Murder Out of Character is the second installment of the Peach Coast Library series. This cozy mystery is entertaining and enjoyable with a strong female protagonist. All of the characters are engaging as clues are uncovered leading to a compelling whodunnit. The narration perfectly brought the story to life adding a layer of suspense and intrigue. Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my audiobook.

Marvella (Marvey) is an amateur sleuth who takes it upon herself to solve mysteries that pop up in her town.... especially when her friends are threatened. As a librarian, she utilizes her librarian friends to help solve the cases. The book is an entertaining, cozy mystery with lots of murderous possibilities. I thoroughly enjoy Hallmark movies and this book is everything I love but in book form. I enjoyed the developed characters and was anticipating their next moves in the mystery. I appreciate that the book is wholesome with no swearing or gruesome descriptive murder scenes, just a smart, fascinating storyline to follow.

In the Audiobook, I enjoyed the narration by Janina Edwards. I found her depiction and voices of the characters easy to follow and her voice was soothing and easily captivating. I found the narration moved along at an easy pace.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an early copy.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5520228272

Marvey is a relatively new librarian at a library in a small town in Georgia. Several town residents have been murdered and a third friend is being targeted as well. Marvey is determined to keep him safe, but she puts her own life in danger as a result. Cute cozy mystery.
I was given an ARC of Murder Out of Character by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
#murderoutofcharacter
#netgalley
#oliviamatthews
#cozymysteries
#librarians

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version. I enjoyed this murder mystery. If you like southern placed novels, you will like this book. It kept me guessing and I enjoyed the author's writing style. Highly recommend

I received the Audiobook as a review copy.

The characters are well rounded and the character of Marvey gives the feel as you have known her as a friend. Situated in a small Library it gives some insight in the workings of a library.
It is a cozy mystery that flows well and the narrator does a wonderful job.

I am looking forward to more books in this series "A Peach Coast Library Mystery."

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was better than expected, figured it would be pretty cozy mysteryish and it was but id read more

I enjoyed this one about the same as I did the last one. It was nice to go back to Peach Coast and to reacquaint ourselves with the familiar characters. I like the cast the author has drawn together and found the inclusion of the MC's parents to be a fun addition.

I'd say this is perfect for typical fans of cozy mystery especially of the Hallmark kind. Not too much danger. Not too difficult to figure out the murderer, and yet fun all around anyway!

My rating: 3.4*

---
Thanks to NetGalley for this gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Love Cozy mysteries and this one did not disappoint. Excellent story, and very well written. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did very well with each character. I would definitely recommend this book and audiobook to other readers!

Murder Out of Character, the second book in the Peach Coast Library Mystery series by Olivia Matthews, combines an engaging mystery with a smart and determined sleuth to create an entertaining cozy mystery.

Marvella Harris, the Director of Community Engagement at Peach Coast Library, is in the midst of soliciting the library’s donors when not one, but two, murders occur in rapid succession. Thanks to a note she finds, she discovers that their deaths may be a part of a “hit list” with her friend Spencer Holt the next on the list. Determined to protect Spence, Marvey sets out to find a killer.

This is the second book in the series (and the first I have read). Although it can easily be read as a standalone, I believe that the experience would be enhanced by reading the first book. Marvey is a character you would want to be your friend. She is intelligent, loyal, and willing to persevere against the odds. Spence is charming, practical, and easy on the eyes. The mystery harkens back to their high school days, which adds an element of nostalgia to ramp up the suspense. With a bountiful collection of twists and turns, this is one mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.

I was provided with an audio copy of this book, and I must say that the book’s charm was greatly enhanced by the narrator, Janina Edwards. She brings a healthy dose of Southern charm to the story, and I intend to continue the series in audio version.

All told, Murder Out of Character is a compelling and enjoyable cozy mystery that will leave you wanting to read the next installment.

Note: I received an audio ARC of Murder Out of Character from NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Hallmark Publishing. The above is my honest review.

cozy mysteries and murders are my comfort. I love them all. I love the ease and comfort of them. As a person with anxiety I love that these are so simple and yet always surprising in the easiest way.

Murder Out of Character is the second book in the Peach Coast Library cozy mystery series (with cat), by Olivia Matthews. Released 23rd March 2021 by Hallmark, it's 336 pages and 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 and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a Hallmark product. It's comfy, cozy, well written, and delivers exactly what it promises. The language is squeaky clean, nary a curse word to be seen. The violence is all off scene and without explicit gore. There's a light romance element but it's not a big focus of the book. Main character Marvey also has an adorable and irascible cat called Phoenix.

The writing is fine, the plotting and narrative arc are well controlled and the denouement and resolution are satisfying. I like that the main character is an intelligent and well written woman of color and that it's not a big deal in the book. She's a smart, competent, intelligent, honest, resourceful librarian who also happens to be black. I would recommend this one to readers of the subgenre (there's even a recipe for southern pralines at the end of the book). I'm looking forward to the next book(s) in the series. Although this is the second book, the mystery is self contained in this volume and it works perfectly well as a standalone.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours 13 minutes and is capably narrated by Janina Edwards. She has a rich alto voice which is soothing and not intrusive and she does a very good job with the large cast of characters. Many of the characters are from the southern US and regional accents can be quite painful to listen to, but Ms. Edwards does a very good job.

Four stars.

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

This was a fun cozy mystery with an interesting likable cast of characters. The plot was intriguing because there were many possibilities so it wasn’t easy to figure out. It keeps you guessing. It is the second book in The Peach Coast Library Mystery series but it isn’t necessary to read book one to know what is going on. Definitely a great read!

I enjoyed <I>Murder Out of Character</I>, but there is something that kept it from being a new favorite. I cannot quite put it into words. I love cozy mysteries. I enjoy watching the mysteries on the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries channel, which this reminded me of. The mystery kept me guessing and, as a librarian, I love all things library. I did not dislike the book, but I do not have the desire to go back and read the first book in the series.

The narrator is possibly my favorite part of this audiobook. Her voice is pleasing and her voices easy to listen to.

It was a little hard to follow while Listening.. I felt the Narrator was a little wrong for the part.

The character's voice is truly charming and relatable while following a potential suspect in her investigation the MC ducks into a nearby boutique, tells the salesperson that she’s just looking then manages to keep one eye on the suspect and the other on the dresses.

OMG I want Marvey to be my bestie! This book was so cute and awesome plus it has books in it! What could be better? I love that Marvey is an independent bad-ass woman but is still close with her family. One doesn't necessarily preclude the other but a lot of times in books it does, so it was refreshing to NOT see that in this book! Can't wait to read the next one in the series!

#MurderOutofCharacter
#NetGalley

Marvey is a Brooklyn transplant who is now a librarian in a small Georgia town. She discovers a list of names who end up being past, present, and future murder victims. This book is very HALMARK CHANNEL-y. In fact, the imprint is a subsidiary of the Hallmark corporation. The story is mildly entertaining, the plot moves a bit slower than necessary, and the characters are a bit too hokey to be believed. I also have an issue with the veracity of some of the premises. For example, Marvey is a graduate of NYU Library School.....NYU DOES NOT have a library school. If you need a cute time killer for your commute, this is an adequate audio book, but I will not seek out the next installment.

A classic cozy mystery. It was definitely full of sweet characters and an easy-going, non-thriller read. Although I didnt hate it, I found it a little too simple. Main character Marvey is a big city girl settling down in a small town. There was a huge focus on this, a little too much attention on this as it really didnt matter. Also, the introduction of way too many characters was slightly confusing. There was also a little too much detail, which is usually great in any novel, but it would be nice to have more focus on the murder and not on every other aspect that didn't actually add to the mystery (scenery, clothes). Overall, it's a light read and enjoyable, but not memorable.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, Hallmark Publishing for the AudioARC.

This was your typical mystery book. I put it down and went on to another book that I liked better and came back to finish it so it wasn't on my DNR list and feel right back into the story line.

“Murder Out Of Character” is a delightful cozy mystery. Set in a small town on the Georgia coast, the dynamic protagonist, Marvella, is a transplant from Brooklyn who works in the local library, and seems to have gotten to know everyone in town by solving a recent murder and drinking coffee at the town’s most popular bakery with great regularity. When two more people are murdered and Marvella finds a clue suggesting that more will follow she sets out to again solve the mystery. Joined by friends and colleagues she is determined and persistent, much to the chagrin of the local cops. Although some of the elements may seem formulaic, the book is well-written and the characters are very interesting. The audiobook is engaging and I truly enjoyed this charming mystery. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.