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 canβt 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.
Iβm 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 isnβt 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.
“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?”
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