A Novel Crime

St. Marin's Cozy Mystery #0.5

by A.C.F. Bookens

A dead body, a stale marriage, and the perfect start to a new career.

When fundraiser Harvey Beckett discovers a body in her San Francisco neighborhood, she never imagines where it will lead.

As she investigates real estate magnate Juan Montague's murder, she forms an unexpected habit of befriending the suspects. They include charming football player Delaney Fishman and Montague's glamorous ex-fiancée.

But as she closes in on the real killer, things become decidedly icy.

Trapped in a freezer, fighting for her life, her new career could be about to end just as it got going.

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Mystery Thriller, Novella, Short Stories

86 pages, ebook

First published September 21, 2019

Reviews

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Novel Crime by A. C. F. Bookens serves as the prologue to the St. Marin’s Cozy Mystery series. This first book is available for free via the Book Funnel app. This initial story introduces Harvey Beckett, a female who divorces her husband in San Francisco to move back home to a Maryland town in order to open a used bookstore (a lifelong dream). As part of this initial cozy novella-length story, Harvey finds a dead body and does some independent investigating ala the armchair detective made famous by Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. The story is quick-paced, and light on exposition which is always a problem in a mystery. The plot is strong, but too short. A murder mystery always requires exposition. I needed more story and a deeper explanation as to whydunit. This initial entry into the series is an odd duck. It serves to introduce the MC but she is moving from the San Francisco setting, so her new milieu is changing to "small town bookstore." The new setting is better and so are the subsequent stories.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 3.5 star read.

An excellent introduction to the start of the series. I really loved the main character and her adorable band of friends. 😊

[Sandee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written introduction to a cozy mystery series. I thought this book was complete even though it is a short story introduction to a series. The main character is well developed as is what will become her back story. I'm looking forward to reading this series.

[Kim Loomer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took me about three chapters to get into it but after that the rest of the book was very good.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Novel Crime is a cute, fast, enjoyable read. It felt like a fresh take on a cozy mystery. Perhaps that’s because Harvey, the main character seems so full of energy. I want to say Harvey is so “today” which may be a puzzling way to describe her, but it is the word that keeps coming to me as I think of her. I look forward to reading the St. Marins, Maryland cozy mystery series in which Harvey will realize her dream to own a bookstore. It should be fun.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun quick read that sets up the life of Harvey Beckett, amateur sleuth and bookshop owner.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This quick read is a great introduction to a new series. It makes me excited to read more mostly because I really want to see Harvey starting something new that she wants to do.
We see Harvey being mildly happy with life. Then she takes a stand and starts reclaiming who she is at heart. Along the way she solves a murder and is very open that she is going to be an amateur sleuth. There were humorous moments with that. As she investigates, she makes some wonderful friends. The people in this book, except for the murderer and the ex-husband, are all lovely, like every good cozy.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I typically don't give high ratings to short, cozy mysteries because they often lack character development and their plots tend to be predictable. So, the fact that I rated this one four stars is quite a compliment.

This book was offered for free and definitely worth downloading. I was pleasantly surprised by how much was packed into such a short story.

I plan to explore other works by this author and look forward to reading more from this series soon.

[Mariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Novel Crime by ACF Bookens
I wrote this review based on a copy that the author sent me.

Quite a fast cozy mystery read, A Novel Crime describes the life of Harvey Beckett who works as a fundraiser in San Francisco and married, albeit unhappily, to Trevor.
One day, like any other ordinary day, Harvey discovers in plain sight the body of a young man covered in blood. After the preliminary report to the police, she returns home and demands a divorce from her uncaring husband. Due to the extra time on her hands after his departure she undertakes the role of amateur sleuth, mainly to pass the time but also out of genuine curiosity as she discovered the crime in her neighbourhood. She later learns the identity of the victim on the news – Juan Ortega Montague, aged 25, died from a knife wound.

Harvey has a nagging suspicion that she has seen the victim somewhere before and eventually realises that he had been one of the running trainers she had seen in passing whilst practicing. After further research she discovers Melissa Ward had been the significant other of the victim over a period of 5 years until a split 6 months prior to his untimely death. What was interesting was the fact they had been seen several times more recently sparking a rumour of an engagement rekindled. Could Melissa shed more light on the situation?

During an evening black-tie fundraiser event, Harvey attended as she was required to do with the usual directors of organisations…but this time with one interesting other, Delaney Fishman, a real estate tycoon who, Harvey learned at a later date, was in a real estate war with Montague. Could this rivalry have been taken one step too far?

My overall thoughts on this book: A quick-paced read, keeps you on your toes and guessing as to the identity of the perpetrator. I have to say I cheered Harvey on concerning the removal of her waste-of-space husband. Harvey is a likeable character deserving her own identity and freedom to follow her dream which I can’t wait to learn about in the events to follow in the sequel!
I give A novel Crime 4 out of 5 stars!

[Ayezu Tamarapreye Okoko · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOK REVIEWER -OKOKO AYEZU TAMARAPREYE
BOOK :A NOVEL CRIME -THE PREQUEL FOR THE S.T.MARINS COZY MYSTERY SERIES BY ACF BOOKENS.

A Prose fiction about Harvey and her husband Trevor and Harveys interaction with Bonita at the bus station in Tenderloin neighborhood. It tells of her never concerned aloof husband until she found the body(bore-di with di for eat in effik and Ibibio language in Nigeria and here in ijaw pronounced "her or heir") with blood(be-lord or be lad or la -di for "go presence or eat in ikwerre language in Nigeria).The story actually raises questions on what women actually need versus what they think they need using Harvey's thoughts about her husband leaving her with a hip(He-Pee) problem to go for a show(shh-owe with owe for depth) while Mart stayed with her and took her to dinner(di-na for "eat or here go")It shows the response of persons also to us depending on who they are to us.It looks at couple affection as against contempt for themselves and the behind the scenes.It looks at career ,fun and affection for couples and whether women wanted just to be cared for with education ending in the key-cho-in/inn or coitus.Succintly put it is a novel on "stay El or god pronounced guard crmes".

[June Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

A.C.F. Bookens' novella "A Novel Crime" is a quick, entertaining read. Main character Harvey finds a dead body and that event pretty much changes her entire life, which continues in the St. Marin's Cozy Mystery series. I liked Harvey but, man, she would be high energy in real life and some of her decisions seemed based more on whim than either logic or clear thinking. You know, like setting off to find a murderer simply because she's not just curious but has some time on her hands after she ends her relationship abruptly. In this case, I'd say good for her. Her sleuthing is in its early days here as a prequel to the series and is, well, random and not exactly secretive. It seemed like she solved the case more by chance than on purpose, not to mention the role luck played in her surviving her initial foray into sleuthing, I have to admit but, hey, this is a back story and her first real try. I've actually read part of the series and now that I'm reminded of Harvey will surely go back and pick up where I left off. Maybe I should catch a nap first, though, given her energy level? Seriously, a quick, fun read.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very enjoyable read, a fairly short book about a youngish, recently divorced, woman who discovers a body, and gets involved in investigating the murder and then moves on to realise her dream of owning a bookstore.
Whilst the mystery is very engaging and clever, the main purpose of this book is to introduce us to Harvey (the main protagonist) and her friends and explain how she gets to where she is at the start of the series proper.
For me, the quality of the writing bodes very well for the series proper, and I am really looking forward to reading more about Harvey, who is a very engaging and likeable character.
At the time of writing this book is only available from the author's website, or Bookfunnel as a prequel to the St Marin's cozy mystery series.

[dnsyl57 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice introduction to A C F Bookens St Marin's Mystery series. Harvey Beckett discovers a body in a garage near her home. The amateur sleuth within her decides to see if she can figure out "who done it". This pursuit ultimately leads her to make major changes in her life - assuming the murderer doesn't get to her first!

I hadn't actually realized that this intro novella existed till I went to look for the first book in the series here on Goodreads (Publishable By Death). I hadn't seen this title on Amazon but finally tracked it down on Ms Bookens website and learned that I could get a copy of this by signing up for her newsletters. Glad I did as this was a fun quick read. Looking forward to reading more of this series.

[Julie Angstadt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting Story!

Harvey lives in Outer Richmond, CA, and works for a fundraising company. She’s married to an artist, Trevor. Harvey finds the body of a murder victim. She becomes intrigued with figuring out who killed she does not know the victim. But, she is frustrated with Trevor. He is always painting, but has not sold anything. And it seems like all his things come first. So, she throws him out. She finds out the victim she discovered is a football player who is buying real estate for condos. She is intrigued. At a banquet for her company’s clients, she manages to have the real estate partner sit with her. Did he kill his friend? Did the girlfriend kill the man? What really happened?

[TaniaRina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A commentary on sports and entertainment figures being celebrated and the hard workers that keep the world running are unsung heroes and heroines. I appreciate how the author incorporated fundraising for important causes.

Sometimes books are more than a story – they are adventures. I LOVE checking out book sites on Google Maps. I’d been to SF a couple a few times, but one never really gets to see everything as a kid or on a business trip. I followed Harvey around Bodega Bay, The Embarcadero, Golden Gate Park, The MOMA, Murphy Windmill near Ocean Beach, Park Presidio, Seacliff, etc.

And yes, there is book stuff in here.

Now, for a new crime, er story, in ‘Punishable by Death’.

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harvey Beckett works as a fundraiser. One day when coming home she sees an open garage door and investigates and finds a dead body. Her husband is not sympathetic and she throws him out and asks for a divorce. She later learns the body is Juan Ortega Montague, a 25-year-old and she decides to find out more. She finds that there is someone who is looking to purchase real estate in an area that has local stores. Ms. Wang, the owner of one of the stores, gives Harvey fashion advice which Harvey takes. Ms. Beckett does more investigation and eventually finds the murderer.
I like cozies and this is a good one. I enjoyed reading it as part of my alphabet challange.

[Kathleen Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Professional fund raiser Mrs. Harvey works getting funds for non-profit organizations. Her world gets a very critical shift when she finds a man's body in a driveway close to her apartment. Add an artist husband who is a narcissist whom she throws out of her life. Then meeting a former professional football player who was a real estate partner with the murder victim, her amateur sleuthing becomes her priority. Very inventive plot & great characters.

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a nice little prequel to this series that I’ve been wanting to read since it came out. The prequel is only available from BookFunnel or the author’s newsletter. It might be bundled with books one and two on Amazon. It was pretty cool how Harvey realized she wanted to pursue her dream of a bookstore and just went for it. To have a bestie that’d go anywhere with you was great. And I definitely hadn’t guessed the killer of the murder. Great start, and now I want to read the first book!

[Trick Wiley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great cozy mystery crime read where you have the neighborhood helping you to fund out why there's a body in the garage! You will fall in love with the people who live in this town and you get to know them as friends! Took me a few to get into the story but I did and I can see a great series out of these characters. Short read but so,so good!!

[Lise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harvey Beckett's world is upended when she discovers a body in a garage. It turns out that discovering a murder can be a catalyst for changing your entire life.

I really enjoyed this origin story. I've had this on the back burner for a while and didn't get around to reading it until now. Now I'm super-stoked about getting into this series!

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little slow to start, but a good build up to Harvey's first "case" and the changes in her personal life that leads to her decision to move back East. Admittedly, not a fan of the resolution of the case and how she ended up at the whim of the killer...just seems she should have been able to get out of it and not ended up almost dying.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Answering the question of how of Harvey gets to St. Martins A Novel Crime is a quick fun read. A Novel Crime provides the background for how Harvey uproots her life and moves to St. Martins to start life over as a book store owner. And how her best friend decides to move with her. Readers always want the back story of how the characters got to where they are. A Novel Crime provides that.

[Aide · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was an interesting book. I like it. The characters were good but i feel like I couldn’t quite exactly connect with any of the characters probably because this was just a short prequel to the actual series. Also I kind of figure who was the killer which, for me, I don’t like but still good book and I can’t wait to read the series.

[Melisende · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read with a not overly complicated plot that introduces us to the main character in the St Marin's series.

Having not read any in the series, I came to this with no expectations and found that time passed quickly as I delved into this mystery. Read first before the rest as it will provide a little background into the main characters current set up.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this light, easy read, although when I learned the murderer’s identity, it made me sad.

Thank you for recognizing the racial inequities of most books. I will buy more of your books because they’re good, but also because of the way you handle issues of race. ❤️

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet intro that allows readers a peak into the background to Harvey's story and what prompted her to return back to Maryland for a new start. This prequel is set in SF, a treat for readers by the Bay.

[Jemathomp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this. A novella setting the stage for the St. Marin’s cozy series. It has a simple mystery and focuses on Harvey, the central character, prior to her move from San Francisco to Maryland along with her friend, Marta. Could have used a bit more background on both characters.

[Norman Hirschman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light and easy read. Harvey on walking home finds a corpse p#lying in a driveway. Her curiosity leads her on a chase to try and find out who did the deed. A lot of emotions, humor and skill with an unusual ending. Well worth reading.

[Juanita E. Arp · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great start to a new series, the storyline is well written and the characters are wonderful. I can't wait to read more from this author. I received this book as a Free copy to read and I voluntarily leave this review.

[Bonnie Theel · Rating 5 out of 5]

We find out find out about Harvey's first sleuthing job, and why she moved to St. Marin. This is the background that leads into the St. Marin's Cozy Mystery Series.

I received a free book, and this is my honest opinion.