Book 31, 2026

[chez_jae]

Murder by the Book by Lauren Elliott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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I only had a few short chapters of my work book to read, and since I’m on the brink of a 3-day weekend, I brought it home and finished reading it last night. It was Murder by the Book by Lauren Elliott, and it’s the first in her “Beyond the Page” series of cozy mysteries. The main character is Addison “Addie” Greyborne.

After the death of her fiancé, Addie relocates to Greyborne Harbor where she has inherited a spacious old home from her great-aunt. The woman left behind many small treasures from her travels, as well as a large collection of old and rare books. Addie is inspired to open a store selling both old books and antiques. Rather than the fresh new start she envisioned, however, Addie is beset by troubles. The shopkeep next door takes an instant dislike to her, both the store and her home are broken into, Addie is nearly run down by a black sedan, and when a local businessman is murdered, Serena, Addie’s new (and seemingly only) friend in town is blamed. Addie’s job in Boston entailed tracking down, identifying, and even searching for lost or stolen books of value, and she begins applying that skill to the investigation.

The book was interesting and certainly kept my attention. I did feel, however, that there were far too many “bad guys” to keep track of, and that Addie needed to get a dog and/or a gun after her house was broken into multiple times. She did eventually get an alarm system, but even that failed when she stupidly left the front door unlocked. Speaking of….If I had fallen for a fake text once, leading to me being threatened with a gun, I sure as hell wouldn’t have fallen for it again! Damn, woman, how dumb can you be? And, perhaps it’s just me and my innate vindictiveness, but if my home had been broken into several times, and I kept seeing a mysterious black car at the end of my drive, I would have dressed all in black, helped myself to a baseball bat and a knife, and lain in wait for the next time the car showed up at night. Once the villain went sneaking up to the house, I’d get the license plate number, slash the tires, smash the windows, and call the cops. Let’s see ya make a quick getaway now, Sparky! Finally, I was getting irritated with Serena, who kept trying to push her brother, Marc, onto Addie. The woman’s fiancé only died a few months ago! Let her grieve!

Favorite lines:
♦ “You look like you need a stiff drink, not a cup of tea.”
♦ “You didn’t tell her to consult a witch. You’re joking, right?”
♦ “She’s our local cat lady, and every once in a while, she gets it in her head someone’s tried to break in and steal her cats.”
♦ “You have a bruise coming up on your jaw.” // “Don’t worry about me. My mother’s needed a good hair-pulling for a long time. Although, I never realized she had such a solid right hook.”

Holding my breath lines (Yes, lines):
♦ She took in a deep breath, not aware she’d even been holding it.
♦ Addie let out the breath she didn’t even know she’d been holding.
♦ She sucked air into her burning lungs, only aware then that she had forgotten to breathe.

Very good story, overall, in spite of the things that got me hackles up. Four stars.


1. Does the mc work at/as one of the following: baker/bakery/sweet shop/tea shop/coffee shop, library/librarian, antique/vintage shop, book store, fashion/boutique, bed & breakfast? Yes, she owns a bookshop.
2. Does the mc live at her (or his) place of occupation? No
3. Is the love interest involved in law enforcement? (Police officer, sheriff, detective, PI, FBI) Yes, Marc is the Chief of Police
4. Does the mc have a dog/cat as a pet? No
5. Is the mc's BFF either a gay guy or a ditzy/zany woman? No
6. Did the mc find the body? No
7. Did the mc wind up in mortal danger at the end of the book? Yes
8. Is the mc's mother either: dead, absent, far removed, ditzy and dithering, or overbearing/disapproving/meddling? Yes
9. If mother is dead/absent, does the mc have another mother-figure (grandmother, aunt, mom's friend, or an older friend)? No
10. Is the mc child-free? (Either no children or else grown children--i.e. no small children to look after) Yes