mode before someone charges her Aunt Lyla with the crime, since she becomes a suspect. Much to the chagrin of the detective on the case, Detective Nathan Sherwood, Grace doesn't think they are going about things the right way. So she and Aunt Lyla are on the case! We are now caught up in the legend of the pirate treasure buried somewhere there, the mob, and secrets. What has all this have to do with the murder? She methodically analyzes the clues and narrows down the suspects, she gets attacked. But nothing will stop Grace now. This is a wonderful, page turning book that grabs you and keeps you turning pages until the end. I received an ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

[Tina Lincoln · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Home Town Death, Mystery, and Murder!
Pirate Money, Mob Money, or NO Money...
Grace takes time off work so she can be with her Aunt Lyla, after her sister died, as she is the person who raised her after her own mother died.
So she gets there, and is finding out, little by little that things are not what they were, or what she thought they were or should be in her sleepy little town of Sweet Cove. The book store that her aunt owned, she did not own it any more. Aunt Lyla said it was due to the medical bills for her sister...
As any good cozy story goes, that is only the beginning! There is a mean old man who is buying up business's and land, supposedly for a company that plans to build some massive building there... but he has been doing this for years, and this new 'company' has not submitted any plans for a new structure, nor has it torn any down.
Then there is the old tale of there being money from a pirate that is buried there somewhere, but where? And is this just a tale? As the 'detective Grace' gets within what is really happening within her home town, will she stay in town, or go back to the big city?
This was a very good story, and one that I hope there will be more tales to come from. This book would be good for people of all ages.
Thank you, Joy Patrick for a Wonderful Story!
I received an advance copy of this story, and this is my honest review.

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace, a smart, dedicated employee of a security firm, goes back to her small hometown to help her Aunt Lyla, the woman who raised her after her parents died. Grace has learned to cope with her parents deaths by being methodical, precise, and determined. When a man is found murdered in her aunt's bookstore, and her aunt is a suspect, Grace sets out to find the murderer, much to the consternation of Detective Sherwood, a transplant from Chicago. The journey sets Grace on a trail of small-town urban legends, mob murders, hidden treasure. When she's attacked, she doesn't give up but continues her search. I really like Grace. I like her intelligence and her refusal to give up. Other than that she wears glasses, we don't know what she looks like. I'm a reader who likes physical descriptions of the characters. That's the only negative, for me, for this book. The ending was high suspense and lots of action. I hope this is a series because I want more of Grace and Sweet Cove. I hope we get a romantic interest for Grace in future books, too.

[Anne-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great cozy mystery from Joy Patrick.

Grace takes time off from her job to help her Aunt Lyla, after Lyla's sister died. Grace loves Aunt Lyla's bookstore and finds herself helping out there as well. But Grace opens the bookstore one morning to find a dead body upstairs. She takes in the scene noting certain books laying around the body. Grace calls 911 and reports the body. Once the police arrived Grace finds out that Aunt Lyla has been keeping a secret. What is it? I'm not telling....you have to get the book to find out.

The small town of Sweet Cove is not as it seems. Like all small towns this one has a few secrets and dirty laundry. The characters are wonderful and the story line kept me reading. A wonderful mystery! Did you figure out who the killer was? This one had me guessing.

Highly recommend.

[Ruth McDaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this new series by Joy Patrick, we meet Grace, who has taken off work to visit her Aunt Lyla. Lyla owns a bookstore and one day, Lyla and Grace discover a dead man in the store. Who is he? Why is he there?
Lyla and Grace decide to do some investigating of their own, as the local cop in charge believes Lyla committed the murder, since she found the body. What ensues is a race to clear Lyla (and Grace's) name and find out who killed the man and why.
This book has many interesting characters and I found that they were all well fleshed out. I liked the way the author drew out the landscape of the story, making me feel like I was actually there w them.
This was a fun story with a twist ending that you won't see coming. I really enjoyed this story.
I received an ARC of this book and am leaving my voluntary review.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great story from Ms Patrick. It is the kind of book that makes you want to read faster and faster to solve the murder. This is a small town that never has anything bad happen in it. The worst thing before now was kids throwing water balloons. Grace comes to her old home town to spend some time with the aunt that raised her after her parents died in a car accident when she was small and the first day she is working in the bookstore by herself she finds a man murdered. She works at a company in the big city that does predictions of crimes for the local police. She decides that she can do as good as the local police and gets into all kinds of trouble. Good thing she picks the right people to back her up and they all solve the case.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome to Sweet Cove, a charming little town that gets rocked to its core with the murder of one of its residents, a shady businessman who had been buying up many of the stores along the Main Street. He had Layla's bookstore in his sights just before his untimely death. With her aunt under suspicion for murder and being the victim of an attack herself, Grace took matters into her own hands and started investigating the crime...

The real story behind the crimes and the mysterious buried pirate treasure urban legend were nothing I ever could have dreamed up. I loved how everything came together in the end - but the investigation into the buried treasure will continue into the next book! I can't wait to see if the treasure is real and where it might turn up.

[Melissa Borsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to start a new series by Joy Patrick and this book did not disappoint! Grace is a security analyst and enjoys her quiet and very orderly life. After a phone call from her Aunt Lydia, who has been dealing with the death of her sister, Grace decides to take vacation time and go back home to spend time with her Aunt. While helping her Aunt in her bookstore, Grace discovers a dead body surrounded by books and becomes a possible suspect, along with her Aunt. Grace begins to investigate. I loved the small town of Sweet Cove and its townspeople. The mystery itself was very well done and full of suspense! I can’t wait for the next book in this series!
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Leslie Ferrari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second in the series detailing the adventures of an introverted security analyst named Grace. She leaves the big city to head home to Sweet Cove, NC on an extended leave to be with her aunt after a death in the family. Her boss values her work enough to permit her to work remotely (before it was common place). Things are fine until there is a murder in the family bookstore, the first homicide in decades in the small town. Eyes turn to her aunt, the owner of the bookstore and Grace's analytical mind turns to solving the murder and vindicating her aunt. Oh, and let's throw in a legend of buried treasure just for fun!

This story provides some significant back story for the series. While not essential, reading the books in order will increase your enjoyment.

[J Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a way to start the day!

Grace returns to her hometown to support her Aunt Lyla. Working at the bookstore is a big change from her job in the city. Quiet is fine with her but things get more exciting when she discovers a corpse in the bookstore one morning. The are plenty of suspects but the detective is focusing on Lyla as his prime suspect so Grace starts investigating to find him a better one.

This is a nice start to the series. There is a good plot and the blend of characters adds depth to the storyline. I received an advance copy of the book but my review is honest and voluntary.

[Sharmani Jayaram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace Jordan goes to Sweet Cove to help her Aunt Lyla after her sister Aunt Patricia had died. Aunt Lyla tells her that she had sold her bookstore to Karen Dupree. Then Grace finds the body of Gerald Buchanan at her Aunt's bookstore the “ Jodan and Walsh”. Nathan Sherwood the detective comes to the scene and Grace and her Aunt Lyla become suspects. Grace is puts her hand to sleuthing to try to clear there names. A lot of mayhem, suspense and danger involved to make this a exciting and humorous read . I received this book free via booksprouts and leave a honest review. I recommend this book to other readers.

[Paula Corregan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cozy mystery and a thriller wrapped in one. Grace returns to her hometown of Sweet Cove, North Carolina to help her aunt, Lyla, after the death of her other aunt. She becomes involved in a murder investigation when she finds the body of businessman Gerald Buchanan on the top floor of the used bookstore at which her aunt was working and used to own. Buchanan was an unscrupulous businessman who had several enemies. Who killed him and why? Find out by reading this enticing book. I highly recommend it to other cozy mystery readers. I received an ARC of this book, and the opinion expressed is strictly my own.

[Janice Branning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great story to hear as we enjoy our vacation, it was light with just enough who done it. Grace goes back home to Sweet Cove, NC to visit her Aunt and with most small towns someone is murdered. The Bookstore that her Aunt owns is where the dead man is found, which is why Grace gets involved in trying to finding out who the killer could be. I enjoyed the way the author built on each character, it made you understand why this murder took place at the bookstore.
If this book was available in our library, I think it would make a great Bookclub selection. I listened to it on Audible, which is where I get many of my books that I can’t find at the library.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace will do anything for her Aunt Lyla, so when her aunt calls her, she takes some time off from her job to go back to her hometown. Her aunt has been her one constant growing up. Grace never expected she would be thrown into the thick of things when mayhem and shenanigans start happening. Grace thinks things through analytically, and when she starts sharing her thoughts with local law enforcement, they are not pleased. When law enforcement really starts listening to her, they finally appreciate what she says and begrudgingly accepts her help. This is a fast paced story full of twists and turns that kept me hooked from beginning to end, and I highly recommend it!

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Security analyst Grace Jordan never imagined she’d be solving a murder when she returned home to Sweet Cove, North Carolina. Or, that she was good it. Harboring a decades-long secret of her own, Grace leaves her carefully controlled, predictable city life for Sweet Cove to help her whimsical Aunt Lyla run her bookstore after the death of Lyla’s sister. When a local businessman ends up dead surrounded by a mysterious collection of books, accusations fly."
This is an amazing mystery. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. This in no way affects my opinion of this book.

[fred jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real great story. When Grace returns to Sweet cove to help with her aunts bookshop she soon stumbles a body in the store and becomes embroiled in murder, the search for pirate treasure or Mob money depending on who is telling the story. A great cast of characters, the town grump, the dodgy real estate broker and his son, an out of town detective not to mention her hippy aunt. A entertaining, fun read. Joy Patrick writes a great story and I hope for more of these books. I received a complimentary copy from the Author but then bought a book anyway. Highly recommended.

[Shelly Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder by the Book is the first installment of Sweet Cove Cozy Mysteries
Series written by Joy Patrick. This was a fun, light read, that I found highly enjoyable. The plot was straightforward while still being interesting. This was a very good story, and one that I hope there will be more tales to come from. The ending was high suspense and lots of action. I hope this is a long series because I want more of Grace and Sweet Cove. I hope we get a some sort of sweet romantic interest for Grace in future books, as well.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[MGB · Rating 4 out of 5]

It should have been ancient history, but when Grace rolls into town she is thrust into the middle of the old plot. It's really a nice bookstore that her aunt has, but it is not as it seems. Powerful forces are at play here and they mean no good for Grace and Lyla.

Fortunately well learned skills from Vietnam are never forgotten but often practiced.

This is a very enjoyable story as Grace slowly unravels the clues until all hell breaks loose when there are no more curtains for evil to hide behind.

[Geraldine Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The characters were quirky but extremely likeable.
I especially liked the main protagonist Grace who was feisty, intelligent and came with baggage from her past.

I loved the fact that I couldn't work out the mystery and I really loved the slight supernatural element of the book.

All in all, a really gripping read.
I was lucky enough to read an ARC of this lovely book and I am leaving a review voluntarily.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Embezzle from the Mob? Not a Good Plan!

What should an enterprising crook do when stealing from other thieves? Plan One: Don't get caught. If the thief does get caught, there's Plan Two: Run and hide. In "Murder by the Book", someone stole from the mob and had to hide the money. He was never able to return and the location (and source) of the money became another urban legend. Grace Jordan's visit home became vastly more complicated than she anticipated as people tried to find it.

[Kelly A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Mystery, Great Ending, Great Book!
This book rolls along slowly with a seemingly simple murder at a bookstore. But you have to dig deep for the treasure of this book to come to light. The characters are wonderful and true to life. Many twists and turns and very unexpected guesses about who committed the murder and why. This was a truly entertaining mystery and a delight to read.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Emmy McCabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace returns home to Sweet Cove after Aunt Lyla's sister Patrica passes away. Grace wants to support her aunt at this time. Shortly after returning, The body of Gerald Buchanan is fund in the bookstore. Although Gerald was not a liked man in town, Lyla was the main suspect since he was murdered in her store. Grace was determined to clear her aunt and what she uncovered makes for a awesome story!! There is more than just a murder involved.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🔰

This kindle e-book novel is from my Kindle Unlimited account

More to come?

Grace goes back home when her aunt passes away. She is helping family in the book store when she finds a dead body and the fun begins. Her investigation with the help of the police force leads to the truth and arrest of guilty parties.

I would recommend this novel and author to 👍 readers of romantic family and friends relationships mystery novels 👍🔰. 2024

[Megan Olds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, detailed and compelling. Chuck is fascinating. And I’ll admit it crossed my mind to question the truth about one character who ended up being involved with the bad guys. Very evil.

Sherwood seemed a little idiotic in Chapter 7: if Grace WERE a bad guy, I don’t think it would be good to blatantly psychoanalyze her to her face 😂 He starts out very dislikable, even when you are given reasons for why he is the way he is. But he does get a little better later on.

[Debbie Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. Grace steps in by investigating after she and her aunt are accused of the murder by a relative. I liked her investigative skills. The cause of the murder was a complete surprise and I admit I was falling for the red herring.

[Cat B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful little cozy this was. So fun to read. Very smartly written with great characters and a delicious mystery. I really enjoyed the time spent in Sweet Cove with Grace and Aunty Lyla. The mysterious Chuck was fun too. Nicely done, I would visit again.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion of the tale.