Trouble on the Books is the first book in the Castle Bookshop Mystery series by Essie Lang. It is currently scheduled for release on March 13 2019.

Shelby Cox never intended to become a bookseller, so when the former editor returns to her hometown of Alexandria Bay, nestled in upstate New York’s breathtaking Thousand Islands region, to take over her aunt’s bookstore, she has no idea what to expect. To her amazement, she discovers that she now owns a fifty-percent share in Bayside Books, and will also run the store’s second location in the majestic castle on nearby Blye Island. But just as Shelby is gearing up for the start of the tourist season, the Castle volunteer coordinator is found murdered in the nearby Grotto. Castle caretaker Matthew Kessler is suspect number one, but Shelby thinks the killing may be connected to an earlier era, when violence among Prohibition-era smugglers was rampant in the region. As Shelby launches her own investigation, handsome and unnerving Special Agent Zack Griffin of the Coast Guard Investigative Services tries to quell her smuggling theory and keep her safe. But Shelby is determined to summon all her savvy as a book editor to plot the murder—and find the killer before they strikes again.

Trouble on the Books is an entertaining read, with a god deal od setting and character development. Shelby and her relationships and background were slowly introduced, but there were moments that had me checking back to see if I missed something. I did like that there were hints that there is a great deal more about Shelby to learn as the series continues. I think the mystery itself and the sleuthing were well done with some good twists and turns as well as a better introduction to characters that are almost certainly going to be important later. As the first book in the series there is a great deal of ground work that needs to be laid in order for the small town community members and their relationships to be introduced. I think that this was generally handled very well, setting up some important groundwork that will make later books work very well. I had two things about the book that just did not work, and one of them might be because I am in a bit of a reading slump. I just could not connect to Shelby as a character at all. I did feel like I was getting to know her, but not that I was in her head or that I cared much for her well being. This could totally be because of my headspace rather than the book, but it colored my read and reaction to the story as a whole- so I need to mention it. The second thing that bothered me was the need to introduce one (or more) love interests for our sleuth. Romance is not the end all and be all to ever single lady's life (so says the married romance reader). Maybe let Shelby figure out where she is living and what she wants in the near future, never mind survive the day, before giving her a few guys to try out?

Trouble on the Books is a good read, with a solid mystery. Personally I had some character issues, but I think future installments will be even better than the first.

Shelby Cox returns to the small town of Alexandria Bay, located in NY's Thousand Islands region, to help run a small bookstore located in a majestic castle on Blye Island while her aunt Edie recovers from knee surgery. Then Shelby finds nosy Castle volunteer coordinator Loreena drowned in the nearby grotto. Castle caretaker Matthew Kessler is the prime suspect of the biased police chief Tekla Stone. Edie asks for Shelby's help to clear her friend Matthew so she decides to snoop around and ask questions. Prohibition era smugglers were once common and maybe some modern day smugglers are in action? Coast Guard Investigative Services special agent Zack Griffin tries to dissuade her from her sleuthing while showing a romantic interest. A sub plot involving Shelby's late mother is also important.

This was a good debut mystery. The pacing of the story was a bit slow. Some of the dining choices were weird:
why order spaghetti carbonara at a Greek restaurant? Hopefully the unique castle/island locale will play a more prominent role in future books.

I received a digital ARC via Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

It started a bit slow, but after I got to know Shelby Cox, it felt like another cozy murder mystery. Those are my favorite types of books. This one in particular because I own a bookstore and there are days, boy, do I want to give it up and move back home to DC. Where my life would be calm (most people would say no way with the political fighting, murder rate, overpriced housing, over priced restaurants, stores, which I understand completely). So in essence, this is the type of book I enjoy because it has a good story with good characters, funny and a woman who is out of her element, just like I was and at times, still is.. Hey, a story with a bit of Prohibition-era smugglers, remind me of the Untouchables with Kevin Costner, Sean Connery (so sexy) and my all, all time favorite actor Robert De Niro), just a bit of history, but it does relate to the murder. Hey, I dream a lot when I'm reading books and decide who going to play who. I think I should play Shelby Cox, even though she is white and I'm black, it will fit. lol

A nice start to a new series in a terrific setting! Shelby is back in Alexandria Bay and working in her aunt's (and now partly her) bookstore. She clashes (not severely but they argue) with Lorena, the volunteer coordinator at the Castle on Blye Island and then- well- you know what happens next! Shelby is not a suspect but Matthew, the caretaker is. Of course Shelby is going to investigate and in Alexandria Bay, this means dealing with a variety of law enforcement. The most interesting officer is Special Agent Zak of the Coast Guard Investigative Service. These two have a nice chemistry and, as Shelby solves the murder, move closer together. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. Looking forward to the next one.

Not a bad first entry in a new cozy mystery series. I enjoyed Essie Lang’s “Trouble on the Books,” and look forward to there hopefully being more books to continue on the series.

The first book in the series follows Shelby Cox as she returns to her hometown, only to discover her aunt has left her half of her interests in her bookstores. Never having run a store, Shelby is scrambling to get ready when a murder is committed. This has a good premise, but was a little slow trying to get into. Aside from the main storyline, there's a secondary mystery that will be running throughout the series, which is different and very interesting. I liked it enough that I would recommend this book, and check out the next.

Trouble On The Books is the first book in the A Castle Bookshop Mystery series.

Shelby Cox has returned to her hometown of Alexandria Bay taking a break from her job as an editor at a small book publisher. She has returned to help her Aunt Rudy, who is recovering from knee surgery, run her bookstores. Shelby will be running the new bookstore in Blye Castle on Blye Island. As Shelby is putting the final touches on the book displays, she has a disagreement with Loreena Swan, curator of exhibits and heritage at Blye Castle. Shelby was upset that Loreena was trying to tell her how the bookstore should be run. Later in the day, Shelby decided to take a walk on the island before catching the shuttle to the mainland. As she was nearing a cove she thought she saw Matthew Kessler, caretaker at the castle, leaving the vicinity of the cove. Deciding to take a closer look at the cove, just as she enters she finds the dead body of Miss Swan. Her first thought is could Kessler have killed her. For the most part, he was a quiet man, but had been extremely helpful to her and was a good friend of her aunt. Shelby later learns that he was at one time an author of true-crime books and had been thought to have killed his wife, but charges were never brought. Shelby, having heard the owner of the castle was reportedly involved with smuggling during the prohibition era, feels that smuggling might once again be going on and Miss Swan might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. This feeling is somewhat reinforced when Zack Griffin, a Special Agent with the Coast Guard Investigative Services. The chief of Alexandria Bay and her family have had issues in the past and isn’t sure that she will be too forthcoming in her investigation, so Shelby decides to do her own sleuthing, hoping that she might get some help from Griffin.

Shelby has a second mystery to search out and that is why her mother had abandoned her when she was a child, leaving her father and aunt to raise. Her father and aunt are reluctant to explain why her mother left. The only thing he aunt was willing to share is that before her mother left she signed over to Shelby her half of the bookstore to her.

The book is well-written, plotted and very interesting. The author created a book that read at an easy pace. I found the characters very interesting and believable.

I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to more books in this nice series

This is a perfectly charmingly written cosy mystery, but to be honest it just didn’t really grab my attention at any point. The pace is a bit slow, the character didn’t gel with me, and the mystery just sort of unravels at the last moment.

Shelby Cox has returned to the town of her birth to help her aunt run a bookstore. It’s located in a castle, on an island, in upstate New York – how romantic, right? (actually, I liked the idea, but it doesn’t wholly go anywhere). But when a meddling Heritage Council member is found dead on the island, Shelby’s questions might land her in hot water…

There’s a side-plot, too, which I imagine will span the rest of the series, of Shelby trying to uncover information about her mother. She left Alexandria Bay aged 3 to be raised by her single father, but no one seems willing to tell her much. I was intrigued, but probably not enough to press on with the series.

This is the first in a new series and looks to be an interesting series. I enjoyed the mystery, the characters and the setting. I think working in a bookstore in a castle on an island would hit all of the high spots. I look forward to the developing relationship between the main character, Shelby, and her aunt. As well as the one between Shelby and Special Agent Zack Griffin.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. I look forward to more in this series.

Shelby Cox takes over the management of a second location of her aunt's bookstore in a castle of all things!
She has quit her job to help her aunt with the bookstore. Of course she has a run-in with a nasty character who then turns up dead. Then begins a search of who had the most reasons to want this nasty woman dead. Overall this is a good attempt for a first book. The setting is interesting- a castle in upstate New York. I had a hard time really connecting with the book. There are many passages in which nothing happens, we just have unnecessary musings of the main character. Since it is written in third person this is a bit awkward. There actually isn't that much that happens in the book, it lost my attention several times. Characters were thrown in and several times I couldn't remember who they were or if we had seen them before. I won't spoil the ending but the twist would legally be difficult to be true. I appreciate what the author tried to do, but I would have liked more action in the book and less repeating what has happened.

This is the definitive cozy mystery and a perfect start to a promising new series. Trouble On The Books is the first book in the series. Congratulations to the author on a such a outstanding debut ! This has become one of my favorite new series of 2019 of cozy mysteries.
Thank you for the ARC for review with gratitude. My happy opinion of this fine book are all my own

Shelby Cox is our protagonist. She has come to charming Alexandria Bay New York to help her Aunt Edie recover from surgery. Aunt Edie owns a bookstore, Bayside Books on Alexandria Bay and a second store
located in the Castle on the Thousand Islands area of Upstate New York. These locations are so perfectly defined by the author I felt as if I was visiting. I can't think of a better setting for two bookstores. Shelby is now part owner of the stores but is new to both stores and learning from her Aunt. .

A difficult Loreena Swan is of very vocal unpopular opinions. She is in charge of the volunteers and the exhibits, and is quite critical of Shelby. Soon after they have their disagreements Shelby finds the body of Loreena. When she finds out the friendly caretaker of the island is suspect number one she begins to research possible suspects to clear his name. In the meantime she adopts a stray cat and moves into a adorable rental houseboat that is delightful. It seems Shelby is making the area her home and plans to stay long term will be reveled in the next book I hope.

The sleuth was very well crafted and had many twist and turns. Shelby has proven to be a adept investigator and is learning how to fun the two bookstores. .The location is divine and I enjoyed the rich descriptions of both the island and the castle bookstore. The author did a perfect debut presentation to her readers of the likable relatable charcters, the location and the sleuth. I look forward to the next in series.

An interesting location helps propel this book into delightful cozy category. The main characters were people I would like to get to know even better. I look forward to reading the next one.

Shelby has come home to help her aunt after knee surgery. She's helping run the existing bookstore and getting a new one at the castle set up. She's beginning to enjoy it but knows she has a lot more to learn. When the lady who runs the rest of the castle operations comes in and tells her she needs to change her stock, she finds out what a witch she is. What's worse is that she finds her dead in the grotto later that day...

Crooked Lane Books and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published March 13th.

Shelby screams, the grounds maintenance man comes to her rescue, and soon the area is filled with emergency units. It is who she thought it was and she's certainly dead. Unfortunately, the local police chief already has a suspect. It's the maintenance man. His first wife died and he'd been scrutinized then but was not prosecuted. The chief intends to prove it he did it this time. But did he?

Shelby finds almost everybody in town didn't like her. But picking out a suspect is hard. The more questions she asks, the more she worries the killer. She has three police forces involved and they keep telling her to keep her nose out of it. Even her aunt is getting worried about her. But she knows she's close. The problem is she is too close...

An enjoyable start to a series! This cozy introduces the reader to a wide selection of characters and relationships. Having 2 locations makes more story development possible. I’m really excited to continue reading about this beautiful area and these people.

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I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.

Shelby Cox takes a leave of absence to help her Aunt Edie open a second location for Bayside Books when she undergoes knee replacement surgery. And it turns out that Shelby is part owner in the bookstores.

Bayside Books is in Alexandria Bay and the second location is a small shop in Blye Castle on Blye Island. Loreena Swan, curator of exhibits and attractions at the castle, manages to irritate Shelby, as she readies the shop for opening, with criticism about the titles she offers.

Unfortunately, this puts Shelby in a tight spot when Loreena is found murdered in the grotto on castle grounds by Shelby.

The first in Essie Lang’s Castle Bookshop Mystery series, the story is a good beginning and introduces an interesting group of characters.

I received this copy of Trouble on the Books from Netgalley and the publisher.

This was a very cool mystery. Shelby works at a bookstore in a castle. The only real beef I have with this book is that there's not a whole lot about the castle.
More castle, please!

So a not very nice person is killed and poor Shelby discovers the body.

The characters are great. I really enjoyed Edie.
There's also a really intriguing b plot involving Shelby's mom.

This is a small town cozy. Shelby has just moved back to Alexandria Bay, where she was born. She is helping her Aunt Edie recover from knee surgery and discovers she is part owner with her Aunt in Bayside Books. They have opened up a new location in the castle on Bly Island. The opening day is over and Shelby walks to the grotto before heading home. While there she discovers the body of a prominent member of the community.

This is a fun escapist read. I like the characters and there appears to be little mystery on the side regarding Shelby's deceased mother. Also there is a possible love interest. The writing is easy-to-read and the story is great entertainment.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Gearing up for the tourist season in the beautiful Thousand Islands area of New York, Shelby Cox is delighted to be working in the Blye Island castle book store her aunt owns. When bossy Loreena Shaw is found dead in the island's grotto, Shelby wonders if there is a connection to the legendary smuggling in the area. Meeting Coast Guard Special Investigator Zack Griffin confirms her suspicions and she decides to solve the case.

First book in a new series. I hope there are more. Charming characters in a gorgeous setting.

This is the 1st book in the new series, A Castle Bookshop Mystery by Essie Lang. who also writes as Linda Wiken. This was an enjoyable, relaxing cozy mystery. And the best part is that it takes place in the beautiful Thousand Islands in Northern New York where I grew up! Shelby moves back to Alexandria Bay to help her Aunt Edie with their 2 bookstores they co-own. The store Shelby manages is at Blye Castle. An unpopular lady who manages Blye Island is found dead. Shelby finds her so she begins to ask questions and meet the locals. I was kept guessing until the end. This mystery was not graphic or intense. I felt like I was meeting the locals along with Shelby I'm looking forward to the next book! I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

Trouble on the Books by Essie Lang is the 1st book in the Castle Bookshop Mystery and my first book by this author. Shelby Cox agrees to come to Alexandria Bay, New York and help her aunt Edie run their bookstore and open Castle bookstore on Blye Island, while Edie recovers from knee replacement surgery. Shelby takes a leave of absence from her job as book editor in Boston. Shelby is busy getting ready to open Castle bookstore, when she gets into a verbal argument with the volunteer coordinator  of the castle. Later that day while going for a walk she finds the coordinator's body, and Shelby is determined to find the truth. I really enjoyed this book and looking forward to book two. If you like cozy mysteries, bookstores and mysterious island, you will enjoy this book.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.