The Body in the Bookshop: An Emerson Fox Mystery

by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Inheriting a bookshop and the island that comes with it could be the solution to all of Emmy’s problems, or it could be the last thing she ever does.

Emerson Fox’s ADHD has left her with a do-nothing degree, a jilted ex-fiancé, mounds of student debt, and a knack for forgetting important things while focusing on obscure details. When a disastrous blind date leaves her stranded in a quaint bookshop on a tiny island in Washington's Puget Sound, the last thing she expects is to find the bookshop’s owner has been murdered. Even more shocking, he’s left a will that names her as his long-lost niece and sole heir to his bookshop and the entire island. Emmy can’t claim her inheritance until she unearths a long-buried family secret, convinces the only police officer in town (and the other half of her disastrous date) that she’s innocent, and finds the focus she needs to solve her uncle’s murder.

"The Body in the Bookshop" is the first book in the Emerson Fox mystery series. If you love stories with heart, humor, and unexpected twists and turns you love this new cozy mystery series by acclaimed author, Jennifer Shaw Wolf.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

328 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 21, 2023

About the author

I grew up on a farm in the tiny town of St. Anthony, Idaho. I spent cold Idaho mornings milking cows in the dark and attended a school where Hunter’s Education was part of the sixth grade curriculum. I've always been a writer, whether it was sewing together books to read to her little brothers or starting an underground newspaper in sixth grade. She met the love of her life at Ricks College, (now BYU Idaho), after he dropped her on her head. I graduated from Ricks and then Brigham Young University, Provo with a degree in Broadcast Communications. Now she lives in beautiful, green, (rainy) Lacey, Washington with her husband and four kids. She loves to produce videos, ski, ride horses, and read, but really all she has time for is chasing kids and writing.

Reviews

[Amber Scanavino · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super cute, feel good cozy mystery 😌

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good mystery especially the ones I can’t figure out! The body in the bookshop is such a book. The main character Emmy Fox comes to an island for a blind date and ends up being tied up in a murder, and a mysterious will. I love this woman, this heroine who suffers from ADD like I do, along with has a mountain of student loan debt, no job and the suspicions of the whole island townsfolk! Oh and her dad is in prison and her mother is dead. Anyway, I won’t do a plot summary, but this is the best book I’ve read in a long time! took me less than 24 hours to read and anyone who loves books will appreciate this. I was a Nancy Drew kid And it just made me happy to read!

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun read!

Another great mystery by Jennifer Shaw Wolf! This was such a fun easy read. Never a dull moment and was thoroughly entertained the entire book through.

[Cheyenne Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Body in the Bookshop is book 1 of the Emerson Fox mysteries. It’s a cozy mystery that keeps you guessing until the end.

Emerson (Emmy) didn’t grow up knowing her mother or that side of the family because her mom passed away when she was six. So, it comes as a big surprise when Emmy happens upon her Uncle.

A failed engagement, a friend helping you get back out there, and a date that leads to murder; what more do you need? Emerson must solve the murder mystery to inherit a life she never envisioned for herself.

[Gail Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the setting of an island off the Washington coast. It provided unique situations of isolation and watery deaths. Emerson Fox is a likeable character with faults and quirks that help the reader to get to know her and sympathize with her situation. Wolf is able to create a mood of suspense that keeps the reader wanting to know what will happen next. With a few red herrings, and lots of potential suspects, the whodunit was a big reveal at the end.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

This is the first book I’ve read by Jennifer but I loved it & will be reading more. The characters are interesting & I did not figure out who did it but I enjoyed trying. I read it in 1 day & can’t wait to start the next one!!

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great mystery read. Full of cuteness and great characters. Emerson was a great detective and her adhd was a great addition. She found family, a new love, and inherited an island. An easy read that was full of suspense.

[Barbara Symons · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book

Interesting book and following the Sharp family through their lives and island history. Can’t wait to see if this is a series since it says book 1, so assume there’s more books.

[Laurel Molin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun read and a quick one. Lots of twists and turns.