Hardback Homicide

Shelf Indulgence #1

by S.E. Babin

When a rare book order leads me right to a homicide, somehow I’m the one investigating…

I’m Dakota Adair, owner of Tattered Pages, a bookstore specializing in cool and quirky books. I inherited a grumpy Persian cat named Poppy who loves to make her displeasure known around the store … loudly.

Things are good until I deliver a special order only to stumble over a body. Suddenly all eyes are on me. Now I have a handsome detective and an annoying reporter on my tail, hounding me about the case.

All I want to do is crack open my favorite paperback, grab a cup of coffee, and chill, but with a murderer out there and suspicion falling on me, I have to do a lot more than read.

I have to find out whodunnit and quick before I become the next subject of a murder mystery…

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Cats, Ebooks, Animals

147 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 4, 2019

About the author

S.E. Babin has a passion for writing books with a paranormal twist. Whether it's romance or mystery, she loves taking the norm and turning it into the extraordinary. Her love of reading turned into a curious exploration to see whether or not she could write her own novel.

Beginning with random, terrible poetry and a slightly popular reimagining of Beowulf's Grendel in her high school English class, Sheryl spent way too much time in the library, killing any chance of her becoming a cheerleader or anything even remotely cool. Find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SEBabin. She loves to hear from readers!

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Reviews

[Linda Langford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. I like the bookstore theme, the cozy cat, the main character, the supporting characters, the town, and the atmosphere the author creates is great. I recommend to cozy mystery readers!

[Linda Langford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great cozy story!

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hardback Homicide by S.E. Babin is the debut of A Shelf Indulgence Cozy Mystery. Dakota Adair owns Tattered Pages in Dewdrop Springs, Maine which she runs with her assistant, Harper and a Persian named Poppy. Carrie and Marcy Olds come into Tattered Pages to order a rare book to complete a set. When the book come in, Dakota drives out to the sister’s home to deliver it. When there is no answer, she peaks in the window to find Marcy on the floor. Dakota quickly enters the home to check on her and finds no pulse. Dakota begins investigating to find out what happened to the kindly Marcy Olds. I thought Hardback Homicide was a promising start to a new cozy mystery series. There is humor, quirky characters, a plethora of books, and delectable pastries that tempt Dakota. I enjoyed the descriptions of Dewdrop Springs, Maine with its cute shops. There is a nosy reporter who keeps following Dakota as well as a handsome detective who tells Dakota to stay out of the investigation (like that will work). Two potential love interests for our bookshop owner. I found myself drawn into this engaging story. The mystery was fascinating with the unique method of murder. I like it when an author gets creative. There are only a couple of suspects which makes it easy to solve this whodunit. I enjoyed Hardback Homicide and I look forward to reading the next book in this series. Hardback Homicide has a bounty of books, scrumptious sweets, a nosy newsperson, a pretty Persian, and a mystifying mystery.

[Andrea Stoeckel · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This was my home. I had a place here and I couldn’t wait to see what the future held."

In Dewberry Springs Maine,Ava owns and runs Tattered Pages, a bookstore with a cat (cat came with purchase). Ava also is a rare books specialist and when two elderly sisters come in looking for an antique book, Ava has no idea the rabbit hole she's just fallen into.

Sprinkled with quirky Blueberry Bay characters, S E Babin has written a fast, fun and funky cozy that leaves you wanting more. Highly recommended 5/5

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly, this book missed the mark for me. Poorly thought out and without enough depth to reel me in , the story lurches along to its obvious conclusion.

The writing was of questionable quality, distracting me with such sentences as "Harper and I were both wearing a long sleeve shirt and a zipped up over vest ..." (must have been a tight fit); and "Jen sliced through the bread, cutting two generous slices and handed one to me and Harper ..." (she made them share?).

This is just the tip of the iceberg. The proofreading seems to have consisted of doing a spell-check for spelling errors. OK, so the words are spelled correctly, but, gee, they also need to make sense with the other words in the sentence! I would not allow my name to be associated with the kind of blatant grammatical problems that run through this book. Unbelievably, there on the copyright page, is the name of the proofreader for all to see.

[Suzanne Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun( cozy mystery

I really enjoy books like this and this one did not disappoint. This is another fun story set in Blueberry Bay. The characters are delightful and quirky. The mystery is a perfect one for the main character, Dakota, to find herself involved in. There is the smallest hint of romance, but just enough to make me wonder what will happen in the future.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Come meet Poppy, the red Persian cat
who came long with the purchase of the
Tattered Pages bookstore.
Dakota Adair has purchased the store
which is located in Dewdrop Springs, Maine.
Poppy is a popular bookstore cat. Poppy is
always friendly except with two people,
Carrie Olds and Jeff Bastion.
Come along to Dewdrop Springs and meet
Dakota, her Aunt Corky, her spry grandma,
her mother, her assistant, Cole (the good
looking reporter, Hardy (the handsome new
detective) plus some interesting, well created
town people and most of all Poppy.
Murder, a distinctive smell, canister bomb, a
speedy car getaway all add to the excitement
of this entertaining read.

[Victoria Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery! From the first page, the author drew you into the character's lives, making you feel you are part of small-town America. Her delicious descriptions of coffee and cupcakes had me longing for my own. A simple mystery with a satisfying ending, and the hints of more great books to come.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick, fun read by an author who was new to me. I typically don't read shorter books because I have found that authors don't have enough time for character development or to craft a good mystery. That was not the case here. I enjoyed Dakota and all the rest of the characters. The mystery was solid. While the identity of the killer was not a surprise, I was not sure of the how, which was a unique when revealed. I will definitely read more in this series.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely fantastic beginning for a wonderful series by a new author for me. Can’t wait for more.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute Mystery

Cats, books, and a mystery. This was a fun mystery story that I really enjoyed. Always trust when your pets don’t like someone!

[Kat Lebo · Rating 3 out of 5]

𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑯𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒆, Shelf Indulgence Book 1
by S.E. Babin

I really really wanted to like this little cozy mystery, but I really didn't. Sigh.

The story is about a 22 year old single woman, Dakota, who purchases a book store in a small Maine town. She is a certified expert in rare books, but loves books of all kinds. Along with the book store and its inventory, she also gets the store cat, Poppy. She has no romantic interests, although she has at least two, and maybe three, by the time the novel ends. When a woman and her sister, who come to her store in search of one of the 𝑨𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝑾𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 books, 𝑨𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈-𝑮𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔, Dakota notices the stark differences between the two. One of the women, Marcy, who is the book collector, is mild-mannered, and mentions that she has been ill. Her sister, Carrie, is sharp-faced and tempered, and disdainful of her sister's choices. When the ordered book arrives, Dakota takes it to Marcy's house, where she finds her dead. From there the book proceeds predictably, with a lot of investigation, but little danger until late in the novel.

It was a short book. I read it in about 2-3 hours over 2 days. Here's what I liked about the book.

First -- what's not to like about a book that revolves around the love of books? From there, there was an honest to goodness mystery surrounding the death of Marcy. The plotting and pacing was fine, if predictable. Editing and proofing were okay, not great. No cliffhanger ending other than which of the three possible love interests would appear in the next book. The cat was great, none of the characters were fully fleshed out, as as Babin is not a first time author, that surprised me.

On a personal note, the murdered woman and her sister had the last name of Olds, which is a family name in my ancestral tree.

What didn't I like? Well, in this case, the main character. I didn't hate her, but I wouldn't want her for a friend, no matter how many books she could provide. The author should have made her grandmother or even her mother the main character as they were much more interesting than Dakota (whose name was the most interesting thing about her). Even Harper, the assistant, or Trudy, the cupcake lady, were more likeable.

There were really only two suspects in the murder. And once both of them were revealed, it was obvious whodunit. All that was left was to learn how far the second suspect would go to help in the cover up.

The writing was predictable and a bit childish. It was a pleasant change to have a book without cursing or graphic sexual scenes, but the action was a bit boring until the final climatic scene, with little danger to the main character. Dakota's sleuthing certainly didn't make her comparable to either Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot. Then there was the sentence structure. SMH I think I spent more time rewriting the sentences in my head than I did actually reading the book. Things like this:

Chapter 3, location 430, 22% on Kindle:
The old blue Toyota Rav 4 was perfect for hauling boxes of books around but not too big to be a gas guzzler. I loved everything about it.

What? The sentence does not say what the author intended, unless she intended to say she liked a car that was a gas guzzler. Perhaps it would have been better written as: ...but not so big as to be a gas guzzler.

Or this at Chapter 4, location 554, 28% on Kindle:
...but I wanted to keep this one and open palette so I could redocorate whenever I wanted.

In this case, Dakota is thinking about the color of her living room, which was a neutral. But again, the last part of the sentence makes no sense because of an obvious proofing error. it should have read ...but I wanted to keep this one an open palette... BTW, I almost stopped reading here, but then gritted my teeth and continued.

In Chapter 7, at location 879, 45% on Kindle, there are these overwritten sentences.
...Harper and I never had a meeting or get together when there weren't any crackers and cheese. Over the months, the trays had gotten more and more elaborate with the selection...

SMH (again). Okay, here's what I think might have been more readable:
...Harper and I never had a meeting or get together without crackers and cheese. Over the months, the selection of edible goodies had gotten more and more elaborate...

or at Chapter 13, location 1562, 80% on Kindle:
...I knew she was talking about Corky and not coming to town.

No, no she was not talking about not coming to town ...she was talking about Corky and not about coming to town.

While it's not unusual to find one or two badly constructed passages in a book, it is unusual to find so many that I felt compelled to note. It's also not unusual to find a main character I'm not mad about, but I rarely continue with a series if I can't find something likeable about the main character. Sadly, as much as Poppy, the cat, delighted me, I will not be continuing with this series.

[Katy The Sleepy Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another really quick read. I foresee reading a lot more like this next year, intermingled with all the true crime book I just picked up.

Dakota Adair owns and runs a quaint bookshop called Tattered Pages, in the small town of Silverwood Hollow. She has a background in antique books and if often asked to assess value. One afternoon two sisters come in, Carrie and Marcy. Marcy requests that Dakota procure an antique copy of Alice in Wonderland. Dakota is able to find a copy and decides to drop it by her house. When she arrives, Marcy does not answer her knocks and Dakota starts to get concerned. She looks in the window and can see someone lying on the floor but can only see feet. She tries the front door and it pushed open and she finds Marcy, dead, on the floor. After calling the police and giving her statement she makes her way back to her shop. Two questions are still bothering her; was Marcy a victim of foul play and what was the strange smell in her house? As the story progresses strange things start to come to light. First, Marcys's house was part of a street that had been bought up by a conglomerate and second, Carrie is the sole heir to whatever fortune Marcy had. Which by all accounts was pretty large. Dakota is asked to look at the books Marcy had and there are a lot of first editions, signed, including a first edition Chronicles of Narnia.

All in all, a cute read. There were a few lines in the book that put me off but overall, I think this is a series I could get into. The characters are fun and have plenty of personality. There are a few things I think that could be tweaked as the series progresses. Dakota seemed to not know what she wants. She claims to not like the town gossips, want a quiet life with no man but then inserts herself into the investigation, and seems to be interested in at least two of the men in this story. Despite this I am willing to give it another chance. I received this book free from Amazon when I signed up for Kindle Unlimited.

[summersoul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dakota Adair ist eine sympathische Protagonistin, der man anmerkt, wie sehr sie die Arbeit in ihrer Buchhandlung liebt. Sie weiß, was sie will und lässt sich nicht so schnell unterkriegen. Ich hätte mir bei ihre zwar etwas mehr Tiefe gewünscht, dennoch lässt sie gerade ihre Leidenschaft für Kaffee und Cupcakes, denen sie einfach nicht widerstehen kann, umso authentischer wirken.

Dakotas Spurensuche ist nicht übermäßig spannend. Zwar gibt es einige Verdächtige, die ein gutes Motiv hätten, Marcy Olds nach dem Leben zu trachten. Durch alles andere, was Dakota noch so um die Ohren hat, gerät ihre Spurensuche jedoch immer wieder in den Hintergrund, was sehr schade war. Denn habe ich sie gern dabei begleitet und war gespannt, ob ich mit meiner Vermutung, was das Motiv und die Person angeht, die ich verdächtigt habe, recht hatte.

Herzhaft gelacht habe ich über Dakotas Oma. Die Frau ist einfach eine Wucht. Sie ist eine intelligente, gewitzte Frau, die nicht auf den Mund gefallen ist. Vor allem ist sie aber zu allen Schandtaten bereit und steht Dakota mit Rat und Tat zur Seite. Ich bin sehr gespannt, ob sie im nächsten Band auch wieder mitmischen oder sogar mit Dakota gemeinsam ermitteln wird.

Der Autorin ist es gelungen, den Kleinstadtcharme von Silverwood Hollow einzufangen. Zudem wimmelt es im Ort nur so vor skurrilen Bewohnern, die ihre kleinen oder großen Eigenheiten haben und über die ich gerade deswegen immer wieder geschmunzelt habe. Zudem bin ich gespannt, wie sich die Geschichte zwischen Detective Hardy Cavanaugh und dem Journalisten Cole Gardener entwickeln wird.

Fazit:
Ein humorvoller Krimi, der leider nicht mit übermäßig Spannung aufwarten kann. Zwar gibt es einige Verdächtige, die ein gutes Motiv hätten. Doch Dakotas Nachforschungen gehen durch alles andere, was sie sonst noch zu erledigen hat, immer wieder unter, was sehr schade war. Dennoch habe ich sie gern dabei begleitet und war gespannt, ob ich mit meinen Vermutungen recht hatte. Zudem habe ich herzhaft über Dakota Oma gelacht, die für jede Schandtat bereit ist und Dakota mit Rat und Tat zur Seite steht. Ich bin gespannt, ob sie im zweiten Band ebenfalls wieder mit dabei ist.

[Krystyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprising twist at the end

A good start to a new series. Okay the main character is a bit insipid but hopefully will get stronger as the series progresses. The other characters though are vibrant and rich making the story come to life. The plot is a good old fashioned murder but I must admit that the twist at the end took me by surprise. Nicely worked.
She has owned her bookstore for a couple of years and although she had some rare books, most of her business was the everyday reads. Delivering an specially ordered book should have been an ordinary event and not ending up with finding a dead body. A dead body in a house with a strange smell. Unable to help herself she starts asking questions. Like why has the rest of the neighbourhood been sold and is standing empty? Was her gut feeling that this wasn't a normal death correct? Why does her cat seem to hate the dead woman's sister? Was the fact that the dead woman was a heiress and her books worth a small fortune as well as holding utility on the sale of her property a reason for her death? With a young journalist dogging her movements and a handsome detective warning her off will she keep on looking for the reason for the woman's death? Will she find it?

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hardback Homicide is a good start to a new series. Dakota is likable and doesn't put herself in risky situations. There are 2 potential suitors--Hardy, the police detective, and Cole, the journalist. Both of them are nice guys. Gran is a hoot. I really would have liked a little more character development as the characters never felt fully three dimensional. There weren't any twists and turns in this mystery. It was pretty straightforward and easy to figure out whodunit. The method of the murder was interesting and one I've never seen before.

There was a major discrepancy in the plot. At one point, Marcy and Carrie were orphaned at a young age when their parents died in a car wreck. Later, their father has only been dead a few years. I would have liked to have had a bit more information as to why the sisters didn't receive an equal inheritance since it was important to the story.

I look forward to reading more books in this series.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this cozy mystery story with all of the characters. The main character was Dakota Adair.

Dakota Adair is a bookstore owner for the Tattered Pages. She inherited the store and also a cat name Poppy that is sometimes a little grumpy. When a customer comes in asking for a special book that is a first addition and decides to buy it.  Dakota tells the customer that she will have to order it and can deliver it to her later. So when Dakota goes to deliver the customer book is surprised to find the lady on the floor and also that her customer is dead. Dakota is very concerned by this and decides to try to find out what happened to her customer.

This was a fun mystery story to read. It was fun guessing who killed the woman that wanted the first addition book. And also why they would have done it.

I saw this book on Amazon Kindle and decided to read it and see what happens. This is my honest unbiased opinions.

[Kristen Lewendon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but I didn’t fall in love with it. I liked Poppy. I appreciated that she’s presented as a feline with feline characteristics rather than being a furry human. Dakota was… okay. She didn’t inspire me as the main character and, in fact, I liked most of her supporting cast better. They had plenty of personality and consistently stole the show. I also wasn’t a fan of her headstrong nature and I couldn’t understand why she felt the need to insert herself into the investigation. She complains about the local gossips, but then turns out to be the biggest busybody of them all. The villains were too obviously villainous. It was no great surprise to me who the culprit tuns out to be. Right now, it’s a tossup whether I’ll read further in the series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

[Margaret Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute little mystery that sucks you in and refuses to let you go. You keep turning the pages until it abruptly ends and you are left feeling that there should have been more, so you could keep reading. Dakota bought a book store in Blueberry Cove that came equipped with a big fluffy cat and a good inventory of books to read. She even has some first editions and signed books in the back, locked away to keep them safe. So one day, two sisters walk into the store. The shorter of the two, Marcy, asks about a book and Dakota offers to order it for her. The other sister, Carrie, seems rude. A couple of weeks later, Marcy's book comes in and Dakota calls her to arrange to drop it off at the house. Only when she gets there, nobody answers the door. The book goes on from there, introducing some more characters and roping you in. I think you'll like it.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hardback Homicide is the 1st book in a series titled “Shelf Indulgence”. This was fun reading. Even the series name is fun. It had what I call all the “elements” of a cozy, a cute town name (Dewdrop Springs), an amateur sleuth, a handsome cop, a bookshop, books, a cat, and of course, a dead body.

I enjoyed this story, but the quirky characters of the town might be what clinched it. Dakota, the bookshop owner, and her assistant, Harper, sell books for all ages, but they also deal in rare books. This is where greed sets in, and it becomes awfully hard to tell who has their hands on the infamous book.

Lots of fun, easy reading, and good characters. What more can I say? I can say this series has 5 books so far, and I intend to read them all.

[Disney14604 · Rating 5 out of 5]

First in what is a promising new series. Bookstore owner who does rare books. Has interesting family characters and interesting potential male interests. Figuring out whop done has a few rabbit trails to keep you interested.

Would love some of those recipes. Do not read if hungry, warning, lol.

Nice cute little cozy read. Can be done in a day if you want.

I wish that Poppy's behavior was better explained. I also wish that she had more of a role ( may be future books). Sometimes it seemed to me that she was forgotten.

This is my honest and freely given review. I did receive an ARC book.

[Lori R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this interesting story because it involved a bookstore called, Tattered Pages, had interesting characters and involved a murder with several different possible motives. Dakota Adair owns the bookstore and even has some rare books to sell. She has many interesting customers and some quirky customers too. It was interesting to find out that one of her customers needed a rare book to complete her collections but before she gets the book she died. I liked the story that revolved around Marcy's death. I also liked the ending. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.

[Susan Shearer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books with animals in them, even if they make short appearances, and S.E. Babin’s Hardback Homicide brings me Poppy the Persian cat. This book gives you everything a good book should…murder, mystery, a couple handsome men and a determined bookstore owner.
When the owner of the bookstore goes to deliver a special order, she finds a murder, a handsome detective, a nosy newspaper man and a lot of adventure! The question is, who finds the murder first and is there really a murder or an accident? I read this book in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down! It keeps you guessing until the end!

[Darla Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dakota Adair owns a bookstore called Tattered Pages where she often handles rare books and she is owned by a Persian cat named Poppy who came with the store. Dakota is coming to love the town of Dewdrop Springs in Blueberry Bay, Maine. But she is shocked when she comes across a murder scene while trying to deliver a book and she finds herself drawn into the investigation.

First in a new series, this book was a wonderful read and I sincerely hope that there's more to come. I read this well-written book in one sitting as I was drawn into the story from the start. Full of action, intrigue, and humor, you won't want to miss this book which I highly recommend.

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about Dakota, Harper and their bookstore. This mystery wasn't so much about whodunit (that was pretty easy to figure out), but finding the why and if there was anything else hidden that caused the whole thing. I liked Dakota's character and hope we learn some more about her and her friends. The shops had some fun names in town, and as a lot of small towns have, this one had its resident guy who pestered people to sell for development. He didn't seem too harmful just annoying, lol.

The showdown was quick, and everything was explained pretty well. I'm definitely borrowing the next one in KU too!

[Amber Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick question, did I read the same book as everyone else? Because I've seen multiple reviews about the Maine setting when she almost annoyingly mentions Virginia A LOT. Including, but not limited to, calling Virginians hardy for liking 40 degree weather. That would *not* be hardy for living in Maine, but also as a Virginian living in Ohio I found it hilarious. Unless this changed from ARC to publication, but I dunno. I didn't see Maine mentioned but I just read the author's summary of the book so I don't know if I missed something.

That particular annoyance aside, it was a quick cozy read with an all-too-relatable protagonist.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accidentally Murdered?
I’m Dakota Adair, owner of Tattered Pages, a bookstore specializing in cool and quirky books. I inherited a grumpy Persian cat named Poppy who loves to make her displeasure known around the store … loudly.
Things are good until I deliver a special order only to stumble over a body. Suddenly all eyes are on me. Now I have a handsome detective and an annoying reporter on my tail, hounding me about the case.
This was an accident or was it? Formaldehyde was the cause of death.
I borrowed this book from Kindle Unlimited. This in no way affects my opinion of this book.

[Shonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This my first read by S.E. Babin and I absolutely loved it! So many wonderful characters that it was hard to pick a favorite. This book pulled me in from the beginning with the quaint town, and cozy stores. I felt as if it were the perfect place to live and work. This book has it all, mystery, smidgen of romance, to humor that will have you laughing so hard your crying. I’m definitely going to be reading every book I can get my hands on by this author!
Was given a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read other Blueberry Bay cozy mysteries and have found them enjoyable. The main character of this story, Dakota Adair, kind of leads an uninspired life, outside of her books, some good coffee and sweets and a couple of good friends. She gets drawn into a mystery when a client special orders a rare book and she goes to deliver it. I think the story progressed at a little slower pace than I usually enjoy but the other characters in the story were fun and I think there is lots of room for growth as the series develops. I love her cat and her Grandma was a hoot!

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give it 3.5 stars. I really would have given it at least a 4 star if Gran showed up more often. Man, that lady made me howl with laughter. I also loved the short reference to another Blueberry Bay read: the Pet Whisperer series. Now if they could only incorporate more blended/overlapping stories somehow. Boy that would be an even better read. Maybe one day Poppy will meet Octo-Cat - OR - both Grans meet...or has it happened already and I just haven't gotten that far (need to start book 10 soon)? Just say'in. This was a fun read though, and I look forward to seeing what happens next.