What do you think?
Rate this book
When Harriet Met Homicide: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 12 Jan 27A small town bookstore owner must solve the murder of her favorite author in this charming adult debut mystery by award-winning author Meg Blakemore.
When reclusive, cult author Kaye Montgomery dies, her publisher calls Harriet Page, the thirtysomething owner of a small bookstore in Kaye's rural New Hampshire hometown. The literary estate needs Harriet’s help to go through the copious amounts of writing that Kaye left behind, and as a Kaye Montgomery super-fan, Harriet is thrilled to get this behind the scenes view of the author she adored from afar. Before the work can even get going, though, Kaye’s death is declared a homicide: poisoning by hemlock. Harriet, along with her team of booksellers, decides to solve the crime.
As Harriet and the booksellers dig through clues and create color-coded spreadsheets, a hornet’s nest of suspects emerges. Kaye’s nephews, cousins Ezra and Wes, both handsome, both keeping secrets, enlist her help in finding the rumored second novel of their aunt. Also on the hunt: the supremely prolific bestselling thriller author Harrison Magnus, who knew Kaye when they both went to Yale. His sudden appearance in tiny Mapleton, New Hampshire so soon after Kaye’s death makes Harriet suspicious. Also on the list of suspects: Harriet’s on-again, off-again boyfriend who has a previously undisclosed interest in poisonous plants ... With every twist and turn of the investigation, Harriet becomes entangled in a plot as engrossing as her favorite mysteries.
When reclusive, cult author Kaye Montgomery dies, her publisher calls Harriet Page, the thirtysomething owner of a small bookstore in Kaye's rural New Hampshire hometown. The literary estate needs Harriet’s help to go through the copious amounts of writing that Kaye left behind, and as a Kaye Montgomery super-fan, Harriet is thrilled to get this behind the scenes view of the author she adored from afar. Before the work can even get going, though, Kaye’s death is declared a homicide: poisoning by hemlock. Harriet, along with her team of booksellers, decides to solve the crime.
As Harriet and the booksellers dig through clues and create color-coded spreadsheets, a hornet’s nest of suspects emerges. Kaye’s nephews, cousins Ezra and Wes, both handsome, both keeping secrets, enlist her help in finding the rumored second novel of their aunt. Also on the hunt: the supremely prolific bestselling thriller author Harrison Magnus, who knew Kaye when they both went to Yale. His sudden appearance in tiny Mapleton, New Hampshire so soon after Kaye’s death makes Harriet suspicious. Also on the list of suspects: Harriet’s on-again, off-again boyfriend who has a previously undisclosed interest in poisonous plants ... With every twist and turn of the investigation, Harriet becomes entangled in a plot as engrossing as her favorite mysteries.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication January 12, 2027
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The word I keep coming back to describe this book is "nice" - a nice, quick mystery to read; a nice, relatable heroine, a nice, quiet setting. I appreciated having a female lead in the second half of her 30s, who is generally content, but a bit stuck in life. George and Magnus are awfully annoying, but unfortunately sound like people you know in real life. More than figuring out the mystery, what I enjoyed most were the small moments that celebrated a love of books: the literary references, the particulars of book organizing, owning multiple copies of the same book for the different editions.
No major criticisms; the only things that come to mind are being disappointed that Harriet never stands up for herself in her relationship, at one point blaming others for not intervening (even though multiple people had voiced their thoughts), wondering why she'd be suspicious of Ezra when Kaye trusted him enough to make him her literary executor, and that characters just disappear part way through the story (Bethany, Irene, the Doorks, etc.). It never dives into anything in-depth, so no extra twists or particularly introspective moments, but it's a story that is still fun to curl up with and read.
No major criticisms; the only things that come to mind are being disappointed that Harriet never stands up for herself in her relationship, at one point blaming others for not intervening (even though multiple people had voiced their thoughts), wondering why she'd be suspicious of Ezra when Kaye trusted him enough to make him her literary executor, and that characters just disappear part way through the story (Bethany, Irene, the Doorks, etc.). It never dives into anything in-depth, so no extra twists or particularly introspective moments, but it's a story that is still fun to curl up with and read.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
In the interest of full disclosure, this was probably more like 2.5 stars, but I’m rounding to 3 because the ending was exciting for me.
I had a hard time getting into this book, to be honest, mostly because the pacing felt off. It was just slow for a while, which I didn’t expect because it’s a murder mystery. That being said, once I hit about 1/3 of the way, I got more into the story.
Harriet was a pretty good amateur detective which made it a lot easier to root for her. She was overall competent and had a good head on her shoulders — she wasn’t making stupid mistakes or putting herself at risk unnecessarily. I appreciated that about her.
There were a lot of suspects and red herrings, which all good mysteries should have, and combined with the bookish backdrop, it made for an overall good premise. If the beginning didn’t take so long to interest me, I think my rating would have been higher.
Not bad though, and I could definitely see Harriet solving some more bookish crimes in the future!
———————————————
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for the ARC!
I had a hard time getting into this book, to be honest, mostly because the pacing felt off. It was just slow for a while, which I didn’t expect because it’s a murder mystery. That being said, once I hit about 1/3 of the way, I got more into the story.
Harriet was a pretty good amateur detective which made it a lot easier to root for her. She was overall competent and had a good head on her shoulders — she wasn’t making stupid mistakes or putting herself at risk unnecessarily. I appreciated that about her.
There were a lot of suspects and red herrings, which all good mysteries should have, and combined with the bookish backdrop, it made for an overall good premise. If the beginning didn’t take so long to interest me, I think my rating would have been higher.
Not bad though, and I could definitely see Harriet solving some more bookish crimes in the future!
———————————————
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for the ARC!
August 19, 2026
I personally feel that more cozy mysteries written like this one are needed in this world. A modern story with an air of yesteryear.
The story itself could have used more connection, as I did not feel anything towards the characters.
The story itself could have used more connection, as I did not feel anything towards the characters.
August 12, 2026
ARC provided by NetGalley Notes
5/5⭐️ Full review to come!
5/5⭐️ Full review to come!
August 17, 2026
ARC from NetGalley!
Full review coming soon :)
Full review coming soon :)
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews