The Cambridge Bookshop series has everything to make me fall for it – an English setting (Cambridge), historical buildings, an old bookshop that was opened in 1605, cute British guys, and even a retired spy.

There’s always a tiny worry that the sequel won’t live up to the first book but this truly isn’t the case here. In fact, A Treacherous Tale managed to thoroughly charm me and made me fall in love with this series even more.

One of the things that make A Treacherous Tale stand out among all the other cozy mysteries I’ve been reading is the inclusion of The Strawberry Girls – the children’s book that the mystery revolves around. The reader is introduced to The Strawberry Girls in bits and pieces – a chapter is included every so often – and while I was really enjoying the mystery that was unfolding, I almost couldn’t wait to get to the next chapter of the charming fairy tale. It’s a book within a book and it worked incredibly well.

]Molly Kimball is a great protagonist and amateur sleuth. She doesn’t make too many impulsive decisions and she has surrounded herself with a solid support system of loyal friends, loving family, and friendly townspeople. But she’s not perfect and her humility and insecurities make her someone you’d love to be friends with.

In fact, there probably isn’t a bad character in the entire book. I love seeing the side characters growing into their own, including Molly’s mother who may or may not be embarking on a romance with the local detective. And of course, Kieran – Molly’s boyfriend (YUM!) – who is both protective and supportive, and accepts Molly as she is.

The murder mystery itself was well-paced and there were lots of suspects, both from the past and in the present. I must admit that I was so enthralled with The Strawberry Girls that the murder mystery almost took second place and I wasn’t trying too hard to figure out whodunnit because I was just enjoying myself so much.

And while you can read The Treacherous Tale as a stand-alone, I highly recommend you start with Chapter and Curse, to get the enjoyment of following Molly’s arrival and growth in Cambridge. I love this series and I can’t wait for the third book!

*** Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with an e-copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

A Treacherous Tale, the second book in the Cambridge Bookshop Series, is absolutely charming and riveting. The author, Elizabeth Penney, has created a delightful English village filled with unique characters that I’d love to get to know. This is my first foray into the series, and I’m planning on reading the prior release as soon as possible.

Molly, her mum, and Aunt Violet run Thomas Marlowe-Manuscripts and Folios bookshop. Molly’s boyfriend runs the local bike shop across the way, and her BFF owns the bakery next door.

In this story, Molly is thrilled that Iona York, the local author of The Strawberry Girls, a classic children’s tale, lives nearby and a new edition of the book is being published. Molly and her aunt arrive at Iona’s cottage to find a dead man. As they try to figure out who he is, they discover that one of Iona’s daughters is missing. Molly and friends step in to help when Iona is accused of murder.

I very much enjoyed the plot, and was intrigued that as the book progresses, the story of The Strawberry Girls is also told, with parallels to the mystery unfolding. I was completely immersed in the book, which is always the sign of a great author, in my book.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for letting me read an advanced copy of the book. I am happy to leave my thoughts and opinions.

A Treacherous Tale is the second book in The Cambridge Bookshop Series. It can be read as a stand-alone as there is enough detail provided about the characters and setting to make you feel right at home. Molly Kimball, along with her mother and aunt, are running the family bookshop, Thomas Marlowe – Manuscripts and Folios, in Cambridge, England. They are preparing to feature the rerelease of a classic children’s book, “The Strawberry Girls”, when Molly finds out that her family has a connection with the author, Iona York. Molly arranges a visit with Iona and murder ensues when an old friend of Iona’s falls off of Iona’s thatched cottage roof. Why was the victim up there? And why has one of Iona’s daughters disappeared? And is there a link between the murder and the puzzling death of the co-author of “The Strawberry Girls”, Iona’s husband?

I enjoyed my introduction to these characters and plan to read more in this series. I liked that the author gave us a story within a story by weaving in “The Strawberry Girls” to give additional details about the location and the suspects. There are numerous suspects, and the final reveal was a surprise to me. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries, especially those set in England.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute cozy to get lost in. A bookshop in England, a fairy tale and a hunky love interest round out this murder mystery perfectly. If you're in the market for a good cozy mystery, you've found it here.

A Treacherous Tale is the second book in Elizabeth Penney’s Cambridge Bookshop series. It can be read as a standalone. The setting is historic Cambridge, England. Vivid descriptions bring the setting to life. Characters are well developed with distinct personalities. The authors writing style flows easily, making this a quick read. The cleverly plotted mystery with its twists and turns kept me guessing to the very end. This is very enjoyable read that I recommend to all cozy readers, especially those with a love of historic locations.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fantastic installment in this cozy mystery series. I loved the Cambridge setting and the intriguing mystery. The characters were well rounded and endearing. I cannot wait for book 3!

Easily a 3.5. Not quite a 4 mainly because the first half of the book dragged and was filled with simplistic minutia and stilted sentences. I almost stopped reading but really wanted to give it a try. The second half flows much better. Overall characters are likeable and conversational. The story takes while to get there. A quick simple cozy read. Even though part of a series it is easily read as a standalone.
I was provided an advanced reader copy at my request and was under no obligation to provide a review. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me go read this book.

I really enjoyed book 1 within this series and so I jumped on this book when I saw it up for review. Honestly, I was still hooked and enjoyed it. The cover artwork is charming which fits the series well. I wish there was a bit more to the plot and character development though.

3.5 Stars. A fun (and treacherous) Sophomore outing for the Cambridge Bookshop mystery series. I LOVED the first in this series, and while I didn't love this one quite as much I still really enjoyed it. From the setting of our Cambridge bookstore this one has Molly and team preparing to feature a children's story, one that it turns out seems to mirror real life, and possibly hides clues to both a past and present tragedy. There's murder, ancient treasures, and hidden passages, all excellent ingredients for a cozy mystery. **Thanks to both NetGalley and St. Martins for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.** Already ordered for the store and featured this one on our cozy recs for fall.

Once again I really loved the actual mystery/criminal elements in this one, Penney does a great job of presenting multi-layered crimes with complex characters. That being said this one suffered a bit compared to the first, mostly in terms of pacing. Our inciting incident happened right out of the gate and then the story really lagged for me until about the halfway point. From then on I was definitely hooked, and the overall climax was really great with multiple characters in danger/involved, however the final confrontation with the main villain was over a little too fast, and the following denouement a bit drawn out.

Pacing in cozies can be tough because there is often a lot of fluff or filler (lots of scenes or interactions of mundane life) which both add the familiar "cozy" feeling but can also detract from the tension of the plot. She does a pretty good job of not overdoing this too much and mostly only giving us these domestic scenes when they are important or provide character development (and yes there's more of Kieran in this one:).

Overall not as great as the first one, but still definitely worth the read.

The second installment of this series does not disappoint. You get all of your favorite characters from the first book and add a few more! I love Molly and how her character is written.
Overall, a “berry” satisfying read 😉

I'm happy to say that I enjoyed A Treacherous Tale just as much as I did the first of the series, Chapter and Curse. No second book slump for this series. Molly, her mother Nina and her Aunt Violet are making much needed changes to their family bookstore Thomas Marlowe - Manuscripts and Folios and Molly is happy to be in Cambridge. She has made friends, found some romance and has added a stray cat, Puck to her family. There is even a resident bookstore cat named Clarence. What her new life has that wasn't in her imaginings is the occasional murder.
One of the ways Molly has been improving their bottom line is hosting book signings. The next one will be for a children's book, The Strawberry Girls written by Iona York, a local author. It had been the projected book by her husband but he died and Iona completed it based on his notes. The Strawberry Girls are her daughters. How does a murder connect to a children's book? Molly is going to find out when she is confronted by a body found in Iona's garden the afternoon she and Aunt Violet pay her a visit. Are the death of Iona's husband and the current death connected? With the mystery playing out in a 'book within a book' form, the reader gets to follow two well crafted stories culminating in a very satisfying conclusion. I'm already looking forward to the next mystery Molly will investigate.
My thanks to the publisher St. Martin's and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I wasn’t a big fan of book 1, mostly because of our MC and because I found it a bit boring, but I wanted to give the series a second chance before writing it off and I’m quite glad I did. I enjoyed this book much more than book 1! This time around, I wasn’t as bored or annoyed with our MC and the fleshing out of everyone else was nice. What is did like about book 1 was the mystery and the author has continued to excel on that point; this time around the mystery becomes mysteries and there are still twists and reveals, with just a few red herrings thrown in. Now, I’m looking forward to book 3!

I adore Ms. Penney's delightful cozies, especially this one that takes place in a quaint English bookstore. After reading the first book in the series, I was quite disappointed when it ended and I had to wait so long for the next! However, it was most definitely worth the wait and I hope for another in the series soon!

A Treacherous Tale is book #2 in the Cambridge Bookshop series by Elizabeth Penney.

Molly helps run a family bookshop with her mother and aunt. While visiting an author that will be doing a reading at the bookshop. They find a body behind the cottage and then learn one of the author’s daughters is missing. Are the two incidents related?

This was a very enjoyable story. I liked how we got to read the The Strawberry Girls within the book. This book is filled with characters I would spend time with in real life. The mysteries we interesting and I figured one out early on, but the other surprised me. I look forward to the next book in the series.

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

"A Treacherous Tale” the 2nd instalment in The Cambridge Bookshop Mystery series by Elizabeth Penney set in Cambridge, England. What a great follow-up to book one! Luckily my dog Lindi bought me a copy for my birthday to add to my collection, I can see myself rereading this series over the years.

Having recently discovered The Strawberry Girls, a classic children's tale, Molly is thrilled to learn the author, Iona York, lives nearby. But while visiting the famous author at her lovely cottage in nearby Hazelhurst, an old acquaintance of Iona's tumbles off her roof to his death.

I absolutely loved this story, and seeing how Molly and her mum have settled into Cambridge, England.
I really like Molly, Kieran, her mum, aunt Fiona, Daisy and Tom makes you wish you were part of their little community or street.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and had plenty of twists to keep engaged right to the very end. I kept guessing and second-guessing myself but I was right on who the killer was.

I highly recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends. I can’t wait for book three!

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from St. Martins Press and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had the best time reading this book. It held me in thrall the whole time. I loved visiting with Molly, her mom and her aunt, Kieran, and all their crew. The mystery was intriguing with plenty of red herrings to keep me guessing. And the author's descriptions of Cambridge and the surrounding areas, really made me feel as though I were there. This is fast becoming one of my favorite cozy mystery series.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

This is book 2 of the new series by Penney and a highly enjoyable one at that! Molly and her mom are finally settling in in England- she has friends, a local, a favored bike route and an almost boyfriend. Life is good indeed. But when a visit with a childhood fav author or hers turns deadly, it's time to dust off her Nancy Drew genes and see what she can sort out before someone in her family gets put away for the deed. An enjoyable, quick read, you'll warm to this new series too!

This is a delightful cozy mystery, with a complex plot. I particularly enjoyed the emphasis on finding treasure from Britain’s Anglo-Saxon history, in combination with a lovely story-within-the-story of a children’s book. I’ve always been interested in archaeology so that theme was a plus for me. The main mystery is: Why did a local man climb up onto a cottage roof and fall to his death? Was he pushed? And if so, why? Then there’s a whole other subplot involving the text of a beloved children’s book written by the owner of said cottage.

The main character, Molly, is a former research library from Vermont, who has moved to Cambridge, England with her mother, to help her great-aunt Violet run the family’s 500-year-old bookshop. She gets involved because they discover the body while visiting the author at her cottage. The author includes lovely descriptions of Cambridge and its nearby countryside - this sort of thing always increases my urge to travel!

A Treacherous Tale is the second in this series, but the first one I’ve read and I had no trouble jumping in, so you could definitely read this as a standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

This is the second book in the series, but it could be read as a standalone novel. (However, you may want to go back and read the first one, which is what I'll be doing!)

Molly is an enjoyable and relatable character. The mystery is engaging, and the chapter endings keep you turning the pages. The story felt a bit like going on a scavenger hunt with the characters. I liked how this was a story within a story. And the feline characters, Puck and Clarence, are just as enjoyable as the human ones!

Molly is settling in at her new home and family bookshop “Thomas Marlowe – Manuscripts and Folios” – life seems a bit of a fairy tale. An even more exciting is that author of, a now, classic tale “The Strawberry Girls” is a local, and has agreed to a book signing. Heading over to finish the details of the signing Molly finds the house just as the fairy tale, and authors daughters the strawberry girls. Iona York, the author, shows them around the grounds and they find the body of a local store owner, and it looks like he fell off the roof. What in the world was he doing on the roof, and why is one of the strawberry girls missing, and what does this have to do with a local archeology dig.
Great 2nd book! No need to have read book 1 but you will want too.