When Jen returns to her hometown to try to relieve writer's block and locates herself on a local bookstore, she is surprised when the bookstore owner dies. When evidence places Jen at the scene of the crime and the reading of the will names her as the new owner of the bookstore, it even more imperative that Jen cracks the case and clears her name.
A good cozy mystery book. Easy to read and one which I enjoyed.

Murder at the Bookstore was a good read, however it didn't maintain my interest all the way throughout. I DNF'd at 60% but I would still like to read another book by Sue because I generally liked her writing style.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

I LOVED this read! I ended up listening to the audio and reading it on my kindle and it really reminded me of Mia P Manansala’s kitchen series and I love those! I devoured this whole story right away!

I loved that she used her book characters to get through her own mystery and find the killer in the end! I also loved it had Savannah mentions because I lived in Savannah for 4 years and knew exactly what she was talking about!

I also love that it sets it up for more books! Now I wish they all had audio book versions! But alas, I’m already getting the next one from the library!

First in a fun, cosy who-dunnit crime series.

The main character, Jen, is an author who writes from her local book shop, owned by her friend Aletha. When Aletha dies in a boat explosion, suspicion falls on her husband, who she was seen arguing with earlier that day.

Jen, struggling from writer’s block, takes it upon herself to investigate, much to the annoyance of the local police force and lead investigator, who happens to be an ex boyfriend.

Jen gets herself into some perilous situations and there are a few red herrings along the way to hold your interest.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thanks must go to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an arc of this book to read and review.

I have read the other books in this series and was glad to be accepted for the next instalment. Really fun reads

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy of this book.

It’s a solid cozy mystery. I enjoyed it. The characters lacked something for me.

Sue Minix gives us Murder at the Bookstore in which Aletha the owner of the bookstore is murdered on her husband's boat. Jen, an author trying to write her second book, is a friend and finds herself involved in the case. Evidence places Jen at the scene and Aletha's will gives her the bookstore. She has to solve the case to get herself out of trouble and out of the eye of the police. Whodunit?

The download date was unfortunately missed, I would be happy to re-review if it became available again. I have awarded stars for the book cover and description as they both appeal to me. I would be more than happy to re-read and review if a download becomes available. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

Found this rather slow. Attracted by the title but disappointed by the plot. Tend to prefer UK settings. Obviously didn't read the blurb properly. Thanks to Netgalley.

I liked this fast paced cosy mystery with twists and turns, a bit like a suspense novel. I guess who did it, but I'm looking forward to the next one.

Thank you to Netgalley for this copy.

I love murder mysteries, and I adore books and the cosy atmosphere of a bookstore - so the fact that this novel merged the two together made it a fab book in my opinions. The story had me engrossed, and the characters were sweet. It wasn't revolutionary, but it was fun! I liked it a lot.

Best selling author Jen has returned to her hometown with a serious case of writer's block. To try and inspire herself she hangs out at her favorite bookstore. When the owner dies, Jen is shocked to learn she has inherited the store. That along with her being at the crime scene make her the prime suspect. She has to unravel the mystery and clear her name. I felt this was a very strong first book in the series. The mystery had me waffling back and forth until the end.

⭐⭐⭐ -- Love the cover on this book. However, there is no cat anywhere in this book, sooo...😂

I recently read Murder at the Bookstore by Sue Minix and I have mixed feelings about it. The plot revolves around a mystery writer named Jen, who returns to her small hometown and gets caught up in a real-life murder investigation when a close friend is killed. The story is decently well-written and well-paced, but the characters were just okay. Apart from Brittany, who was the most intelligent and likable character in the entire book!

I also loved the setting of the local bookstore, and I enjoyed reading about Jen's endless coffee supply as she waited for inspiration to strike. However, the darker theme of the book was unexpected for a cozy mystery. Another thing that stood out was the abusive mother and daughter relationship which also took away from the cozy nature of the story. However things may be looking up on that front....

My last issue was it was very obvious who the killer was early on in the book (incredibly obvious) which took away from some of the suspense. Overall, Murder at the Bookstore is an okay read with its ups and downs. It will keep you entertained but don't expect any groundbreaking revelations. That said, I enjoyed it enough to give the next book a read.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

I just reviewed Murder at the Bookstore by Sue Minix. #NetGalley. I really enjoyed this book and l plan on reading the rest in the series when they come out. I enjoyed learning about jen and following her on her journey to find out who killed her friend. I enjoyed following all the twist and turns Jen had to go through to find out the truth as to what happened. I didn't work out who had done it until the last few chapters. I would definitely recommend reading this.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the Advanced Readers Copy of Murder at the Bookstore (The Bookstore Mystery, #1) by Sue Minix. I was happy that my request to read this book was approved because I found the cover and synopsis of the novel intriguing. I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

Fun . . . Entertaining . . . Engrossing. These are just a few words that I'd use to describe this book. I loved the fact that some of the story took place in Savannah, Georgia because I have visited there and could imagine all the different spots and roads that were mentioned and kept thinking, "Oh, I know where that is!" Most of the characters were very likeable, but there were a couple that I didn't like. With that being said, one of the characters I didn't like ended up winning me over towards the end of the book. This book was a quick read that I enjoyed immensely, and I will read the next installment when it comes out.

The only complaint I had about Murder at the Bookstore was that I figured out who the murderer was early on in the book. Although the author kept throwing suspicion on other characters, I really didn't doubt who actually committed the crime.

Four out of five stars is what I gave Murder at the Bookstore (The Bookstore Mystery, #1) by Sue Minix. The next installment in the series, The Murderous Type (The Bookstore Mystery, #2) by Sue Minix, is due out on May 25, 2023, which makes my day.

A 'cosy' mystery? Perhaps, though a few bits were too dark in tone for this genre. Maybe the next book will be more up to par.

She can write the perfect murder mystery… But can she solve one in real life?
Meet Jen Dawson, mystery writer, coffee lover, and amateur detective?
Beautifully written, compelling and thought provoking, I was drawn by the cover and blurb, not one I would normally read but I’m glad I did, im recommending this to my book club as I’d love to chat about this to others, thanks to net galley for the advanced copy.

I always like a nice cosy murder mystery, whether that be a book, a TV show or a film. So, of course when I saw this title on NetGalley, I had high hopes. A cosy murder mystery, set in a book shop and our lead character is a murder mystery writer. Sign me up!

And yet... it was a bit meh for me. It was ok, but it wasn't exactly what I hoped it would be. The murderer was quite easy to figure out and while the story and characters were fun, they did begin to become annoying after a while and it didn't help that some of the plot points (mainly with the main character's relationship with her mother and stepfather) were too dark for a cosy mystery.

This series has potential, but not for me, I'm afraid.

This was a very enjoyable story I enjoyed trying to find out who the murder was before the story came to an end. I would recommend to all cozy readers.

Let's start with the plot. Jen, a murder mystery writer, is struggling with writer's block so spends most of her time at her friend Aletha's bookstore drinking coffee and eyeing up the attractive barista, Russell. This small-town set up seems perfectly calm and cosy until, after Aletha is witnessed arguing angrily with her husband, she is murdered! Jen is named the inheritor of the bookstore and suddenly becomes a prime suspect. Jen is determined to bring Aletha's murderer to justice but can she find the killer before they find her?
This was an entertaining mystery, and who doesn't love a book that centres around a bookshop?! Although not enough of it took place in the cosiness of the bookshop in my opinion! In fact, there were many not-so-cosy, quite tense moments as Jen tried to catch the killer - some of these moments didn't quite fit with the vibe I had in mind from the cover and blurb, but they did propel the drama at least.
In terms of characters, Jen's best friend Brittany was super example of a feisty sidekick with plenty of girl power. I think I'd want her on my side in the hunt for a murderer! Unfortunately, Jen herself didn't win me over. I found her a little bit irritating to be honest. And her decisions were almost unbelievably stupid!
Surrounding our main women, there was a good range of minor characters to form a long list of suspects. However, I must admit I did guess the guilty party very early on, which speaks for itself really - I never usually manage to guess!
All in all, an easy read with some intrigue, but maybe too easy an ending!