"A bookmobile purchase leads to a murder charge...."
Reviewed by Debbie Wiley
Posted May 4, 2022
Mystery Woman Sleuth | Mystery Book Lover | Mystery Cozy
The closing of a library is never a happy thing, but it does offer Addie Grayborne a chance to acquire books for her bookstore, Beyond the Page. Addie, along with her associate, Paige, are off to the neighboring town of Pen Hollow to see what treasures they can find. Much to their surprise, a bookmobile is among the offerings. Even more surprising, several rare books are in the book collection on the bus! Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse when the bookmobile is in an accident right after Addie purchases it and now the local sheriff sees Addie and Paige as his primary suspects for murder. Can Addie and her friends find the real murderer so Addie and Paige can go home?
A MARGIN FOR MURDER is the eighth book in the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery series and takes Addie a bit out of her comfort zone. Readers new to the series can jump right in and enjoy, particularly since Lauren Elliott has us visiting a neighboring town so there are lots of new faces and places to visit. As much as I love visiting Greyborne Harbor, it was fun to visit a nearby town.
Can I say how excited I am about the addition of a bookmobile bus? As a child, I loved my visits to the bookmobile, and I can’t wait to see where Addie takes us with her new acquisition! As always, Lauren Elliott incorporates rare books into the storyline in intriguing ways, bringing attention to some of our beloved classics.
I’m generally not a fan of romantic triangles in cozy mysteries, but Lauren Elliott is convincing me otherwise! Not only is Addie starting to question her relationship with Simon, but an old flame from her past shows up and plays an integral role in A MARGIN FOR MURDER. To add fuel to the fire, we also see that Mark isn’t yet over his romantic feelings for Addie even as he is settling into the idea of being just friends with her. Newer readers to the series may not relate as much to the romantic entanglements in A MARGIN FOR MURDER, but oh what depth it adds to the character development and growth of the series for fans who have been following the series!
A MARGIN FOR MURDER is yet another superb installment from a series that is quickly becoming one of my favorites. After all, any series featuring a bookstore AND focusing on rare books is almost guaranteed to be a hit! Add to that fascinating, well developed characters and a great setting and A MARGIN FOR MURDER is sure to be loved by any cozy mystery fan.
SUMMARY
Addie leaves her Greyborne Harbor bookstore, Beyond the Page Books and Curios, in the capable hands of her assistant while she travels to the neighboring town of Pen Hollow to attend a book sale at a library that is closing due to lack of funding. But the real find is a bookmobile bus, which she’s excited to refit as a traveling bookstore to hit all the summer festivals. The bookmobile also holds a surprising treasure: several classic first editions and an early edition of Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses.
But before the bookmobile can be delivered to Addie, a fatal car crash occurs. When an autopsy reveals poison in the victim’s system and the first editions go missing, it’s up to Addie to determine what would drive someone to murder. If she’s not careful, however, she may be the next one to be dead on arrival . . .
ExcerptAddie begrudgingly folded her arms and stared at the
board. “Now we need motives for murder,” she said as
she wrote . . .
Money or Greed
Revenge
Fear
Crimes of Passion
Personal Vendetta
Jealousy
Anger
Hatred
Self-defense and in-defense
“Although, I don’t think that last one really fits here
because poisoning indicates premeditation, not spur-of the-
moment or a reaction.”
“Don’t forget blackmail, power plays, and whistle blowing.”
Paige pointed to the board.
“Right,” said Addie, scribbling those on the list.
“Wow,” said Paige, reading the list. “It’s sad to think
all those are the reasons why people justify murdering
someone.”
Addie scanned the board. “Yes, but you know what’s
missing when I look at all these possible motives for murder?”
“What?”
“We’re the only two people on the board without a
probable motive, and yet we’re Turner’s number one suspects
. . .”
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