Death on the Page is the second installment in the Castle Bookshop Mystery series set between Blye Island and Alexandria Bay, NY and featuring bookshop co-owner Shelby Cox. Tourist season is winding down as winter approaches and the last activity scheduled for the bookstores are the book signings on the mainland and in the castle on Blye Island by famed mystery writer, Savannah Page.

The mainland signing gets off to a rocky start when a local woman approaches the author and accuses her of stealing her manuscript and then publishing the book as her own. Savannah has asked if she can spend the night at the castle after the island signing because she would like to learn more about the last owner, Joe Cabana. The reputed mobster turned smuggler is reported to haunt the island and Savannah thinks that staying upstairs in his rooms, which are normally off limits to the public, will help add to her story line. But, Savannah has a strange request - she doesn't want either her fiance or editor to stay with her, she just wants a security guard to stay upstairs with her and island/castle caretaker, Matthew Kessler who resides in his own home on the island.

When Savannah is discovered dead at the bottom of the stairs leading to the castle's secret passageways, nobody is quite sure what happened. But, Chief Stone who has had it in for Matthew from the start (see book one in the series) is happy to point a finger in his direction. Knowing that Matthew is not the killer, Savannah ignores the warnings of her boyfriend Coast Guard agent Zack Griffin and her Aunt Edie and finds herself drawn into a dangerous investigation.

A good addition to the series, this one gets off to a slow start and does bog down a little in the middle, but the last third of the book will attract and keep your attention to the final reveal. A unique location, the author providing more information about each of the secondary characters and a maturing romance will mean tuning in to see what Winter will bring to the the Thousand Islands.

I received an advanced copy of Death on the Page from NetGalley via Crooked Lane Books. While not required to write a review I am more than happy to offer my honest opinion.

Firstly, I would like to express my thanks to Crooked Lane Books for being kind enough to send me an arc of the book Death on the Page, a castle bookshop mystery via NetGalley.
The plot of this book involved Eddie and Shelby working at a bookshop near Blyre castle, as a promotion tour for their bussiness, they invited a writer Savannah Page for booksigning tour in their book shop and after the signing the rest at a suite in the castle. The castle had its own mysteries and ghosts so it wasn't permitted to the public but with Savannah opportunities to expand the promotion of castle was also in the plans.

Savannah when came with her fiance Liam was supposed to stay alone at the castle, but the next day, her dead body was found in the secret passage, a lot of items were stolen too, small items so there began the murder mystery of who caused it. Due to Eddie's injury, only Shelby worked in the bookstore and got seeked in the mystery. Will she be able to solve the mystery?

In totality, the book was well written, a bit long but the story build up was interesting. The cover of the book though didnt do justice to the plot or was anywhere related to it. The characters were well written. The con, was that the read was a bit slow, but sufficient for the reader to analyse the mystery on their own.

I had a bit of a hard time getting into this book however it did pick up close to the end. Loved the setting as it's in my area, it was well described. The characters could have used more depth but were likable. The reason for the four stars is I was totally surprised by who the culprit was.
A decent read all together.

The setting of Essie Lang's A Castle Bookshop Mystery series is spectacular. I have never been to that part of New York and it fascinated me. 'Death on the Page' concerns the murder of an author who comes to Shelby and Edie's bookstore for a signing of her latest true crime novel. Intertwined with the solving of the murder is the story of Shelby's abandonment by her mother when she was a child and how this impacts her life. That is a bit ponderous and definately depressing. Frankly I would appreciate more resolution so that Shelby could move on positively in her life. Her dysfunction is getting old. I was surprised by the ending as I had picked a different suspect. As a cozy reader I appreciate not being able to figure out the plot immediately. I will look forward to more, and I hope soon as there is more to be heard about Shelby's mother and about the unsolved murder of Matthew's wife.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This is book two in a series, but although you miss some point from book one, it's not necessary to have read the first book in order to read this one.

While I love cozy mysteries, I didn't fell in love with this one. The characters didn't speak to me, I felt nothing for them, conversations felt forced and not much happens in the book. The last bit got a little bit more exciting because of the plot reveal, but apart from that, the book sadly felt a little too boring for my taste.

Death on the page
With thanks to Crooked Lane books , NetGalley and Author for advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
This is the second book by Essie Lang and my first.
I love the setting,a castle with secret passageways and a bonus of a book shop.
Highly entertaining mystery,plenty of suspects and twists.
Loved the characters, definitely didn’t know who the killer was until the ending , that what a good mystery is about ..
I will go back and read the first book and definitely look out for the next .

In Death on the Page, Thousand Islands bookstore owner Shelby hosts a signing for true crime author, Savannah Page. The author rounds off her event at the store by spending a night in Blye Castle, to research the topic of her next book. A prohibition-era mobster owned the castle and it’s rumoured that his ghost still haunts the grounds. In an Agatha Christie style plot, Savannah’s body is discovered the next morning, in a secret passage. The only other person there that night was the butler… I loved the bookstore setting, and the banter between the characters!

Whew, I felt like this took forever to read. I just never really got into it. I love cozy mysteries. I'm aware that the heroines in them are nosy and the things that they do would never fly in the real world, and I'm ok with that, I just didn't connect with this story or the characters at all. I will say though, that the book DID pick up at about 84% of the way through. I had to work hard to keep reading this one though. My hope is that the author is working on finding their voice so I'll pick up book 3 before deciding if I'm going to pass on this writer going forward.

3 1/2 stars

Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2990678381

DEATH ON THE PAGE by Essie Lang is a well-written cozy mystery novel that is the second book in the Castle Bookshop Mystery series. The story takes place in Alexandria Bay and Blye Island, New York and the main character is Shelby Cox.

Shelby is co-owner of two bookstores and she is finishing her first season at the annex store located in a historic castle. She and her aunt Edie arrange to host a true crime author including book signings at both bookstores. The author, Savannah Page, is spending one night in the castle for research for her next book. The next morning Savannah is found dead in the castle. With this interesting setting, the entertaining and absorbing plot unfolds.

The author did a great job of pulling the reader into the setting and characters. Her writing is very picturesque. There were plenty of suspects and red herrings. Shelby’s character is well developed and the writing is such that the reader experiences her emotions. I would like to see more character depth in the secondary characters as the series progresses.

While this is the first book I have read by Essie Lang I look forward to reading the other books in the series. Overall, it was engaging, expressive and compulsively readable.

Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books, Essie Lang and Net Galley for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Note: this is also the second book in the Castle Bookshop Mystery series.

Although this book doesn’t release until March 2020, it is the perfect cozy fall read! Murder mysteries follow a distinct plot pattern, so other elements (character, prose, etc.) are what make books in this genre stand out. The setting in this series is definitely unique! Our main character works in a bookstore located within a historical castle.

This series is perfect for fans of whodunits.

<i> Death on the Page </i> is a cozy murder mystery that follows of the ongoing exploits of Shelby Cox a bookstore owner in a small town. Shelby is a smart newcomer to town who is always getting herself in trouble trying to solve murders despite repeated warnings from the police to stay away. <i> Death on the Page </i> is the second novel in a set of Castle Bookshop murder mysteries written by Essie Lang.

Shelby Cox has come to live and work with her Aunt Edie in Alexandria Bay. They run two bookstores, one on the mainland, and one in Blye Castle on a nearby Island. A visiting author, Samantha Page, is killed in Blye Castle just after she has conducted two very successful book signings. She has many local fans, admiring authors and an entourage of agents and admirers who are all considered to be suspects. Shelby cannot help but feel responsible for bringing Samantha to town and therefore she gets dragged into the investigation in spite of herself.

I realize this is a cozy mystery and therefore not as graphic and complicated as murder mysteries can be, but I found this book a bit extreme in that regard. The only character we get to know is Shelby Cox the quasi investigator. Even the victim appears for a very brief cameo before she is killed and thus her character is poorly developed. My main concern is the many characters flit in and out of the story and we don’t get to know any of them.

The story development is very simple and therefore, for me, not interesting. There are parts of the book that really drag. There are also many departures from the storyline such as a book club meeting and an encounter with and old friend of Shelby’s mother. They add very little to the storyline.

There are many read herrings in the story, but they are not developed thoroughly enough to create interest. Even the reveal seems to come out of nowhere. What set the murderer off? Why was Shelby’s best friend even there?

I admit I am probably not the intended audience. I also realize that this book is intended to be a comfortable quick read, but I think it goes to far in that direction and therefore loses my interest. I give it a 2 on 5. I want to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A bookstore in a castle ....what could be better? Add in a mystery that keeps you guessing and you have an entertaining cozy mystery!

The mystery kept me reading and the writing was fast-paced. There were so many red herrings (and I loved that!) and twists. I enjoyed the development in the main character and her interactions with friends and family. The romance, in the book, did not overwhelm the mystery.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for a fair and honest review of the book.

A good portion of this story takes place in a castle, and who wouldn't love that! The way the author sets the stage for the murder, not just with the setting, which is amazing, but the tone, made this book so enjoyable. Even though its a cozy, the layers of emotions of the main character when contemplating things was written in such a way that you as a reader cannot help but be right there with her. A well written whodunit. .

This is a wonderful cozy read with great characters, plot, and an exciting location. I look forward to the next installment.

This is the first Essie Lang book I've read but it won't be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a well crafted mystery and the characters are fun. You can't go wrong with an island, a castle, a bookstore, and murder.

Loved this book by Essie Lang. This is the story of a murder in the castle. Shelby runs the bookshop in the castle and seems to get into every murder in this series. This one was really good. It is how Shelby takes every clue and starts asking questions and then she manages to almost get herself killed. I love this series and recommend it to all Cozy Mystery readers.

Death on the Page by Essie Lang is the second book in her Castle Bookshop series and was a good addition to the series.

Ms. Lang's descriptive writing always makes me feel like I'm quite at home both in Alexandria Bay and Blye Island. I enjoyed getting to know more about Shelby and Edie in this one. The characters are developing well and the secondary characters are also growing in this second book. The plot is smoothly paced but did lag some in the middle. There were a few twists and several suspects that Shelby just "had" to question to satisfy her curiosity. The reveal was a dramatic and I enjoyed Erica rescuing Shelby. Girl Power!

Shelby Cox is wrapping up her first full season of running the family bookstore annex at historic Blye Castle and has settled into life in Bayside rather well. When the store is set to celebrate their anniversary, they host a true crime author with book signings at both the castle and main stores. The signing seems to be a hit all around and the author is spending the night at the castle in order to research her next book, based on the mobster, Joe Cabana, who ran a smuggling business from the island during Prohibition.

When the visiting author is found dead in the castle’s secret passages, Shelby has to wonder who had it in for the author. There seem to be no loss for suspects, from the author’s agent on down to a local who came in during one of the signings and accused the author of stealing her idea for a book. Things just aren’t settling in Shelby’s mind and she can’t help but ask questions and try to find out whodunit. But will Shelby’s luck run out before the murdered is caught or will this be yet another cold case for another author to write about in the future?

Adore this series and the setting. Shelby has some trust and personal relationship issues to work through and the raw emotions are bared as she works through them. We all have our own challenges and the characters in this series are so well developed that you find yourself empathizing and relating to them. Looking forward to more entries in this series and seeing what the future hold for Shelby and the gang.

This was an enjoyable cozy mystery, the second in a series. Shelby and her aunt own libraries, including one in a castle which is a fun, unique setting. Shelby sets out to help solve a murder, much against the advice of the police. When I read a cozy, I look for multi dimensional characters, a well described setting that you can imagine based on the author's description and a mystery that keeps me interested in continuing the book/series, and this one hits all 3 of those points for me. There's just a couple spots that I think dragged, but certainly nothing major. I'll be reading book 3!

Another winner in the Castle Bookstore mysteries. Very enjoyable mystery. Lots of suspects, lots of motives. Very tough to figure out the killer! Fun story!