As part of a blog tour organized by Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, I recently read Bookmarked for Murder, the 5th book in the Mystery Bookshop series by V.M. Burns.
About the Book
Amateur sleuth Samantha Washington’s shopping trip to Chicago takes a deadly detour when a man is murdered on her bus . . .
After some post-Christmas retail therapy in the Windy City, mystery bookshop owner and historical whodunit novelist Sam Washington is returning home to North Harbor, Michigan, on a chartered bus. With Nana Jo and her gal pals Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae from Shady Acres Retirement Village along for the ride, it’s a lively trip. But one passenger is not so lively—a gentleman Irma befriended is found dead in his seat after an unscheduled stop. The ladies immediately shift gears to find out who punched his ticket, while Sam slips into the driver’s seat to make sure Nana Jo and her crew steer clear of fatal conclusions . . .
My Review
When Sam (Samantha) joins her grandmother and her friends from the Shady Acres Retirement Home on a trip to the windy city, a passenger is killed on the return trip. With the help of her Nana Jo and the quirky residents of the retirement home, Sam is determined to find out who killed the well-known author and why.
Sam is a likeable character and I identified with her ambition to write. Sam is also working on writing her own mystery, so you get another mystery as Sam works on her book at regular intervals. Personally, I found the additional mystery somewhat distracting; I think it slowed the overall pace of the book.
Although this is the fifth book in the Mystery Bookshop series it can easily be enjoyed as a standalone.
FTC disclosure: I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher. This has not affected the content of my review.
Giveaway
Enter a rafflecopter for your chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card from the author.
About the Author
V.M. Burns was born in Northwestern Indiana and spent many years in Southwestern Michigan on the Lake Michigan shoreline. She is a lover of dogs, British historic cozies, and scones with clotted cream. After many years in the Midwest, she went in search of milder winters and currently lives in Eastern Tennessee with her poodles. Her debut novel, The Plot is Murder was nominated for a 2017 Agatha Award for Best First Novel. Valerie is a member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and a lifetime member of Sisters in Crime. Readers can learn more by visiting her website at vmburns.com
Author Links:
- Website: http://www.vmburns.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vmburnsbooks/
- Twitter: @vmburns
Purchase Links – Amazon – Barnes & Noble – IndieBound – Books-A-Million – Hudson Booksellers – Kobo
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