Dedication To Murder
Book 9 in the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery series
by Lauren Elliot

From the publisher:
Oh, bother! In the riveting new mystery from the USA Today bestselling author Lauren Elliott, a first edition set of Winnie-the-Pooh books throws Beyond the Page bookstore owner and rare books expert Addie Greybourne on an investigation into her family’s past.

Wedding bells are about to ring again in Greyborne Harbor, and as Addie slips into her white dress her thoughts are focused on a bright future with Dr. Simon Emerson. But a discovery in her attic leads her to startling revelations about the past. As the owner of Beyond the Page Books and Curios and a lifelong bibliophile, Addie is delighted to find a rare collection of classic children’s books gathering dust in a secret room beneath the rafters, including a first edition of The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. To her surprise, a handwritten inscription on the title page provides a clue to unraveling a complex mystery in Addie’s family . . .
But that’s only the first surprise in a series of shocking twists that will turn Addie’s vision of where her life is going and where she’s come from upside down—including a suspicious death in the present that suggests foul play.

My thoughts
Wow. This book took off in directions I didn’t see coming. Everything Addie thought she knew and was sure of is questioned, throwing Addie off-kilter. These new revelations shatter what she thought she knew about her family and her past, but also fundamentally changes her future. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

Dedication to Murder by Lauren Elliott is a journey back to Greyborne Harbor and to Addie’s wedding day. It’s been a long time coming and everyone is excited to witness the nuptials of Addie Greyborne and Dr. Simon Emerson until the wedding interrupted by Dr. Laurel Hill, the new veterinarian in town. It seems Simon and she were married sixteen years earlier and the annulment had never been filed. It had been her now-deceased uncle who had been their lawyer and her aunt had just found the papers stuffed into the back of a drawer. Addie was a mess. She went home and spent the next few days in a total brain fog. Finally, Martha Stringer, Serena’s mother arrived and gave her a talking-to, hoping to shake her out of her funk. Then, Serena arrived and the two of them decided to finish cleaning the attic. There they found a vintage wedding dress and the rest of Aunt Anita’s journals, which were to uncover some explosive information which Addie could not ignore. It took a mystery to shake Addie back to life.

Addie is a good character, although it will be interesting to see how the information in the journals are going to affect her. She loves her bookshop and the house Anita had left her. She loved Simon, too, but she wan’t sure she could see a future for them. Meanwhile, while he was working all that out, she had her own mystery to solve: the murder of David Winthrop, Anita’s fiance. The was some information in old newspapers and Marc helped by gaining access to the very old police file. It was interesting that most of the people who might have been involved were still here in Greybourne Harbor and friends of Valerie Price, Laurel Hill’s aunt, and the newest murder victim in Greybourne Harbor. It was a mystery that hit very close to home and had its roots buried fifty years earlier. Crimes like this fester until they erupt once again. Exactly what happened in this case. They were both good mysteries, ones which Addie helped Marc investigate and solve. I enjoyed the mystery but was so sorry for all the things that happened to Addie during this devastating time. Can’t wait for the next book.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Dedication to Murder by by Kensington Books, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #KensingtonBooks #LaurenElliott #DedicationtoMurder

Dedication To Murder is the ninth book in the A Beyond The Page Mystery series by Lauren Elliott.

What was expected to be a beautiful and joyous day turned into a tragic mess. Just as Addie and Simon are about to exchange their wedding vows, Laurel and her Aunt Val yell that Simon can’t get married as he is still married. Simon and Laurel had been married but separated when they decided to attend different universities. Still, they both understood that Aunt Val’s lawyer husband was supposed to have filed for an annulment. But minutes before the wedding ceremony Aunt Val found the annulment papers while cleaning out her late husband's office; they had never been filed. Addie, not knowing that Simon has been married, is devastated. Addie is ready to call the whole thing off when it is learned that Laurel bore Simon’s son, Mason, which she put up for adoption. Mason’s adoptive parents are killed in a tragic accident. Laurel has been given temporary custody of Mason. Laurel and Aunt Val are hosting a tea party to introduce Mason to everyone, but Aunt Val unexpectedly dies. Simon performs an autopsy and finds that she was killed by poisoning. Addie is speechless when the police chief, Marc, her former boyfriend, asks her to help him investigate Aunt Val’s death.

Addie is encouraged by her best friend, Serena. Addie asks Serena to help her clean up her attic. They find a scarce first edition of The Velveteen Rabbit and other valuable books. In addition, there is an old wedding dress and a collection of journals that had been written by her late aunt. Once she has read the journals, she learns about her family's past, which answers why Addie inherited the house.

Addie feels that Simon is spending too much time with Laurel and Mason and decides to give Simon back her engagement ring. She has decided to take a couple weeks off and leaves for England to visit her high school friend Tony.

Ms. Elliott provides the reader with an exciting, well-written story with a wonderful cast of interesting, believable characters. There were enough twists and turns that I was kept guessing until the final reveal as to the identity of the killer.

I’m eagerly looking forward to the next book in this series to see if Simon is entirely out of the picture or if Tony or Marc will take his place in her heart.

Lauren Elliott has out did herself from the first sentence in this book! Right out of the gate she hit us with a shocker that kept me thinking and wondering the whole book. I have never put as much thought into a story as who did what and when as I did this one. BRAVO!!! The total new story line that this book is taken will definitely be a exciting change. I love Addie and her friends and most of all Greyborne Harbor but I am truly waiting to get the next book! See you soon gang.

Title: Dedication to Murder (Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery Book 9)
Author: Lauren Elliott
Publisher: Kensington Books
Release Date: April 25, 2023
***
Wowzers! So many twists and turns and emotions in this book. I was so not prepared. I expected happiness and excitement....but there was also sadness and tears and revelations and a 70-year old family mystery with unexpected ties to the present. There was just so much happening. I was kept on the edge of my seat while reading this interesting and fast-paced cozy. I couldn't put it down until I was done.
Hours later, I'm actually still thinking, and feeling very emotional, about this book.

Many thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

A mystery that incorporates life changing events with two murders, 70 years apart, to be solved. See my complete review at www.reviewingtheevidence.com

This book did a really big twist, and I am here for it. I love it when the author surprises and tries something new. I have read a few from this series and I will need to catch up on the rest of the books in the series.

Oh wow, so much to unpack in the latest addition to the series! Really enjoyed both the mysteries going on; the present day mystery had an unexpected ending for me, especially with how the murder was completed and why. The historical mystery was definitely engrossing and I wanted more. As for everything else, definitely unexpected. I know this is all so cryptic, but I don't want to spoiler anything.

This is the ninth book in this cozy mystery series. This book really had me from the beginning. The author continues to develop and grow her characters in this series. That is especially evident in this novel, demonstrated in the characters’ outlooks, conversations, and activities. Addie and Serena have gone through significant life changes, and Serena is content in her new normal.

Grab the tissue and a peanut butter and banana sandwich (comfort food) to make it through this one. A wedding halted, a marriage not annulled, a mysterious wedding dress, an adopted child, a 70 year old cold case, and a copy of the Velveteen Rabbit left to a granddaughter. Oh and a murder, after all what is a cozy without a murder? The story is so well crafted that you are in complete agreement with Addie Greyborne, that the world has gone topsy-turvey and will never be the same again. It is heart wrenching to follow along as Addie solves not one but two murder mysteries, and this time, the police actually ask for her assistance because she is so good at noticing the littlest details. I am not sure what was more of a misdirect, the red herrings or the puzzles that needed to be solved, from a secret room to a missing journal. A great cozy that had a lot going on but you were never lost. I must say, I was #teamSimon for all of the books once he was introduced, but now I just don’t know what he could possibly do to get back into Addie or my good graces.

Really Simon? This latest in a favorite series sees Addie coping with big surprises in her life and then with the murder of an aunt. She's stunned by what she learns about Simon but things are evening out a bit and then they dip again. Marc, the detective who normally tells her to keep her nose out of investigations, actually asks for her help this time (I'm a fan of Marc, btw). And, throughout it all is the Velveteen Rabbit. There's a lot more going on in this installment than usual and most of it is related to Simon's surprises. That said, I found myself caught up in it all. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Although likely most appreciated by those who have been following along, it should be fine as a standalone. I'm looking forward to seeing what's next for Addie.

Book 9 in the series, I think this is my favorite book in the series. I think because Addie seems to have come into our own, and she's more comfortable not only in letting go on running the bookshop, but letting others into her life, and standing up for herself. Most readers will have a sense of what's going to happen in the book, but will be interested to see how things play out. It's an interesting look at how things from the past can come back to haunt you, and affect your current relationships. The real page turner for sure!

Dedication to Murder is the highly anticipated ninth book in Lauren Elloitt's Beyond the Page mystery series. I have enjoyed following Addie Greybourne's life journey through the series, and have looked forward to her wedding in this installment. The characters are fun and engaging, with qualities that lend them a real life persona. The interesting covers and story lines pull the reader in, while the usually fast paced mysteries keep them seeking the culprit. This book opens with Addie rushing to her wedding, late, with her best friend when--Wham!--the pace ramps up and doesn't let go. I enjoyed the dual mysteries as much as the tangled romantic storyline. There is more emotion than I expected, but that did not detract from the story.
Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Cozies, and Lauren Elloitt for granting my request to receive an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am excited to share this with other cozy loving readers.
#DedicationtoMurder #NetGalley #KensingtonCozies #LaurenElliott

You need to read this in the series order so that things make sense. That being said, if I lived in this town I would have already moved from this town. The book is fine, but the main two male characters really bother me still and Addie needs to grow up and become something more than the love interest of the entire town.

This book kept me hooked from the beginning. When Addie Greyborne’s wedding is postponed at the last minute, things begin to change for her. She discovers long held family secrets and has two murders that need solving. One of these murders took place 70 years ago!! I really enjoyed the characters in this book, including Addie’s dog Pippi. I would love to see Addie in future books!!!

Addie Greyborne is driven to her wedding with Dr. Simon Emerson by her best friend Serena. Everyone is already at the church, and she sees her husband to be at the front of the church. As the minister is about to say they are man and wife, Pippi's new vet Laurel and her Aunt Valerie burst through the door and stop the wedding. They have just found annullment papers for the marriage of Laura to Simon which were given to Laura's Uncle George who was their lawyer, and they were never submitted. Thus, Simon is already married to Laura and can't marry Addie.

Addie is obviously devistated. She decides to clean out the attic, and Serena agrees to help. They move a bookcase, and find a secret room. There are lots of books, a steamer trunk, and a wedding dress on a mannequin (probably from the 1950's). The trunk has her great aunt's early journals, a photo album, and a shoebox with cards and letters and a photo of a handsome man.

Simon comes and explains about Laura and himself. They were very close during their undergraduate years and decided to get married. Then he gets a scholarship to Johns Hopkins and she to UC Davis, and soon they agree to annul the marriage. Simon thought it had been done, but it seems that Laura's Uncle George never completed the process. After arriving in California, Laurel realized she was pregnant, and arranged to have her child adopted by professors at Davis. However, two years ago the parents were killed in an avalanche, and the 15 year old boy was in child welfare. However, Laurel had not told him that she had his son until after the aborted wedding. However, now because of the son, they need to get divorced rather than have an annulment. When Laura's Aunt Val dies in the middle of a party, Simon quickly finds it is from poison, and Marc asks Addie's help. Meanwhile, Simon appears to be becoming a family man and helping out Laurel and their son Mason, and Addie now has the mystery of the wedding dress which must belong to her unmarried Great Aunt Anita as well as helping with a current mystery.

Things get very exciting, and soon Addie realizes that some of the same folks are involved in both mysteries. I think this is the best of the series.

I thank Netgalley and Kensington Press for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Wedding bells are about to ring in Greyborne Harbor, as Addie slips into her white dress her thoughts are focused on a bright future with Dr. Simon Emerson, but that is shattered at the wedding when she finds out Simon had been married before, and, in fact was still married as the annulment had never been filed. Then, a discovery in her attic leads her to startling revelations about the past. As the owner of Beyond the Page Books and Curios and a lifelong bibliophile, Addie is delighted to find a rare collection of classic children’s books gathering dust in a secret room beneath the rafters, including a first edition of The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. To her surprise, a handwritten inscription on the title page provides a clue to unraveling a complex mystery in Addie’s family . . .

This is the 9th installment in the Beyond the Page Bookstore series, and each builds on the one before. This one has a shocking surprise that leaves Addie reeling, and then she discovers a wedding dress that she discovers in her attic that apparently belonged to her Great Aunt who was never married....

I really like this series and all the characters that develop with each new book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting my request to read the newest in the series.

At the start of Dedication to Murder, we think that Addie will finally get her happily ever after with Simon. But it’s the start of a new Beyond the Page Bookstore mystery and did you really think the author was going to fulfill Addie’s dreams? Well, let that idea go and settle in for a ride on the upheaval coaster.
There are things in Simon’s past that will derail the future they had planned. There are things in Addie’s attic that will make it worse.
And after saying all of that, this might be the best book in the series so far. Pieces of Addie’s past get a new view. A mystery from the past will be brought to light in the present.
I don’t think this is a good book to read as a stand-alone because you really need to understand all the things and relationships that have built over the series to really be blown away by Dedication to Murder. So read all the books and then dive in to Dedication to Murder, I so recommend it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

This is the Ninth "Beyond The Page" Bookstore Mystery series. I have read the entire series as this is one of my top 3 favorite cozy authors. Thank you with gratitude to the publisher, Net Galley and the author. My review opinions are my own.

Addie is a favorite protagnist of mine as she is independent and stands on her own. She has built her life around her successful bookstore and her grand inherited Victorian home that was left to her by a Aunt. Addie is a smart savvy protaganist who can find clues to murder suspects and often solves cases for the local police.

In this next in series Addie and her long time love interest are getitng married when the wedding is stopped and it is discovered that Simon is already married to the local vet. Addie is devastated . Simon then takes up with the former wife when its found he has a son. Not one to feel sorry for herself Addie pushes Simon aside to deal with his new family . Addie dives into a family mystery when she discovers a secret room in her home and a wedding dress left behind. As she investigates the family mystery of the dress and who it belonged to family revalations come to light that will forever change Addie and what she knew of her family. She finds fascinating journals left behind and a treasure trove of books that tell their own story of her family.

When a murder occurs at a party to welcome Simon's son the local detective asks Addie assistance in decifering clues that only she can find. Between the case study and her new family mystery Addie forges ahead on her own and takes back her life.

I loved this next in series. Addie is a smart savvy protagnist who is talented at solving clues others do not see. Her relationships with friends are endearing . The sleuth was well crafted and kept me guessing to conclusion. I love how the author builds the sleuth with red herrings abound and clues that are always surprising. This is a cozy series that has all the right elements we cozy lovers enjoy. I highly recommend this next in series for your reading enjoyment. A excellent addtion to this wonderful series.

"Dedication to Murder” the 9th instalment in the Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery series by Lauren Elliott. I loved this latest instalment in the series and I swear each book is better than the last! It’s hard to write down how I felt reading the story as it would mean giving spoilers but let me just say if you have been reading the series this is a must read. I do suggest you try to read from the beginning as there are lots of characters and back stories you will want to know plus it’s a great mystery series.

The mystery was interesting and well plotted, I did suspect who the killer was partway through, but this was an amazing puzzle to figure out alongside Addie and Marc.

Plus the ending oh my goodness! I’m anxiously awaiting to find out what happens next for Addie as she has some pretty big decisions to make going forward.

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I can’t wait to read book 10!

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Kensington Books and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own