My rating: 2 of 5 stars. it was okay.

Book one in a new series.

This book is very much focused on introduction and building relationships among the main characters. 

There was A LOT going on in this book, and a lot more that I suspect will be followed up in additional books. The mystery the book centers on is a bit convoluted and complex and I felt as though all the relationship building was a bit distracting. It comes off more as a romance with mystery elements thrown in.

My biggest complaint though, is that there was too much unrealistic behavior going on for me to be able to completely suspend my disbelief and sink into the story. For instance, a brand new business owner who leaves her business almost entirely in the hands of her newly met and hired shopkeeper while she runs around solving a mystery. Most small businesses fail in the first year, as a result, most small business owners are pretty much shackled to their business, trying to keep expenses down. Even if the money came from an inheritance, it still seems far-fetched. Add in the chief of police having to arrest his own sister and not being ethically required to turn the investigation, at least officially, over to someone else and I just couldn't help but shake my head. 

Hopefully now that a lot of the relationship framework is established, book 2 can concentrate on the mystery.

Addie Greybourne has just come into some money, a small fortune in collector quality books and antiques by way of a great aunt she never realized she had. Being a researcher for the Boston Public Library's rare book section, a rare book store makes good business sense to her. Unfortunately, this does not go over well with everyone else in the small sleepy town of Greybourne Harbor. That's right same name, founding family  history and a few locals with issues. Needless to say very few people are jumping to Addie's rescue when her shop is broken into, or her house for that matter, oh and the near hit and run.... That is except for her new best friend Serena. Oh to have a friend like that, as if they had known each other forever! It also doesn't hurt that Serena's big brother is the Chief of Police, who has in fact taken a personal interest in Addie's case. Murder does not help this situation either when Mac's sister is questioned for the death of a local businessman who was helping to organize a "run her out of town" petition against Addie. A mysterious black sedan, seeing familiar yet unfamiliar faces, a missing book, and strange clues are what Addie must conquer if she is to save her friend, her shop, and herself.  Addie's character is beautifully constructed, very personable and smart. I also appreciate her pain over loss of family old and loss of would be family new. She is both bold and timid at the same time. I look forward to reading more of her and Serena's exploits.

Addie Greystone unexpectedly inherits a large home in a small New England town, from a great-aunt she doesn’t remember. She leaves her old life as a librarian in Boston after the tragic deaths of her father and fiancé. She opens a used book store filling the shelves with volumes from her great-aunt’s library and almost immediately becomes the target of persons unknown. She is nearly run off the road on opening day of her book store and her shop is vandalized. Tea shop owner, Serena, and her police-chief brother, Marc become Addie’s allies in figuring how who is behind this and why. A very enjoyable read with the added bonus of background information on the world of rare books.

Addie Greyborne is getting away from painful memories, that of her murdered fiance and her father's fatal car accident, when she moves to the small New England town founded by her ancestors in colonial times.

She now lives in Greyborne Manor, inherited from her great aunt. She also runs a bookstore that also includes knickknacks that attract her customers. But there's trouble in town, grumpy neighbors, a near hit and run, and a stolen copy of  Alice in Wonderland. Then, Addie's friend Serena, who owns a nearby tea shop, is arrested—for killing another local merchant, and it's up to Addie to find the truth about the murder.

I'm on the fence about this book. I loved meeting Addie, and the other characters, and the setting is charming. But the book is so busy that at times I shook my head and had to go back and reread parts to make sure I understood what had just happened. It would have been far better if some of the events had been trimmed and left for other books.

I will read the second book in the series, because I did like Addie that much. Hopefully it won't take me as long to read as this one did.

I read a digital copy of this book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Murder by the Book is a fun read,  We meet Addie Greyborne who becomes a bookstore owner in a small town where her family has a history.  Addie left Boston after her fiancé was murdered and immediately runs into trouble as she begins her new life.  She experiences break-ins at her store and her home, she has a busybody neighbor next to her bookstore who wants to run Addie out of town, there are suspicious cars parked everywhere she goes and then there is a murder. Luckily, Addie also meets Serena who quickly becomes her best friend. Serena's brother, Marc, happens to be the police chief who is stern and takes his job seriously but we see he also has a soft spot for Addie.  A budding romance begins between Marc and Addie which is fueled by Serena. Addie is still grieving though and events from her past begin to catch up with her.Things get worse when Serena is charged with murder and Marc and Addie join forces to find out what exactly is going on in their small town.  Its quite a cast of characters, secret rooms, valuable books, greedy people, mysteries and more murder.  

I enjoyed this book and look forward to the rest of the series,  Its quite entertaining.  I liked the characters and hope to see them develop more in the series.  Sometimes Addie bothered me a bit with her stubbornness but I thought she was a smart and likable character. I especially loved the store name and the writing was well done.

Thanks to NetGalley, Lauren Elliot and Kensington publishing company for the free electronic ARC of this book.

This is a nice beginning for the cozy series, Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery.  Abbie is reeling from the murder of her fiance and the death of her father in a car accident and retreats to her family's estate Greybourne Manor.  She decides to use her aunt's extensive library to start a rare bookshop, small town New England a perfect location.  When there are several attempts to kill her and break ins at her home and shop the chief of police and Abbie become close.  An eccentric cast of characters make this cozy extra special.  I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book held a lot of promise: cosy mystery set in a bookshop with some appealing-sounding characters. Unfortunately, that's as far as it got. I struggled my way through this first-in-a-new-series book, nearly giving up at one point (around the 30% mark).

Addie Greyborne is left an inheritance by a great-aunt that she's never met, in a town that she's never been to but which bears her name. Addie has lost her fiancé, her father and her great-aunt to accidents, all within a very short span of time, and this inheritance allows her to up stakes from Boston and move to the idyllic seaside town of Greyborne. Within a month of arriving, she has bought, renovated and opened a bookstore which sells rare and first-edition books and bric-a-brac (and offers 'pod' coffee for patrons - Keurig or the like, I imagine. Wasteful.) The idea for this came from the discovery of her great-aunts large library of old books, some of which turned out to be quite valuable.

This could have been a good book. Addie is a rare book expert, and had worked at the British Museum in London, and was the resident rare book expert at the Boston Public Library. This is a new and unique career for a cosy mystery MC and has so much potential. Unfortunately, it's not really explored or used to its full potential in this book.

Despite having been in Greyborne for a few weeks, Addie knows no one, but on her first day of business is more or less insta-BFFs with the tea shop owner, Serena, on one side, and has a sworn enemy in Martha, the baker on the other side. It is never really clear why Martha takes an instant dislike to her, and the thread of petitions and visits by angry business owners to have her shop closed simply tapers off and is never resolved.

The story is good. The characters not so much. There is a lot of crossing of arms, tapping of toes, rushing, dashing, racing, screeching of tires, brushing of hair off faces, tapping of fingers on noses and winking. So. Much. Winking. (Please, it's creepy. Don't do the winking). Addie randomly hires someone who just happens to be Martha's daughter, creating even more tension between them, although apart from plenty of glares, there isn't much interaction between the two of them anyway. Addie is absent from her business a lot, pursuing clues for an investigation she essentially batted her eyelashes to get into. This leaves the new girl, conveniently able to quickly soak up all aspects of running the business, pretty much entirely on her own most days.

The chief of police, Marc, is Serena's brother and there is some very questionable police procedures. Marc arrests his own sister and does not recuse himself from the investigation, despite it centring on Serena. He allows Addie to go to crime scenes with him, remove evidence after promising to return it, discusses the case with her, and is so keen to show off to her that he even mixes up his degrees of murder.

This could have been a good story. The ideas are there, the mystery is actually quite good, but it was just poorly executed (oh, see what I did there?). A couple more serious edits would have been extremely helpful. I didn't hate it, but I won't be in a hurry to read the second book in the series either. It was overall disappointing.

Murder by the Book by Lauren Elliott is the first book in the Behind The Page Bookstore Mystery series. This was a romantic cozy. I won't get into the actual storyline because I want to avoid any potential spoilers. This book had quite a lot going on which is a good and bad thing. I wish that it focused a little more on the mystery/murder elements but on the other hand, it was a good start to a series. Hopefully all of the relationship building was a way to set up future plots. Overall, I liked this book and will be sure to check out more from Lauren Elliott in the future. 3.5 stars.

Murder by the Book wasn't a bad first start for a cozy mystery. However, the plot seemed almost rushed, especially towards the beginning of the book. I still would read the second one, though,

The first book in a series and it literally sucked me in from beginning to end!! I can't believe how well-developed everything was and how realistic the characters were. The way the events that led to Addie's moving were intertwined in the story were unexpected and fabulous. There were no draggy bits while you caught back up with something or were prepared for something else; this was so seamlessly integrated that you were along for the ride and never got kicked out of the story over the little things. I think I still have a bit of a book hangover from this and I'm well into another story. I cannot wait to stalk the very next book in this series. Grab this as soon as you can and be prepared to enjoy a lovely adventure. 

Thank you to Kensington Books, Lauren Elliott, and NetGalley for allowing met the chance to read this story and share my honest thoughts and opinions with others.

How would you feel if you inherited a house from a relative you barely knew, left everything familiar, took a risk on starting a new business, and then found out 90% of the town didn’t want you there? In fact, you just about get run over by a car the first day you open! That’s how poor Addie Greyborne starts out. Oh, and her house AND business get broken into! She wonders if it has anything to do with her fiance’s murder or her father’s death. Then again, someone could be after a rare book from her bookstore. It’s more questions than answers for Addie, and she feels alone in this new town where no one seems welcoming.

Thankfully, she meets Serena, and the two become fast friends. Addie feels like she has someone she can confide in, but then Serena is arrested for murder. Though they’ve only known each other for a short time, Addie is sure Serena couldn’t be guilty. Coincidentally, the chief of police is Serena’s brother Marc, who, of course, doesn’t think his sister is guilty either. And, of course, he becomes Addie’s love interest. I wasn’t crazy about this fact. I think it was too rushed. Sure they could be attracted to each other, but I think solid friendship among Serena, Addie, Marc and Paige (whom you’ll meet in a minute) would have been more believable than a romance right away.

Paige is the daughter of that grumpy bakery owner (from the description). She comes to Addie looking for work when Addie decides she needs to hire someone because she’s not at her shop enough to keep normal hours. Serena thinks Paige is in cahoots with her grumpy mother, but in reality, she doesn’t get along with her mother at all. I’m looking forward to more of Paige in the books.

Marc and Addie end up solving the murder and break-in mysteries together. They also discover that, indeed, Addie’s father’s death wasn’t an accident. There is intrigue in the book, and it did keep me guessing. The characters were definitely well developed, but I’m hoping the further books bring a bit more world building. Greyborne Harbor seems like a great place to live, and I want to hear all about it.

All in all, Murder by the Book is a good start to this new cozy mystery series.

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught.

Murder by the Book by Lauren Elliott is the first book in the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery series.  This was a nice start to a new series.  Addie has suffered several losses and moves into the home she inherited from her aunt.  She opens a book store which relates to her previous job of working with rare books.  The mystery was not particularly strong.  Addie is not the best cozy mystery heroine, but I do see potential for growth in future books.  I also hope to see the addition of more friendly supporting characters as the series progresses.

Princess Fuzzypants here:  I read and review a lot of cozies.  I meet characters I like and some I like a whole lot.  Addie is one of them.  She is smart and knowledgable and brave without being silly.  She is going to need all of this and more when she opens her rare bookshop after inheriting the estate of an aunt she cannot remember.  She needs a new start after the murder of her fiancé and the tragic death of her father.  It seems however, bad luck or something far more evil is dogging her steps.
Within days of opening, there are break ins at both her store and her home and there is a posse of local merchants who are determined to drive her out of town.  Perhaps it is because she unknowingly rankles some just by being the last member of the most influential family in town.  It may be that some are alarmed by the uptick in crime that has erupted since her arrival.  Or, it could be something far more sinister.
Thankfully, she is befriended by the shopkeeper next door.  Serena, and her brother, the local police chief, are there to help her through the various crimes perpetrated against her.  There are a few others in town who seem to want to help her but it is all so confusing.  She does not know whom to trust.  And even when she thinks she knows, she is in for a rude awakening.
It was a really interesting and different story with lots of twists and turns and suspense.  Even though there was not a kitty in sight, I am looking forward to catching up with Addie again next time.
Five purrs and two paws up.

I was glad that I received this book. It was a fun, quick and easy read. I enjoyed it very much. It’s a strong first entry for this series and I look forward to more!

I always enjoy the first books in new murder series and usually cannot wait for more. This book was no different. I enjoyed Addie and the town! Love that she  is involved with books, those are my favorite. The writing was good as was the story line. I am excited to see what comes next. 
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

I love finding new cozy mystery series. This was a really promising start to a new series with interesting characters and a terrific setting. My only issue (and it was a minor one) was the pacing. It was just a bit uneven. That said, I really enjoyed the mystery, and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series.

This was a fairly complex mystery that took place in one of my favorite places, a bookstore! There was even some international intrigue, possible arts/books/antiquities smuggling and everyone seemed to have secrets in Greyborne Harbor where Addie had just opened her used bookstore, Beyond the Page. It was nice that she was able to make a good friend right away that she could count on, because some of the town merchants didn't seem to trust her and thought she'd brought crime in from Boston when she came to town. 

A couple of murders later, one of which is first blamed on Addie's new friend Serena, who happens to be the younger sister of handsome detective Marc Chandler, and Addie is filling out a murder board with suspects. Marc seemed incredibly patient with her compared to some detectives in stories I've read, but that added to the special cozy factor that he really liked her. I think that now she's gotten closure on her fiance's murder, maybe she'll feel she can move on, since by the end of the book, she and Marc were in a little bit better place as friends. 

I'd had an idea of who did it, but honestly didn't know why, it was just a random thought that turned out to be right. In some places there was quite a bit more description or chatty dialogue than I'm used to, but it didn't really detract from the mystery and it compelled me to keep reading. I'm definitely interested in reading the next book--there was a little blurb at the end of this one that made it sound really enticing!

Addie has moved to a little New England town to open a bookstore after her aunt's death. The best present of all is the numerous first editions her aunt owned. Unfortunately, not everyone in town is appreciative of a Greybourne continuing the Greybourne legacy. One woman, in particular, the bakery owner next door, is trying to run Addie out of town. As Addie tries to figure out why the woman does not like her strange things start happening to Addie. A car tries to run her down, her new friend is arrested for murder, and "friends" from her past start acting strangely. Will Addie be able to prove her new friend is not a murderer before Addie is run out of town?

I cannot decide if I like the book or not. The mystery was very interesting but it felt very drawn out. I think because the author tried to give so much background into Addie and surrounding characters that eventually things started to get a bit muddled. Reflecting on what I have read now there are items I can't remember and I know they are important.

I enjoyed learning about the world of rare first editions and the high theft of rare first editions. I guess I never really thought about books being a high ticket item for thieves. Early editions of the Bible yes but Alice in Wonderland, nope.

Will I read the second book? The jury is still out. I will reevaluate when it publishes.

Please do not take my opinions as a reason NOT to read this book. Just use my opinion as a caution. Please read the book and make up your own opinion.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Kensington through NetGalley. Any and all opinions in the above review are entirely my own.

This cozy mystery is fast paced and the writing is clunky. I read half the book and then skipped to the last chapter to find out how it ends. I feel like I didn’t miss much in the chapters I didn’t read.