Death at the Shipshape Bookshop

Southeast Alaska Mysteries #1

by Greta McKennan

           Junetta Beale is living in paradise. As owner of the Shipshape Bookshop in Southeast Alaska, she sells books in town, operates a lending library for the locals, and serves the villages in her floating bookmobile. She loves her peaceful coastal life.

           That peace is shattered when she returns from her latest voyage through the Inside Passage. Someone has trashed her bookshop, stolen the town's historic treasure map from the wall, and left a dead body in her back room. Somehow, a charming newcomer's tale of his family history is bound up with the present mystery. When the troopers arrest Uncle Vance for the crime, Junetta knows the cantankerous old sourdough is no murderer. She must dig up the truth to prove her uncle's innocence before a killer takes her out of circulation.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy

232 pages, Paperback

Published February 11, 2025

About the author

Greta McKennan is the author of the Stitch in Time Mystery series featuring seamstress Daria Dembrowski. She lives in the boreal rainforest of Juneau, Alaska. She enjoys a long walk in the woods on that rare sunny day, reading cozy mysteries when it rains, and sewing the Christmas jammies on her antique Singer sewing machine. Visit her on the web at www.gretamckennan.com.

Reviews

[Skater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alaska Bookstore Mystery

This is a lovely mystery set in a small waterfront town in SE Alaska. The author lovingly weaves bits of Alaska into the story telling, without dragging the story down. So what we have is murder, a stolen map, a stolen story ledger, an out of town stranger and a local bookstore owner. The story is well crafted. I can’t help but hope that we get to visit here again.

[Tori · Rating 2 out of 5]

First: dogs do not bark lustily. ??? That’s just.. it doesn’t..

This started out so poorly and needs a better editor, but I picked it up while in Juneau for the charm of a local read. Parts of it were well written and better thought out than others. I’d mark it higher if it hadn’t taken me so long to get to the better parts of the book. And if the dog wasn’t always barking lustily.

[Andrew House · Rating 3 out of 5]

When in Alaska buy a book based in Alaska! I don’t really read cozy mysteries so I’m not really sure how this holds up against the genre but it was cute and an easy read. Definitely captures the feel of SE Alaska really well which is exactly why I picked it up. The dialogue is horrendous and the writing isn’t exactly good but I think that’s kind of the deal with cozy mysteries.

[Patrizia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stelle e mezza
Devo dire che mi sono piaciute moltissimo le descrizioni delle "attrazioni turistiche", forse perché l'Alaska è uno di quei viaggi che sogno di fare. Anche il mistero non era male, sebbene abbia capito ben presto chi fosse il colpevole, ma penso di essere stata favorita dal fatto di essere una storica...

[Diana Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this mystery in Ketchikan, Alaska while on a cruise. What a delight of Alaskan imagery to bring home to GA! The author truly brings the paradise alive. I enjoyed the mystery and characters and I’m looking forward to book 2.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun read because I recognized several locations in the book as being inspired by places in Juneau and the story as intriguing too! The culprit was definitely not who I thought it would be!

[Flavio Di Stefano · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5! Cozy murder mysteries somehow make everything sweet and a bit cheesy, but that's the point :') Would have better if read with an Alaskan backdrop.

[Susanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Purchased this book while visiting Juneau Alaska. It was the perfect cruise read.