I want to thank the publisher and author for the opportunity of getting an advanced review copy of Essie Lang's A Deadly Chapter: A Castle Bookshop Mystery. I was not familiar with Essie Lang's previous books in this series, so I was jumping right into book three without any background in the world Lang had created.

In this cozy mystery, the main character, Shelby, finds a body in the water outside her houseboat. She finds out that she had met the victim a couple of times even though she didn't really know the victim that well. Of course, as with most amateur sleuths, she can't pass up the opportunity to solve the murder.

As a whole, I found this book highly enjoyable. It's an easy read and there are just enough clues spread throughout the book to keep just one step ahead of Shelby when it comes to determining who the murderer is.

I would recommend for anyone who wants a fast and easy read or for fans of cozy mysteries.

Third in Essie Lang's Castle Bookshop Mystery series, a Deadly Chapter has Shelby Cox facing a murder, a mystery woman, a "reunion" with her mother, and the possible relocation of her boyfriend. Inspite of being warned not to get involved in the hunt for Nathan Miller's killer, Shelby cannot turn down his daughter, Hillary's plea for help. She follows her clues with a single mindedness that is sometimes oblivious to how her investigation could have negative impacts on innocent "suspects.". Tense and attention holding to the end.
I was given this book to review by Net Gallery. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I have never read any books in this series but I plan on going back and ready them after this book. I loved reading Shelby trying to figure out the murder. I liked the idea of a bookstore on an island in a castle. I like the authors writing and involving the characters.

Such a fun cozy mystery - I will absolutely read the backlist!

Shelby steps off her houseboat one morning and discovers a body floating in the water. While she doesn't know the victim, he looks familiar, someone who has stopped by the bookshop looking for a woman.

Shelby gets involved in solving this case the who done it is a surprise!

Shelby and the others are back in another story in this series. I enjoyed returning back to Alexandria Bay in New York and trying to solve the mystery of the body that was stuck on the side of Shelby's houseboat. The story moved along at a wonderful pace, and I couldn't put the book down till the mystery was solved. I thought I knew who did it, but I was wrong. Great series.

In the story the main character spends her days supplying literature and conversation to charming locals and seasonal tourists. The shop owner fins a body between the side of her houseboat and the dock his skull shattered. The victim is no local but Shelby knows she’s seen him before a customer that dropped into the bookstore twice asking for an enigmatic woman who lived on Blye island many years ago. When the victims daughter arrives in town the store owner takes the case despite the Police chiefs usual reservations. A fun who done it cozy mystery full of fun and mayhem to uncover the truth. A very enjoyable read you won’t want to put down.

This was another fun cozy in this series. Shelby is right smack in the middle of another murder. She wakes up and goes up on her deck for coffee. She notices something in the water between her houseboat and the dock. She calls the police and at first they think it is an accident, but Shelby remembers this man coming into her bookstore. Then his daughter asks for her help in finding out what really happened.

It's a great mystery and moves along at a pretty good pace. There were several suspects and I wan't sure who was the killer. Great escape. I really enjoy these books.

Every single thing about this series is enchanting and this latest installment just adds to the charm. Shelby finds herself once again investigating a body, this time one she finds herself, right outside of her door. Every clue just adds to the mystery and leaves the reader on the edge of their seat. A book and series that is standing the test of time!

I had read one book written by this author with her other series character, and while I didn't like that book, I am a sucker for anything bookstore-related and thought I'd giver her a second chance to see if her authorial skills had improved. Verdict: only somewhat. The premise is intriguing: Shelby Cox runs a small bookstore and gift shop owned by her aunt on an island near what is clearly New York state's Adirondack Park, where a converted castle draws tourists by ferry. This is the fourth inthe series, and I did not read the others, but there was enough backstory provided that the reader didn't feel lost. However, Shelby's insistence on investigating the murder is hollow: she repeatedly tells everyone--her aunt, her boyfriend, the sheriff--that she is not going to investigate the murder, even though the body was found next to her houseboat and even though the victim's daughter asks for her help. "Well, it's no surprise that Chief Stone wants to be out of it but, after all, I talked to the guy and found his body." Does she turn over evidence to Chief Stone--no, she decides to pursue it, potentially jeopardizing the entire investigation. This is just lazy writing, when the author can't think of an ingenious way to keep the amateur detective involved in the mystery, and resorts to their withholding evidence and just being nosy. Other elements that rang false: no one plans a literary event "a little over a month away" and expects to be able to get authors, caterers, etc. lined up. And there are also some weird inconsistencies, such as: "'And I certainly do have lots of books for you to look at." She led the way to the small section..." Shelby spends almost as much time considering a return to Boston as she does the murder. She laments many times through the book that she had no friends, no life, etc., in Boston, and was terribly unhappy there, unlike her new home in Alex Bay. But then we read she "found herself slipping back into her old ways, not wanting to share her feelings, and not being used to anyone asking about her or her well-being..." So it seems like her lack of friends and support in Boston was her own fault, and not the cold, closed city. There's just too much going on in this book: the murder, her relationship with Zack at a turning point, her mother re-entering her life and wanting a relationship. Yes, sometimes life pours things on you one after the other or all together but I've been dealing with that in my own life and don't want that turbulence in a book I'm using to escape from my own overwhelming-at-times life. The murderer was easily identified quite early in the book, without even trying to do that. Ultimately, I didn't like Shelby at all, although I really liked her aunt and would prefer her to be the amateur detective. Only suitable for folks who have to read anything that includes a bookstore or is located in New York state, otherwise, not recommnded.

Having returned to Alexandria Bay for what should be an idyllic life Shelby yet again finds that she is embroiled into the mystery of who the dead man is that she finds floating by her houseboat. She realises that she has seen the man before as he has visited the book store on the castle site asking questions. The identity is soon established and his daughter is a friend of Shelbys'. Together they set about trying to unravel the mystery of who killed him, upsetting many people along the way. Shelby also has to decide where her relationship with Zack is heading or she might loose him. Also unexpectedly her mother turns up, Having been abandoned by her as a child Shelby is again battling with emotions. However as clues begin to emerge and wrong assumptions are made the truth finally becomes clear and risking her own life Shelby reveals the real killer.
A good read that is fairly light hearted but makes the reader think, this is the third time Shelby has has to turn detective and I am sure won't be the last time, her private life is an ongoing theme so I look forward to the next chapter.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

I have no idea how cozy authors manage to make me so jealous of beautiful locations and setting for books! I really want to live somewhere with a castle, with a bookstore in it that has another store on the mainland. It sounds like a fantasy! I could even handle living on the houseboat if I had such a dream job. Ahem. But enough of that. The mystery! Well, as always with this series, you are intrigued right from the beginning, and hook line and sinker you find yourself desperate to know how it ends. You start going over the clues yourself, wondering what you missed and if a conversation meant more than was originally described. Who could have committed the crime?

I know I say this about a lot of series, but this is one of my favorites. The setting and the characters are always a win and worth returning to. Five stars!

This story was a bit like playing guess whodunnit with Shelby, the main character, a co-owner of a bookshop located in a castle on a nearby island.

The reader meets locals along the way as well as getting an insight into Shelby's sometimes busy life.

I felt that the story had, at times, too many "extra characters" which were distracting and too brief which, in my opinion, did not add anything. One example were some of the Castle volunteers and also a part-time member of staff currently on maternity leave. Perhaps if I had read the preceding books in this series they might have made more sense?

Maybe I would have enjoyed reading about Shelby and her amateur sleuthing a bit more if I was less distracted?

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for the eARC.

I picked this book because I was intrigued by the idea of a bookstore owner who lived on a houseboat and solved mysteries. The island setting sounded fun and I liked that the police chief was a mature female.

Being of a certain age myself, I was put off by the way that the protagonist, Shelby Cox, kept bringing up the ages of both her aunt and the police chief. It rather made me wonder about Shelby’s attitude toward older persons. This is the third book in the series and I have not read the other two where some reason for Shelby’s fixation might have been established.


“The thought flitted through Shelby’s head that maybe she should go over and grip the back of Stone’s jacket, just in case she might start to tumble in. The Chief was her Aunt Edie’s age after all, and had the gray curls to prove it. When Stone looked back at her, Shelby realized what a foolish idea that would have been.”

The other thing that put me off the protagonist was that Shelby often thought something and then immediately decided that she was silly, foolish, etc. The quote above illustrates what I’m talking about on both points.

I wanted to like this book. I always start a book with the hope that I will like and discover a delightful new series, but in this case I DNFed at chapter six.

I was heartsick through much of Essie Lang's latest in her A Castle Bookshop Mystery series. Zack's pending promotion and move to Boston put Shelby in an untenable situation as she has struggled to make a life for herself in the Thousand Island region of New York state. 'A Deadly Chapter' has a tense mystery as Shelby is blindsided by an encounter with her long thought-dead mother, a physical attack from a thief and a murder that is just too close to home. The surrounding cast of characters are delightfully developing as Shelby realizes she has many important decisions to make about relationships. I highly recommend this book along with the entire series as background. I can't wait for more!

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 a tense time for Shelby,

After she promised everyone not to go sleuthing, she finds a dead body in the water of her houseboat.

In the mean time, Zack get's a promotion in Boston, should she stay or go?
And a character from her past, comes to the bookstore.

The dead body Shelby found is the father of her friend Hilary,
It's hard, not to go snooping around when Hilary asks her to help solve her father's murder.

It took me till the end to discover; who done it?
A great book again by Essie Lang, I hope this series will continue in the future.

Thank you Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC

This is the third book in Essie Lang's 'Castle Bookshop Mystery' series. Shelby Cox has now lived in Alexandra Bay, NY, for a year, having moved from Boston, where she worked as an editor, to help her aunt Edie run the two "Bayside Books" bookstores they co-own in Alexandria Bay and on Blye Island (Blye Castle).

This time, Shelby wakes up to find the body of a man floating directly next to her houseboat. The man is identified as Nathan Miller, who at times visited the area for work. Strangely, he kept an eagle feather in his pocket, also indicating he was not killed near Shelby's houseboat. It turns out that Shelby had spoken to Nathan in her bookstore the day before, as he reminded her of his previous visit and that he was still looking for a woman who had moved to the area 7 years ago.
Shelby joins forces with Nathan's daughter Hilary, a local artist, to find the woman Nathan was looking for and to catch his killer. Much to the dismay of the local police chief Tekla Stone, who disapproves of Shelby's sleuthing, especially because Shelby was the one to solve the previous two murders. While some crucial missteps first endanger someone else, and then Shelby, she ends up solving the case with her wit and quick thinking.
While trying to solve the murder and finding the mystery woman, Shelby has to make some important decisions regarding her relationship with her boyfriend, coastguard Zack. Emotions are also running high when a lot more is revealed about Shelby’s long lost mysterious mother.

It felt like there was less sleuthing going on and also less action in this book in comparison to the first, which I did miss a little bit. I really enjoyed reading the first book in the series, so was delighted to have been approved for this one. It is absolutely inconceivable that I somehow missed reading the second book in the series. I will have to rectify that ASAP. I will definitely read all future books in the series.

The book can be read as part of the series or on its own and the plot does not require knowledge of the previous books. It was well-written and a pleasure to read and the location is stunning. If the coronavirus pandemic ever ends, maybe I can visit the US again and finally see Alexandria Bay/ the Thousand Islands.

This was a great mystery with intriguing characters and a plot that had a few surprises. Honestly, though, I thought it took too long for the mystery to be solved. I liked the side plot, which gave the main character something else to worry about, and added some romance. I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was looking forward to returning to the castle bookshop, having read and enjoyed Book 2 in this series. I'm sad to say I was disappointed, though. This entry feels flat to me. It seems to be mostly a interior monologue over Shelby's angst regarding family relationships, romantic relationships, and the murder. There's a lot of talking and a lot of thinking, "I should have thought this through," as she blunders through questioning various people. The mystery plot is okay, but the whole book just doesn't come to life for me. The characters, the wonderful setting, and the narration all just kind of lie there, leaving me feeling very uninvolved.

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

A Deadly Chapter is the third book in the Castle Bookshop Mystery Series. The Series follows a woman named Shelby who lives in a little town nestled in the 1,000 Islands, New York and runs a bookshop located on one of the islands that houses a romantic castle.

She discovers a body floating next to her houseboat and is dragged into a mystery surrounding a mysterious woman and some suspect business dealings.

Shelby's life is further complicated by the return of her long lost mother and so very big news surrounding her boyfriend.

This book was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the setting and Essie Lang has a great way of describing characters to make you imagine them so clearly. I found that there was a lot of emphasis on the relationships between the characters and if you enjoy that aspect of cozies you will fall in love with this series. The mystery it self was a bit obvious to me, but I found myself enjoying the book anyway.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books, in return for an honest review. While the third book in this series, it is easily read as a standalone. Shelby Cox and her aunt own a pair of bookstores. One is on the mainland and one is in a local island’s castle on one of the Thousand Islands in upper New York state. Since moving to help her aunt and deciding whether or not to stay permanently, Shelby’s found two dead bodies, made friends and found a new significant other. Quite a change from her former life in Boston! This book opens with a body bumping against the side of her houseboat. Not a good way to start your day, particularly before coffee! For Shelby, that starts an emotional roller coaster involving her long-lost mother, a major life change for Shelby’s new boyfriend, Zack, and Shelby deciding what she wants in her own life. Oh, and solving the mystery of the dead body’s murder.
While I like the characters in this series, this time I really struggled. When Zach presents a major decision for them to consider, Shelby shuts him down. She then talks with her aunt, her friends, and herself but she never talks with Zach about the options and her concerns. Trust me, there’s lots of internal angst dialogue in this book. Then, it is miraculously resolved at the end of the book. I truly wish the author and editors had forced the two characters to have a meaningful, adult conversation about their respective concerns and fears and come to a decision together. Instead, lo and behold, all is well again. This doesn’t sound like a solid relationship, based on that standard. Otherwise, the mystery develops as a good cozy should. While it’s always a bit difficult to ascribe reasons for an amateur sleuth to solve the crime, this one works as a plot device. Plenty of possible murder suspects and a satisfactory resolution to the murder.