A Piece of Murder

Seabreeze Bookshop #14

by Penny Brooke

An inaugural vintage board game tournament has Somerset Harbor buzzing with excitement, and Rue Collier is ready to roll the dice on a weekend of fun. At the same time, she’s preparing her golden retriever, Gatsby, to compete in an upcoming pet pageant and talent show.

Then one of the tournament’s organizers is found dead at the bottom of the community center stairs. What first appears to be a tragic accident soon begins to look like murder. Rue shuffles through a trail of cryptic clues, unraveling a complex web of rivalries and long-buried resentments.

Bookstore manager Rue must race against the clock to outwit a clever and dangerous opponent before the killer strikes again. Can she connect the dots and checkmate the culprit? Or will she find herself in peril in this high-stakes game?

This fun-filled and clean bookshop cozy mystery will have you guessing until the very end.

164 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 16, 2025

About the author

Penny Brooke has been reading mysteries for as long as she can remember. When not penning her own stories, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband, crocheting, and cozying up with her pups and a good novel.

Reviews

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 14th book in the Seabreeze Bookshop cosy mystery series. Run by Rue Collier on behalf of her grandmother, who is travelling; the Seabreeze Bookshop is in the small town of Seabreeze Harbour, which has its fair share of murders and Rue tends to get involved in solving the majority, if not all of these murders.

This murder takes place at the first board game tournament in the town, which is being run by 2 brothers who also own the local games shop. One of the brothers is also a local councilman.

Rue has lots of pets who she takes to the store every day. Gatsby, her adorable dog; Beasley and Oliver, her cats and Zeke, the parrot. Zeke somehow squawks out the clue which is at the centre of most of the murders! Gatsby is taking part in the towns pet pageant, which is running the same weekend as the board game tournament.

All the books in this series are standalone stories, but they are best read in order of publication to preserve continuity of the characters and wider storyline.

This author has written several other cosy mystery series, and I've enjoyed the ones I've read so far. Garden Cove Library; Word Travels Mobile Bookshop and Green Oaks Bookbinding series are particularly good.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book to be released in this series!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accident or murder? When Councilman Rodney Lang is found at the bottom of the stairs in his step-brother, Marcus’s store, it looks like an unfortunate accident. However, Rue’s suspicions are aroused, especially when she learns several people were having issues with Rodney, including Marcus. A by-pass project championed by the councilman caused financial difficulties for store owners on the other side of town. When a second death occurs, Rue is determined to get justice. Can she find the killer before they strike again?

A return to Somerset Harbor with bookstore manager, Rue and her lovable retriever, Gatsby. The antique board game created by Marcus’s many great grandfather was an interesting element. It seemed like the perfect focal point for the exhibit and was well described. The financial distress the stores were facing due to traffic patterns changing was very realistic and gave Rue multiple viable suspects. The pet parade and talent show was a welcome counterbalance to the darker events in town.

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

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gatsby got to be in the storyline a little more this time since the talented pup was appearing in the local pet competition. That is, if a murder or two didn’t end up postponing it. That wasn’t the only reason Rue was investigating though. Some of her friends were suspects in the killing and she was determined to find the real whodunit. That showdown was a good one, quick and effective. Then the pet competition went on and Gatsby’s act and costume sounded too cute! I’m always eager to read the next book!

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A vintage board game tournament, the return of bookstore manager Rue and her golden retriever Gatsby and it seemed like the recipe for success.

Although I love this series where I usually devour it within a day, it did take a little longer to get into the book. However, this one did have me guessing until the end.

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

[Debbie Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. Two murders with no clear suspect but Rue manages to find enough clues to help solve it. The reason wasn't premeditated. However hopefully the problems revealed by the investigation can be addressed in the future.

[Kandi A. Hudson]

Solid Cozy and Cute Pet Backstory

I loved this book. The cozy murder was solid and I did not guess the culprit until the reveal. I think that was because I was also so involved with reading about the cute things Gatsby the dog did. I am a dog lover and owner and thought the images of Gatsby and other dogs were great and it brought a smile to my face! Fun story overall!

[Sabrina Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Piece of Murder is book 14 of A Seabreeze Bookshop Cozy Mystery Series. This book starts where the last book left off. It is full of a small-town drama, murder, and mysteries. I look forward to seeing what is going to happen next at this bookshop.

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

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining whodunits with lots of twists and turns that are completely unexpected as Rue is trying to solve the mysteries. There are some interesting secondary characters as well. Like this setting and the background for the story makes for interesting possibilities. Good read.

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

[Lizz Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rue and Gatsby are on the case when it turns out a tragic accident is a sinister murder. There are a number of people who wished the victim harm.This was a page-turning entertaining cozy that I devoured in a day. The pet show was especially darling. This can be read as a standalone.

[Jennifer Laird-Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

A game shop is at the center of mystery and crime. Rue along with her dog Gatsby decide to investigate. A good short book with interesting characters. I would recommend it. 1.

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

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun bookshop mystery

The small town has had two back to back murders which has set the town on edge.Rue digs in to try and solve the mystery from her bookstore with her dog. A fun read.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

another tangled series of mysteries and whodunnit

more fun and fabulously, there's a pet pagent that involves a certain handsome pup whose got flair to spare.

clever cozy with pup fabulousity.

[Margie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the series

I really enjoyed this series. The characters and the animals were very interesting and likable. The plot was solid and I even recommend it to my husband.

[Carola Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

Good. But Rue was a bit to nosey, really she generally talks with her friend Andy, in this one it looked like she was competing. But good anyway, not the best but good.

[Barbara Symons · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book

Yet another good book in this series. This one involved a pet pageant with dogs and cats doing a parade of costumes and then a talent show.