I received this audiobook from Netgalley. I don't normally listen to or read cozy mystery books, but thought I'd give it a try, even though I never read the first one in the series. It was easy to understand as the author brought in enough background. It's a Hallmark movie in book form.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This is very much a Hallmark like story. It was a decent book, but was not as gripping as some other thrillers I have read lately. The story was somewhat forgettable.

So this is the 2nd book of this series. I had not read the first book when I received this from NetGalley so I took the time to read that one first. It really helped to read that one first, you get more of the entire picture of her moving from New York to Georgia.

This was a quick, easy read. No foul language and obviously no sex scenes, Amen! I prefer these type of books. I listened to this one on audio and the narrator did a fantastic job! I do hope they continue this series. I love all the characters Spence, Jo and Marvey. But my favorite one is Phoenix, although we don't hear much about him as we did in the first book. I do hope she brings more of Phoenix in the next book. Her conversations with him are the best, at times I was thinking he was going to talk back to her. Those bits made me laugh out loud.

I do appreciate that the murder was solved and there are no cliff hangers. Except maybe Spence and Marvey??? I would love to see them go on a date!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me this opportunity to listen to this book. I honestly enjoyed it.

A quaint cozy mystery. I enjoyed the story but not the narrator. I would read one of the authors other books

This is the second book in the peach coast mystery Series. In the second book marvel is still making friends and finding dead bodies in her new Georgia home once she finds a note with names and one is already crossed off and that one is the name of the deceased friend Marva is back on the case but this time instead of her friend being accused of murder she may turn out to be one of the murderers victims. I absolutely love these books and I love that on the audio marvel sounds African-American and you never see that and cozy mysteries it has been a long time coming and although Marpet is the Brooklyn transplant she certainly fitting in well in her peach Coast community. I absolutely love this book and if you love cozy mystery she’ll love it as well it’s totally great cozy breeze! I also love the narrator and think she did a super job. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, Hallmark Publishing for accepting my request to audibly read and review Murder Out of Character.

Author: Olivia Matthews
Published: 09/13/22
Narrator: Janina Edwards
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers

With much respect to the author, I do not recall any profanity, and I am appreciative. This does feel like a cozy mystery. I would recommend, gift, and donate this book.

For those who are audible readers and calculate listening time, please note I did have an issue with the narration. It was quickly rectified by lowering the rate of speed. This is one of a handful of books where I stayed at 1.0. My typical is 1.75 with a rare 2.0 rate. The narrator was friendly, I visualized her getting along really well with Jessica Fletcher.

This is the second book of the series. I was okay with it being a stand alone story. However, I do wonder what little things I missed by not reading book one.

The series centers around Marvey, the town librarian and part-time sleuth, and of course her local pals. It takes place in Georgia. Marvey made herself known to the town by doing a Library sale. She had moved from, I believe New York. Anything else is a spoiler.

This would make a nice nursing home listening activity with a salad and dessert. (Food makes everything nice.)

I'm giving 3.5 stars, not rounding up as I have not read book 1. I don't want to embarrass myself or you by assuming the lovely portions in book 2 are a series standard.

I enjoyed every minute of reading (and listening) to MURDER OUT OF CHARACTER, Book #2, in Olivia Matthews' Peach Coast Library Mysteries Series. While I also enjoyed MURDER BY PAGE ONE, which created the background for this series and is a solid mystery, this addition advances and develops several elements of the series.

There is a uniqueness to the mystery plot which I found quite interesting. When Ms. Matthews’ amateur sleuth, Marvey Harris, small town librarian, finds a list of names at a fundraising event, she is immediately convinced that it is a hit list, because one of the persons on the list is dead and a second soon dies. Marvey, at first, is the only one who takes the list seriously, but is able to persuade her close friend, Spencer Holt, who is on the list, that he is in danger. At first, the local police do nothing to assist, but of course, Marvey and her ‘library’ friends, set out to discover the identity of the serial killer. What follows are some twists and turns that will satisfy lovers of the genre, even though I figured out the killer before the big reveal at the end.

The book’s sense of community is intertwined with the mystery. Like all small towns, the residents know each other, and the knowledge that one of them is a killer creates the inevitable fear and tension. Marvey is still adjusting to the quirks and quaintness of a small-town lifestyle but already feels a sense of belonging. Even the visitors to Peach Coast, like Marvey’s parents, quickly feel at home.

One of the other things I enjoyed about this book is the fact that the author’s love for libraries, books and reading is clear. The focus on books and the library setting is no coincidence but used by the author to advocate for funding for libraries and to emphasize the importance of reading. Ms. Matthews must be lauded for this.

Because this review is based on the audible version of MURDER OUT OF CHARACTER, I cannot fail to mention the excellent narration by Janina Edwards. The smoothness of her voice, with just the right amount of passion, humor and empathy, makes the listening experience a satisfying one.

MURDER OUT OF CHARACTER is an excellent cozy mystery and Ms. Matthews continues to establish herself as a vibrant voice in the genre

Murder Out of Character is the second book in the Peach Coast Library Mysteries by Olivia Matthews. In this series Marvella (Marvey) Harris has relocated to Peach Coast, Georgia from New York and is employed by the Peach Coast Library as the director of community engagement.

In this installment, Marvey discovers a handwritten list of four names on the floor after an event at the library. One of the names is that of Marvey's good friend Spence Holt an another is the name of a man who had recently passed away. A few mornings later, Marvey reads in the newspaper that another person on that list has died also. She immediately takes the list to Spence and while he discounts her concerns that the list is a hit list, he does agree to accompany her to inform the police of its existence. When the police also discount her concerns about the list, Marvey recruits her co-workers, her best friend Jolene and Spence's best friend Nolan to try to solve the mysteries and protect Spence.

Through creative scene description, character development and relationship building, this author has brought a multidimensional and intriguing series for readers to enjoy and follow. With the addition of unique twists and motives that reach into the history of the characters involved, the reader is led in multiple directions for the culprit who ends up being a total surprise at the final revelation.

The narrator of this book performs at a pace that allows the listener to easily follow the storyline without being bored. She also has done an excellent job of creating unique voices for each of the distinct characters.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I love Hallmark. I love the stores with cards and gifts to mark holidays and special occasions. I enjoy the rare opportunity to watch the movies - wholesome, formulaic, and predictable. And I enjoy the novels - like Hallmark movies in book form. I don't like how "white" most things Hallmark are. The company is getting better at including diversity in its products, but it has a long way to go. That's why I was excited by the chance to listen to Murder Out of Character by Patricia Sargeant (written using the pen name Olivia Matthews) a Black author. As a Hallmark mystery, this is the coziest of cozy mysteries.

At the kick-off event for a fundraising drive to benefit the Peach Coast, Georgia public library, Marvey Harris, Director of Community Engagement, discovers a random piece of paper with the names of four community members written on it. The people don't seem to have a strong connection to each other, and one of the names is Spencer Holt, her good friend.

Soon the first two people named on the paper are murdered, and Marvey is very concerned for her friend's safety, even though he, and the local police, don't take the note seriously. This (of course) leads Marvey, her friend Jo, and fellow librarians to investigate the murders.

As a former fundraiser, I related to the challenges and pressures of relying on community support to maintain programs. The audiobook narration by Janina Edwards perfectly personified Marvey as a young woman establishing her personal and professional relationships in a new city far from home.

I enjoyed all of the library talk and the main character's interactions with her parents. This is the second book in the series; clues in the prose filled in some information I missed by not reading the first installment. I rolled my eyes at the excessive descriptions of characters' clothing, accessories, and hair, and the mystery seemed to drag a bit in the middle.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media, Hallmark Publishing, and NetGalley for the review copy of this mystery. I enjoyed my first visit to Peach Coast.

I tried but I just could not get interested.in this cozy, book two in the Peach Coast Library series. Maybe it’s just me because I am getting a little tired of cozies. Many are just too formulaic. I had to DNF at 20%.

Really enjoyed the plot of this one. When a list of names is found and the first two are already dead, Marvey will do anything to keep the others safe.
With the mystery/murder hitting close to home, the story got a little intense, a little more soft boiled than cozy. There were many suspects. I had a feeling of who it was but was surprised by the why.

I really liked this book better than the first one. I enjoyed getting to know the characters better and seeing relationships developing. Looking forward to more in this series.

In Murder Out of Character, author Olivia Matthews writes about Marvey, a recent resident to Peach Coast, just a normal small community in American. Except murder seems to be part of this community. When two people from a list Marvey finds during a party turn up dead, is there a serial-killer on the lose? And what is the connection between the four names on the list?
This was a fun, clean, typical Hallmark book. The audio-book narration was very well done. I would recommend this book. I received a copy of this audio-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy cozy mysteries as a buffer between heavier books. This one involves a small town library so I was pretty sure I was going to love it already MURDER OUT OF CHARACTER by Olivia Matthews and narrated by Janina Edwards. It’s the second book in the Peach Coast Library Mystery series.

Marvey is a recent transplant to this very tiny southern town, originally from New York City. She finds it a test of her patience to deal with all the southern hospitality surrounding her, but she’s slowly adapting. She’s in the middle of fundraising for the little library when she finds what she is sure is a hit list and her best friends name is the next one on it. When the police don’t take it as seriously as she feels it deserves then she takes it upon herself to solve the mystery and keep her friend safe.

This is a great series if you are looking for a cozy mystery with a library theme. The narrator was excellent in portraying each character with a unique voice. 4 stars! Thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Hallmark Publishing for this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

The narration was fine but the book was unbearably boring and tedious. The main character Marvey is annoying and childish, there are way too many characters and a truly tedious amount of detail.

This book was just okay for me. If I had read the first in the series, I might have been more invested in the characters. As a stand-alone, it was okay but nothing that I will be telling people about.

Cozy mysteries are my favorite genre but this series just didn’t do it for me. I love the warmth of cozies and this one didn’t have that same feel for me. I listened to the first one
and felt that way but hoped that once I got to know the characters, the second would take on the cozy feel. The mystery portion was interesting and I listened to the audio version and enjoyed the narrator’s voice.

When I approached this title I had no idea it was book two (Book 1 was on my TBR list) but I have to admit I loved every bit of this cozy mystery! I had no problem picking up with Murder Out of Character and falling in love with Marvey's character.
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Marvey, still adjusting to life in Peach Coast, Georgia, is at a library fundraising event when she comes across a list of four names. One is the name of someone who recently died—and who may have been murdered. Another is Spencer Holt, the handsome newspaper owner who’s become one of Marvey’s best friends.

The four people appear to have nothing in common other than living in Peach Coast. Spencer dismisses the list at first, but before long, he has to admit he may be in danger. As Marvey prepares for a visit from her parents, can she, Spencer, and their intrepid librarian friends stop a killer bent on long overdue revenge?

Someone is killing people in Peach Cove and the police are apparently not up for the job. In steps Marvie, the small town librarian (who moved here from Brooklyn) and is equipped for sleuthing along with her friends, especially when she finds a list of people and already two from that list have been murdered. When her friend, Spence, who she has a crush on, is on that list, she is not going to let anything happen to him. She is not going to stand idly by and together they put together the clues and share them with the PD, even when they seem far fetched. Could this be someone who is looking for revenge from something that happened 15 years ago?

I thought this was a classic cozy, set in a small town where murders start occurring, and who better to investigate than the librarians? The characters were well developed and believable, although the twists and turns trying to understand the motive were a bit of a stretch for me to tie in to the novel.

the narrator did a great job at differentiating between people through accents and tone.

I always enjoy a cozy mystery, especially one that involves a small town librarian. And this book was not an exception on that. I did enjoy the cozy mystery. And I was kept guessing until the end. However, possibly due to the fact that I did not read the first book in the series yet, I was unable to keep the many characters sorted out, until late in the story.

The story and mystery and themselves was great, however in some places the details were two grand for the situation, as in when Marvy has elaborate conversations with the different and new to her people in her new small town.

But other parts of the story left me guessing as to what was actually going on. I felt lost a few times when given small details but large conclusions were made. But then again, that is usually what happens in cozy mysteries.
I always give a series another chance, and will seek out book one in this series by Olivia Matthews.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to have an advance access to this second book in the Peach Coast Library Mystery Series.