Stoneham, New Hampshire has survived by enticing bookstores
to their main street. Tricia Miles runs a successful
mystery used bookshop. Tricia moved to Stoneham after her
divorce to start a new life. Following along behind her is
her sister, Angelica. Angelica has opened a cookbook store
and is a very successful designer. Stoneham is doing well
as
the tour buses pass through. The one thing it lacks is the
lodging which would make the town even more successful.
There is a new B& B opening in town and many of the
merchants have been invited for a free night before the
grand opening. Tricia has been invited along by Angelica
since her on again, off again relationship with Bob Kelly
is
currently off. The owners of the B & B are Jon and Pippa
Comfort.
The evening never gets properly started since Tricia
discovers Pippa's body. She has been bludgeoned to death.
Now, Tricia finds herself being drawn into another
investigation which takes a wild turn when she identifies
Jon Comfort as the missing writer Harrison Tyler. Harrison
Tyler wrote one extremely successful book and then
supposedly
died on his sailboat. Tricia and Harry had been dating
before his disappearance.
Tricia is cautioned against getting involved in the
investigation by Chief Baker. Tricia and the Chief have an
intermittent relationship since they find themselves at
odds
over her involvement with his investigations. With the
appearance of Harry Tyler in town, Tricia feels compelled
to
start asking questions about the death of Pippa Comfort.
Especially when she learns that Harrison is not the man she
once believed him to be. Whatever his flaws, the Harrison
she knew isn't a killer.
The questions Tricia is asking will expose secrets that
will
devastate the town. Tricia will be placed in danger when
she exposes the killer.
One of the reasons I enjoy this series so much is the
relationship between Tricia and her sister. She and
Angelica love each other but each drives the other crazy.
The mysteries are well-plotted and intriguing; but it's
really the characters that keep me reading this series. Ms.
Barrett has built an assortment of characters that I would
love to meet in real life.
Fans of cozy mysteries can't go wrong with this series.
“If anyone has the formula for a frolicking fun mystery down
pat, it’s Lorna Barrett” (Roundtable Reviews), the New York
Times bestselling author whose latest Booktown Mystery finds
amateur sleuth Tricia Miles unexpectedly reunited with a man
from a chapter of her life she closed long ago…
Stoneham, New Hampshire, is a haven to bookstores, including
Tricia’s own mystery shop, Haven’t Got a Clue, but is sadly
lacking in bed and breakfasts. Pippa and Jon Comfort’s Sheer
Comfort Inn opens its doors to the public in a week and the
couple has offered some locals a free night as a trial run.
But what should have been a pleasant overnight stay for
Tricia becomes a nightmare when she makes two startling
discoveries: Pippa’s murdered body in the backyard, and the
fact that her husband Jon is actually Harry Tyler, a man
Tricia loved—and believed dead—for nearly twenty years.
Now Harry is the prime suspect, but Tricia doesn’t believe
him capable of murder, regardless of her own feelings toward
him. And even though Harry’s led a life of lies, Tricia’s
learning that Pippa had her share of secrets that some
people may have not wanted revealed…