By Word Of Mouth

Secrets of Mary's Bookshop #5

by Diane Noble

NEW Hardcover DEN-WMC

Genres: Mystery, Christian, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Christian Fiction, Mystery Thriller

252 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Diane Noble is the award-winning novelist of more published books than she can count: historical fiction, contemporary mysteries and suspense, and romance (written under the pen name Amanda MacLean).

Diane writes from a heart of deep faith that's woven into her stories and nonfiction writings. She often posts on Facebook and Twitter about her journey with Parkinson's Disease and the unexpected gift of learning to live moment by moment with humor, grace, and optimism.

With more than a quarter million books in print, Diane continues to spin tales that touch readers' hearts. Book one of her new three-book mystery series, The Professor and Mrs. Littlefield, will be in bookstores September 1, 2014. It's title? THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE MISSING FIGUREHEAD.

Diane is a professed Third Order Franciscan in the Anglican (Episcopal) Church, following the footsteps of Jesus with simpicity, love, and joy as lived out by St. Francis of Assisi. Mother to two beautiful daughters and Gramsy to two cutest-ever granddaughters, Diane lives in Southern California with her wonderful husband and two spoiled cats. Oh yes, and Diane loves

Reviews

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 3 out of 5]

About this book:

“During the first meeting of the Winter Warmth Book Chat, the lights in Mary’s Mystery Bookshop go out. When the power comes back on, Mary realizes a book has been stolen from the front counter of her shop. But not just any book; This was a signed early edition of "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" by Agatha Christie! Mary intended to sell the rare and valuable copy and donate the money to help a little girl receive a kidney transplant. Now every person at the event is a suspect in the theft, and Mary has to solve one of her most important mysteries yet. Can she find the stolen book in time to help Isabella?”


Series: Book #5 in the “Secrets of Mary’s Bookshop” series. Review of Book #1 Here!, #2 Here!, #3 Here!, and #4 Here!


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, quoted, read, & prayed; Prayers, Thanking God, & Blessings over food; Church going & Hymns; Talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers, praying, & praises; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of churches, church going, services, a pastor, & Sunday school classes;
Mentions of being blessed & blessings; A couple mentions of a missionary; A mention of a prayer group.


Negative Content- A tiny bit of sarcasm & eye rolling; Mentions of a theft, thief, & stolen item; Mentions of a possible robbery/break-in & stealing an item; Mentions of past break-ins; Mentions of lies; Mentions of rumors & gossip; A couple mentions of robbing a bank & getting money illegal means; A couple mentions of threatening; A mention of gambling;
*Note: Many mentions of Agatha Christie books & other authors and their books; Mentions of car brands; A few mentions of an actress; A mention of a TV show.


Sexual Content- A couple mentions of accusations of infidelity; A couple mentions of blushes.

-Mary Fisher, age 62
P.O.V. of Mary
252 pages

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Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars
While not my favorite mystery, the Spiritual content was great and the plot was clean. :)


Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...


*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary finds a rare book at a sale and finds a seller to sell it to for 31,000.00.she is so excited because the money can be used to help a very sick little girl. During a book chat at her store the lights go out and when they come back on the book is missing. Mary is very upset and goes about finding the book in time to help the girl.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This takes place in October. The story involves storms, a book, a book club, a theft, and a hospital. I enjoyed the mystery. I was expecting a different ending, but I did like the actual ending. Also, the subplot was enjoyable. I liked that part more than the mystery. I also liked the way it came together.

[Diane Zielinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but the basic premise really annoyed me: Mary has a valuable book and wants to sell it to give the proceeds to a young girl who needs a life-saving surgery. First, it bothers me that in this country, children need to rely on their local booksellers to get money for medical treatment. Second, too bad Ivy Cove didn't have a friendly neighborhood tax accountant to inform Mary about the hefty tax implications of this donation. Once I got over the unrealistic story, I did enjoy the writing and the mystery.

[April Suter · Rating 4 out of 5]

#5--Our little Miss Marple want-to-be, Mary, has a missing valuable book--an autographed copy of Agatha Christie's The murder of Roger Ackroyd. She planned to sell it and then give the money to a needy family in the town. With help of her sister, her friend Henry and her dedicated employee maybe she can recreate the crime scene to find the book snatcher.

250 pages

[Jacquie Stricklind · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary has gotten a hold of a rare Agatha Christie book and she has found a buyer who wants to pay $31,000 for it. The night before the book is to be picked up Mary has the first meeting of the Winter Warmth Book Chat during the meeting the lights go out. Right before the lights go out two people show up, Rebecca's Aunt Millicent and a man that was looking for directions. The money from the sale of the book was going to be donated to for Isabella's kidney transport. Of course, when the lights come back on the book is gone! as far as Mary is concerned everybody there is a suspect. In Mary's search for the thief and the book, some secrets are exposed. A real hard book to put down! Enjoy!

[Jeanette Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving this series. Feel good, cozy mystery. I am not reading them in order as I got them from the library and reading in the order they came in, but it is ok. The main characters are the same in each book but different ones are added in...in this one a very sick little girl needs a kidney transplant, them protagonist has a very valuable book she wants to sell to help the child's parents afford the care the girl needs. Mary finds a buyer and then...the book is gone!! Stolen out of the Bookshop. Because it was taken on the night of the Book Chat, there are number of suspects.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me guessing until the end! I love this series and its cozy atmosphere. It pulls you in with the mystery and pulls you even further into the story with its charming characters. The vivid descriptions and characters made me feel as if I was a part of Ivy Bay. The faith content is abundant: it has so many prayers, quoted scriptures, and reminders of who God is. I simply couldn't put the book down!

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall this is a fantastic series! The characters are quirky and fun, and relatable. I really enjoy reading book series that are light, funny, and share much needed lessons. Set in an idyllic setting, I can picture it clearly due to the all the details provided. All of the books in the series hold my attention - I don't want to put them down until I know how the mystery ends!

[Cindy DeMass · Rating 5 out of 5]

A light read, enjoyable story. A bookstore owner pieces together all of the evidence to find the thief of a rare book from her shop. The family of a little girl needing a kidney transplant was depending on the sale of the missing book in order to pay for the surgery. Very personable characters! Highly recommend. Would read again.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun entertaining read with a religious direction. A book goes missing from Mary’s Bookshop and she is determined to find the culprit. Mary was planning to donate the proceeds from the sale of the book to a young girl in need of a transplant. There is a long list of suspects and just a few clues. Will Mary be able to recover the book?

[Judine Brey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The "closed room" mystery element of this book was delightful, especially since it is surrounding a stolen Agatha Christie novel. Mary's detective work had a bit less research, and the fewer clues and epiphanies made the book move a bit slower than previous installments. The thief (along with the suspicious actions of others) are all well explained.

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so happy I was laying down in bed reading this because Dorothy had me rolling my eyes so much I was in danger of falling over. I had my suspicions on who stole the book (and I was right!) but I was clueless on why. The series is still going strong and I really hope it continues that way.

[Ramona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable easy cozy mystery read in the series. Mary and her sister Betty are lovable characters. The supporting characters could be fleshed out more, and less repetition. The mysteries are interesting and non-violent, which is why I read the series.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars! ⭐️

This was such a quick, fun, emotional, entertaining read. I enjoyed every minute of this. I found this book at my local goodwill & am grateful I did. I felt like I was in a cute hallmark movie the entire time and really connected with the characters. Such a great ending. 💛

[Kathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great story. This series is so relaxing but still mysterious.

[Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this whole series. These are clean, relaxing & fun to read. They're not overly mysterious to where you're wondering if you just heard someone outside your window. ;-)

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very nice story, heartfelt.

[ANNETTE · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story. I always like any book by Diane Noble.

[Dakota Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good clean wintry book ( inspirational book for my December book challenge)

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second time reading and still a great cozy read.

[Ken Bickley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Guideposts mystery series books are unevenly written because they use many different authors for each series. This one, from the Secrets of Mary's Bookshop series, is surprisingly good. It's a "chicks" book, of course, and has a lot more about baking cookies, etc., than I need to know; but as a bibliophile, I can relate to the consternation caused by the theft of a rare first-edition (signed by Agatha Christie, no less) and the mystery that follows. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good story (sans bloody murders) that involves ordinary folks who are as likely to pray about the situation as to grab a .44 magnum and go looking for the perpetrator.

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guidepost cozy mystery set in Massachusetts in a mystery bookstore. Mary has picked up a book at a thrift shop that turns out to be a first edition Agatha Christie novel with notes by the author. When she has it appraised it turns out to be worth $31,000. The 4 year old granddaughter of a friend desperately needs a kidney transplant, and Mary is going to sell the book and donate the funds for Isabella's transplant. But things go awry on a stormy night at the shop during a book club meet when the power goes out and the book disappears. Can Mary discover who took the book and why?

Quick, easy cozy mystery read.

[Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another Secrets of Mary's Book Shop story. In this one a rare book is stolen from Mary's Store. The sale of the book was going to help pay medical bills for a sick little girl. Mary has to find out who stole the book and hopefully get it back.

[Judy Tate]

No stars because I couldn't get interested in it. It had nothing to do with the book though.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. One of my favorite cozy mysteries

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. It wasn't a total page-turner that kept me on the edge of my seat, but it was a nice relaxing read.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read in The Secrets of Mary's Bookshop series.

[Bess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really more like 3 and a half stars - still not as enamored of this series as I was the Patchwork Mysteries, but they're sweet and easy to read.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series of cozy mysteries.