Addie and Paige are going out of town for a book sale and a crazy turn of events cross their path. They have to fight to clear their names and solve a murder.

A great mystery that is ideal for all cozy mystery lovers. I always enjoy wholesome and charming mysteries as they are fun and humorous, and never fail to blend romance, murder, mystery, and an ideal setting (often small towns). Elliott crafts so much into this book that the charm never fails to hit the mark.

A Margin for Murder is the 8th cozy bookshop mystery by Lauren Elliott. Released 26th April 2022 by Kensington, it's 320 pages and is available in 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. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free, as are the earlier books in the series.

All of the mysteries in this series are self contained and as such work well enough as standalones. The characters' interrelationships have developed over the course of the books, so there will be some missing backstory, but the author is adept at giving the necessary information, so readers who choose to pick up this one first won't likely experience any problems with keeping the story straight.

For lovers of very light bookstore cozies with romance/drama, it's a good fit.The author is adept and prolific and the book is peppered with background info about bookselling, books, and general insider knowledge about the writing and publishing industry.

All in all, it's a diverting and readable cozy mystery with a whimsical ensemble cast. Some of the plot setups and developments are a bit over the top, but I strongly suspect that's a big part of why bookshop cozies are wildly popular. A strong suspension of disbelief is required. The language and content are chaste and perfectly safe for commute or work reading.

Four stars. The author is a talented and capable storyteller, and almost everyone loves bookstore cozies.

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

I generally enjoy this series - until this book. It is beyond ludicrous that the police chief would zero in on two people with absolutely no evidence just because they were from a neighboring town. To make matters worse was the "don't leave town" statement. Unless someone has been arrested that command is useless. Then for Addie's cop friend to go along with the whole "you can't leave town" idea was just as bad. Some things I can overlook, but that annoys me to no end!

When Addie, owner of a rare book store, travels to a nearby town to shop a "going-out-of business" sale at a library, she encounters a murder to be solved. In fact, she's one of the suspects. Complicating matters are the impending birth of her best friend's baby and the mystery of whether her boyfriend is going to propose. I've enjoyed all of the books in this book-themed series. This one is no exception. It's a fun diversion and has enough twists to keep it interesting.

Addie Greyborne, owner of the Beyond Page Bookstore in Greyborne, and co-worker, Paige, are going to the library sale in the next town of Pen Hollow. Luella Higgins, mayor, and head of the library committee in Pen Hollow convinces Addie that the Bookmobile is a bargain and after Addie buys it, Luella says she'll gas it up and deliver it to her before she leaves town. However, Luella nd the bookmobile are in a deadly crash, and upon the reveal that it was murder Addie can't leave town.

Fortunately, local county coroner is Addie's boyfriend, and he arrives to be supportive as well as do his job.

While trying to clear herself of suspicion in the murder, Addie also runs into her old high school friend who is now a famous author. Romance in Addie's life may get a bit complicated.

Fun adventure with great characters.

I wanted to like A Margin for Murder a lot more than I did. This is the first book in the series that I've read so I really didn't know the characters well. I might have enjoyed the book more had I known the characters better. I found the main character Addie to be really annoying. The mystery aspect of the book was interesting and I enjoyed how it panned out. I was actually going to rate the book three stars until I got to the end. Addie was talking about how she wanted Simon to propose to her and how she was going to propose to him... She hadn't even told Simon she loved him. That who scene really killed the book for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, Kensington Books, and the author for an ARC of this book.

If this is a series you enjoy, then you definitely don't want to miss this one. There is some substantial character development in this one that you'll want to know about. I also thought this whodunit was clever. I was surprised when I found out who the culprit was; that doesn't usually happen when I read mystery novels.

One other thing that I liked was the homage to Rebecca--I think this could have been used to even better effect, in fact. When Addie and Paige are stuck in a neighboring town under suspicion of murder, they first spend a few days at Paige's sister's house before then moving over to the elaborate estate of Addie's high school boyfriend (where a Mrs Danvers-esque housekeeper rules the roost). I would have made this more of the central setting and played it up for all that it was worth!

Overall, I enjoy reading this series but I also have a love/hate relationship with Addie. In addition, some of the storylines were too thinly sketched for my liking and often narrative twists seemed very unlikely and were accompanied by awkward or stilted dialogue. However, after 8 of these novels, I'm fully invested and will continue to follow the story and will look forward to the next entry.

A Margin for Murder by Lauren Elliott is book eight in the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery series.
Bookstore owner Paige and her friend Addie have left Greyborne Harbor for a quick overnight trip to a neighboring town for a book auction at a closing library. Paige has her eye on quite a few items but, before she can bid/purchase anything, one of the library employees is a victim of a fatal accident. When the autopsy reveals she was poisoned, Addie is at the top of the suspects.
The east to read Cozy has plot twists and suspects galore and are you guessing to the end. The characters are likeable. There is also a side story involving a childhood friend of Addie.
I was given an ARC by Kensington Books via NetGalley for an honest reivew.

A Margin for Murder
This one had me scratching my head as to who did it. I was completely flummoxed up until the big reveal and then I was shaking my head thinking, yep, I could see it going that way. I was a step behind Addie Greybourne, but she is the sleuth in our story so it seems only fair. Addie is a very relatable character, I can especially empathize with her moments of self-doubt, perhaps when you have experience the sort of losses that she has, you unconsciously worry that those good thing/people are going to go away. She is surrounded by a busload of good people. People who refuse to allow her to be mistaken for a murderer just because she isn’t a local, there is a little thing known as motive after all. It wasn’t Addie or Paige’s fault that the recently purchased book bus was housing some rare and missing books, or that it was driven into a wall. Addie makes new friends and runs into a very old friend, a friend who may be a missing piece to more than one puzzle. An excellent story that does not require a reader to have started at the beginning of the series. A nice group of characters and the story had its share of red herrings and interesting clues. Speaking of clues, I have a sneaking suspicion that Addie’s composure is going to be shaken up just a tad in the next book based on a new acquaintance and someone’s past history. HMMMMM.

This is a well-written book with characters that I like and enjoy. The mystery was nicely done with just enough twists and turns.

I'm looking forward to the next visit to Greyborne Harbor and Beyond the Page Books and Curios.

A Margin for Murder is another great addition to the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery. Addie and her friend Paige head to Pen Hollow for a book sale at the library that is closing its doors due to lack of funding. When they arrive they do buy some books, but also furniture and the library's Bookmobile. Everyone isn't happy about the purchase, but it is on the level. When they quickly peruse the contents of the bookmobile which are sold with it, they find several classic first editions and an early edition of Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses. While waiting for it to be delivered to them, there is a crash and the mayor is killed and the first editions go missing. Paige and Addie are the prime suspects of the local sheriff, so Addie's boyfriend, Simon who is also the coroner calls in the local detective, Marc, Addie's pervious boyfriend, from Geryborne Harbor to work with the sheriff to find the real culprit and let Addie and Paige return home.

As always, there is more going on than meets the eye. Addie runs into an old boyfriend who she lost touch with in high school. He is back in town to close up his grandmother's house and estate. He invites Addie and Paige to stay with him in her mansion, which is just a little creepy. There are also a couple of very angry librarians at both the closing of the library and the selling of the bookmobile. These were just a few of the suspects, but there were more as the victim was not well liked. There are some red herring and twists that kept me guessing. The romance angle was a bit tricky in this one. Simon seemed to be a bit aloof and Marc still has feelings for her. Throw in the old boyfriend who wants to rekindle something and Addie's head is spinning. The mystery was well written and plotted with a surprise at the end that kept me guessing. There is a sweet romantic ending for Addie as well. A fun cozy mystery that I enjoyed.

Release Date: April 26, 2022

Margin for Murder: Addie is going on a road trip with Paige to get more books to stock her store. The last thing she expected was to see her first love Tony. The two reconnect but when there is a murder in town, Addie is determined to find the killer…even if it might be Tony.

This is the sixth and eighth books in the #beyondthepagebookstoremysteryseries. These books are good. The mysteries are always very inventive and the characters have solid personalities unfortunately the books get very soap operaesque so it’s hard to follow plot lines unless you’ve ready the whole series recently. The audio narration is really tough stuff. These books are take it or leave it for me.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

#marginformurder #underthecoverofmurder #beyondthepage #bookstagram #cozymysteryseries #netgalleyreads

What a fun mystery. I'm a sucker for books (obviously) and I love a mystery in a small town. Check and check. Addie and her friend Paige decide to go to neighboring Pen Hollow to check out a book sale at a library that is closing. She and Paige find out that the bookmobile is for sale as well as furniture. Sweet!! However, before they can load up the bookmobile and head home, the Mayor is murdered. The Chief of Police has his eyes on Addie and Paige, because no one in his town could be a murderer. So Addie and Paige along with their friends set out to fine the true culprit.

This is an entertaining story, full of quirky characters. There are several suspects, but who could it be? I kept hopping from one suspect to the next and was surprised with the ending. The story is easy to read and kept me engaged.

A Margin for Murder is catnip for lovers of historical libraries and rare books as well as small town aficionadas, admirers of miniature doggies, folks who swoon at burgeoning relationships, and those who rejoice in female friendships and solidarity. Let us not forget the importance of garden clubs. The eighth book in Lauren Elliott’s Beyond the Page series has all that and more. Addie Greyborne, the owner of Beyond the Page bookstore, and her assistant manager Paige Stringer, embark on a road trip guaranteed to appeal to bibliophiles. Pen Hollow, the next town over, is having “a book sale at a library that is closing due to lack of funding.” Addie’s birthday is around the corner and Paige wants to treat her friend and boss to a girls’ getaway. The birthday girl is sanguine about putting Greyborne Harbor in the rearview mirror for a few days because her relationship with Simon Emerson, the town coroner, is blowing hot and cold. It’s not her biological clock that is ticking à la My Cousin Vinnie, but rather her engagement clock. Why hasn’t her boyfriend proposed? No matter, the two girls, along with Addie’s precious little dog Pippi, take off—who knows what first editions might await them at the library sale? They check into a delightful bed and breakfast and serendipitously, Mrs. Price—a lovely lady who’s an acquaintance of Paige—spots them checking into the B&B and offers to entertain Pippi.

Driving through town, Addie spots her first love, Tony, the one who got away by disappearing. An old-fashioned way to describe ghosting? She never expected he’d reappear as the “local bestselling author” of Pen Hallow.

“You’re the Anthony Radcliff?” Addie stared widemouthed at him. “The mysterious author of some of my favorite gothic horror novels?”



“Guilty as charged.” He grinned impishly. “But don’t feel bad for not recognizing me as him. I don’t like being in the limelight, so I don’t allow photos of me to be published.”

You’ll want to search out your nearest Carnegie Library after following Addie’s adventures in Pen Hallow. Addie is dazzled by what she sees.

Addie scanned the room and dashed over to a bookshelf. “Come see this. It’s an Italian Neoclassical bookcase from the early nineteen hundreds.” Addie gaped as she once again scanned the room. “Look, there’s a Gustav Stickley library table over against that wall and a Craftsman bookcase complete with sliding-glass doors.”

Addie soon learns that not everyone in Pen Hallow approves of the library sale. The leading light behind it is domineering Luella Higgins, “the mayor, president of the town council, and the head of the library committee.” She offers to show Addie the library’s bookmobile which is also for sale. Addie considers how useful a bookmobile would be when her bookstore participates in the summer festivals that are a part of life by the seashore. Not only is the bookmobile in great shape, but Addie is also delighted by what’s on the shelves: “several classic first editions and an early edition of Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses.” But Addie being Addie, she’s confused and troubled by the existence of the rare books on the shelves. Paige joins in the speculation.

“It would have to have been someone who would be preparing the bus for the weekly seasonal runs.”



“We need to find out who conducted the bookmobile runs.”



“Addie, I know you love a good mystery, but does it really matter?”

So often rare books go hand-in-hand with murder in Addie’s world.

Addie purchases the bookmobile but before she can take delivery, there’s a fatal accident: Luella is behind the wheel. Interestingly, an autopsy shows Luella died of poisoning. What’s more, when Addie returns to check out the bus (now her possession) the first editions she spotted are no longer on the shelves.

No one seems too broken up by Louella’s passing. Addie also discovers the first editions were quite recently the property of Tony’s very wealthy grandmother, who suffered from dementia before her death—and was “persuaded” to donate the rare books to the library. Tony has no fond feelings for Luella.

“Is it just me or doesn’t she seem fazed in the least about Luella’s death?”



“I told you,” said Tony, “not many people around here will be sad at her passing.”

The most unpopular woman in town dies of poisoning. Who ya gonna charge? Unbelievably, the decision is made to charge Addie and Paige, the two outsiders/outliers in town. It’s ridiculous but the police chief is lazy, he’s getting close to retirement, and he sure doesn’t want to arrest a local.

Literary allusions, like to Daphne du Maurier’s Mrs. Danvers, abound, Tony’s late grandmother’s mansion was built during the Gilded Age, the poison that killed Luella “may” have been discussed at the local garden club—A Margin for Murder really does have it all. A delightfully dogged heroine and an enjoyable cast of characters make this another winner for Lauren Elliot.

Fans of cozy mysteries will have all the boxes ticked off: adorable dog, loyal girl friends, small town police chief with an ax to grind, complicated romance, false accusations and lots of people who disliked the victim. Thanks to #NetGalley and #AMarginForMurder for an advanced digital copy.

A Margin for Murder Earns 5/5 First Editions…Clever & Engaging!

Laura Elliott has penned an engaging eighth book in her Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery series with a bookmobile, a missing first edition, and a murder! Addie Greyborne expected an engagement ring, but instead she received earrings. She decides to turn her disappointment into joy by going to a book sale in Pen Hallow. The library is shutting down (sacrilegious), and she sees several interesting items, however she swoons over the bookmobile filled with a plethora of books, some first editions, reasonably priced…Sold! However, before she can take the wheel, the mayor and head of the library committee, crashes the vehicle. She’s found dead, but not from the accident. It was murder! Elliott’s writing style does not disappoint, and newbies need not worry about being out of the loop this far into the series since enough references are made to background and connections to be engaged. Addie is a delightful character: strong, clever, and she seems to know what she wants...mostly. The story is well rounded with a clever mystery, angst caused by the local police, several intriguing suspects and motives, a surprising arrest, and a quadrangle of romantic interest with Addie, her current beau, a former beau, and a long ago beau. Great book!

Although this is part of a series, I think new readers could easily jump in and enjoy the book. I absolutely adored the character development and at times the friendships felt more like the story than the murder we were trying to solve. I have been telling myself to read more by Lauren Elliott and I think summer is the perfect time to go through the back catalogue and enjoy some cozies.

4/5 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lauren Elliot finds a Margin for Murder in this Beyond the Bookstore mystery. Addie leaves her bookstore to attend a library book sale in a small town nearby. She buys the books and the bookmobile, but the bookmobile is taken into custody when a lady is murdered. The small town sheriff is sure an outsider is the murderer and fixates on Addie. Lots of red herrings. Cute dog and former boyfriend cause complications. Great cozy.

Princess Fuzzypants here: When Addie and Paige travel to a neighbouring town to check out the books the local library is selling, they come across many “finds”. First they find a bookmobile that Addie thinks will be ideal for festivals and fairs. After she buys the bookmobile, they discover three first editions that are worth more than the bookmobile. Then they find out that the books had been intended for auction only to disappear mysteriously. They also find the library staff are extremely hostile not only to them for buying the items but to the woman in charge of the sale.

Then Addie finds her long lost first love who just happens to be one who is pulling the finances creating the dissolution of the library in the first place. And finally, she finds the disliked woman poisoned and that, as outsiders in the close knit town, they are the suspect liked best by the local cop. He has already tried and convicted them so when Marc and Simon arrive on the scene, they are relieved to have allies. But their presence complicates some emotional issues and turns the investigation into a prospective ménage a trois .

There are a lot of twists and turns in the story partly because of the machinations of small communities, partly because of best Friend Selena’s impending birth and partly because Addie is getting confusing signals by all three men who have been important to her at one time or another. While there are plenty of nefarious deeds, the answer to the mystery is quite satisfying. I do confess I suspected it might be the case but got caught up in all the red herrings.

All ends very well for our main characters. The killer gets the comeuppance and justice is served. Four purrs and two paws up.