Picture Book Peril: A Cozy Mystery Adventure

St. Marin's Cozy Mystery #10

by A.C.F. Bookens

Secrets long held are sometimes secrets best kept, right?

When the sweet but reclusive clockmaker in town reaches out to Harvey to ask for her advice about a situation, the bookstore owner finds herself wrapped in a web of tales that leaves her unclear about what’s true and what’s not.

As Harvey and her friends begin to unravel the truth from the legend, they discover a whole lot more than they bargained for, including a body.

Can they discover who is the villain and who the hero before they become lost to the story themselves?

Genres: Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Contemporary, Mystery

172 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 20, 2022

Reviews

[Les Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A excellent book

I give 5* to very few books but this one was worth it. I had an idea of the culprit but wasn’t sure until the end. Highly recommend ACF Bookens.

[Avis Witter · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual the author has brought another topic worthy of attention into the story. The subject of mental health should never be hidden as there will always be consequences which is what this story demonstrates. A very interesting read and sympathetically written with the usual great characters. Plenty of twists and turns to keep Harvey and her pals on the trail of the truth to the clockmaker’s baffling notes and mysterious situation. Keeps you guessing until the end.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harvey and Jared might not be the only couple to find their ever after.

Convoluted connections and delays seem to be the norm for folks in St. Marin.

Mental health awareness seems to be a strong theme for this book, and some of the taboos, misperceptions, and challenges in dealing with mental health as patient, friends and family are raised.

The holiday season is busy and beautiful in St. Marin in so many ways - too bad they seem so probe to stumble upon murder and mysteries so often.

charming and quirky cozy mysteries and whodunnit

[Peter Hyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free advance review copy of this book and am voluntarily providing my honest review. All my favourite characters – human, canine and feline – pop up again and their stories are developed nicely as Harvey investigates a series of mysterious notes left in a number of clocks. Plus, of course, the inevitable murder. A really good cozy mystery with the added bonus of sensitively handling a clutch of new characters some of whom have with bipolar disorder. I hope at least some of them will appear again, they bring an added richness. The story works really well at all levels: plot-twists, red herrings, and keeps interest without flagging. I really enjoyed revisiting the regular characters and imagining more about St Marin.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harvey bumps into murder again mo matter how she avoids her getting involved it's inevitable she is in the center of all possible motives. Juicy part is her fiance keeps the story moving, and acf always winds up a charity for a good cause.

[Bonnie Theel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed getting back to St. Marin's, seeing all the familiar faces plus a few new ones. As always, Harvey stumbles upon a dead body. Which turned out, the person had been murdered. There are unexpected twists in this story, and a surprise ending.

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

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced reader copy for my honest review.
I Absolutely Loved this book.
Andi manages to weave universal problems with realistic and down to earth characters.
Very enjoyable and oh so cozy.
I’m ready for the next book.
This series just gets better and better.

[Robin Blanksguster · Rating 5 out of 5]

The town is getting ready for their holiday bazaar. Car (Carson) loans Harvey, owner of “all Booked Up”, some of his vintage clocks for her window display. As Marcus sets the clock up for display, he finds an odd note inside. Thus begins the mystery of what the note means followed by a death. Cars family is involved in the drama and the usual crew tries to help. I like that the tale touches on certain mental illnesses along with a few symptoms. There were plenty of plot twists and turns. I read in one sitting because I didn’t want to stop reading! Good read!

Red Robin

[Andi]

This book was so fun to write because I really, really missed the characters from St. Marin's. Here, we have a story of murder, family struggle, and pain. . . but we also have a lot of hope. Plus, of course, Taco and Mayhem are heroes once again, maybe just not as much as Harvey.

Happy Reading.

[Julie Burnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love a new Harvey book. This one doesn't disappoint, some new characters, lots of the ones we love and a true locked door mystery .

[David Berg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free advance review copy of this book and am voluntarily providing my honest review. Another great book about Harvey and her book store. Harvey has a new neighbor, a man who repairs clocks. When a body is found dead in his store, Harvey promises Jared to stay out of the investigation. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cozy that not only gave you a chance to solve a murder but gave you a chance to spend some time with a great group of people that make you feel that you have.known them for ever. Going to go read more of this authors stories.

[Loretta TheMoodyRedhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

And They Lived Happily Every After...

Well this is the point of many series where I am most saddened, because this is the last book in St. Marin's. For now, anyway.

A lady that was the sister of one of St. Marin's newest residents and Harvey's new friend was strangled to death and who but Harvey was nearby at the time? Honestly, I believe Harvey needs to think about going to a psychologist to work through what is most definitely trying on her psyche.

Since Harvey has had one too many close calls on her life for being too curious in homicide investigations in the recent past, she no longer plays unlicensed sleuth, rather she leaves the interrogations up to law enforcement. However, that does not delete her wonderings about different aspects of each crime - she still ponders constantly about whodunit and why.

This read involved discussions about mental health issues in certain characters and how it's important to get help with how to cope and realize it's ok to have those issues and that you aren't a "broken" person for admitting you need that help. None of us are fault free and those of us with mental health issues can be loved by another person despite those issues. We just need to learn to loved ourselves first and then we can own ourselves to others.

Ok, that was a lot up there, but the books in this series do sometimes tend to be a lot and tend to deal with very real life problems.

In the end, everything turned out well and there was even a happy wedding! Oh, and an engagement... or three (wink).

Ok what's my next reading choice...??... How about "Fruitcake and Felonies: A Cozy Culinary Mystery (A Belle Harbor Cozy Mystery Book 13)" by Sue Hollowell. I have read the previous 12 books of this series.

[dnsyl57 · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Picture Book Peril" is book #10 in the St Marin's Cozy Mystery series by ACF Bookens.

"When the sweet but reclusive clockmaker in town reaches out to Harvey to ask for her advice about a situation, the bookstore owner finds herself wrapped in a web of tales that leaves her unclear about what’s true and what’s not. As Harvey and her friends begin to unravel the truth from the legend, they discover a whole lot more than they bargained for, including a body. Can they discover who is the villain and who is the hero before they become lost to the story themselves?"

My thoughts:
In this latest book, ACF Bookens delves into the subject of mental health - in particular that of bipolar and depression - and how it can be genetic.

Harvey really does make a concerted effort not to get involved in trying to solve the murder but people and circumstances keep drawing her in. Add in some unexpected drama (some good - some not) and the usual group dynamics of her friends and family. It's a lot to handle but Harvey somehow manages to keep it all together and eventually sort out the truth from fiction.

I wasn't overly surprised as to who the killer was but it was an interesting read. A few lighter moments and descriptions of decorations and holiday food helped to lighten ever so slightly a difficult yet important subject.

[Michele Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harvey Beckett and her assistant manager Marcus are decorating her store All Booked Up for Christmas. Her neighbor Carson Radison came by and offered some of his antique clocks for decoration in her front window. He is new in town and Harvey's mother and dad invte him, Harvey and Jared out to dinner. As they are leaving, Carson!'s older sister comes up to Carson and tells him she has to see him right then. He refuses and they leave for the restaurant. Upon their return, they find his sister dead inside the doorway of his apartment building. Who killed her and why. Carson and Harvey are finding messages in the backs of his clocks. Are they part of why his sister was killed or is it something else intirely.

I am volunteeringly reviewing this book after receiving it free from the author.

[Juliet Minerva Swift · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another series that is getting too tiring for me. I enjoyed the first books but by now they feel a bit too much. Definitely too on the nose, I get that the author cares about adding some sort of minority, but it would be good if the murder sometimes was just because of jealousy or money or the usual stuff. I am a bit sick of having a whole book constantly rotating around a specific issue, here being mental health.

I did struggle to keep up with this, and again we have a character that barely investigates, and definitely does not find clues or anything. There’s too much “I did/said this thing and I don’t know why” well that’s not a good deductive reasoning.

The murder was also so bland, a woman dies and there is only one suspect, who turns out to be the killer unsurprisingly. I get the cosy vibe but I probably just need something different at the moment.

[Javon50 · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a new business in town opens, the small St. Marin’s community welcome the new owner and are intrigued and mesmerized by all the beautiful clocks in his shop. Repairing and selling clocks make the new owner happy. After Harvey Beckett, her fiancé, and her parents invite the new shop owner to dinner, they are all shocked when dropping him off, they find a body in the clock store. After promising the sheriff and her fiancé that this time she will not get involved with a murder investigation, Harvey finds that a hard promise to keep. This is an entertaining and engaging series and I enjoy Harvey, her bookstore and all the friends and family that surround her with love and kindness. This is my honest, voluntary review of an advanced reader copy of this book.

[Susanna]

This book, tenth in the series, dealt with the difficult topic of mental illness. I really like that Bookens manages to tackle tough subjects in a lighthearted way.

However, I felt like she just sort of phoned this one in. There were several plot holes. A couple were small, but one was pretty enormous. I don’t want to provide any spoilers, but how on earth was Harvey confident she only had to keep the person threatening her talking for two minutes and then Jared would be there? I mean, really. There was no prearranged signal. So the reader is left wondering WTH?

Also, I can tolerate a certain amount of sloppiness, but Pacabel’s Canon? One quick look at Google would have told Bookens that it’s Pachelbel even if you mistype “Pacabel” into the search bar.

[Anne Kavcic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author's books always deliver for me, with a good story and characters you feel right at home with. In this book, Harvey's bookstore on the Eastern Shore in Maryland is setting up a steampunk display for Christmas. A new store owner offers his vintage clocks, but they find a mysterious message inside one. Four more appear and are most puzzling. When a murder occurs in the clock store, the family and friends all work together to solve it, uncovering some family secrets along the way, which are tenderly treated as in all of the author's books. Well done with any number of puzzles and dead ends, and a warm ending as well. I'm leaving this honest review after receiving an advance copy.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading books in this cozy mystery series, which highlight different social issues in each book. This book highlights mental health issues. The series is set around a book shop in St Marins where Harvey, the book shop owner has a tendency to get involved in murders which happen in the town.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next one. The books are all standalone stories but the books are best read in order of publication to preserve continuity of the characters and series.

If you liked reading this book, try the Stitches in Crime series by the same author.

[Merrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great book! The wonderful characters that I've come to love are back, along with a couple of new ones to make friends with. The plot is intriguing and full of the little twists and turns that catch my attention and keep it focused from beginning to end. So much so that I found myself reading late into the night, turning page after page - I simply couldn't put it down!

I voluntarily read an Advance Reader Copy of this wonderful story and can definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a great story. I highly recommend it.

[Grams · Rating 5 out of 5]

The St. Marin's books are always an enjoyable read. The characters are relatable and well developed. Harvey is the main character and she owns a book store but is also a sleuth who assists the police in solving murders that take place in St. Marin's. Her friends and family make up a diverse group who help each other. I recommend reading this series, along with the other series of books written by this author.

[John Belcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pause for a moment.

All along I thought Maylasia was a little too tightly wound. First with the hard edge to her when notified of her sister's death, then again her first or second time meeting Harvey. Even as gentle as Harvey was Maylasia was always too on edge and ready to strike out. Though this was a story we all need to learn to be patient with those that suffer mental disturbances in their equilibrium. Looking forward to Harvey's marriage to Jared next.

[Darin Hocking · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been enjoying this series but I feel like this latest installment does not quite have the same level of quality as the others. I feel like there are more proofreading errors and at least two instances of inconsistencies in the story line. Just to give one example?, right at the beginning Harvey is talking about having installed an electric fireplace despite having been told that it was a bad idea by the fire Marshall in the previous book.

[Dwayne Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good mystery. Another murder and plenty of other activity going on. All the usual characters are back and it was like visiting a bunch of friends. The trauma of mental illness is also addressed in a complimentary manner. Enjoy this story and mystery.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting turn

1st off, I really enjoy this series. I like the characters. This time around Harvey decides she wants to stay out of the mystery and just enjoy the holidays. Yeah right.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back on track

For a couple of books, it seemed this series was zigging and zagging so much I got whiplash. I still liked them enough to read the next one (and the next one), but was nearing my limit. No more. This one seemed back to its same old series self which is a GOOD thing.

[Beth Helm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book. It was full of great characters trying to solve a mystery. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing.

[Carole Poissant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun mystery which also provides an interesting look into mental illness

[Lori Beekman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being from the Midatlantic, I feel like I've been to this town :) This series is one of my favorites. This additoin to the series sucked me in from the beginning. A pleasure to read.