A Perilous Plot by Lorna Barrett is the nineteenth A Booktown Mystery. Tricia and Angelica must deal with their shifty parents along with a murdered family friend. Tricia still acts like someone who is much older (she is in her 40s but acts like she is in her 60s) while dating someone twenty years younger. I can certainly understand why Tricia and Angelica dread spending time with their parents, especially their mother, Sheila (she is a piece of work). The story moved at leisurely pace. The mystery was straightforward with a small suspect pool, and the ending was unsatisfactory. I liked the message that there is more than one type of family. There are blood relatives that treat you terribly, and there is the family you create that makes you feel happy and whole. The story lacked action and there were repetitive details. Each day seemed like the one before it (get up, work, eat, drink, deal with mother, eat, etc.). I wish this story were more like the books in the beginning of the series (I believe the series has run its course). A Perilous Plot transports readers to Stoneham, New Hampshire where there is kitty litter trickery, slow sales, missing meat, dishonest parents, box sorting, and a distressed Sarge.

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. 𝐈𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠.

With the last book in the series ending in such a cliffhanger, I couldn't wait to start this one to see how things were resolved. Unfortunately, the mystery seemed to take a backseat to the sisters pouring martinis and planning their snacks and meals.

I'm hoping this installment was just a bump in the road of a long-running cozy series that I've always adored, but there just wasn't much of a mystery. Instead, there was Tricia's romance, which is welcome to liven up her character but gives me the ick at the same time, and Angelica has just become so stilted and wooden, it's hard to drum up any sympathy for her.

I'm fervently hoping that the next book will bring back the fun mystery without sacrificing any of the character development. Thanks to Berkley for this early copy that will publish September 23, 2025.

This is such a a exciting read I read it cover to cover! This is my favorite of this series. Tricia and Angelica are chasing their suspicious family and investigating a murder in this 19th book in the series.

Their relationship as sisters once estranged is closer then ever as they investigate the cover up of their criminal Fathers fake death. The clues and red herrings kept me turning pages to conclusion.
The supporting characters all add depth to this series as the sisters have created their own family of good friends and co workers. Among weekly dinners each works together for the sisters to help their businesses thrive. Tricia is in a relationship with a much younger man who respects her and is a good fit for her. Angelica is behind a large real estate company rehabbing the town and providing jobs to many. Together they piece the clues of their parents underhanded ways into a mysterious background of their Father. The sisters work well together as a team. The combination of sleuths was written to perfection.
I enjoyed this exciting next in series which explains the background of the sisters. I love the well crafted sleuth. A fun next in series.

Tricia's mother comes to see her giving her an urn with her father's ashes. Tricia and angelica take it to a funeral home, and find it isn't ashes. The man looking found a very nice watch wrapped plastic in the middle of cat litter. They later hear from friends that their father has been recently seen, so it's definitely a spoof. The tennis player, Becca is now engaged to the Chief of Police, McDonald. Becca wants Tricia to be her maid of honor, as well as having her give parties for all Becca's friends.

Meanwhile, Angelica and Ms Ricita are readying a new hotel in the old mansion. They have hired Cleo to take charge. Angelica and Tricia have put up their mother and her friend Mrs. Murdock in the not yet opened hotel. Cle0 finds Mrs. Murdock dead, and their mother is missing. When she is found, she pretends to not recognize her daughters. Tricia and Angelica get a lot of help from David, Pixie, Mr. Everett, Ginny, and Antonio. Fortunately, McDonald is not axious to have a huge wedding.

This is a great addition to fun series. I thank Net Galley and Crooked Lane Press for the ARC so that I could read the book before publication.

When Tricia & Angelica's estranged mother drops off an urn containing their father's remains they are shocked. Even more shocking is discovering that the urn is filled with nothing but kitty litter and a stolen watch. The sisters would like to ask their mother Sheila all about the discovery, but she has disappeared without a trace. Having no choice but to dig deeper into the mystery, Tricia and Angelica uncover a number of secrets about their parents...but is murder one of those secrets?

This series has definitely had its ups and downs (hellloooo book 15) but thankfully this was one of the better ones. Don't get me wrong, I still think Tricia is a pretty terrible character, but she isn't as bad in this installment.

The book dives into how the sisters feel about their messy relationship with their parents and what truly makes a family. I think anyone still along for the ride of this series will enjoy this one.

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.l

Barrett's latest in the Booktown series hits the mark. A compelling mystery featuring the Miles' sisters' parents is at the crux of this novel. Here we visit with old friends Mr. Everett, Pixie., Antonio, and Ginny. A good plot and dialogue lead to a satisfying conclusion. I would enjoy handselling this to my customers. We are a busy independent store and don't have time to sit around, ready mysteries, and munch on Tricia's cookies!

This series is like a warm cozy chair that you can't get enough of being in. The last book ended in a cliffhanger: Tricia and Angelica’s mom showed up with an urn and told her daughters that their father had passed away. The book opens with Tricia and Angelica at the funeral parlor where they learn that the urn does not contain the remains of their father but kitty litter and a Rolex watch. When Tricia takes the watch to Ian McDonald, chief of police, she learns the watch was stolen and will be returned to its rightful owner. To get some clarity on just what is going on with their parents, the sisters reach out to their mother’s oldest friend Bunny. But instead of answers, Bunny just ends up overstaying her welcome and making things more confusing. When she’s found murdered in her room at Angelica’s not yet opened Stonecreek Manor and their mother is found bound and unconscious in the attic, the sisters have to figure out what exactly were their parents up to and who could have murdered Bunny?

I love this series and have been following it for years. However the last few books haven’t been that great. This book was one of the better ones but there were a few points that I thought could have been better executed. Usually, the plot of the book is a murder happens to someone Tricia barely knows and she starts asking around the village to see if anyone knows anything about the victim. During all the questioning, running her bookstore, and having nightly happy hours with her sister Angelica, she makes the killer nervous and a showdown happens where the killer confesses everything to Tricia. This book, however, follows a different trajectory. The main point of the story is the sisters trying to figure out what their parents were up to. Why did their mother say their father was dead? Why did several people in the village say they say their father recently? What happened to the family fortune? Bunny’s murder, however, was a very small part of the story. The ending felt quite rushed and not as tied up as previous books. I’m hoping that in the next book there is mention of what happened or that there will be a continuation of the story and all the loose ends tied up.

Despite the small flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and devoured it in several hours. The best part of the book was getting to see the sisters grow closer as they dealt with all the family drama. Their relationship is one the best parts of the series and I’m glad to see that they grew closer during the whole ordeal. Still one of my favorite cozy mystery series and now I can’t wait for the next book.

(Booktown Mystery #18)
Dead dads, missing moms, and an urn full of kitty litter...welcome back to Booktown, where the only thing messier than the crimes are the family secrets!

Tricia Miles thought her biggest worry was restocking bookshelves… until her long-absent mother shows up with cremains and chaos in tow. When Mom vanishes and a luxury watch turns up in the ashes, Tricia and her sister Angelica find themselves in a tangled web of lies, theft, and very suspicious parents.

Lorna Barrett once again delivers a perfectly twisty cozy filled with charm, tension, and just enough scandal to keep you flipping pages past bedtime. If you like your mysteries with a dash of dysfunctional family and a sprinkle of small-town snark, this one’s for you.

P.S. You’ll never look at an urn the same way again.
#berkley #aperlilousplot #lornabarrett

I’ve read most of the Booktown books, and this one had me hooked just for the sheer what-is-even-happening chaos of the first few chapters. This book dives more into Tricia and Angelica’s messy relationship with their parents, and it’s actually kind of a little too whiny at times. The emotional center here is all about trust, abandonment, and what we owe the people who let us down but there should be a statue of limitations on how long you whine about your parents.

This was an interesting story. Tricia and Angelica find out that their father isn’t really dead, even though their mother gave them what was supposed to be his ashes. There were some interesting plot twists. I wasn’t aware that Tricia had a boyfriend 20:years younger than her. I guess I missed the book where she met him.
I thought the ending was odd. Tricia’s parents should be in jail but instead they are in Connecticut where they will eventually be arrested? I didn’t understand that.. Also, what happened to Uncle Leo?

You would think there would be nothing let to say after 18 previous books but I could not put this book down. I could not wait to find out the ending.

This newest entry in the long running series is very satisfying. The Miles sisters have to confront their unsettling feelings about their parents who have been mostly absent in their lives. Of course, there is a murder and other mysterious goings on, but the family dynamics play a large part in the story. Is blood thicker than water? Can a chosen family be as meaningful as a biological one? Long time and new readers will surely enjoy this trip to Booktown!