If you’re looking for an escapist read of the mildly murderous variety, this cozy mystery might be a perfect choice.

Ellery Page moved to the tiny village of Pirate’s Cove after inheriting a bookstore (focused on mystery fiction, of course) and mansion from a great aunt he never met. The house is a wreck and the bookstore losing money, but that’s nothing compared to the trouble that descends when Ellery finds a body in the store after closing one evening. Given that the murdered man was pushing Ellery to sell the bookstore to him, Ellery of course becomes a chief suspect. What other choice does Ellery have but to figure out who the killer is and clear his good name? It’s not like he can trust a bunch of small-town cops to find the real murderer.

So, with that setup, this is obviously a very traditional cozy mystery. We’ve got a shop owner turned amateur sleuth in a small town full of colorful characters, which is textbook for cozies. There’s no sex or violence, minimal swearing, and just a hint of a potential romance with the extremely attractive chief of police. I’m sure that romance will grow, though. After all, Ellery is going to need a contact in the police department, because he will surely be stumbling over another unfortunately deceased resident of Pirate’s Cove sometime soon . . . 😊

Fans of cozy mysteries should check this one out. I’m looking forward to the next in the series.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I haven't read a cozy mystery in a long time, and this one was sweet and pleasant (and also murdery, yes). I thought the writing was excellent, the mystery was well done and kept me guessing for much of the book. The characters are *just* complex enough to not be boring but are still people I want to read more about. I look forward to the next book in the series.

I would like to thank Secrets and Scrabble 1 for providing me with a free electronic ARC of this book, via Netgalley. Although they had to approve my request to review, the decision to read this book is my choice and any reviews given are obligation free.

Another book I read this week, rather than last year. It’s amazing how much reading you can get done during school holidays when your house is in self-isolation!

Okay, I have mixed feelings about ‘Murder at Pirate’s Cove’. I wanted to read it as I’d heard nothing but good things about the author, so when I saw a book by her on Netgalley, I was curious to read it. It’s a cosy set in small town America – frequent readers of my review know this is a favourite genre of mine. Plus there is a hint of romance, without it getting in the way of the whodunit. Finally, I’m not narrow minded, and so don’t mind a cosy crime/ romance where the protagonist and their love interest are of the same gender.

And, happily, ‘Murder at Pirate’s Cove’ ticked all those boxes. However, it still almost became the next victim of my “did not finish” pile. And, being honest here, the only reason I kept reading is that my Netgalley stats are pretty terrible right now, due to my near two year absence, and I didn’t want to ruin them further with another DNF.

And BOY am I glad I kept reading! As I actually ended up enjoying it enough to want to see what happens in the next book in the series. So I apologise for doubting it!

The two main things that put me off were the overall tone of the book, and the poor editing. And I really shouldn’t pick on the poor editing as I received an ARC, not a final print, and so clangers and editorial mishaps can happen. I just really do hope the copy editor has gone over it again with a fine tooth comb before it was published, as there is some really sloppy editing in places, sorry.

As for the tone… It just wasn’t a style I liked. It was, to me, more a YA/ NA style of prose than I was expecting in an “adult” book. Not that is was “adult” in a rating sense, more that I felt it was a more adult setting than the late teen/ young adult tone I felt came across. So, if you look at the two reasons I wasn’t always thrilled with the book, you can clearly see that both faults lay with me, the reviewer, and not the book or author at all!

All the same, I wanted to give ‘Murder at Pirate’s Cove’ a 4 out of 5 rating, but just couldn’t bring myself to doing so, based on what I read. Perhaps the final print is sharper, less immature in tone, much better edited, and so everything I’m saying it obsolete… and gosh I hope so, as I found it – besides all that – an enjoyable read.

Although the protagonist did come across as a little whiny at times, it was well within character and somehow made him more endearing to me as the reader. The setting was interesting - I’ve not read a cosy in an old pirate village before – the characters were, for the most, endearing, and it was all in all an enjoyable day or so of reading. Sadly, I also figured out the whodunit fairly early on, and didn’t feel there were enough red herrings to keep me second guessing myself. I feel this added to the YA/NA feel I got off the book.

So, you can see, I had a bit of love hate relationship with ‘Murder at Pirate’s Cove’, but overall I enjoyed it and am giving it a thumb’s up.

From the book nerd side, you’ve basically heard the worst… it needed editing. But, I feel I need to emphasise again that I received an Advanced Reader Copy, and they are usually unfinished proofs, and so bad editing happens. No biggie. The formatting and layout, however, were more finished and I feel this saved this book another star. ;-)

Would I recommend this book to others?

Yes I would. And, yes I would also mention the minor issues I had with this book, but I would still recommend it as an entertaining first book in a potentially good cosy crime series.

Would I buy this book for myself?

I might. I mean, I DO want to read the next book in the series, when it comes out. But I’m undecided if I’d only want to read it if I got it as a free ARC or found it online as a library book, rather than buy it. Not that it’s priced unreasonably on Amazon Australia, it’s a VERY reasonable price.

I enjoyed the book, but I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I expected I would. Perhaps I was a little blinkered by all the praise I’d heard about Ms Lanyon, and for some reason expected more? Who knows? But any faults I found in it really were down to the reader, not the book or author.

In summary: An interesting first book in a seaside cosy crime series that has potential to be amazing.

Murder at Pirate's Cove is the first in a new series, Secrets and Scrabble, from prolific mystery writer Josh Lanyon.

It's a little different from what I'm used to reading from Lanyon, taking a turn firmly into the cozy genre by ditching the usual steamy scenes she's known for. Lanyon's books cover a broad range on the romance/mystery balance, but this one leans largely on the mystery with just a hint of the romantic subplot.

I've read a good number of Lanyon's previous books, and while there's been a couple of mysteries that missed for me, I'm almost always sold on the characters. Murder at Pirate's Cove is no exception. Ellery is charming and slightly bumbling, and the chemistry between Ellery and Police Chief Carson is subtle and smoothly written. The whole village of Pirate's Cove is painted vividly (especially given the short length of this book) and is populated by quirky and charming locals.

There are lots of fun details in this book, which I'm hoping to see more of in future instalments: especially the village's pirate theme days and the local Scrabble club. I'm looking forward to seeing how Ellery gets on with his mystery bookshop, new puppy and the renovations on his inherited deathtrap of a house.

As much as I've enjoyed Lanyon's books in the past, I really loved seeing her take on a slightly different, cozier genre. I've found her recent novella focused more on the romance angle so this was nice for a bit of change. The only thing I might have liked was for the book to be a little longer to give us more of a chance to get to know all Ellery's new friends and neighbors. Murder at Pirate's Cove is a great start to a new series. I've already pre-ordered my copy of the sequel Secret at Skull House.

It's probably be a great place to get a taste of Lanyon's writing, especially if you're put off by her racier books.

This book was definitely more mystery than romance but I very much enjoyed it. Ellery is a really interesting character and I really loved him. I felt bad for him as he tries to fit into a new town and discovers that he is a suspect in a murder primarily due to his outsider status and the fact that the dead guy is found in his book store. It was nice that he wasn't so much investigating the murder but talking to people and trying to discover motives that he could pass on to police chief Jack Carson. There were some fun secondary characters and although I figured out who the killer was and why I still enjoyed the mystery. I liked Ellery and Jack but we really didn't get to know much about Jack at all and I wanted a bit more about him. The relationship really plays a backseat to the mystery in this book but not in a bad way. I hope that we get more of Jack and more of them together in the next book.

A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

So cute! I am a huge JL fan so it should come as no surprise that I enjoyed her latest. Murder at Pirate's Cove is a Cozy mystery and I have not read many of those, mainly because the opportunity never presented itself. It's a great genre of mystery/romance, where the main focus is on the mystery, and the character/romance is secondary, although in Pirate's, the potential for romance was very front and center.

Ellery is the new guy in town, and wouldn't you know it? A dead body is discovered in his bookstore. But never fear! The police are on it, and of course suspect Ellery. Thankfully police chief Jack Carson is no dummy and sees that Ellery is innocent. Now the fun, er, murder investigation is on!

I thoroughly enjoyed this and am so excited to read the next book! There was no on page romance (nor off page) and our MCs are dancing around each other (they are essentially strangers after all), and things are getting interesting when the book ends. They have subtly admitted to the potential for them to get together. When and what that would look like is still in the air, but delightfully adorable.

It's clear that while the murder is solved, there is still a mystery to figure out. Not sure if book 2 will touch on that; based on the blurb it doesn't sound like it but you can't give everything away in the blurb.

I had figured out what was going on before the big reveal, which was fine. I do enjoy a good who-dun-it that keeps me guessing, but proving I could have had a career as a detective is satisfying too. :)

Yep, I do give this 5 stars simply because it was too cute not to deserve it. And the puppy! Baby animals are always an adorable plus, and book puppies are just too cute for words! No, puppy didn't save the day but he did save Ellery's heart from turning to stone (he might have hardened it after leaving his boyfriend, Todd).

The first volume in the Secrets and Scrabble series is an engaging cozy mystery. Ellery is a great protagonist: empathetic, curious, and believable (unlike so many other mysteries, his reason for being involved in the case actually makes sense). The supporting characters are fun, and the romance is sweet and slow-burning. I'm looking forward to reading more mysteries set in quaint Pirate's Cove. -- lyradora

Funny they approved this request after I already read it but I'll go ahead and review it.

Overall I liked the book and am interested in reading more in the series. 2nd coming out soon I think. However, I will say this book got off to a slow start. I personally struggled to get through the first quarter to a third of the book. Once I did, it picked up and the read went quickly. Ellery was not as endearing of a character as Cosmos, from Bedknobs and Broomsticks, but once he started interacting more with the characters such as Carson and Nora, his personality showed through more.

Love it, love it, love it.

This story has everything I love to see in a cozy:
- a slightly snarky amateur sleuth
- a smart and competent police officer
- a well-plotted story
- light on the romance

I want to read the next book in the series now.

Un petit roman agréable, je ne suis pas familière avec le genre du cozy mystery mais l'intrigue m'a tenue en haleine jusqu'au bout !

Ellery a fraîchement débarqué dans la petite ville de Pirate's Cove, il a en effet hérité d'une librairie et d'une vieille maison délabrée. Les affaires ne sont pas vraiment florissantes et quand on rajoute un meurtre à l'équation, notre libraire en herbe ne sera pas au bout de ses peines car il est le principal suspect !

Pirate's Cove est petite ville de bord de mer offre le décor parfait à une sorte de Cluedo géant ! Ellery est un personnage charmant et j'ai adoré la façon dont il mène l'enquête, avec une maladresse attendrissante et une détermination admirable... Il est bien décidé à prouver son innocence au shérif Jack Carson (qui ne laisse pas Ellery indifférent !) et il aura fort à faire car les suspects potentiels sont bien nombreux.

Ce tome introduit donc une nouvelle série prometteuse mais attention : pas de romance ici. Entre Ellery et Jack, on sent bien qu'un petit quelque chose se prépare mais cela reste subtil...Je suis curieuse de voir l'évolution de leur relation mais il est certain que ce duo fonctionne.

Rainbows and Sunshine
April 1, 2020

This was such a fun read. I've never read a cozy mystery before but I really enjoyed it.

Ellery is a great character. Everyone in this small town has their own quirks and I liked getting to know them. The mystery is really well done and the end was a total surprise.

This is such a comfort read. I really love a good mystery. And Chief Carson is so mysterious. I can't wait for the next book. Also Watson, Ellery's puppy is adorable!

*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

I love a good cozy mystery. Murder at Pirate's Cove is billed as a "no on-screen sex or violence" mystery and it means it. So, if you draw a line at smexiness and violence, this is a great read to, well, cozy up to. ;)

Ellery was totally out of his element. He had inherited a mystery book store and crumbling, eclectic, mausoleum-ish house from a distant relative he didn't even know. He was looking for a fresh start, but he may not have thought his game plan through... or maybe not at all. Especially considering that his fresh start was in a small close-knit community that wasn't so much welcoming as they were intent on pushing him out. At least that's how it felt. Once the murder(s) started happening, he considered cutting his losses, but first he had to prove his innocence.

Murder at Pirate's Cove was a great intro to this series. It had witty, eccentric characters, a sweet budding romance and a mystery that kept you guessing. A lot of danger in a small town, but that's usually how cozy mysteries go. Secret at Skull House is next and I can't wait to see what trouble Ellery finds himself in next.

A cozy mystery, indeed!! I think this is my first cozy mystery—I never even knew this was a genre! I like it!

I REALLY enjoyed this one, even if I figured out who the perp was early on. As always, Lanyon’s writing and characters are a joy for me as a reader.

While I would have enjoyed more romance, I like the slow pace this took and very much look forward to the next books in the series.

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.**

Murder at Pirate's Cove is the first book in the Secrets and Scrabble series by Josh Lanyon. Ellery Page, aspiring screenwriter, Scrabble champion, and guy-with-worst-luck-in-the-world-when-it-comes-to-dating, is ready to make a change. So when he learns he’s inherited both a failing bookshop and a falling-down mansion in the quaint seaside village of Pirate’s Cove in Rhode Island, it’s full steam ahead! Sure enough, the village is charming, its residents amusingly eccentric, and widowed police chief Jack Carson is decidedly yummy (though possibly as straight as he is stern). However, the bookstore is failing, the mansion is falling down, and there’s that little drawback of finding rival bookseller—and head of the unwelcoming-committee—Trevor Maples dead during the annual Buccaneer Days celebration. Still, it could be worse. And once Police Chief Carson learns Trevor was killed with the cutlass hanging over the door of Ellery’s bookstore, it is.

Murder at Pirate's Cove is a cozy mystery that grabbed me from the start. I liked Ellery as a character, he is smart and thoughtful with a curious mind and the ability to admit his mistakes. I did think the blurb was a little misleading, since he is a Scrabble player but that only plays a minimal role in the story, although I think it will mean more as the series continues. I liked the set up, and thought the characters and town building was well paced and well done. The mystery was layered with plenty of twists, and I liked the way it was built and revealed in small portions to keep interest and attention. I did not want to step away from the book at any point during the read, wanting to see how things would play out in the next moment. I am interested to see where the series goes from here, and if the promised connections continue to grow in the future.

Murder at Pirate's Cove is an engaging read and I look forward to continuing the series.

When I saw that Josh Lanyon had started a cozy mystery series, I was both intrigued and excited. Having enjoyed everything I’ve read of hers, I felt confident she was going to knock it out of the park, but my experience with the genre is admittedly limited. In fact, before reading this one, I had only read one other cozy—Cat Sebastian’s Hither, Page (which was delightful). In other words, enough to know I wanted to read more, but not enough to have a true framework for critique or comparison. However, I do know a good story, and I know what I like, and Lanyon’s Murder at Pirate’s Cove was an absolute treat. I mean, what’s not to love about a Scrabble-loving bookstore owner, a grumpy cop, and a quirky small town with secrets, right? It was engrossing and tons of fun from start to finish.

Ellery Page didn’t know his Great-great-great Aunt Eudora at all, which made it all the more inexplicable when she left him her house and her bookshop. But, inexplicable or not, Ellery needs a reason to get out of New York, and accepting his new home and business and moving to the small town of Pirate’s Cove seems like the perfect move. What he didn’t know was that the house had been neglected so badly it should quite possibly be condemned, and the bookstore, which wasn’t exactly a moneymaker, was badly in need of some repairs itself. And, if the fact that he’s gone deep into his savings trying to renovate the house and the shop isn’t bad enough—not to mention he knows nothing about selling mystery books—now there’s a dead body in the store, and he is his only alibi. This passage was the perfect summary of poor Ellery’s situation.

This was unbelievable. All of it. The fact that Trevor would be murdered. The fact that Ellery would be suspected of that murder. It was like a book. Like a book he sold in a shop he had inherited from an eccentric aunt he’d never even known existed until she died and left him this crazy house in a crazy town where people dressed up like pirates and got themselves murdered in other people’s bookshops.

Was he dreaming?
There was so much to enjoy in this book. You get all the great elements of a cozy, expertly woven together by Lanyon. Small town; good, twisty mystery; great characters, many of whom are just that…characters; and an endearing, amateur sleuth in Ellery. I loved the names of all the places and shops in the town. I adored Ellery, and, though we haven’t gotten to know Jack as well yet, I quite liked him too. The few descriptions of him in the book were epic. I loved this:

He wore a wedding ring—he might even be married—but from the moment Ellery’s gaze had first tangled with the police chief’s piercing green-blue one, he had been pretty sure Carson had a secret that would deeply disappoint the ladies of Pirate’s Cove.
Ellery spends the entire book desperately trying to prove his own innocence as the evidence and bodies pile up, and his aforementioned sleuthing aggravates Jack to no end. To Jack’s credit though, he believes in Ellery’s innocence, and always comes through in the clutch. In his own grumpy way. 😉

I absolutely recommend this one, guys! I can’t wait to visit Pirate’s Cove again and get to know the characters better—especially Jack, and Ellery’s employee Nora, who is completely fabulous—and, of course, see what other messes Ellery gets himself into. So, Much. Fun. Go check it out!

Screenwriter Ellery Page has inherited his great-greataunt's mystery bookshop, the Crow's Nest, and crumbling estate in idyllic Pirate's Cove--where everything is a pun on the historical founders of the town. It's a big change from NYC, where he was floundering after his boyfriend left--taking their mutual friends with him. What seems to be a great chance at a fresh start is really just a step away from misfortune, as the bookshop had hardly any customers, and his home, Captain's Seat, which was maybe built form the timbers of an old pirate vessel, is very aptly called a death trap.

Ellery is making the best of it, and he's frustrated by the persistence of a motivated buyer for the bookshop, Trevor Maples. Trevor has been land-grabbing all he could in Pirate's Cove, hoping increased tourism might help him turn a profit. He's also up for mayor, and his bullish ways haven't made Trevor many friends in town. Ellery isn't willing to kowtow to a bully, but he's suspect number one when Trevor Maples ends up dead on the floor of the Crow's Nest the very evening after Ellery was overheard to vehemently promise to never sell.

An outsider in the town, Ellery's sure Police Chief Carson will make 1 + 1 = Ellery's arrest, adn the local paper is surely hounding both Ellery and Carson over the fact that Ellery isn't immediately taken into custody. Fact is, the chief has seen Ellery having a meal in a pub minutes before the body was found...by Ellery. And as the evidence keeps getting found...by Ellery...it seems ever more likely that Ellery is being set up as a patsy. Ellery's unwilling to get railroaded, however, and starts investigating a bit on his own. Which only brings him more confrontation. Especially when the second murder happens.

This is a really intriguing cozy mystery, with just a HINT of a budding romance. Ellery and Chief Carson are developing quite a nice rapport, even if Ellery's not sure the lawman bats for his team. Well, until more than halfway in. Carson is a good investigator, and he's frustrated that Ellery keeps taking daring chances to help prove his own innocence, choices that put Ellery in harm's way more than once. The town and townspeople are as fun and quirky as one might hope, staging their Pirate Days festival that brings few visitors, but lots of gags for the locals.

The end is satisfying, with the red herrings and dead ends all knotted up tightly. It's the beginning of a series, which makes me nervous for more death in this quaint hamlet! But, it also seems to promise a little bit of romance for Ellery, who's finally got his life on track. I adored Ellery and his deadpan narration, with his constant predicaments and hope for just keeping it all together. I'm all in for more of this, hoping we get some Scrabble to go with our secrets.

3.5 stars

Maaaan, I wanted to love this. But I just couldn’t get into it. I don’t think cozy mysteries are for me. I was just....bored to be honest. I’m not sure if I’ll read the next book or not. But I’m still curious about some of Josh’s other works. Maybe they’ll work more for me.

A charming and enjoyable mystery with a wonderful build up of characters, community and setting: altogether a very promising beginning to a series of more! I'm looking forward to seeing Ellery and the rest of the cast return in the following books.

It's currently 3:30am and I've just finished this book. This book was so captivating that's I could not put it down once I picked it up.

The plot of the book is filled with mysteries and twists. The ending really shocked me. I loved how the author made it so you found out who the killer was at the same time as the main character. The main character is written so well. I loved the relationship between Carson and Ellery.
One of thing things I loved about this book was how it gave the reader a good understanding of ever main and side character. It really felt like they were people from a real small town community.

This was the sweetest murder mystery I've ever read. This book, of course, gets 5 stars from me.
I think I found my new favourite genre of books!

I received a free copy from Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I haven't read many cozy mysteries with a male main character or a gay male main character as the case here. I liked the sound of this one so I decided to request it from Netgalley. Sadly it's not quite what I had hoped for. It was a decent enough read, but failed to fully pull me in.

Murder at Pirate's Cove follows the story of Ellery page who recently moved to Pirate's Cove, a small town. He inherited a bookshop and house from his late great-great aunt. The story starts after he's been here for a while. The bookshop isn't doing as well and the house is falling apart around him. And things sure don't improve when he becomes the main suspect in a murder case.

The victim of the murder is Trevor, who had an argument with Ellery shortly before he died. To clear his name Ellery tries to figure out who is the real murderer. For some reason the mystery just didn't grip me. I didn't really feel like we got to know the victim and frankly I didn't really care who killed him. There weren't a lot of clues or reveals or interesting twists along the way. Then at the end there is this frankly awesome twist, but it lacked the impact as there are only a few clues that pointed in that direction and it thus lacked that sense of pieces falling on it's place for me.

Ellery isn't as involved in solving the crime as I had hoped and he isn't as smart either. Most of the involvement of Ellery in the mystery is him talking with the chief, who I think is the love interest in this series and while I liked he talked and shared his ideas with the chief. That was most of what he does, he does talk with a few people, but it felt mostly coincidental. He wasn't as involved as I liked and I didn't feel like we got as many clues as I wanted. There were no suspects that I could really cross off the list. And I didn't feel like I came to understand more about the mystery along the way. It felt like it just muddled along till the big reveal at the end, which by the way is because the killer goes after Ellery instead of them figuring it out. There also was this whole stupid thing with the keys, Ellery's decisions at the end of the book frankly felt stupid. He didn't want to be afraid and face his fears and that's great. But there is a difference between rational and irrational fear and this case his fear was definitely grounded and he should've listened to it instead if trying to proof to himself he wasn't afraid.

I liked Ellery well enough, he was a decent character with a few quirks that made him interesting enough. Like him being a screenwriter, but being bad at acting. Although I would've liked to get to know him a bit better, but maybe that will come in the later books. He isn't really connecting with anyone or going out in his new town yet, although he does have one friend in the shop owner next door and he connect a bit with the chief in this book.

The Pirate cove town was an interesting concept, although it didn't to live as much as I had hoped and I think the pirate vibe and buccaneer days could've been expanded a bit more. I liked the idea of Ellery working in a bookstore, although not sure if I liked the focus on the mystery books, I thought the book and cozy mystery trope reference in the story were a bit too on the nose. As this was a cozy mystery and they had some talks about cozy mystery tropes and who would be the suspect if this was a cozy mystery, you know which this book is. It didn't really work for me.

To summarize: I liked the concept of this one, but it didn't fully work out for me. It just fell flat and didn't grip me. The mystery wasn't as engaging, the clues didn't seem to lead anywhere and I wasn't really invested in figuring out what had happened. There is an awesome twist toward the end, but it lacked the impact it could've had for me due to not enough clues or hints that made sense in hindsight. I liked the main character well enough, although he sure does some stupid things. I liked how he shared his ideas and information with the chief, but he wasn't as involved in the mystery as I would've liked. I liked how he had some quirks which made him more interesting, although I would've liked to get to know him better. The pirate theme for the town seemed interesting, although there wasn't as much about it in this book as I would've liked. All in all a decent cozy mystery, but it didn't really grip me and I don't think I'll be continuing this series.