For Whom The Book Tolls by Laura Gail Black ( An Antique Bookshop Mystery #1)

For Whom the Book Tolls

(An Antique Bookshop Mystery #1)

by Laura Gail Black

Hardcover, 264 pages

Published August 11th 2020 by Crooked Lane Books

Goodreads synopsis: 

In this cozy series debut from Laura Gail Black, Jenna Quinn finds her uncle murdered in his antique bookstore, and Jenna--his primary beneficiary--becomes the prime suspect.

Trouble follows Jenna Quinn wherever she goes. Fleeing some unsavory doings in her hometown of Charlotte, Jenna accepts her uncle's gracious invitation to stay with him in small-town Hokes Folly, NC. In exchange, she'll help him out in his antiquarian bookstore. But soon after she arrives, Jenna finds her uncle's body crumpled at the base of the staircase between his apartment and the bookstore.

Before the tragedy even sinks in, Jenna learns that she's inherited almost everything her uncle owned: the store and apartment, as well as his not-so-meager savings and the payout from a life insurance policy...which adds up to more than a million dollars. This is all news to Jenna--bad news, once the police get wind of her windfall. An ill wind, indeed, as a second murder cements Jenna's status as the prime suspect in both deaths.

Jenna can hit the road again, taking her chances that she can elude trouble along the way. Or she can stick it out in Hokes Folly, take over the bookstore, and try to sleuth out her uncle's killer. On the one hand, she's made some wonderful new friends, and she feels she can thrive in the genial small-town environment. On the other hand, trouble knows her address--and so does the killer, who is determined to write the final page of Jenna's story.

***

4.5 stars

This is the first book in the Antique Bookshop mystery series by Laura Gail Black.

This book starts out with a bang. Jenna discovers the body of her uncle at the bottom of the staircase. He’s dead and she was only coming to stay with him due to her dire financial situation. Now she is out on the street again, or so she thinks. Surprisingly, her uncle left her everything in the will, who knew. Now all the suspect arrows point to her since she is inheriting his huge estate. It is now up to Jenna to ferret out the real killer and keep some unsavory characters from stealing her uncle’s vast riches.

This was definitely a nail-biter. I had no clue who the guilty party could be. I enjoyed following Jenna around this new world and discovering everything just as she did.

Great cast that makes a reader want to come back and compelling mystery to boot. Who could ask for more?

If you like cozy mysteries, definitely check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.