Sam Washington owns a mystery Bookshop in North Harbor, Michigan. She is just about to publish a book. A tornado comes close to their city and damages the local library. Sam decides to volunteer at the library. When the local librarian requests she host the local book clubs. She meets Delia marshall a book reviewer who is nasty. She is later found dead in the Bookshop and Sam is a prime suspect. Her friends and family must help clear her name.

This is the 8th book in the series and my first. I was able to read it as a stand alone. I'm not sure I am a fan of the book within a book. I enjoyed the writing and the characters. This was a good mystery.

Encouraging readers to come for the mystery and stay for the characters is basically the goal of every cozy mystery. Bookclubbed to Death achieves that objective with a light-hearted look at bookstore ownership and the life of a new author.

Sam is celebrating her impending marriage and her soon to be published debut historical mystery. However, after learning that a local book club needs a new venue, she offers her mystery bookshop with disastrous results. A vile and universally disliked book critic is murdered. The confused local police zero in on Sam as the number one suspect. Can Sam and her beloved grandmother Nana Jo find the real killer?

The Mystery Bookshop series of books always contain an interesting innovation. You get Sam’s doings as the main plot and also the historical mystery that Sam is currently writing included in one book. This time around I really enjoyed the book within the book, perhaps even slightly more than the main plot. In the buildup to World War II, the English king has asked his female cousin to discover who murdered a reporter who was concealing state secrets.

Once again, the author has delivered a fun cozy and a challenging historical mystery all at once. Bookclubbed to Death is highly recommended to fans of both mystery sub genres. 4 stars!

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Kensington Books and VM Burns for the E Arc of this book.
We are back with Sam and Nana Jo and the gang.
The local library has been badly damaged by flooding and Sam offers her shop as a venue for their Mystery Mavens book Club. At their first meeting Sam has a run in with the leader of the group Delia. She is not a nice lady but she also happens to be a book reviewer, who has the power to make or break careers. She is not someone whom Sam can ill afford to get on the wrong side of, as her own Historical mystery is due for publishing soon.
Unfortunately, the next morning Sam opens up the shop to find Delia dead on her shop floor. The local law enforcement has Sam firmly in their sights as the murderer. Sam and the gang have little time to clear her name. With their usual vim and vigour, the ladies get to work to find the killer and clear Sam’s name.
I love the ladies of the gang and all they bring to the stories. I enjoyed seeing Sam become even closer to her sister. The banter between all the ladies is well written. A good plot line that had me guessing until the reveal. I also liked that we get more of Sam’s own mystery novel as well. It was good to catch up with those characters as well.
A good cosy mystery that keeps you wanting to read this series.

Sam Washington finds herself in the middle of another murder investigation when critic Delia Marshall is found dead in her bookstore. She was bludgeoned to death with a copy of The Complete Works of Agatha Christie which she had asked Sam to order for her. Delia's syndicated book review column can make or break any author, and Sam's first historical mystery is due out soon. But Sam isn't the only author wary of Delia.

The police seem convinced that Sam committed the crime. If she wants to stay out of jail, marry her fiancé, and celebrate the release of her new book, she has to find out who murdered Delia and find out fast. Luckily, she has the help of her grandmother Nana Jo and all the ladies at the Shady Rest Retirement Village to help her out. Her fiancé with his mysterious past is also very helpful. She has somewhat less help and support from her pessimistic older sister Jenna who is also her attorney.

I enjoyed this cozy story despite the fact that Sam seems to break down in tears awfully frequently. I liked that she worked out her thoughts by writing on her next historical mystery set in England just as World War II is about to begin.

This was an entertaining story which is eighth in a series but works well as a standalone title. I have the first two in the series but haven't read them yet and felt that, while background might have added depth, it wasn't necessary to the enjoyment of this story.

I love a good cozy mystery! One that incorporates all of my favorite topics (i.e. bookstores, libraries, cooking, painting, inn keeping, animals, etc.), throwing in some action-suspense, a who-done-it, interesting characters, and a plot that keeps me guessing, then you’ve got me hooked. I will say, I am one of those people who like to read a series from the beginning, but I often find you don’t have to… either way I highly recommend reading Bookclubbed to Death by V.M. Burns.

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

I love this series, Nana Jo is my favorite character, she and her friends are just fun to read about. After a tornado, Sam offers her bookshop to a club, which she was apprehensive about, and for good reason because murder ensues. Sam is a good hearted person who wants to get to the bottom of the murder that has happened in her life as well as her book, which is a historical cozy mystery. This is a fun series and hope there are many more to come.

So happy to have gotten this ARC! My first time with this author and I had fun every step of the way. The story was a little slow at first, but eventually picked up its pace. I do like the book within a book story. The characters could’ve came alive a little bit more. More introducing or description of the characters instead of listing off what they looked like. Overall I had fun with this story! I’ll definitely be reading more from this author. I may start back at book number 1 in this series. Thank you for this fun ARC!

I love this series and each book is better than the one before. So no surprise I enjoyed this read.

It starts with a tornado and although Sam and friends are fine, it doesn't bode well for someone. Sam, being a nice person, offers to help her local library which was hit. She shouldn't have done that as she ends up with the book club from hell.

From here, there's a murder, lots of book action, sleuthing and fun with Nana Jo and the girls. And of course Frank (no spoiler).

There's one moral to this story - don't give bad reviews!

I read a lot of cozies and while I don't like obvious plot lines, I am not necessarily a fan of the victim being so hated that the line of people wanting NOT to kill them is shorter than those who would wish them dead. I do love visiting Market Street Mysteries with Sam and Nana Jo, although Irma is my favorite character. I did like the book within the book this time as Sam's English Countryside mystery series takes us closer to the brink of WWII and involves his Majesty. I had trouble keeping all the titles straight but I always have that issue so it's on me.

I love most everything Ms. Burns writes so I do hope the series will continue.

Another intriguing addition to V. M. Burns' Mystery Bookshop series. From the first page to the last I was completely immersed into the story.

Sam has offered her bookstore to host a book club meeting lead by a book reviewer, Delia Marshall. Turns out Delia is just an evil woman who uses her "power" as a book reviewer to get her own way. No surprise that she is the victim and Sam is targeted by the police detectives as the murderer. Sam, Nana Jo and the ladies from Shady Acres Retirement village are once again on the case. A tightly woven plot with plenty of twists, many suspects and a tense reveal kept me turning the pages. Ms. Burns' addition of the historical mystery that Sam is writing is always a welcome because I'm getting two cozy mysteries within one book.

Della was awful-just awful-not only to Sam but to everyone else as well. Problem is, Sam's just found the book critic dead on the floor of her shop. And the two of them clashed the day before. Sam becomes the lead suspect but she's got Nana Jo and the super sleuths of the Shady Acres Retirement home on her side. Cozy readers know they will not only sort through the suspects but they'll also make sure Sam's dogs are safe. I like this series not only for the characters but also for Sam's historical mystery (set in George VI's time) which is embedded in the novel. Don't worry if you haven't read the earlier installments because this will be fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fun read.

Michigan, bookseller, small-business, small-town, former-teacher, widow, cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, book-within-a-book, pet-dog, verbal-humor, retirees, extortion, sisters, sleuthing-seniors, law-enforcement, lawyers*****

It's not difficult to figure out who "deserved" to be murdered!
The egomaniac book influencer went out of her way to humiliate others and even trumped up an imagined injury from the dogs in order to gain money. Then she got dead in the bookstore she denigrated. Let the sleuthing begin. It's a great read with plenty of real characters, plot twists, and red herrings!
The inset book is set in 1939 England and is purported to be the book that the bookshop owner is writing, which is also a cosy mystery.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Bookclubbed to Death by V.M. Burns is book #8 in the Mystery Bookshop series. Author and Market Street Bookshop owner Samantha Washington, her fiance Frank, her grandmother Nana Jo and their friends from the Shady Acres Retirement Village have another murder to solve. Reviewer and club leader of the Mystery Mavens Book Club, Delia Marshall is found dead in Samantha's bookstore. The local police detectives have zeroed in on Samantha as the murderer. The whole group works together to find the actual murderer. I loved the suspense in this book and how all the members of the sleuthing group manage to contribute to solving the mystery. I hope there will be more Mystery Bookshop books.

V.M. Burns' 8th book in the Mystery Book Shop series, Bookclubbed to Death is a great addition to the series. Sam has so much going on with the book she is writing and the book shop when she is roped into hosting the Mystery Mavens book club --dinner included-- by a popular, but diabolical. reviewer. Said reviewer also has an altercation with Sam's beloved dogs and threatens to have them cited. As if things could not get worse, a murder occurs. Sam's friends and Nan Jo jump in to support Sam and root out the killer.
I love these heartwarming stories of friendship, cozy community, and bursts of humor. What a treat to read this early, a big thank you to #NetGalley, #Kensington, #VMBurns for giving me the ARC I requested. I am happy to recommend this book to mystery lovers. All opinions are my own.
#BookclubbedtoDeath #NetGalley

When the library in North Harbor, Michigan is flooded, local bookstore owner Samantha Worthington offers her premises as a makeshift meeting place for the local Mystery Mavens Book Club. Club leader, Delia Marshall, is more than difficult. She’s also a book reviewer who isn’t shy to break a writer’s career, and Sam has a first novel soon to be released. Delia and Sam do clash over an interaction between Delia and Sam’s dogs, but Sam still does her best to accommodate Delia’s demands, including delivering a custom-ordered book, The Complete Works of Agatha Christie, in the middle of the night. Delia doesn’t answer when Sam arrives at her home with the massive book, so Sam returns to her apartment above the bookstore.

The next morning, Delia is found dead in the bookstore, struck and killed apparently by the book Sam had tried to deliver. A couple of local officers are quick to suspect Sam of committing murder and she has her hands full trying to find the real culprit.

While Sam is dealing with this in her real life, she’s also writing her next British historical mystery where the queen mother is alleged to have murdered a journalist and the reader is treated to excerpts.

At first dipping into Sam’s writing seemed a bit contrived, but I have to admit, I did like that story and found it quite interesting. In fact, returning to Sam’s story felt a bit jarring now and then!

In the end both mysteries are solved, of course, and our heroine in each piece is free to continue on to her next adventure.

Bookshop owner and newly published mystery writer, Samantha Washington, tries to play good samaritan by allowing a local writers’ group to meet in her store after their usual location is flooded. She instantly falls foul of the group’s leader, (in)famous critic, Delia Marshall. The whole event is marred by both Delia’s sense of entitlement – her demands making Sam bitterly regret the favour – and also her tone towards the other writers. Two are fuming over a nasty review, while Delia threatens others with the same, and possibly ruining book sales and careers, both.

So when Sam opens the shop the next morning and finds a dead body on her floor, there’s no shortage of suspects. Unfortunately, since Delia was threatening to sue Sam and have her beloved poodles put down after one ‘attacked’ her, Sam has managed to set herself up as the prime suspect. Now she must, with help from Nana Jo and her fellow sleuthers from the Shady Acres retirement village, fight to clear her name by uncovering the real murder.

This is the eighth instalment in the Mystery Bookshop series, and it remains pleasantly diverting without ever quite hitting a really high note for me. It’s nice, but while the characters are fun, they don’t quite jump out of the page for me. Likewise, while I do actually quite like concept of the ‘ye olde England’ mystery excerpts we get from Samantha’s in-book writing, I’m not taken with the story-in-the-story, and honestly I find it a bit glib that she just writes out the whole thing as is, so easily.

Still, there is a lot to enjoy here, and I do like how easy it is to read. The mystery is handled pretty well, setting up loads of suspects and motives, with Sam’s background life stuff adding texture but not overwhelming the point of it all. It’s all well written, just, as I say, not quite hitting my favourites list from the book(shop)-themed cosy mysteries I’ve tried.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

After the local library in North Harbor, Michigan, is flooded in a storm, Sam offers her bookstore as a new venue for the Mystery Mavens Book Club. Unfortunately, she immediately runs afoul of the club leader, Delia Marshall, a book reviewer who can make or break careers—something Sam can ill afford with her debut historical mystery soon to be published. But the next morning, Sam opens her shop to find the unpleasant woman dead on the floor, bashed with a heavy—apparently lethal—tome: the Complete Works of Agatha Christie. While Sam is busy writing her latest British historical mystery in which the queen mother is suspected in the murder of a London Times correspondent, a pair of ambitious cops suspect Sam of the real-life crime. When she gathers Nano Jo and their friends from the Shady Acres Retirement Village to review the case, they discover every one of the Mavens had a motive. With her novel about to hit the stores, Sam must find out who clubbed Delia before a judge throws the book at her . . .

This is book Number 8 in this series. I read the first book and wasn't in love with the storyline but after reading this, I will go back and read the rest in the series. I love the Nano Jo and friends characters.

Bookclubbed to Death is the eighth book in the Mystery Bookshop series and it is the first I have read. When Samantha Washington, a mystery bookshop owner, finds a well-known book reviewer, Delia Marshall, dead in her bookshop Sam is the prime suspect. In order to clear herself, Sam takes it upon herself to get to the bottom of the murder.

I came in in the middle of this series but I didn’t feel lost, there were a few background details that I would have known if I’d started this series from the beginning, but that didn’t take away from this mystery. I enjoyed getting to know these characters and following along with Sam and the gang as they searched for the killer. I found it interesting and clever that the author was able to wind the boom that Sam was writing into the chapters, ending most chapters with blurbs from her mystery. Overall I really enjoyed this book and look forward to starting this series from the beginning.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

Bookclubbed to Death is book #8 in the Mystery Bookshop series. This book can be read without reading prior books in the series.

Samantha (Sam) Washington is finally realizing her dream of publishing one of her historical mystery novels. However, local book critic and leader of the Mystery Mavens Book Club, Delia Marshall, may stop Sam’s writing career before it even starts. Sam agrees to host the Maven’s book club meeting and anything that can go wrong, does go wrong, with Delia threatening to sue Sam. The next morning finds Delia in the bookshop, with the apparent murder weapon, the Complete Works of Agatha Christie, lying nearby. Sam’s family and friends swing into action to find out who really killed Delia before the police arrest Sam.

I have read previous books in this series and was able to get up to speed fairly quickly. I enjoy how the author includes parts of the book that Sam is writing to shed additional light on motives and evidence. I plan to go back to read the books I missed up to this one and then try to wait patiently for Sam’s next adventure.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Setting the Scene: After a tornado wreaks havoc in North Harbor, including at the public library, Sam Washington finds herself hosting the Mystery Mavens Book Club, headed by local literary icon and syndicated book reviewer Delia Marshall. Things get ugly quickly when Delia threatens a lawsuit and a crushing review that could end Sam's dreams of owning her bookstore, as well as her budding writing career.. When Delia is found murdered in Sam's bookstore that same night, it isn't just her bookstore and writing career that are in jeopardy. Thankfully, she has Frank, with his mysterious contacts, Jenna, her attorney sister, and last but certainly not least, Nana Jo and her cronies; but will they be enough?

What I Thought: I love this series, and Bookclubbed to Death did not disappoint. The book within a book is sheer genius, and using Sam's writing to decipher the clues in the current day mystery is brilliant. If Sam's historical mysteries were published in full length, I would read them. The characters, both modern and historical, are intelligent, fun, and well developed. The mystery is well done; the humor entertaining; and the wit sharp. I particularly enjoyed references to author S. M. Themoney, whose latest works seemingly have become "search and replace" efforts; or the British puzzlement over the Americanism "dadgum." Clearly, I highly recommend this latest in the Mystery Bookshop Mysteries.