Honestly, this was just a run of the mill cozy mystery. I never feel invested enough in the characters and the same thing happened here.

I received this Arc from Netgalley. Thank you for the chance to read this book early. My review is honest and 100% my own thoughts about the book.

I really enjoyed this murder mystery. I also enjoyed the fact the the main female character was a murder mystery author. Talk about inception! I enjoyed that the characters of her book are based on the different people and happening around her.

This book kept me on my toes while having a funny streak throughout the storyline as well as a sprinkle of romance. I enjoyed the twist and turns that the author took us on. The adventure sucks you into the story. I was not expecting the ending and who the murder was! Total surprise but definitely sprinkling the false trails!

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I was intrigued by the bookish mystery theme going on here and it started well for me. However, I wasn't able to connect with the characters, specifically Gertie. The tense mother/daughter relationship and the disgruntled teen vibe just wasn't for me. Perhaps had a read on further, this relationship would have evolved into something stronger. This might be something I try again in the future, but for now I had to put it back on the shelf.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

This is the kind of cozy mystery I want, lots of humor and adorable romance thrown in with some body parts. Tamara Berry is a fantastic writer, her humor and dry wit kept me cracking up even when I wasn't reading the book. I loved how crazy and outlandish some of it seemed, totally reminded me of the Finlay Donovan series, but it was such a joy to read. The romance is adorable and I love the grumpy sunshine trope especially in this book. The mother-daughter relationship is also another aspect I loved about this book, honestly it was one of my favorite parts of this. I wasn't expecting such crazy plot twists but they were there and they were twisty. I'm immediately picking up the second book in this series partly because I loved the first book so much and partly because how this first book ended. Tamara Berry may be a new favorite author of mine, her covers are super cute which is always a bonus.

*Many thanks to Poisoned Press for the gifted copy for my honest review*

This was such a fun, cozy mystery read. The first book in New series by Tamara Berry about a thriller writer and her young daughter who get caught up in a small towns murders.

I enjoyed reading this cozy mystery. The characters are interesting. However they do need a little more development, which is to be expected in a first book in a series. There were times that I was upset with a few characters for their actions. The mystery was entertaining with plenty of twists. I never saw the reveal coming. Overall this is a good start to a series.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and I have not been influenced by anyone.

I was given this book by NetGalley to review (last year) and forgot to post my review.

I love cozy mysteries and this one has been added to one of my favorite series. This is the first book in the By the Book Mysteries and it was so fun. Tess Harrow is the MC and is a best-selling thriller author. She and her daughter, Gertie go to a small town in the mountains that seems to be riddled with dead bodies.

Tess believes that this trip to the cabin owned by her grandfather will help her and Gertie to bond and heal after Tess's divorce to her husband. Tess is trying to convince Gertie that a summer in the mountains without Wi-Fi will be good for her.

However, Tess's plans change when there are "sightings" of Bigfoot, which puts Tess in the middle of a murder investigation. The detective on the case looks almost identical to the detective in her books. Tess has to solve this mystery before anyone gets hurt.

I loved the Bigfoot aspect of this book. Cryptids are cool. I didn't figure out who dun it, which was a surprise since I usually can figure this out. Tess is a great mom and a great sleuth. Even though this is the first book in the By the Book Mysteries, this was a cozy mystery series I'll keep up with. I will need to reread this so I can read the second book in the series.

I really loved this first book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book.

I love cozy mysteries, usually ones that have recipes. While this one is is focused on an author, I still really enjoyed it. The characters were good. The plot was well done, including a couple twists. I will be continuing with the series.

4/5

I received this book for free from Netgalley for an honest review.

I really love this author in her work she really makes her characters come alive.

This was such a fun read! I thought the characters were all very believable and I enjoyed the relationships between them. It was fast paced, with action starting on page 1! I was easily able to finish it in just a few sittings. Although the plot felt a bit far fetched at points, I didn't see the plot twists coming. I haven't read very many cozy mysteries, but I think I might be converted to them after this!

This is the 1st book in the new cozy mystery book By the Book Mysteries series. This book does contain a fully solved mystery so it could be read as a standalone if choosing to do so with only the character development carrying over to the next book.

Book wasn't meant for me. Hopefully someone will enjoy it more. I will look into renting it in the future

At first, I had to DNF this book. However, I picked it up again and decided it was a 4 star read for me.

I think at the moment I started reading it the first time, I was not in the mood for a mystery. I am glad I picked this one up again because I really liked the characters and want to continue on in the series.

At times, it felt a little dark, but nothing that bothered me. The mystery was good and I could not figure out whodunit until the end.

Thank you Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Buried in a Good Book is the first By the Book cozy mystery by Tamara Berry. Released 24th May 2022 by Poisoned Pen Press, it's 336 pages and is available in mass market paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

The subgenre of cozies which features small-town eccentric characters, usually including a local handsome law officer, and female amateur sleuth, honestly runneth over. They're wildly popular and as such, many are, frankly formulaic and predictable. THIS series starter engaged and amused me from the start. There's real chuckle-out-loud humor (which is a lot more difficult than it appears), the dialogue timing, and action are well controlled and unpredictable. 

Protagonist Tess is a successful middle aged mystery writer who has inherited her grandfather's cabin in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. The summer retreat (even without running water and electricity) appeals, especially since her marriage has recently broken up with the additional trauma of her ex-husband's rift with their teenage daughter. The trip starts out with a unexpected literal bang when a local ne'er-do-well dynamites her pond causing a deluge of stunned fish and unintentional body parts. 

I love small-town mysteries and bookish mysteries and this one combines both. It's potentially a little too gritty (body parts!) to be called a proper cozy mystery, but it's not very graphic and I had no trouble with the descriptions. 

Four stars. Definitely worth a look for fans of bookish small-town cozies. There are currently two books out, with a third due out in second quarter, 2023, making it a good candidate for a weekend mini-binge read. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Buried in a Good Book is the first book in Tamara Berry's By The Book Mysteries. In this series, thriller author Tess Harrow has recently gone through a divorce and decided to spend a month with her teenage daughter Gertrude at her grandfather's cabin in the woods while working on her next novel. Shortly after arriving at the cabin, they hear some loud booms nearby and go to check out what is happening. As they get close to the pond on the property, they discover a man setting off explosives in the pond which results in the discovery of a woman who has recently been murdered.

The author has created a cast of characters that multi-dimensional but still relatable to the reader. The setting of a small town allows for more interaction and creating of believable but intriguing situations for the police and protagonist to work through while on the trail of the killer. Through creative use of misdirects and red herrings, the author catches the reader's attention and keeps it right until the very surprising revelation scene. I look forward to reading more installments in this series and hope to see it continue for quite some time.

I receive an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I read the first book in the series and enjoyed the narrative style enough to ensure I had the second to read right after. Obviously, I will be reviewing the first independent of the sequel, although my reaction to the second depends on the first.
The title is quite catchy, but it makes more sense for the second book than the first. That is not a spoiler exactly, but when reading them almost back to back, it is something I noticed particularly.
Our series begins with our leading lady dragging her disgruntled daughter with her to her grandfather's remote shack in a town where she spent a very brief period in her childhood. Tess Harrow is a very well-known name in murder mystery/thriller book circles. She is a method writer who tends to actually experience as much as she can about her books before putting it down in words. She is struggling with writer's block, and this is one of the primary reasons for her move. There are several secondary ones.
Her arrival is immediately followed by the discovery of a body and the realization that the local law enforcement is almost a carbon copy of her fictional hero.
What follows is a very straightforward amateur solving with a lot of questions directed towards several people before the solution was discovered. There are two main reasons why this book worked for me. The first and central reason was the writing style. This was completely my kind of narrative voice. I appreciated all the characters more, thanks to the way they all interacted. It was funny at times without trying too hard to be flippant at all times (something I am becoming very particular about in recent times). The second was the plot itself. I found the ending completely unexpected and entirely plausible, given the turn of events. The two very rarely work in sync, but it did so here.
I will not go into the details of the case itself because it is not exactly important in the bigger picture of this review. I highly recommend this series to fans of this genre.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Tess Harrow is a best selling thriller writer and is known all over the country. After inheriting her grandfather’s secluded and rustic cabin in the woods near the Washington-Canada border newly divorce Tess and her daughter move in. Teenage Gertie isn’t sure she can live all summer without electricity and internet, but the discovery of body parts in their lake change her mind quickly.
The duo quickly develop a friendship with the local librarian. The three decide to spend time investigating who has died and who could be suspects. The sheriff, who looks just like Tess’ main character from her books, isn’t thrilled to have the women digging into his case.
This is the first book in the By the Book Mystery series. I am so glad I read this book and I do recommend it. The characters are well-developed for a first book and are realistic. The setting is easy to picture and fits the storyline well. This book kept me engaged and I didn’t want to put it down. I am looking forward to the second book!

I honestly got bored and didn't finish this book. It was not very thrilling and was a little simple for me. There wasn't much more than ok there's a body who did it?aybe my genre should not be cozy mysteries necause there was not any depth to the characters or much intrigue.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great start to a fun cozy mystery series. I can't wait for the next one! I like the characters and how the relationship between Tess and Gertrude is very realistic. If you like cozy mysteries without a lot of romance this is a good one to read!