"Antiquarian bookseller Jenna Quinn sleuths again when a pair of glass bookends puts an end to a librarian's life, in this second installment of Laura Gail Black's cozy series.".

First of the bat I have to say WOW! It doesn't happen quickly that I am so drawn into a book that I finish it in 2 days.... It's the second book in this series and I have to say that I did not read the first book (which I am going to do now), but it did not matter for the storyline in this book. There are a few times when there is a reference to events in the first book, but nothing even to really spoil it. So you don't need to read the first one to read this second one.

So as a newbie to this series, I got to know the characters without introduction. I really liked our sleuth Jenna. She's very nice and the ways she wants to help Mason are awesome. That something is blossoming between her and Keith is clear from moment one and you are waiting for it. I also liked the interactions she had with Rita. The librarian that is murdered had a dog and Jenna decides to take him in as a short term solution, but it was so clear that he was going to stay with her. They are so cute together!

I loved the way the mystery was build up. Not too much, not too little and certainly kept me guessing who did it. I went all over the board to figure out it was and I had so many suspects. Also really enjoyed the writing style and that there were a variety of characters but not too many.

I give this one a 5 star as I really enjoyed it and as I said, I finished it in 2 days. Now onwards to get book 1 and read that!

Great series and author. I loved reading this book. Looking forward to the next book in the series. I highly recommend this book and author.

I enjoyed reading this book. The characters were believable, and the plot was good. It fits nicely into the cozy mystery category: small town setting with an amateur sleuth helping to solve a murder. I look forward to reading more books in this series, and I highly recommend this book to other cozy mystery readers.

This is the first book I have read by Laura Gail Black and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters are all well-written, and for the most part likeable (if they should be). The mystery in 'Murder by the Bookend' was suspenseful and full of twists so that there were many suspects to consider. I especially appreciated the light, but devoted romance aspect of the book. All in all 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.

BOOK REVIEW
Murder by the Bookend - Laura Gail Black
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I love Jenna Quinn. As a character, her first outing was relatable and strong and left me wanting to move to Hokes Folly (because we all know im a bit mad for a small community and a historic town!)
After losing her her uncle but gaining his antique bookstore, Jenna is ready for a fresh start, renaming the store and ready to begin again. But when another murder is committed near the bookstore, there’s no way Jenna will leave well enough alone.
Great support cast, the addition of, well, Edition the dog was brilliant and the sweetly chaste romance makes this series fun and enjoyable.
Jenna is a fantastic protagonist and I love how she battles her moms voice in her head all the time because - don’t we all.
Thank you to @netgalley and @lauragailblack for a wonderful read, very keen to keep following the series.

This was such a nail biter of a page turner. The plot was very well written and I cannot wait for another book. This was from a new to me and great author. I really enjoyed the book. Will definitely recommend this book.

Jenna Quinn owns Twice Upon A Time bookstore. She inherited the store from her murdered uncle. Following her grand re-opening party one of the party guests is murdered in the parking lot. Since once again negative publicity is threatening the bookstore Jenna wants to help discover who the murderer is. I really enjoyed following Jenna's thinking and logic as she decided there were three main suspects. This was a fun read. I look forward to the next book in the series.

I received an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This is the second book in the Antique Bookshop Mystery series by Laura Gail Black. I haven't read the first but enjoyed this one without having done so. Jenna Quinn hosts a reopening party for the bookstore previously owned by her uncle. Using old records, she invites his best clients to the kickoff. Linus Talbot, the library's director of antique books, is among those in attendance. His plus-one is his dog, Eddy. After leaving the party, Talbot is murdered in the parking lot. Jenna takes temporary custody of Eddy. Then with the help of her boyfriend, police detective Keith, friend Rita, and store manager Mason, she works to solve the crime.

Murder by the Bookends is a fun read. There are plenty of interesting characters, and the relationships are delightful. Black does a good job throwing the reader in different directions by introducing several suspects while hunting for the murderer's identity. Although I did figure out whodunit before the ending, I enjoyed the story—a nicely paced mystery. And who doesn't love a friendly dog? I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a cozy.

Murder by the Bookend
by LauGail Black

Jenna Quinn is hosting a grand reopening of the bookstore she inherited from her late uncle. We meet a colorful cast of characters including one who ends up dead in the parking lot, murdered by one of the other attendees. Jenna adopts the dog of the victim and ends up with red herrings on her path to finding the killer.

Entertaining Escapism....
The second instalment in the Antique Bookshop mystery series finds bookseller Jenna in a precarious situation when the Director of Antique Books turns up dead. With a plethora of suspects not to mention motives will Jenna get to the bottom of the mystery before she meets the same fate? Enjoyable cosy mystery which, whilst stretching the realms of possibility on occasion, is an entertaining escapism..

I like the pace of this book. I hadn’t read the first in the series, but this second book filled in the big blanks quickly. Jenna is likable and the town reminds me much of any smaller town in cozy mysteries. The list of suspects isn’t overwhelming. I thought one person looked good for the murder, but another would pop up with a motive.

The only major problem I have is mapping out the bookstore and apartment in my head. You have to go upstairs from the inside of the bookstore to get to the apartment. But also the apartment opens up to the outside on the street. I am not sure how that works. It bugged me a few times but was not detrimental to the story.

I enjoyed the characters and the story. I will be adding Ms. Black to my TBR pile.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

I will be adding this review to my website EveHallows.com.

#MurderbytheBookend #NetGalley

This was such a fun cozy mystery. I loved the setting and characters and the stakes felt very real when they normally don't in a cozy mystery. I definitely want to pick up the first book in the series, even though I kind of already know what happened, because of how much I enjoyed the characters in this second book. The writing style was smooth and made the reading experience un-put-down-able.

And, of course, we have to talk about Eddie. So adorable! I may be a cat person but Eddie the dog melted my heart.

Another Antique Bookshop Mystery by Laura Gail Black - "Murder by the Bookend" is a great cozy mystery.

In this instalment, Jenna is getting reading to reopen Twice Upon a Time. Her bookstore is located in Hokes Folly, NC and in the middle of November. All seems to be going well until a body is found and it's non-other than the Director of Antique Books.

Jenna and Keith her police detective boyfriend are on the case, and they need all of the help they can get as the only witness is the victim's dog.

Enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. Well-crafted characters and a great storyline.

2nd book in this mystery series

Bookseller Jenna Quinn is getting ready for the reopening of Twice Upon a Time her bookstore in Hokes Folly, NC this chilly November day.

But things take a deadly turn when a local library’s Director of Antique Books turns up dead in the parking lot, his head bashed in by a pair of vintage glass bookends.

While Jenna and her police detective boyfriend are examining the scene of the attack they come upon the only witness to the crime the victim’s dog. Solving this murder won’t be easy even though Jenna has experience. She solved the case of her slain uncle who she inherited the bookstore from.

Finding the killer won’t be easy, the librarian had many run-ins with numerous guests the night of opening party. Jenna has narrowed it down from three suspects to one and she better close the case on this book before the killer ends her days.

I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to the next book in this series.

This was Ok, I guess? The characters are charming, the setting is fun, but my big beef was with the mystery. I wish the author had talked to a librarian-any librarian-before doing her plot. At one point early in the book the main character declares that something is impossible and I immediately thought of five ways to commit the same crime with minimal to no effort. The rest of the plot just gets more farcical as it goes along all for lack of some basic research. *sigh*

Murder by the Bookend is a second book in Laura Gail Black series An Antique Bookshop Mystery which follows the life of antiquarian bookseller Jenna Quinn.
Jenna Quinn is a new owner of a Hokes Folly, NC local antiquariat bookstore Twice Upon a Time. The grand reopening calls for all towns major celebrities to gather and the night isn't over before opinions clash. But when Linus Talbot, the library’s director of antique books, is found dead later that night it seems there were quite some people who had motive to transform harmful words to acts.Jenna, who finds herself in the company of Linus's dog Eddy and her police detective boyfriend Keith are on the path to catch a killer, along with help of some of her friends. With many suspects and their motivates, will she find the killer and bring goodbye to the Murder Bookstore.
The story drives you in, the characters are likeable ,the dialogue is funny and pages fly by. It's such a cozy read and if you like this genre you will enjoy this book very much. I sure did :)

This is a really enjoyable cozy mystery. Jenna Quinn, new owner of her uncle’s bookstore, is in the middle of a murder mystery when one of the guest who attended her grand reopening is killed.

This book is second of a series but Laura Gail Black makes sure to explain the first book throughout so it can be read as a stand-alone. Her writing immerses you in the characters world and is just plain fun. Well written characters, red herrings and an adorable dog all add up to great book to curl up with a cup of tea.

I want to thank NetGalley, the Laura Gail Black and Crooked Lane Books for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

This was an okay cozy. The mystery plotting itself was good, and I liked the humor of the main character. What mostly ruined it for me were 2 things: 1) Jodie's instant schoolgirl crush on Duncan; and 2) the fact that this former cop supposedly has a fledgling catering business--Banquets and Bakes--and yet her "job" only appears when it's convenient to the plot, which makes the whole setup less believable.

I didn't read book 1 in this series, but book 2 worked as a stand-alone. Not sure I'm interested enough to go back and read book 1, though.

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

Jenna Quinn - antique book seller and amateur sleuth In Hokes Folly, North Carolina- - is involved, unwillingly, in solving the murder of a librarian who attended the grand opening of her bookstore, Twice Upon A Time. Now, the murderer has Jenna in their sights!

I didn't read the first book,however the author did an excellent job of "catching" first time readers up. Jenna is a level-headed business owner who doesn't rush into danger. She's kind, smart and becomes a "dog mom" overnight. As an animal lover, this made me happy to see! The book was fast-paced and kept me reading. I enjoyed the antique bookstore setting, it was perfect for a cozy. The supporting characters were interesting and well-written.

I'm looking forward to another trip to Hokes Folly and Twice Upon A Time!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

As far as cozy mysteries go I can't find fault with this one.
It did make mention of the first book which I have not ready, but it was enough to give background and make me want to read it (though it does not feel entirely necessary in order to understand this one).

I think I was won over when Jenna decided to keep Eddy but really this book ticked all the cozy boxes for me without being stale: off screen murder, multiple plausible suspects, a cute romance with the local detective, good cop/bad cop, helpful and caring friends, a crime that plausibly involves Jenna our amateur sleuth.

I don't like when amateur sleuths stick themselves into a case but Jenna has a stake in this mystery so it makes sense. Frank is a great use of a character to take the "don't interfere with my case!" stance against Jenna, other books of the genre would put this on her detective boyfriend adding annoying conflict. And finally I was so happy that Jenna acknowledges, out loud, when she was being thoughtless and reckless. I was cheering for her and liking her but this cemented it. She is a likable, realistic, honest, and she can definitely carry a book series.