POISONED PAGES written by Lorna Barrett is the twelfth book in the Booktown Mystery series. It is my first to read in this series and I must say I really enjoyed it. Barrett made this mystery easy to catch up on who is who, and what has happened in their past without taking up too much time in the storyline. To me this is a plus when coming in the middle of a series and it is always a hard thing for some authors to do.
Tricia Miles owns a mystery bookstore in the town of Stoneham. During her housewarming party, a guest drops dead from some poison and she is left wondering if she was responsible for the death. As the town's Chief Baker tries to get answers, other mishaps turn up such as vandalism and blackmail. Tricia seems to be in the middle of all of it, making her wonder at times if she really is the target. Throughout all of the occurrences, Tricia is also running for Chamber of Commerce against two other rivals that have their own reasons to be against her other than just running up against her in the election.
With characters that are well developed and a very appealing storyline, I highly recommend any cozy mystery readers pick up POISONED PAGES by Lorna Barrett. You will love Tricia and her sister Angelica along with the rest of the town people in Stoneham. No wonder this is a growing series with these energetic characters.
Mystery bookstore owner Tricia Miles learns that nothing
kills a good party like a murder in the latest entry in the
New York Times bestselling Booktown Mysteries.
Tricia Miles, mystery bookstore owner and amateur sleuth,
throws a housewarming cocktail party in her new apartment
and has cooked all the food by herself--quite a feat for
someone who previously couldn't boil water. Then one of her
guests is poisoned and dies. Tricia's left to wonder if her
cooking is to blame or if there's something much more
sinister at play. Either way, Tricia's once again in hot
water with her ex-lover, Chief Baker.
Meanwhile the charming town of Stoneham is being disrupted
by a vandalism crime wave. It's the hot topic in the race
for Chamber of Commerce president which sees Tricia pitted
against two bitter rivals. With all that's going on can she
find the killer before she's the next item on the menu?
EXCERPT
βHow many does this make?β asked Grant Baker, Stonehamβs
chief of police and Triciaβs former boyfriend, staring at
the sheet-covered corpse still lying on her living room
floor.
Tricia glared at him but made no comment.
Baker turned to one of his officers. βHave you spoken to
all the witnesses?β
βNo, Chief. There were at least twenty or thirty people at
the party.β
βParty?β Baker whirled to face Tricia. βHow come I wasnβt
invited?β
βDo you think you could have helped a man suffering from
anaphylactic shock?β
βMaybe.β
βAngelica was a heroβor rather a heroine,β Ginny said
emphatically. βShe desperately tried to save him.β
Angelica sat on one of the upholstered chairs clutching a
wineglass. Sheβd had several since her ordeal and Tricia
had made up her mind to cut her off if she asked for
another refill.
βYou didnβt answer my question,β Baker reminded her.
βWhy would I invite you?β
βBecause I thought we were friends.β
Their friendship, like their failed relationship, had ended
several years before. And, besides, Baker now had a lady
companion. Was Tricia supposed to have invited her as well?
Again, she made no comment.
βSo what likely caused the manβs death?β Baker asked the
room at large.
βObviously an allergic reaction to something he ingested,β
Angelica said, sounding weary.
βWho made the food?β Baker asked.
βI did,β Tricia said. βWell, most of it.β
Baker blinked. βYou cooked?β
Tricia frowned. βYes.β
βSince when do you cook?β
βSince none of your business.β She didnβt like his tone;
the fact that it irked her made her dislike her reciprocal
timbre even more.
Baker looked back to the shrouded body. βSo you poisoned
the poor guy.β
βI did not.β
βWell, heβs dead.β Baker walked around the body. βWhatβs
your relationship with the deceased?β
βI had none. I never met the man until he walked through my
door a couple of hours ago. He was Frannie Armstrongβs
date.β
βWhere is she?β
βIn my bedroom, lying down. His death was a terrible
shock.β
βIβll bet,β Baker grated. βSo what killed the guy?β
βI have no idea.β
βA stuffed mushroom,β Angelica volunteered. βIt was the
last tray of them. I walked around the room offering them
to everyone.β
βAnd nobody else got sick?β
Tricia shook her head.
βWhat was in them?β
She shrugged. βItβs a pretty standard recipe. I got it out
of Angelicaβs first cookbook.β
βA national bestseller,β Angelica piped up.
Baker scowled, ignoring her. βCan you let me have it? Iβll
give it to the medical examiner and he can test the stomach
contents. Weβll try to contact the deceasedβs doctor to see
what his allergies may have been.β
That seemed reasonable. βDo you want me to scan it right
now?β
βWe can just rip it from the book.β
βNo, you will not!β
Baker started at her tone.
βI consider it sacrilege to desecrate a book in that
manner.β
βThen get it to me by morning, will you?β
Tricia nodded and glanced in the direction of the body.
βWill my visitor be leaving soon?β
βIn good time,β Baker answered, which was no answer at all.
And what about Frannie up in Triciaβs bedroom? Would she be
so disconsolate that sheβd want to stay the night? Tricia
certainly hoped not, but neither could she kick the poor
woman out.
βAre there any mushrooms left?β Baker asked Angelica.
She shook her head. βNo. The dead guyβsorry, I donβt know
his nameβtook the last one.β
Baker frowned, then shook his head. βThen it sounds pretty
open and shut. The guy just had an allergic reaction.β
Did he actually sound disappointed? A man was dead. A
person who had lived a life, loved family and friends, and
come into Triciaβs home a stranger, would be leaving in a
body bag. She felt terrible about that. If only he had
mentioned his food allergies, she would have been able to
dissuade him from eating the mushrooms. Wasnβt it the
obligation of a person with severeβpotentially fatalβ
allergies to do?
Was she trying to talk herself out of the guilt she felt?
Maybe. But she did feel terrible that a guest had eaten
something fatal while in her home. Meanwhile, the police
technicians went to work in the kitchen.
βWhat are you doing?β Tricia demanded.
βTheyβre bagging evidence.β
βBut theyβre going through my cupboards and fridgeβtheyβre
taking my staples and my serving dishes!β
βYouβll get them backβ¦eventually. Itβs just a precaution in
case things arenβt what they seem.β
βWhat do you mean?β Tricia demanded.
βJust what I said.β
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