This was a fabulous third instalment in what is proving to be a promising series! Mississippi bookstore owner Arlo Stanley along with the rest of the town is getting the historical Coliseum Theater ready for the premiere of 'Missing Girl', local author Wally Harrison's bestselling novel turned film. 'Missing Girl' was the book club selection of the Friday Night Book Club - octogenarians Fern, Camille, and Helen. When a stranger arrives claiming he has definitive proof that Wally didn't write 'Missing Girl' he is later discovered dead in his hotel room. The mystery book club gang, with Arlo's help, are intent on nailing the culprit(s).

Set in Sugar Springs, Mississippi, A Murder Like No Author was an exciting read. Amy Lillard gave the story a sense of place and the pacing was spot on. There was always plenty going on and there was certainly never a dull moment! The author clearly knows how to write a story that is compelling, entertaining and fun and I really enjoyed my time spent in Arlo's company and the Friday Night Book Club members' shenanigans. All of the characters had a great part to play and all had plenty of audacity and spirit.

The plot was brilliantly executed and I was desperate to find out what was going to happen next. The combination of description and dialogue was great and I had opportunities to play armchair detective as the story progressed. All in all, I loved this fascinating mystery and I highly recommend this humorous, easy to read cozy. I am already looking forward to reading the next book in the series. A well-deserved five stars!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

A fast, pleasant story about a book store owner with the unusual name of Arlo and a group of three older ladies who like to investigate crimes. The murder occurs very early in the piece and then fun and chaos follows as they alternately assist and impede the police investigation.

I enjoyed the small town setting and the fact that a book shop was involved. The characters were interesting and entertaining although I thought Arlo needed to stand up for herself (and maybe get a new name. I struggled with that one!) The mystery was solved nicely with all the loose ends tied up.

This was a nice, easy read but not compelling enough for me to seek out the previous two books.

This title is the third in the series following on the earlier Can’t Judge a Book by Its Murder and A Murder Between the Pages. I have not read these by may go back to them.

A Murder Like No Author is a southern set mystery. I was interested to read it when I saw that a book store is a part of the story.

Readers of cozies will enjoy this story. The plot has to do with a new movie production of GIrl Missing. The author is no longer alive but a stranger has appeared questioning her authorship of the novel.

Of course, there is a murder. There are suspects. There are recurring series characters. And, there are the elements that readers hope for in cozies.

Those looking for a light read may well enjoy this title. The author has a very readable style. Give it a peek.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

It's always an interesting trip to Sugar Springs, MS to visit with Arlo and her friends. If you ever wondered what it was like to herd cats or toddlers, follow Arlo around town as she tries to ride herd on her three favorite older ladies. I can tell she loves them all like surrogate grandmas, but sometimes they do try her patience, lol. But always in a good way. They're sharp as can be and can be quite intimidating with their smartphones, cookies and "the look" that only a grandma-like lady can give! I just love those ladies and as a collective unit, they're such a hoot, especially that Fern!

This time they were all over the murder that took place at the theater where the movie was premiering. I won't rehash the plot, since you can read that in the blurb. There was a side mystery along with the murder which became solved in a twist toward the end. I hadn't guessed the killer, and the showdown was a good one.

You can definitely read this book by itself since the author does a very good job of recapping the previous stories. But you might want to start from the first book because sometimes things are mentioned that might be a little confusing otherwise...and you'll understand more about why there's a movie premiere and what that book was all about.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

A Murder Like No Author by Amy Lillard has Arlo and the book club group try to solve the murder of a visitor who was causing a ruckus in town. The town of Sugar Springs is getting ready to host the movie premiere of Missing Girl. The film is based on the bestselling book by the late Wally Harrison. The victim claimed he had proof that the author’s assistant really authored the novel. He was killed before he could produce his evidence. Arlo and the Friday Night Book Club (which is now meeting every day and rarely discusses books) set out to solve the crime before the movie premiere. Arlo has her hands full this time trying to wrangle the ladies to keep them out of mischief and out of the Chief of Police’s hair. Matters are further complicated by a series of incidents at the theater. Fern claims it is ghosts, but Arlo has her doubts. Can Arlo and the book club ladies get to the bottom of the murder? A Murder Like No Author is the 3rd book in A Main Street Book Club Mysteries. I suggest reading the books in order as each book builds upon the previous one. It will allow you to understand the characters and their relationships. The characters are developed and unique. Arlo is a kind woman who is always there for her friends. She has the patience of a saint. She tries so hard to wrangle Helen, Camille, and Fern. They can be a handful especially when they have an idea. Mads Keller, the Chief of Police, is a good man who is rapidly losing patience with the senior sleuths. Sam is going through a tough family situation. Arlo feels for him and wishes there was more she could do for him. My heart went out to Sam. I understand what he is going through very well. The town of Sugar Springs is charming. It is full of quirky residents and quaint shops. I love the bookstore, though, I do not how Arlo can listen to Faulkner all day. The mystery was thought out and there are good clues to help readers solve the crime. I liked the red herring. The crime can easily be solved long before the reveal if you do not let Helen, Camille, and Fern’s antics distract you. Everything comes together for a satisfying ending. The Wally Harrison storyline which has been running through the first three books is finally put to bed. There is plenty of humor in this cozy mystery that will have you chuckling and shaking your head. I could do without the repetition. It is a bit much after a while. I also am not a fan of the sort-of love triangle between Arlo, Mads, and Sam. I am hoping that Arlo will get with Mads. Their relationship makes more sense to me, and they are a cute pair. A Murder Like No Author is a spirited whodunit with a departed rebel rouser, hilarious hijinks, a cross chief, a lady in scarlet, and an overburdened bookstore owner.

Arlo and her business partner, Chloe run a bookstore called Books and More in the town of Sugar Springs, MS. The bookstore has a book club called the Friday Night Book Club and it is so much more than that. First there are only three members, all senior citizens. Second, they are determined to solve crimes and three, no matter how hard Arlo tries, they will do it their way.
This time the crime revolves around a past murder they investigated, the death of local author Wally Harrison. His book, Missing Girl, has made it to the silver screen and the town has been working hard to spruce up the local Coliseum Theater for the showing. Petro Chenko arrives in town to throw in a very big monkey wrench. He is claiming that Wally didn't write Missing Girl and he's going to prove it. Soon enough his lifeless body is found by Arlo's Aunt Helen, wedged between the seats in the theater. In no time the members of the Friday Night Book Club - Helen, Fern and Camille - are on the case much to the dismay of both the sheriff and Arlo. Controlling those ladies is harder than nailing jello to the wall. Then accidents start happening and Arlo is having a really hard time keeping up with the ladies.
This is a series best read in order. The back story is important to the current mystery. The mystery is well crafted with plenty of clues to follow. I hope there will be more books in the series.
My thanks to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Things are picking up in Sugar Springs, Mississippi with the premiere of the movie, Missing Girl, coming up in two weeks. The movie is based on a book written by deceased hometown author Wallace Harrison. The antics of the three senior citizens who make up the Friday Night Book Club, that meets every day and do more sleuthing than book discussion, make this a fun series. Arlo Stanley owns the local bookstore where she started the book club hoping to attract young adults but her aunt and two friends were the only takers. With the movie coming up at the local historic Coliseum, sprucing up is needed. Things get dicey when Aunt Helen discovers the body of Petro Chenko in the Coliseum. He is in town saying that Wally did not write Missing Girl. Someone wanted to shut him up and was successful. The three women began their own investigation with Arlo trying to hold them back to keep Police Chief and old boyfriend, Mads Keller, happy. As we have come to expect, there are lots of awkward and sticky situations created by the three friends as they investigate. This is a great addition to this fun cozy set in the Deep South where traditions are important and everyone knows each other's business.
I received a complimentary ARC from Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley. All thoughts expressed are mine only.

A Murder Like No Author is the 3rd book in the Main Street Book Club Mysteries series by Amy Lillard.

The movie premiere for Missing Girl is only a few weeks away when a stranger comes to town saying that he has evidence that Wally Harrison did not author the bestselling novel the movie is based on. The stranger then turns up dead and Arlo and the ladies in the book club get involved.

I liked the carry over from the previous book regarding the book Missing Girl. I also appreciate having a main character who doesn’t feel the need to jump in and solve the mystery. I didn’t guess the guilty party.

Arlo and Mads attitude towards the senior women in the book club bothered me. They aren’t children that Arlo needs to babysit. If they interfere with an investigation, Mads should deal with it rather than expecting Arlo to keep them in check. I’m not a big fan of Arlo’s waffling on her feelings for Sam and Mads.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

I wanted to love this book and had high expectations.
There's plenty of potential but somehow it missed the target.
Arlo seems a bit on the depressed side, the love triangle is still present and the humour seemed a bit forced.
I also hope that the next book will solved the "who wrote the book" dilemma and move on.
I think other people will love it but it wasn't my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A Murder Like No Author by Amy Lillard is the third book in the Main Street Book Club Mysteries, and I had hopes that this series would get better after reading book two, but this is my lowest rated one in the series. And the biggest reason comes down to me skimming a lot of the book because of Arlo continually trying to contain octogenarians and the sheriff being angry with her because she couldn’t… even though I don’t feel as if she should even be trying.

If Lillard would get rid of Arlo and let Fern, Camille, and Helen continue to be their fabulous selves that infuse humor into each book while solving the mystery, this series would be fantastic!

I do have to give Lillard kudos for being able to keep the theme of Wally and the “did he or didn’t he write the bestseller book” going through all three books. It is pretty ingenious how she is using this plot device to span the series…. That being said, if I read book four in the series, I hope that question gets answered and Lillard goes onto something else.

And I was also happy that Lillard introduced a character with a different lifestyle than many people have, and some cozy readers may even be aware of. But as much as I appreciated it, and hope to see more of this in other cozies, the way it was presented didn’t feel as fresh as it could have. Lillard did try to address this with the octogenarians not being PC about it, but even putting that nod towards it didn’t help.

As always, this is just my opinion. You may love this series, which always makes me happy when people enjoy a book. I will most likely try book four in the series, but if it keeps having the same problems, I’ll be reading other cozy mysteries since there are so many great ones out there.

I REALLY wanted to like this book, I really did. There is just so much about it that is problematic. From the [stupid, ridiculous, no-woman-should-wring-her-hands-over-TWO-men-who-are-giving-her-NO-encouragement] love triangle, the C O N S T A N T repetition [I DO NOT need to be told again what was just told to me 2 chapters before [over and over and over again] - we are not 5 authors, please stop doing this], which leads to no real plot, no real character development and a reveal that was so tepid, that I actually said out loud "THAT'S it?" to the fairly obvious killer amongst other really obvious things to everyone expecting Arlo to "babysit" three GROWN WOMEN who should both know better and also be able to take care of themselves [so they get in trouble; why shouldn't they have the consequences instead of Arlo? I find it also very problematic that Mads thinks its okay to almost demand that Arlo "take care" of them. They are GROWN WOMEN; let them take care of themselves for crying out loud], this book started out weak and just grew even more weak and tepid as the book went on. I haven't been so relieved to be done with a book in a long time [especially after the 3-second reveal that wasn't a surprise]. Such a huge disappointment. This has the potential to be a really great series and it just is not ending up to be that. I do like Arlo as a MC [minus the hand-wringing] and I LOVE the bookstore setting, but the story and the mystery and character development needs to be much stronger; I am not sure I can continue with this series if the next book is more of the same that was this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amy Lillard, and Poisoned Pen Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

It has finally arrived! The premiere of Missing Girl based on a book written by local newly deceased (Can’t Judge A Book By Its Murder) author Wally Harrison is taking place in his hometown and everyone is working to make the historic Coliseum Theater red carpet ready. That is until a man arrives in town claiming Harrison didn’t write the book. Soon thereafter Helen (Elly) finds the man dead between the seats in the theater. Of course, the Friday Night Book Club much to Arlo and the Sheriff’s regret butts their noses right into the murder investigation. It is about this time “accidents” start to happen at the theater. One “accident” leaves Arlo injured making it harder to reel in the octogenarian sleuths as they try to catch the killer.

________

First, I must recommend these books be read in order because each builds on things that happened in the previous book. It also helps you understand the relationships of the core characters.

Arlo is a strong main character and she has the patience of a saint. Fern, Camille, and Helen are very active ladies and quite a handful when they get an idea in their heads. Mads also has a bunch of patience but readers will truly understand that it is waning too with the senior sleuths. Also in this story, Sam is dealing with a tough family situation and my heart felt for him. All these characters are well-developed by this third book in the series but feel there is room for growth if there is a fourth book in the works.

The mystery itself is well-plotted and the author drops plenty of clues for a reader that isn’t distracted by all the mayhem caused by Helen, Fern, and Camille. Poor Chloe gets left manning the bookstore/cafe while Arlo works so hard to corral those ladies while trying to help a friend, keep the sheriff happy, and maybe just have a little time for herself. I really enjoyed the exciting ending and the way all the pieces fell nicely into place.

A Murder Like No Author may bring the Wally Harrison story to an end but I hope that doesn’t mean we won’t be visiting these characters again. I am curious about many facets of Arlo’s life especially if she is going to sort out her romance troubles. I am sure that Friday Night Book Club would have a lot of input for her in that regard. I am also sure there could be another murder afoot in sweet Sugar Springs. I definitely wouldn’t say “no” to another visit to Arlo and Chloe’s Books & More.

Amy Lillard has penned another very entertaining read.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of A Murder Like No Author by Amy Lillard from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press in order to read and give an honest review.

“…a cute and quick read but has a solid mystery, quirky characters, just enough action and a touch of romance…all the hallmarks of a good cozy…”

With the success of the book Missing Girl from deceased author and Sugar Springs native Wally Harrison it was only fitting that the Missing Girl movie be premiered in little old Sugar Springs. The whole town is abuzz, including bookstore owner Arlo and her notoriously inquisitive book club. The town is going crazy preparing for its big day, especially the historical Coliseum Theater which they are attempting to restore to its former glory. It is time for Sugar Springs to shine in the spotlight, but they are face with a major snag. When a stranger is intent on exposing that Wally Harrison did not really write the bestseller is silenced, the town is put under a different kind of scrutiny and puts the premiere in jeopardy. When the body is found in the Coliseum and freak accidents began to occur many are to ready to accept that the haunted reputation of the theatre is responsible, but Arlo and her book club featuring, three octogenarians are not completely convinced. As usual the book club goes into snoop mode with Arlo desperately trying to keep the reigns on the feisty trio and let the police do their job…without interference.

In reading the series a part of me admires these feisty women but I also feel Arlo’s frustration, I am sure in so many ways baptizing a cat would be easier than keeping the book club trio out of trouble. Especially after Arlo is injured and is pulled in so many different directions, I was actually getting annoyed for the character, which is unquestionably a testament to the author.

A Murder Like No Author, is a cute and quick read but has a solid mystery, quirky characters, just enough action and a touch of romance…all the hallmarks of a good cozy. which I would definitely recommend.

“A Murder Like No Author” the 3rd instalment in Main Street Book Club Mysteries by Amy Lillard set in the town of Sugar Springs Mississippi. I have not read the previous books, and had no trouble following along but I recommend reading in order.

Bookstore owner Arlo and her Friday Night Book Club sleuths are going to have to read between the lines to solve this mystery! Can Arlo and her Friday night book club to sleuth out the killer and solve the mystery before the town's Hollywood dreams go up in smoke?

I really enjoyed this story, and it has made me want to read the previous books. The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and I loved the characters. I kept guessing and second-guessing myself on whodunnit right to the very end.

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers copy from Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley.All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Murder Like No Author by Amy Lillard is a small town cozy mystery packed with southern charm!

And when I say packed, I do mean packed! This read was fantastically atmospheric; It definitely had the "cozy" down in "cozy mystery". However, the mystery left a bit to be desired. I found the overall plot a bit hard to follow and the big reveal at the end felt rushed, with little to no excitement. The addition of crime-solving grannies was so fun but I have to admit that, at times, their callous comments regarding Queer identity were uncomfortable. Lillard wrote in such a way that Arlo, the main character, was trying to slowly shift their perspectives but overuse of the phrase "politically correct" led the entire concept to be read as sarcastic rather than sincere. Arlo herself was, for the most part, a fun character! I liked that we got a look at all aspects of Arlo's life, including her frustrations with the people around her. Her character felt real and I definitely enjoyed getting to know her, but would have liked to see a bit more care in her overall tone regarding Queer identity. The cast of side characters was a lot and hard to keep straight, so that aspect wasn't my favorite.

I think this is a good read for newbies to the cozy mystery genre!

With the premiere of the movie adapted from late author Wally Harrison coming to town, everyone is rushing to the Theater ready. However, a stranger may put a kink in the celebration. He claims Wally didn't write the book. Before he could reveal who did and the evidence, he is found dead. Now Arlo must investigate while keeping the Book Club members in check. Will they find out who killed the stranger? Who was the real author of MIssing Girl?

I love this series. I am huge reader and love the idea of a book club. This book club goes above and beyond the definition. They not only try Arlo's patience but that of the police chief as well. Their antics keep the reader laughing and turning the pages. Such a fun series. I received a copy through Netgalley. A review was not required.

A Murder Like No Author is the third book in the series. I have read the other two books in the series. I like Arlo and I like the setting in a bookstore.
There are some points of irritation in the series.
1. Most everyone in the book keeps looking at Sam and Mads as being involved romantically in Arlo. Each was involved with Arlo in the past but isn’t any more, not really any way. It would be nice if the author decided whether she was going to have Arlo have a love interest or not. I’m not a fan of (sort of) love triangles in cozy mysteries. And hemming and hawing around for three books is plenty. The friendship between Arlo and Daisy isn’t really going to make real progress if Daisy is dating Sam.
2. The supposed book club. As individuals I like Helen (Elly), Camille and Fern. Together and misbehaving I grit my teeth a little and tell myself to keep reading. Could the ladies just be a bit less of a nuisance? Part of the problem for me is that Arlo feels she has to run around after them. It causes trouble for her and doesn’t keep the book club out of trouble.
The mystery is interesting and the killer well hidden but the “book club” running amok makes it a bit more quirky than I enjoy.
The author has a creative mind and this is a well designed mystery. It was a good read despite my stated irritations.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

Even though it’s the 3rd in the series, it was the title that drew me to this one. It could easily read as a stand-alone as the author gave you enough background information. I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy mystery and would like to go back and start with the first book.

Book #3 in the series. I do like the characters. I have gotten used to the crazy of the book club. The town is nice with plenty of reoccurring and new characters. I'm just really not sure about the love triangle - is it one? is it only in the MC mind because of the past? Nothing seems to have changed in this regard from the first book. Overall I do enjoy the books and the mysteries keep me guessing.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A standard cozy but nothing that really grabbed me.


I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.