I received this book for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

This was a great cause of mystery I'm so happy that I got it from netgalley. I normally wouldn't have picked it up but I'm glad that I did the story and plot were great and the characters very relatable.

bookseller, law-enforcement, small-business, small-town, friendship, amateur-sleuth, politics*****

The mountain town of Hokes Folly, NC beloved antiquarian bookstore, Twice Upon a Time, in the historic district is throwing a bash for it is grand reopening. But bookseller Jenna Quinn’s peace of mind is shattered when the local library’s Director of Antique Books is murdered in the historic district's parking lot—his head bashed in by a glittering vintage glass bookend that he had just won in a drawing at the shop. Among other things, this ends up with Jenna adopting the man's devoted dog (who even got poisoned by the killer, but survived by fast thinking and a very good veterinarian). Toss in a misguided police detective nearing retirement, apparent book thefts for profit from the library, some characters who seem to have no redeemable qualities, and you have a really good murder mystery with memorable characters. I loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Jenna inherited a bookstore from her uncle after he was found murdered. It was discovered that he had been murdered over an antique book. During the investigation Jenna got to know the detective on the case and she and Keith began a relationship after the case was resolved. Jenna works hard to organize the bookstore and also changed the name of the bookstore. She holds an invitation only grand opening event to kickoff her ownership. After the event, the antique book expert from the library is murdered in the parking lot. There are three main suspects for the murder. Jenna along with her neighbor and an employee become involved in trying to discover the murderer. They share their information with Keith and the police department. Jenna puts herself in danger during her investigating. The book keeps you guessing as too which person actually committed the murder. This book captures your attention with its twists and turns.

I love settling in with a cozy, one of my favorite genres. Fast paced and fun this second installment in a new series finds our new bookstore owner, Jenna investigating murder. The murder of a Director of Antique Books at the library.

Murder by the Bookend is the second installment in the Antique Bookshop Mystery series set in Hokes Folly, North Carolina and featuring antique bookstore owner, Jenna Quinn. The bookstore that she inherited from her uncle upon his death is ready for the grand reopening and Jenna couldn't be more excited to reintroduce the town to Twice Upon a Time.

Things seem to be going smoothly with the party thanks to Jenna's assistant Mason Craig and friend and neighbor Rita Wallace. That is until the snarky Selina March, wife of the community library's director turns up her nose at the food and drinks and picks a fight with Linus Talbot, the Director of Antique Books at the library. When Linus winds up dead in the parking lot and the only witness to his murder was his little dog Eddy, it turns out that more than just Selina had a problem with the man. Jenna joins forces with her friends and Detective Keith Logan to track down a killer before any more damage is done to the reputation of her beloved bookstore.

A fast paced plot, likable characters, plenty of suspects and a new furry companion make for a delightful read. I'll look forward to future additions to the series.

I received an advanced copy of Murder by the Bookend from NetGalley via Crooked Lane Books. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

This was a perfect cozy mystery.

Its been a while since I've read a good mystery that sucked me into the world and the whole "who dun it" mood, and Murder by the Bookend did THAT.

If you love mysteries that are feel-good but also have you second guessing everything, look no further than this.

Laura Gail Black has created a fun series of murder novels that will have readers guessing at every page.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wrongly accused of embezzlement and murder and a broken engagement, Jenna jumps at the chance for a fresh start when her Uncle invites her to come live with him. We learn in the first book that her Uncle is murdered and this is how Jenna winds up becoming the new owner of his bookstore.

The quaint warehouse district of Hokes Folly, NC, is hopping despite the drizzly November chill. The occasion? The mountain town’s beloved antiquarian bookstore, Twice Upon a Time, is throwing a bash for its grand reopening. But bookseller Jenna Quinn’s peace of mind is shattered when the local library’s Director of Antique Books turns up dead in the parking lot–his head bashed in by a glittering pair of vintage glass bookends.

I found this to be a great quick Cozy Mystery read and will be checking out the first and remaining books in the series. Books about bookshops are always my favorite cozy reads. The characters were very likeable, quirky and real as was the setting of the town. I love how Jenna stands up to a detective that tries to pin everything on her and continues to try and solve the murder no matter what. There is a little romance going on that moves slowly throughout the book which is nice and the murder kept me guessing up to the end – always a plus. Highly recommend this book as the series looks very promising!

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of MURDER BY THE BOOKEND (Book 2 of the Antique Bookshop Mysteries) by Laura Gail Black in exchange for an honest review. Finally vindicated from accusations that she murdered her uncle, Jenna Quinn remodeled her uncle’s bookshop and renamed it Twice Upon a Time. In celebration, Jenna hosts a grand reopening party and invites her uncle’s patrons to attend. Jenna didn’t expect the attendees to provide the entertainment, but some of them put on a drama worthy of a reality show. When one of the dramatic guests is murdered after leaving the party, the investigating detective, once again, treats Jenna as a suspect. With the only witness to the murder being the man’s beloved dog and with the detective refusing to follow leads, Jenna and her friends find themselves conducting an independent investigation. Soon both Jenna and the dog are under attack. With the killer continuing their violent spree, will Jenna identify the murderer before Jenna becomes another homicide victim?

I liked this book and the previous one, FOR WHOM THE BOOK TOLLS. I recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries featuring murder, bookshops, dogs, antique books, political candidates.

#MurderbytheBookend #NetGalley

I would not have rated this book highly if I had to base my opinion solely on the first chapter. That is because of passages like "Keith winked a chocolate-brown eye at me, and my heart pitter-pattered like a tap dancing poodle. I just hoped it wasn't wearing a tutu. In the aftermath of solving not only my uncle's murder but a second murder, I'd begun dating Detective Keith Logan, and I shot him a playful grin." Thankfully, there were 27 chapters, and the story and the prose and the plot recover nicely.

A book-themed cozy mystery with a touch of romance and satisfying twists. 3.5 stars but rounding up because overall I was happy I spent the time on it.

Jenna Quinn is finally having the grand reopening of her bookstore. Lots of locals attending and the sparkling wine and coffee are flowing. She’s set for a great evening to relaunch her uncle’s store and make it her own, but there are a few people who seem to have a problem with one of the attendees and Jenna does her best to shut it down and keep things on a positive note. Once the unhappy attendees leave, the evening ends on a positive note with some give aways and Jenna and the gang close things down, ready to call it a success. Until Keith finds an attendee laying dead in his car. Yet another murder connected to the bookstore.

While Keith doesn’t want Jenna investigating, she can’t help but feel involved since the man died after attending her party. With so many suspects and so little time, Jenna and her friends are all over it and hopeJenna doesn’t attract the murderer’s attention like before.

The second book in this series is just as good as the first one. We all deserve fresh starts and Jenna certainly has earned hers. Can’t wait to see what the author has for this well written series and protagonist.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Murder by the Bookend by Laura Gail Black in exchange for an honest review. Jenna Quinn inherited her uncle's bookstore. She renamed it "Twice Upon a Time". After the grand reopening and a few kerfuffles, a man is found dead in the parking lot lying by his car with his dog running loose. Poor Jenna!
I enjoyed reading this story. Thanks to Laura Gail Black for an interesting plot line. I am curious of what other adventures Jenna will get into.

I always love books written about bookstores and coffee shops and this one fits in perfectly with my love of all things books. Jenna Quinn sells antique books and her bookstore, Twice Upon a Time, is once again the scene of unwanted attention when the local library's Director of Antique Books is found dead in the. parking lot prior to the grand re-opening of the store.

As was the case in the first in this series, Jenna Quinn remains a fun book loving sleuth whose adventures leave her in a bit of danger and of course intrigue.

The author, Laura Gail Black, weaves a fun story including dogs, romance with a local policeman and all of the things that book nerds like me love and this little book kept me entertained and turning the pages.

This cozy mystery is well worth the time and I enjoyed having the chance to read and review it through Net Galley. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a free digital download for my honest review.

I have not read the 1st book in this series, but felt like I easily jumped into the second book with issue, though I could tell it referred to happenings in the first book. This was a really well written cozy mystery. I loved the characters, they weren’t flighty or ‘solved’ the mystery mostly by chance like many cozy mysteries seem to do these days. The setting is great, as a book nerd I love that the story revolves around an antique book store. I like the business philosophy that is so well intermixed in the story, and the finding family where you are trope. I’m looking forward to seeing more in this series and finding out how the characters’ relationships progress.

this is a wonderful mystery story, she now own a books store, and has a re grand opening someone of the people do not get alone and leave when they go out to go home they find a body and his dog . what happens , is she now take the dog and they look for the person responsible if you like mysteries and animals and hunky boyfriend detective you will want to read the book i was given a copy by netgalley but this is an honest reivew

Murder by the Bookend is the second book in the Antique Bookshop Mysteries, and my very first visit to Hokes Folly.

Jenna Quinn is gearing up for her grand re-opening party. She's organized a fancy dress event at her bookshop, to celebrate the grand re-opening and everything has been planned perfectly. Or so she thought! On the night, all appears to be going smoothly until one of her guests is found dead near the shop. Who would want to kill Linus, the sweet man with an interest in antique books? Jenna, with the help of her police detective boyfriend, and Linus' dog, Eddy, put their nose to the crime and try to follow the clues, before the killer strikes again!

I jumped right in with this series. I hadn't read the first book in the series, but I wasn't lost at all. The author does a great job of recapping Jenna's life, without the reader feeling too bogged down in details. I immediately felt at home in Hokes Folly, and all the eclectic people that live there.

The mystery is fast-paced and kept me on the edge of my seat, rapidly trying to read faster and faster, awaiting the final denouement. I thought I had the killer caught, in my mind, but the author threw in a couple of red herrings that had me guessing until the end!!!

Murder by the Bookend was a fantastic read. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the gang at Twice Upon a Time bookstore, and I can't wait to visit Hokes Folly again!

Loved this book and am very excited for this new series! I didn’t read book one, but had no problems following along this second book. The characters are well written, the mystery fun, and the killer someone I had considered and thought might have been a red herring and wasn’t. Also, love that the protagonist did something reckless and recognised it. And was sorry she did it.

Jenna Quinn is throwing a party for the grand reopening of her used bookstore "Twice Upon a Time", which she inherited from her uncle Paul Baxter. It turns out to be an interesting night as there are several incidents at the party with various guest. When one of those guests, Hokes Folly's local Librarian in charge of Antique books ends up murdered, bludgeoned with a blown glass bookend that he won in a raffle at the party the only witness to the crime is his faithful little dog Edison (Eddy).

Jenna feels responsible for Linus Talbots murder and is determined with the help of friends and her Detective boyfriend, Keith Logan, to solve the crime even if it means she puts herself in danger and becomes the next victim.

This is a fun cozy read that has fun characters and a nice flow. Great book to curl up on the couch with and just enjoy. And a cozy mystery is always better with a dog!

I enjoy bookstore mysteries so much. This book was sent to me on Kindle by Netgalley for review. The characters are fun for a quick read...light and entertaining...just thought maybe talking about all the murders the protagonist was involved in was a little much...just a thought...enjoy

Jenna Quinn is excited for the grand reopening of her book store, Twice Upon A Time.
She expects there to be interesting conversations, and of course, much talk about books. What she doesn’t expect is to find one of her guests, injured, and possibly dead.
To make matters worse, the police are planning to take the injured guest’s dog to the pound, and Jenna refuses to let that happen. That was my favorite part of the story.
I really enjoyed the book, it was well written and the mystery kept me guessing.
I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.
#MurderbytheBookend #NetGalley

The quaint warehouse district of Hokes Folly, NC, is hopping despite the drizzly November chill. The occasion? The mountain town’s beloved antiquarian bookstore, Twice Upon a Time, is throwing a bash for it is grand reopening. But bookseller Jenna Quinn’s peace of mind is shattered when the local library’s Director of Antique Books turns up dead in the parking lot—his head bashed in by a glittering pair of vintage glass bookends.

As they examine the murder scene, Jenna and her police detective boyfriend happen upon the only witness—the victim’s dog, who flees the scene leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind. If only dogs could speak, Jenna might be able to make quick work of the murder case and get back to stocking her bookcases.and get back to stocking her bookcases.

Alas, finding the killer won’t be so easy, even though this is not Jenna’s first murder investigation—indeed, she inherited Twice Upon a Time from her slain uncle. The suspect list is voluminous—the late librarian had not-so-friendly run-ins with numerous guests—but suspicion eventually centers on three unsavory individuals who left the party shortly before the victim did.

Now, Jenna must edit her inventory of suspects from three names to one, before the bloodthirsty bookend-wielder becomes the author of Jenna’s demise.

This is the kind of book that keeps me coming back to cozies. It is fun and well written. The characters and their relationships are ones I want to read about even if there wasn’t mystery. I want to visit with them for a while and see what is going on in their lives. There’s even a touch of romance. Jenna and her boyfriend have sweet, quiet moments together. The kind of thing that keep couples still in love 60 years after they get married.

Plus, there is a mystery. A good mystery. And the characters run into trouble in their investigation. The lead investigator is not at all happy with Jenna’s activities and in fact gets quite nasty about it. Somebody actually notices when they are sitting in a car for hours at a time doing surveillance. They call the police because they think Jenna and her cohorts are doing something illegal. Those small things make it more realistic to me. Kudos to the author.

Oh, and don’t forget those thriller moments. Jenna has a few encounters that will have your heart racing.

If your are looking for a good cozy, pick this one up. You won’t be disappointed.

And did I mention the cute dog.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.