The focus of Essie Lang's Castle Bookshop Mystery series is a castle built by a smuggler years ago. Lang utilizes the standard cozy mystery elements of a book store, a female protagonist, a male investigator, and the wacky best friend. However, her twists on the common trope make for an entertaining adventure. Death on the Page is the second book in this series. As a cozy mystery veteran, I enjoyed the suspense that she maintained until the end of the book and the twists that occurred throughout. The underlying romance is sustained at a slow level to allow for it to survive several books in the future.

The life of a bookseller shouldn't have this much murder but for Shelby Cox this seems to be something that "just" happens to her. This second cozy mystery by Essie Lang and provides a fast read for readers who want a mystery that isn't too intense but still satisfies. The characters are interesting and the plot line is easy to follow.

I’m sure there are many who will love this book, but I kept getting it confused with a very similar book. An OK read, but i found it just so-so.

This is the 2nd book in the wonderful Castle Bookshop cozy mysteries by Essie Lang and is even more enjoyable! This series has everything I love about cozy mysteries - likable characters, an intriguing cozy mystery, friendship, family, and a little romance. It is all clean and pleasant. Shelby and her Aunt Edie own 2 bookstores in the beautiful 1000 Islands in Northern New York. Edie runs the one in Alexandria Bay and Shelby runs the one at Blye Castle. A famous author visits and does book signings at both stores. She wants to stay overnight at the castle to do research for a book she is writing. A terrible accident happens and Shelby needs to figure out what happened. Very enjoyable!

One of the motives in Death on the Page is something that I’ve seen play out more than once in the real world – an established author (in this case Savannah Page) is accused to stealing a book idea from an unknown author after they met briefly in real life and chatted about books.

There are so many ways that this could happen. It could be completely unintentional – a chance conversation, a tweet you saw, a photo on social media – all these things could sit somewhere in your subconscious and one day manifest into an idea that you don’t even realise was someone else’s. In Savannah’s case, it’s a little harder to believe Savannah was innocent. Apparently, Savannah and Jenna (the unknown author) met at a book conference where Jenna told Savannah about an idea for a book she wanted to write. Skip ahead to a few months later and Savannah has announced her next book – which is exactly the same as Jenna’s. And yes, Jenna is definitely mad about it.

The main character, Shelby Cox is a fun character to base a cosy mystery series around. She recently moved to Alexandria Bay to help her Aunt Edie out after Edie had knee replacement surgery, but decided to stay and help with the bookstore (which she co-owns thanks to her mother). Shelby lives on a houseboat with a Maine Coon cat named JT and enjoyed her new life so much she decided to stay permanently.

There’s a lot of mystery around Shelby herself. Shelby moved to Boston with her dad when she was three after her mother had died. Or so she was told. Shelby recently learned the truth – her mom had run off and left Shelby and Shelby’s father. There are hints that Shelby will learn more about her mother so that might be something that will play out over the next several books of the series.

As with most cosy mysteries, there’s a colourful cast of townsfolk, including Shelby’s best friend, Erica Bryant, who owns Chocomania, a coffee and gourmet chocolate shop, and Taylor Fortune, one of the bookshop staff.

I haven’t had a chance to read the first book in the series yet, so I’m not sure what happened in terms of romance, but Shelby is now dating Coast Guard agent Zack Griffin. I liked that it was obvious from the start that he was her guy – no love triangles, no ex-boyfriends, no tension. While he’s not exactly supportive of her detecting ways, he does his best to support her and help her when he can.

I’ve definitely enjoyed these characters enough to go back and read Book one and add it to my watch list for future books in the series. At the very least, I want to know more about Shelby’s mom and see where Shelby ends up living during the winter months (because the house boat is out of commission).

* Thank you to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books, in return for an honest review. This is the second in the Castle Bookshop Mysteries and easily read as a stand-alone. Set in upper New York state, Shelby Cox and her aunt Edie, co-own a mainland bookshop and one located in the Blye Island castle. With fall almost done, the castle will soon close for winter. A big boost to their end of season is the arrival of famous mystery writer, Savannah Page. She’s agreed to do readings and book signings at both locations, in return for spending a night at the castle as research into a historical murder. The first reading results in a local woman accusing Savannah of stealing her plot line and story, leaving Shelby worried that this visit won’t be as easy as they’d hoped. After escorting Savannah to the castle and leaving her alone, except for a butler and the island caretaker, Shelby returns the next day to find that Savannah fell down a hidden passage and died. Shelby is determined to find the killer, ensuring the local police chief doesn’t arrest the wrong person. This is a good cosy, easy to read and perfect for this time of year.

When a famous true crime author visits Bayside Books co-owner Shelby Cox can see only increased footfall and sales in her future. When the author is found murdered however, everything changes and she finds herself drawn into another investigation much to the dismay of her family and friends.

This was a very entertaining read, I enjoyed the location and the characterisation but found the whodunnit part a little bit disappointing. I'm not sure exactly why other than it was a touch anticlimactic compared to the rest of the story. I will definitely read future books however, as I want to follow the story arcs for Shelby, her aunt, and even the disgruntled police chief who I really like as she definitely doesn't encourage Shelby but nevertheless seems to need her input!

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a cosy crime with an original main protagonist and an appealing small town location.

Death on the Page is the second book in the Castle Bookshop Mystery Series by Essie Lang and takes place in Alexandria Bay, NY. I had trouble relating to this book and thought that I would never finish it. The sentence flow is awkward and I found myself having to read back over them. There are lots of characters but none well developed so it's hard to keep track of all of them and who they are. I found myself not caring who the murderer was because I didn't like any of the characters anyway. Along with multiple characters there are multiple story lines and red herrings that go down rabbit holes. Shelby, our main character, comes across as very nosy without a vested interest in why she should be snooping. In addition to the murder there are the story lines of the stolen maps revealing secret passageways and the possible people who could have done taken them, the search for information about Shelby's mother, the man that Shelby's aunt Edie dates and his wife's murder, Shelby's friend, Erica and her relationship with Bryce who is a possible suspect, Shelby's pregnant co-worker with mother-n-law troubles, Shelby's boyfriend but we don't know how serious they are, the butler at the castle who also works at the shelter, and other writers who think the murder victim may have stolen their idea. It's a lot going on but nothing that is easy to relate to or follow. Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advance reader copy of this book.

Booksellers are some of my favorite cozy mystery detectives. And a bookshop set in a castle? Yes, indeedy. Bookshop co-owner and manager Shelby, her aunt Edie, and her best friend Erica are all relatable, appealing characters. This is a nice escape read, zipping by as Shelby sticks her nose in where it doesn't belong and unmasking the killer. I want to go back and read the first entry in the series now, too.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an enjoyable story. I liked the plot and the characters. I felt like the middle was a little slow as it didn't really move the mystery along very much. It ended rather abruptly, but I felt like the killer had been hinted at for most of the book. . I would definitely read the next book in the series.#DeathOnThePage #NetGalley

This is not a bad book, it is just not doing anything for me. Perhaps this is because I have not read book 1, but I did not feel invested in the characters or their lives. There are elements in here I liked, and I can see myself revisiting this book at another time to see if it sparks interested. However, at this moment, the best I can say is that it is inoffensive.

I was looking forward to the second Castle Bookshop mystery and Death on the Page didn't disappoint! Essie Lang has one again written an intriguing and fun little mystery here and make me feel as if I were a part of the story. I can't wait for the series to continue!

#DeathonthePage
#NetGalley
A solid, cozy mystery. It has a good plot with a hard to guess plot. I think many cozy mystery lovers will like this series.

I loved it! It’s a fresh take on a cozy murder mystery scenario and I’m absolutely wowed by the plot and scenery. I think this will be one I add to my permanent collection for sure. 5/5 stars

Who wouldn't want a best selling author to not only visit your book store, but would want to stay overnight near it? Shelby Cox has reservations at first. The book store is in Blye Castle. No one has used the renovated guest suite before. What about security? What if after her objections are over come something goes wrong? Reader, it does.

The engaging charismatic author is found quite dead lying a the bottom of the stairs. Lang presents us with a cozy that harks back to the locked room mysteries of the golden age. With each book in this new series, the characters become more real. Shelby and Aunt Edie continue to explore the ramifications from the surprise ending in book one. Taylor's pregnancy is progressing to the waddle instead of walk stage. She is now hosting a mother in law who is every bit as demanding as the baby on the way. Matthew continues to be simultaneously charming and inscrutable; a neat trick. Our chocolatier Erica-- who I wish did mail orders -- continues to shine. Even J.T., no longer an itinerant cat, has fulled jumped into Shelby's heart, as has Zach.

The perp puzzle is not easily solved. Lang's suspects are all plausible, having logical places within the story. As in book one, her professional knowledge of book store ownership brings a grounding feeling of reality. The concerns of a retail shop keeper are provide a great insider's viewpoint.
It is fall in the Thousand Islands in book 2, and Lang makes this time of year every bit as enticing as she did with the summer tourist period. I look forward to reading about Blye Castle during the months to come.

Recommended for all cozy mystery readers.

historical-places-events, cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, murder-investigation

A bookshop in a castle on an island in North America is a delightful idea and the fact that it has a matching shop on the mainland year round is good business sense. The co owners are niece and aunt, but the aunt is sidelined with a knee injured too soon after replacement surgery. So niece is tasked with a lot more work including an author's book signing, issues within the castle management, and a personal need to find out who murdered that author in spite of the cautioning by all of her friends. Let the sleuthing begin! A nicely twisty plot with plenty of red herrings and a budding romance or two. Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

I love the setting of this series, it is perfect for book lovers. I wish the mystery was a little more complex, but it is a cute read nonetheless.

Better than most cozies I've read lately. All of Lang's characters get fair treatment and enough backstory to make them more than one-dimensional. I was fairly confident in the killer; so, what worried me most was the amount of espresso Shelby drank in the late afternoon and evening! This series is set in a part of the country with which I was completely unfamiliar and it was compelling enough to make me do at least one Google search. I look forward to reading more about Shelby's mom and her mysterious past.

This being the second in the series, I will have to go back and read the first after this one. Well crafted mystery, with lovable and fun characters and books.wrapped in a fast paced story with plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing.

A fun little cozy that takes place in a very unique setting. Shelby has recently come to live in the Thousand Islands, and to work with her aunt at the Castle Bookstore, with the sister bookstore on the island. Much to her family and Coast Guard boyfriend's dismay, she soon finds herself embroiled once again in a the investigation of a murder, this time of an author who just did a book signing a her store. The second in a series, this reads fine as a stand alone, although there are plenty of call backs to the prior book. The story also has a thread of a personal mystery having to do with Shelby's own family that runs throughout, which seems to be a tie for the series.