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The Bookstore Mystery #3
A Chapter on Murder
I loved writing murder mysteries, until I was thrust into the centre of one…
It’s Christmas in Riddleton and crime novelist turned amateur sleuth, Jen, is in desperate need of a cozy festive season running the town's local bookstore.
But, between trying to drum up business for Ravenous Readers and attempting to finish her latest novel, Jen is totally run off her feet.
Matters get worse, however, when a man's body is found outside the bookstore, along with a scrap of paper in his pocket with none other than Jen's address on it!
To solve the murder – and clear her own name – Jen must, once again, become Riddleton's best detective.
The stakes have never been higher and the pressure is on – but with the help of her best friend, Brittany, and trusty dog, Savannah, can Jen catch the killer, finish her novel and save Ravenous Readers before time runs out?
It’s Christmas in Riddleton and crime novelist turned amateur sleuth, Jen, is in desperate need of a cozy festive season running the town's local bookstore.
But, between trying to drum up business for Ravenous Readers and attempting to finish her latest novel, Jen is totally run off her feet.
Matters get worse, however, when a man's body is found outside the bookstore, along with a scrap of paper in his pocket with none other than Jen's address on it!
To solve the murder – and clear her own name – Jen must, once again, become Riddleton's best detective.
The stakes have never been higher and the pressure is on – but with the help of her best friend, Brittany, and trusty dog, Savannah, can Jen catch the killer, finish her novel and save Ravenous Readers before time runs out?
9 pages, Audiobook
First published September 14, 2023
215 people are currently reading
1705 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
December 18, 2023
2,5-2,75 ⭐
I'm a little conflicted since the murder mystery per se was quite interesting (even though I wasn't fully intrigued by it) but the characters where so boring and they did not feel really realistic to me
The love story was totally unnecessary and lame and tbh the book wouldn't have missed anything without it
Also I hoped the book would be a little more christmassy but I guess that's the smallest problem here
I'm a little conflicted since the murder mystery per se was quite interesting (even though I wasn't fully intrigued by it) but the characters where so boring and they did not feel really realistic to me
The love story was totally unnecessary and lame and tbh the book wouldn't have missed anything without it
Also I hoped the book would be a little more christmassy but I guess that's the smallest problem here
November 17, 2024
I loved this adventure a lot! A little bit Christmas themed and a lot of mystery. It was perfect for this time of the year. I also might already have a guess what the next book will be about but there is only one way te be sure of that🥰
December 28, 2023
Disclaimer: I haven’t read book 1 and 2 of the series, as I’ve gotten A Chapter on Murder as a present.
Even though this book is the third in a series, it was relatively easy to follow both the plot and the characters even without having read the predecessors. I liked the Christmas mood of this cozy mystery, but sadly, this was about it. The characters themselves felt rather flat and uninteresting - especially the main character, who was annoying me more often than not. The plot itself was interesting enough, but I could see the big secret from miles away and had a strong feeling of knowledge concerning the „who did it“ not even a third if the book it. On top of that, I wasn’t a fan of the writing style. To be frank, I was *this close* to fling the book out of an open window if I had to read the words Nikes or my German shepherd one more time. Those were used way too often and I wanted to strangle someone over it. Overall, I was at least occupied over the days between Christmas and the beginning of the new year, so I’ve got that going for me. ✨
Even though this book is the third in a series, it was relatively easy to follow both the plot and the characters even without having read the predecessors. I liked the Christmas mood of this cozy mystery, but sadly, this was about it. The characters themselves felt rather flat and uninteresting - especially the main character, who was annoying me more often than not. The plot itself was interesting enough, but I could see the big secret from miles away and had a strong feeling of knowledge concerning the „who did it“ not even a third if the book it. On top of that, I wasn’t a fan of the writing style. To be frank, I was *this close* to fling the book out of an open window if I had to read the words Nikes or my German shepherd one more time. Those were used way too often and I wanted to strangle someone over it. Overall, I was at least occupied over the days between Christmas and the beginning of the new year, so I’ve got that going for me. ✨
September 7, 2023
I received a free copy of, A Chapter on Murder, by Sue Minix, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book three in The Bookstore Mystery series. Its Christmas time and Jen is busy, writing a novel and trying to get customers in her bookshop. Someone is murdered outside her bookshop, and Jen is being framed for the murder. Can Jen solve the murder before Christmas? A really nice Christmas mystery. I liked seeing the old friends from the series in this book.
April 7, 2024
Book 3 in the series. I haven’t read the previous two and based on this one I won’t. I should probably disclose that I continued reading after the first chapter because I was curious how much stupid I would find in the book.
Jen Dawson is a mystery writer and unprepared owner of a bookstore. Though she’s been owner of the store for over a year, it seems she still hasn’t looked into the how-to’s of running a successful bookstore. She mainly spends time in her office working on her next novel (once she stopped staring at a blank sheet of paper waiting for the perfect opening line to pop into her head) and relies on her employee Lacey to run the day to day of the store.
Jen does think of a few things to make the store more money, such as charging for the coffee they serve patrons or setting up an online bookshop, anything other than actually helping customers to select the books they want to take home and read. The bookstore is struggling and it doesn’t help that a body is found in the alley next to the bookstore. It makes prospective customers reluctant to visit the store. (On the other side of the alley is the Dandy Diner, but that does not seem to suffer any lose of customers. Even though their grill cook is the prime suspect.)
For that reason, Jen insinuates herself into the murder investigation. She’s done it before and - she contemplates often - that only just about not cost her her life. Not that that stops her this time. It’s not just the store she wants to save. Jen also thinks the police have their eye on the wrong man. She thinks her friend Marcus would not do anything that could jeopardise his life with his daughters. Never mind that the murder victim was threatening that very life.
She says she’s investigating for Marcus and his daughters. I think the real reason she’s being nosey is to one-up detective Havermayer.
Okay, in a way I’m all up for that. The police make an arrest because the “circumstantial evidence is overwhelming”. I, on the other hand, am seriously underwhelmed by the circumstantial evidence. The evidence gives a pretty good argument why Marcus would want Travis out of his life, but that’s not the same as to want him dead. Do they have a murder weapon? No. Do they have any proof Marcus has the necessary anatomic knowledge. No.
Does Jen ask these questions? Again, no. Jen works on the premise that the police have it wrong because Marcus is her friend and therefore above suspicion.
The mystery isn’t well-plotted. The author drops some pretty obvious clues, that because of their oddity in normal people’s conversation just scream out “I’m a clue, look at me.” One riddle isn’t solved, but rather pops-up at the end:
A final word on Eric the boyfriend. He’s a passive-aggressive jerk with a well-I-guess-you-don’t-love-me-as-much-as-I-love-you attitude. Jen’s never going to be good enough for this guy. So please, author, give your girl some backbone and dump the guy like the turd that he is.
Jen Dawson is a mystery writer and unprepared owner of a bookstore. Though she’s been owner of the store for over a year, it seems she still hasn’t looked into the how-to’s of running a successful bookstore. She mainly spends time in her office working on her next novel (once she stopped staring at a blank sheet of paper waiting for the perfect opening line to pop into her head) and relies on her employee Lacey to run the day to day of the store.
Jen does think of a few things to make the store more money, such as charging for the coffee they serve patrons or setting up an online bookshop, anything other than actually helping customers to select the books they want to take home and read. The bookstore is struggling and it doesn’t help that a body is found in the alley next to the bookstore. It makes prospective customers reluctant to visit the store. (On the other side of the alley is the Dandy Diner, but that does not seem to suffer any lose of customers. Even though their grill cook is the prime suspect.)
For that reason, Jen insinuates herself into the murder investigation. She’s done it before and - she contemplates often - that only just about not cost her her life. Not that that stops her this time. It’s not just the store she wants to save. Jen also thinks the police have their eye on the wrong man. She thinks her friend Marcus would not do anything that could jeopardise his life with his daughters. Never mind that the murder victim was threatening that very life.
She says she’s investigating for Marcus and his daughters. I think the real reason she’s being nosey is to one-up detective Havermayer.
Okay, in a way I’m all up for that. The police make an arrest because the “circumstantial evidence is overwhelming”. I, on the other hand, am seriously underwhelmed by the circumstantial evidence. The evidence gives a pretty good argument why Marcus would want Travis out of his life, but that’s not the same as to want him dead. Do they have a murder weapon? No. Do they have any proof Marcus has the necessary anatomic knowledge. No.
Does Jen ask these questions? Again, no. Jen works on the premise that the police have it wrong because Marcus is her friend and therefore above suspicion.
The mystery isn’t well-plotted. The author drops some pretty obvious clues, that because of their oddity in normal people’s conversation just scream out “I’m a clue, look at me.” One riddle isn’t solved, but rather pops-up at the end:
A final word on Eric the boyfriend. He’s a passive-aggressive jerk with a well-I-guess-you-don’t-love-me-as-much-as-I-love-you attitude. Jen’s never going to be good enough for this guy. So please, author, give your girl some backbone and dump the guy like the turd that he is.
December 5, 2025
Another fun trip to Riddleton. Overall, I like Jenn, although in this one I felt she was sabotaging herself a little. I was pretty close to guessing the murderer, at least I was in the right family. I liked how something Jenn was going to use as a plot point in her book became part of this story.
December 26, 2023
Aggtm vibes
Read
December 15, 2023DNF @ 32%. For some reason this just doesn't draw me back to it.
December 12, 2023
2⭐️ kwam dit boek tegen in de boekenwinkel en verwachtte een cozy murder mystery in een kerstthema om een beetje in te komen voor kerst. Echter was er bijna niks van het kerstthema terug te lezen in het boek. De plottwist zag ik van mijlenver aankomen en dat zegt wel iets. Heel jammer, want het plot was wel heel leuk bedacht.🥲
December 9, 2023
Was way to much unnecessary dialogue in this, the twist was unexpected but I guessed that they would have to do something with the murder
September 7, 2023
Jen almost literally stumbles over a dead body behind her bookstore. She is compelled to launch her own investigation when the police arrest a person she wholeheartedly believes is innocent. The storyline is entertaining and the addition of snippets of Jen’s own writing process add interest and uniqueness to the story. On the whole I think the series is getting better with each new installment, but I often find Jen annoying. She gets tunnel vision and bulldozes ahead without consideration for anyone or anything else, which is a bit off putting. She also lacks maturity for someone who is thirty years old, a successful author and a business owner. I think this is a good series that hasn’t quite reached its potential, but is improving with each new installment.
December 4, 2025
An ex-con, Travis, returns to the area and has a run-in with a former cellmate, Marcus, who has turned his life around. Then Travis turns up dead outside the local bookshop and his cell-mate is the leading suspect. Jen, the owner of Ravenous Reader, is determined to find evidence to prove Marcus is innocent even though this pits her against her boyfriend.
Jen is not a character who acts rationally for a 30-year-old. She doesn’t think about repercussions of her actions. Parts of the mystery were obvious from pretty early on and some of the plot points were left dangling at the end of the book. It wasn’t very Christmassy either. A quick read if you need short books to complete your reading goal, but just an okay read for me.
Jen is not a character who acts rationally for a 30-year-old. She doesn’t think about repercussions of her actions. Parts of the mystery were obvious from pretty early on and some of the plot points were left dangling at the end of the book. It wasn’t very Christmassy either. A quick read if you need short books to complete your reading goal, but just an okay read for me.
January 21, 2024
The more I read Sue’s work, the more I like her style.
The characters are getting funnier and the action pace is getting so good. This particular story I really enjoyed, because of the underground tunnels that gave Jen ideas for a new story. I like that the writer’s thought process is highlighted in the main character. And the “what would the twins do” is so thought provoking. I almost guessed the killer in this one. Almost! The red herrings and clues keep you guessing who did what! I can’t wait to read the next one!
The characters are getting funnier and the action pace is getting so good. This particular story I really enjoyed, because of the underground tunnels that gave Jen ideas for a new story. I like that the writer’s thought process is highlighted in the main character. And the “what would the twins do” is so thought provoking. I almost guessed the killer in this one. Almost! The red herrings and clues keep you guessing who did what! I can’t wait to read the next one!
December 30, 2023
Fantastic Story
I loved this book! Jen is a fantastic character and this series is quickly becoming my new favorite.
The bookstore, the other characters, and Savannah bring this story to life, and I'm looking forward to the next one.
I loved this book! Jen is a fantastic character and this series is quickly becoming my new favorite.
The bookstore, the other characters, and Savannah bring this story to life, and I'm looking forward to the next one.
January 9, 2025
j’étais assez prise dans l’intrigue et ça m’arrive pas souvent avec des livres de meutre comme ça donc trop bien! peut être un petit peu long le moment juste avant la fin et la toute fin trop courte ahah
December 24, 2023
Very enjoyable read, just like the first two of the Bookstore Mystery series. Again a lovely, cozy crime novel. And the ending seemed to suggest a fourth book, which I hope is true.
January 8, 2024
3.5 stars
March 25, 2024
2.5 stars
I still don’t really like Jen, she’s pretty selfish. The plot is also pretty predictable.
I still don’t really like Jen, she’s pretty selfish. The plot is also pretty predictable.
December 17, 2023
Ending didn’t blow me away but it’s an enjoyable read.
At times I felt the main character, Jen, was a bit of a wet blanket and there was a part of the story that just died near the end of the book with no conclusion.
Surprisingly not that Christmassy so I’d say you could read this all year round.
At times I felt the main character, Jen, was a bit of a wet blanket and there was a part of the story that just died near the end of the book with no conclusion.
Surprisingly not that Christmassy so I’d say you could read this all year round.
Read
January 5, 2024Cozy, aber gab iwie echt keinen Spannungsbogen, was bei einem Krimi doch eher enttäuschend ist.
June 8, 2025
Reading this book (the whole book series) is like watching a comfort show. Best enjoyed on a rainy day with mysterious classical music and a drink of your choice
December 8, 2023
I’m not too sure how I feel about this book in the series. Jen is still working as an a meter sleuth and writing her books, but her personal life may be going downhill. Somehow, she’s managing to find inspiration for her books but her relationship seems to be stuck. I want her to be happy in her own life and not just content. I think that this character deserves that.
January 28, 2024
Thank you to the team at @avon for sending over this copy. I read this one before the end of 2023, to help me get into the christmassy mood! This is the first book I’ve read by Sue and I did enjoy it. The scenery description and the way the town is portrayed really conjures up feel of a small town with people who know everything about everyone. I do feel that this could be read as a stand-alone title, but there are quite a number of references to previous events which were a bit lost on me. The relationships within this book really varied, and some provided some question marks for the reader as they try to piece together the mystery of the man’s murder outside Jen’s bookshop. If you like a murder mystery with a home-town feel, this one is for you.
November 10, 2023
DNF.
I bought it as I was looking for “Christmas reads” and was sucked in by the cover.
I got 45 pages in but I could not finish it. It’s SO badly written. I should have known I was in for a bad time when on page 2 I came across this gem:
“She did a little celebration dance, her flyaway blond hair airborne as of she was standing behind a jumbo jet on the tarmac with its engines running.”
What does that even mean?!
The analogies are just wild in this book.
I just can’t. Life is too short to read terribly written books.
I bought it as I was looking for “Christmas reads” and was sucked in by the cover.
I got 45 pages in but I could not finish it. It’s SO badly written. I should have known I was in for a bad time when on page 2 I came across this gem:
“She did a little celebration dance, her flyaway blond hair airborne as of she was standing behind a jumbo jet on the tarmac with its engines running.”
What does that even mean?!
The analogies are just wild in this book.
I just can’t. Life is too short to read terribly written books.
March 19, 2025
Het verhaal liep lekker door en werd niet langdradig. Het boek heeft een duidelijke verhaallijn en blijft makkelijk te volgen. Vanaf bladzijde 1 tot de allerlaatste behoud het boek de spanning die wordt opgebouwd tot de laatste hoofdstukken waarin veel ontdekkingen gedaan worden en alle theorieën op hun plaats laat vallen.
October 28, 2024
I am so sad. The previous book was great and a improvement over book one, but this book was such a letdown in every way. The mystery made no sense whatsoever and Jen's behavior was even more childish and irrational than the previous books. I can't believe this woman is almost 30. The romance was also suffocating and borderline toxic. This book feels like filler in every way.
December 18, 2023
Fun seasonal elements but the writing was weak. The narrator's writing process throughout the book was interesting but could have been way more integrated into the plot. There were many plot holes and poor excuses for the narrator to get away safely.
January 1, 2024
This was a DNF for me.
Chosen because it was a festive read, I found the writing style to be amateur - it is very badly written and the storyline was nonsensical. Life is too short, and my TBR list is too long, to finish this book.
Chosen because it was a festive read, I found the writing style to be amateur - it is very badly written and the storyline was nonsensical. Life is too short, and my TBR list is too long, to finish this book.
November 14, 2024
Disappointed because the first book was a 5* read for me, I loved that one so much. The first 200 pages of this book felt very dragged out. Way too much about the dog and the boyfriend, which turned out to be not significant to the story in the end? And then the ending felt so rushed.
January 7, 2024
Couldn’t really follow the story and I didn’t like the main character at all…
Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews