Death on the page is the 2nd book in the Castle Bookshop Mystery series in which we head back to Blye Island and Blye Castle in the beautiful Thousand Islands of upstate New York. Edie and her niece Shelby, co-owners of Bayside Books, are prepared for a special book signing by best-selling true crime author, Savannah Page. It seems that Shelby is involving herself in the investigation of the murder of Savannah, who died in the secret passage of the castle where she was staying the night to see if the ghost of Joe Cabana showed himself for her new true crime book.

I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next one. The characters are well developed and the book kept me guessing until the end! I want to thank NetGalley for the copy of this book.

The characters is the book have fun quirky personalities and have developed nicely from book one. The mystery moves at a smooth steady pace with several twists and turns. There are not many suspects but enough to keep you guessing.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way have I been influenced by anyone..

Murder with a bookstore setting amid the lovely Thousand Islands. What could be more perfect? Shelby is once again in the middle of murder and mayhem. Of course she is warned off but when has that stopped her? Fans of Eva Gates will love this!

This book was just ok. I had trouble connecting with the main character. But try it for yourself if it calls to you! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily chose to review.

Death on the Page is a well written cozy mystery. Great plot and character dynamics. I received an ebook from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

I thought the mystery was really good in this book. So many suspects it kept me guessing. The main character is very likeable and the supporting 'characters' are great too. I like the castle setting - something new for cozy mysteries. I look forward to the next in the series.

Unfortunately I was unable to get in to this story and had to put it down, however, I'm sure it is a highly loved book and appreciated by the right readers.

A lovely cozy mystery, a little slower paced but i loved the eccentric secondary characters! Set in Alexandria Bay and Blye Island in the castle bookshop. The setting of this story is easy to warm into your hearts and dreaming of a vacation.

So on the plus side, this totally cured my insomnia. It was just so overly focused on boring details. I didn't really connect with any of the characters and didn't feel like I really got to know them any better in this book than the first. I read both the first book and this second one since I know it can be hard to start a new cozy series but this just didn't get any better. Shelby is just a regular person like a nobody extra in a film and then everyone else is just kind of mean. There's no community feeling or cameraderie among any of them. It's definitely not a book I will be reading number 3 of.

I love the Thousand Island setting of this series and a book store located in Blye Castle. In this second book in the series it is the end of tourist season and things are winding down at the book store location in the castle and Shelby is thinking about how things will change for her when the store and her rented houseboat will both be shuttered for the winter. The book store is hosting a signing by a famous true crime author, Savannah Page, and she will be doing signings at both locations. These are great events for the book store with one exception, a woman shows up and accuses Savannah of stealing her idea and research for a book. After this is where things do not go as planned for Savannah. Shelby starts investigating, but I wish that she had done more sleuthing at the castle, especially looking at the secret passage ways and getting more history of the castle. I did enjoy this book and look forward to more books in this series. Although this is the second book in the series, it could be read as a stand-alone.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Shelby Cox of the Castle Bookshop, hosts a book signing for true crime writer Savannah Page. The Castle Book shop is over flowing for the signing. Savannah has asked to stay overnight in the castle. She was interested in writing a book about the Castle's "ghost" who was reportedly killed during his smuggling activities in the 30's. The following morning she is found dead at the bottom of the steps to the hidden tunnels. What happened? Did she fall or was she pushed? Was her death related to her research into the past?

The mystery was okay, could have been better utilizing the castle and secret passages. Characters needed more development, hopefully next time.

Death on the Page is the second book in the Castle Bookshop mystery series. I really enjoyed this book. I think it is even better than the first in the series. I liked seeing how the main character had grown just in the short time since the events of the first book. All of the supporting characters, including her aunt Edie, add so much depth to the story and continue to be very likeable characters. There is no shortage of suspects for the murder in the book, so it was a total surprise when the killer was revealed. The book is so well-written that it was difficult for me to put it down so I could sleep. I hope there are many more books to come in this series. I know I'll be impatiently waiting on the third book to come out. I can't wait to see what happens next for Shelby.

Note: I voluntarily read a free copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are mine alone.

“Death on the Page” the 2nd instalment in the “A Castle Bookshop Mystery” series by Essie Lang.

I love the setting of Alexandria Bay, nestled in upstate New York’s breathtaking Thousand Islands region. I liked the idea of two bookstores and having a book signing, then overnight stay in the castle. But there were several side plots that distracted me from the murder without adding a interest to the story. I am hoping the characters will be developed more as the series progresses.

I enjoyed this one more than the first book in the series, and I look forward to the next instalment to see where it goes.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book through Netgalley/Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest opinion.

This is the Second book in the Castle Bookshop Mystery series, and it was a cozy mystery. There wasn’t anything special about it, but it was terrible. The word I keep coming back to is meh. If you like a cozy mystery, this is fine. But if you’re picky, I’d pass.
Thanks to @netgalley for an ARC of this! I ended up listening to this on audiobook.

This second Castle Bookshop mystery set on the Thousand Islands by Essie Lang is a good read for a rainy day. An author does a reading at the bookshop and is found dead in the secret passageways of the Castle. Whodunit? the boyfriend? the author who claimed her plot ideas were stolen? whoever stole maps of the castle? Lots of red herrings and missing items. Enjoy.

Good Story but Side Plots Detract

Book stores and castles? Bookstore *in* a castle? You had me at hello! I absolutely love the settings in this book; they almost seem like characters unto themselves. While our heroine has a little maturing she needs to do, I thought the characterization of the secondary players (like the boyfriend and aunt) in this book was well done and in depth, adding to the story. This is a murder mystery, and the author did provide red herrings and blind alleys, though I thought some side stories slowed down the pace of the book without adding much interest, enough to detract from my enjoyment of the book. But I do love cozy mysteries set in bookshops, so I will most likely check out the next book of the series.

Death on the Page by Essie Land is the second book in the Castle Bookshop Mystery series. Shelby is co-owner of a bookstore that has a second location in a castle. When the author from her recent book signing decides to stay overnight at the castle to research a book, it does not end well for the author. Her body is discovered the following morning at the bottom of a staircase. Shelby finds herself investigating the murder. The book was good particularly the setting. There were several side plots that drew attention away from the murder without adding a great deal to the story. Perhaps the characters and story will tighten up as the series progresses. It was interesting enough to make me want to read book three.

Princess Fuzzypants here: How could I not like any book with a Maine Coon kitty, named JT, of questionable heritage, who has adopted the heroine of the series. Shelby, as well as being a lady of impeccable taste, is an interesting character. She and her aunt are co-owners of two bookshops in The Thousand Islands, including one in a castle on an island. They hold a book signing for a famous author and are shocked when she turns up dead after spending a night alone in the castle.
Shelby really liked Savannah when they met so she feels emotionally involved in trying to find out what happened, despite the warnings of the chief of police and her boyfriend, who happens to be with The Coast Guard. Even though the police officer continually tells Shelby to butt out, she does have a habit of asking her opinion and sharing information. It seems Shelby picks up bits of information unknown to the police. Unfortunately, she doesn’t put them all together before she is put in mortal danger by the villain. This is one I did call fairly early on so it was no surprise when the killer turned out to be that person. But there still were a couple of possibilities right up to the end.
It was a pleasant way to spend some time with characters I liked and a story that kept me engrossed. Four purrs and two paws up.

Death on the Page by Essie Lang is an atmospheric, isolated, cozy mystery featuring the return of Shelby Cox, co-owner of Bayside Books as she gets sucked into sleuthing another murder. Savannah Page has just finished two successful books signings and has begun researching Prohibition-era mobster Joe Cabana. Looking into a death proves too much for Savannah when she is found deceased herself at the bottom of the stairs. While the suspect pool may appear limited, everyone seems to have a motive. Will Essie be able to uncover who killed Savannah before time runs out? (Spoiler alert, she will. It’s a cozy mystery, y’all.)

Overall, I really enjoyed Death on the Page. The characters were well developed and intriguing and the story contained the perfect amount of mystery. While this is my first Essie Lang novel, I can confidently say that I will be returning to Alexandria Bay as soon as possible!

This is a solid second installment in the Castle Bookshop series, this one, involving the murder of an author. Naturally, sleuth Shelby Cox, bookstore owner, is involved in solving the crime.

The outstanding characters set this series apart, from boyfriend Zack, the Coast Guard investigator, to Shelby's Aunt Edie and Shelby's friend and coffee shop owner, Erica.

I'm enjoying this series and looking forward to more from this author.