Buried in a Good Book is the first installment in an all new cozy mysteries series by Tamara Berry. Going into this one, she was a new to me author, and I loved the idea of a cozy mystery series being about an author who writes crime fiction who is suddenly thrown into the pathway of a real life murder.

I do have to say that this one did take me a little while to get into, just because I wasn't a fan of some of the grislier moments, and I didn't personally connect with the story for the first half of it.

However, I thought Tess' character was hilarious, and I loved how she always had a quick witted response to anything that comes her way. I also appreciated the fact that she was able to put all her literary research to good use in order to help figure out who is behind the horrendous crime committed on her deceased grandfather's property, and I really enjoyed the relationship that exists between Tess and her teenage daughter Gertie. Gertie was probably one of my favorite characters, as I thought she had a pretty level head on her shoulders despite what she'd recently been through, and she added another fun element to the developing plot points.

I wasn't sure how I was going to end up feeling about this one, but wow everything really changes in the last third or so of the book, and I definitely did not see it coming. I was personally blown away by just how well developed the mystery ended up being, and it kept me guessing right through to the last reveal.

All in all, the mystery and the characterization were spot on, but I didn't love how much more gruesome this one is than the cozies I'm used to reading, and I did find a couple of objectionable content pieces within the plot that I could have done without.

I enjoyed it overall, and would probably continue on with the next book in the series, and hopefully I'll end up enjoying that one a little bit more.

Final Rating: 3/5.

Thanks so much to Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me to advance read and review this one!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Poisoned Pen Press) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cozies are my favorite genre and I love starting a new series!! I loved the characters, quirks and all and the storyline was entertaining. The only downside to reading this ARC is the wait for the second book in the series!

First in a new cozy series! That's like finding gold. Lots of good things in this one. Tess is funny but not full of herself. She's sort of bumbling, in a way. You'll see. It's a change to see a heroine with a child. Her 14 year old daughter stole the show, in my opinion. The setting is quaint but not overly cutesy and the townspeople Tess befriends are good people who are very funny. I wasn't satisfied with ending/solution. It felt a bit contrived/far-fetched. It's still an enjoyable read and I look forward to more in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of Buried in a Good Book. Publication Date: 5/24/2022

Six months after her divorce, Tess, a detective thriller writer and her teenage daughter decide to take a trip to Tess’s grandfathers rustic cabin to get away so she can write her next book. Little does she know a murder will take place in her own backyard. Now Tess and her daughter have set out to catch who did it.

This book had a great synopsis so I was intrigued but some things just got on my nerves about this book. The cabin has no electric and no inside running water but yet they are still cooking food and making coffee in the cabin which makes no sense. Tess character is also somewhat annoying. She tends to be whiny literally complains about her daughter making healthy food for her and she is always comparing her fictional detective in her books to what is going on in her actual real world which got on my nerves.
I did like some of the side characters though.
The story itself is pretty good with a lot going on and at around the 80% mark it takes a little darker turn than most cozy mysteries I’ve read and wraps up really fast but it’s still a different type of storyline. There’s exotic animals and “Bigfoot” which made no sense through most of the book until you got near the end.
So if you want a mystery that’s a little different then go ahead and give it a try. I hope Tess’s character in the second book is a little less annoying though.

ARC Review
Buried in a Good Book by Tamara Berry
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Hmm. So this was my very first cozy mysteries novel. I was always intrigued by the idea of them, but what stopped me is I love fast-paced crazy, gritty psychological thrillers, horror, etc. I'm not much of a slow-burn mystery reader. The type where you gather clues, slow your roll, and take in. So I wasn't sure what to expect.

Apart from being new to CM's, Tamara Berry is also a new author to me. This was a fun and silly book, the writing was good–but ultimately I don't think this genre is for me. I'm up for trying again in the future though for sure.

Many thanks to @netgalley & @poisonedpenpress for allowing me to read this early!

Buried in a Good Book is book one in the 'By the Book Mysteries' and is set to publish on 5/24/22

A small town cozy mystery... Thriller author Tess Harrow drags her fourteen year old daughter Gertie to Wintrop, Washington and the rustic, very primitive (no electricity, phone, running water or Wi-Fi) cabin there that Tess' grandfather left to her. Peace and quiet was the goal since her divorce and her ex-husband's ignoring Gertie had been stressful. Big Fail! Instead there are murders, exotic wild animals wandering the forest. Both Tess and Gertie became intrigued by the murder investigation. Can't say I blame them. I did too. I really liked this storyline. There are well-developed and quite likable characters, an intriguing mystery and an interesting mother-daughter relationship. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Some Cozy mysteries are better than others and this is one of the best. I adored this first book in the By the Book Mysteries series. Tess, our main character is a writer of a thriller series and therefore has written and researched lots of murder methods and murder scenes. When she and her daughter Gertie land in the middle of a murder scene at her grandfather's remote cabin, Tess thinks she has the makings for the plot of her next book. Of course, the local sheriff, who looks remarkably similar to her fictional main character, is keeping his investigation close to the vest.

Tess and Sheriff Boyd's interactions are fun to read. Sheriff Boyd has read Tess's novels and is happy to point out whenever possible all the procedural discrepancies and violations her main character commits. In turn, Tess is more than happy to share her knowledge from her past research in her novels, often dropping in facts such as animal tracks and shoe treads.

I enjoyed this one so much because of the unexpected twists, and like Tess, I wasn't sure who to trust in the end. The plot is a wild ride, full of action, and I enjoyed every minute. The author also did a wonderful job of creating layered and interesting characters. I particularly enjoyed Deputy Ivy, who had excellent bargaining skills and Nicki, who drives the bookmobile. The next book has been set up nicely and I am looking forward to it.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read and arc.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is the beginning of a new cozy mystery. I truly enjoyed this book. I know how difficult it is to live without internet, did it for over a year. Not sure about no electricity! Impressive. Truly interesting characters. Gertrude is great!! Truly enjoyable read. I would recommend this to almost everyone. 4 stars Fun cozy mystery

Buried in a Good Book by Tamara Berry is a good start to this new series. It was a fun read. I really liked the daughter in the story, and I hope she continues to play a role in the series.

@PPPress #NetGalley

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own.

This is the debut book in this humorous cozy series 'By The Book" about a protagnist who is a mystery writer. The author created a fun debut for her series with much humor throughout and a exciting sleuth that was compelling to completion. I loved the charcters, the setting and the sleuth. .

Tess is a successful mystery writer in a slump. She has just been divorced and her teen daughter is being a typical teen and giving her trouble. She takes them both to her Grandfathers cabin in hope they can get along and enjoy some quiet time while she works on her next book. Instead they are soon greeted by a explosion, body parts and a cantankerous Sheriff.

This is a very promising cozy series . I enjoyed the humor, the beautiful woodland setting and the sleuth. I look forward to the next in series.

I really enjoyed this book. It had a good mix of humor, intrigue and kept me guessing. I thought I knew who the killer was, until the very end! I was intrigued from the get go!

Tess Harrow is a best selling mystery writer, and the mom to a moody teenage girl, Gertie. She has recently gone through a divorce and her shmuck of an ex-husband has all but disappeared out of their lives, leaving his daughter hearbroken. Tess decides that the best course of action is for her and Gertie to spend a month in a rural cabin in the middle of nowhere Washington. By doing this, she hopes it will distract Gertie from missing her dad, and allow her some time to work on her newest novel. Their first introduction to the cabin is to arrive to explosions and raining body parts. Tess and Gertie is both horrified and intrigued by this.

Tess is further intrigued when the sheriff shows up and is a spitting image of the main character in her novels. She feels like she knows him and throws herself into the investigation, whether he wants her to or not. Tess has a very active and wild imagination, which is great for her career as a mystery writer, but not great for the sheriff who just wants her to butt out.

The only thing I didn't care for was how much Tess allowed her ex-husband to push her around. He was terrible to her and she just took it.. I am really looking forward to the next one in this series.

This was a good beginning to a new cozy series! I liked the main character, and thought the supporting characters were all well written. Overall, I would definitely recommend to anyone who thinks it sounds interesting!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

A perfect cosy mystery, 1st in the series and best of all... The blurb! I love it and it was just the thing to make me want to find out more.

Tess (the main character) is a writer (of thrillers no less) and finds herself in a situation where she right in the middle of a mystery that needs solving. It is a book that is easy to read but has a great story and is also a bit of fun.

Well written, engaging, a perfect length (page wise) and certainly not predictable. It is what a cosy mystery should be and is a quick, easy and entertaining read.

I am happy to leave my review of the ARC of #BuriedinaGoodBook that I received through #NetGalley.
This book is an excellent beginning to the new By The Book cozy mystery series. The mystery is complex, the characters are compelling and fun to get to know, and the setting is almost a character in and of itself.
The focus on Tess Harrow, a thriller writer who comes to realize that writing about mysteries and actually becoming embroiled in one are two very different things, is unique in the cozy world and done skillfully and with wit and humour. You can actually see the character grow beyond her initial assumption that she has researched and learned about everything there is to know about crime to realizing that she is not actually as expert as she assumed. The real-life chief of police, Victor Boyd, holds a lot of potential, and his interactions with the writer who is a thorn in his side are amusing and realistic in equal measure.
The list of suspects in the mystery is plentiful and red herrings abound, making for an intriguing page-turner to the very end.
I look forward to seeing where Tamara Berry takes the series from here.
I do have a problem with the cover, which is too cutesy and not at all what I pictured the rustic cabin in the woods looking like from reading the book.

I wanted to love this book so much, but I just couldn’t get over Tess and her too wild imagination. The book started off great and while I enjoyed the story overall, I’d like to see Tess’s overactive imagination and smug I know everything attitude lessen a bit. The mystery was great and the cast of characters also good and I’ll definitely read book 2 to see if things have calmed down a bit.

Tess Harris a renowned thriller writer and her fourteen-year-old daughter Gertrude have rented a cabin that once belonged to Tess’s grandfather in the wilderness of Seattle.

While trying to get settled they run into a man who was fish blasting in a nearby by throwing sticks of dynamites into the pond. During the process, an dislodged arm is discovered alongside the fishes he’s managed to dredge from the pond. The man mysteriously disappears soon after.

The sheriff of Winthrop, Victor Boyd is quickly called to the scene.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery! It was a sweet fun mystery. The characters leap off the page, and the setting is nice as well. Would recommend

Thank you to Tamara Berry, NetGalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for the arc of this book

Tess Harrow, a successful author of thrillers, relocates to a rustic cabin near the U.S.-Canadian border to recover from a bitter divorce.. She brings along her teenage daughter who has been ignored by her absent father. Shortly after arriving, they discover the partial remains of dead body in a pond on the property.

Tess and Gertie are face culture shock by being in a rural community. They meet a sheriff who resembles the hero of Tess' novels and encounter an array of interesting suspects ranging from red haired triplets to a deputy to Bigfoot. Will Tess be able to solve the case before the body arrives or will she be a victim?

The author successfully blends unique characters, a plot that has many twists and turns, and humor to deliver a solid cozy mystery. It was thoroughly enjoyable.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read and review this book.

When mystery writer Tess wants to escape from her normal life in Seattle, she heads off with her teenage daughter to a remote cabin she inherited from her grandfather. They are greeted by an explosion where fish and body parts rain down on them, after someone threw dynamite into the pond on their property. This sets Tess on a mission to find the culprit, but to also get embroiled in a murder investigation and in solving other exotic mysteries, much to the chagrin of the local sheriff who is very similar to the detective in the books that Tess writes.

I appreciated the constant bickering between Tess and the sheriff, as well as the other cast of characters. Since Tess has the overactive imagination of a mystery writer, she becomes an irritation for the sheriff and anyone who becomes one of her later suspects. There are some interesting twists where the daughter bests her mother at sleuthing.

I really wanted to love this book since it's straight up my alley as far as my usual kind of book I dig. Sassy heroine, cozy mystery, books. I don't know why but this fell a bit flat for me. I'd still probably tune in to the next in the series but I wouldn't rush to get it on date of publication either.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poison Pen Press for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Buried in a Good Book is a fun read set deep in the woods in northern Washington state, Sasquatch country. Successful thriller novelist and newly divorced mother Tess Harrow decides to move into her grandfather's isolated cabin without electricity or water--and her teenage daughter. When body parts are being exploded from the lake on day one of their stay, Tess immediately goes into author and amateur sleuth mode to solve the mystery. Buried in a Good Book is filled with great characters: Gertrude, Tess's daughter who grumbles about remote small town life, and Nicki Nickerson, "Okanogan County librarian and book mobile driver extraordinaire". And then there is handsome Sheriff Victor Boyd, who appears not too happy to have a famous writer in town. Buried in a Good Book is the first in the By the Book Mystery series.