Ian and Will Ferguson immerse the reader in a cozy Killer on the First Page in which an author is murdered in Happy Rock their mystery book store during a gathering of mystery authors. Miranda Abbott is happy to see all the big names, but less so when one author ends up murdered in her store. Locked room murders, missing manuscripts and impossible egos. Read an enjoy this cozy with a humorous sting in its tail.

“𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤.”

Former Pastor Fran star Miranda Abbott and the residents of Happy Rock are back in this third mystery that presents quite the puzzle: three impossible murders!

Happy Rock is hosting a murder mystery festival, featuring six of the biggest names in crime fiction, with its opening reception taking place at the I Only Read Murder bookstore. The authors are bringing about their egos, their personal grudges, and a bit of mayhem, when they start to be picked off in locked rooms, one by one. Will Miranda, her assistant Andrew, and police chief Ned be able to figure out the impossible?

Ian and Will Ferguson have created a zany and loveable group of townspeople. This series reminds me of Schitt’s Creek meets Murder, She Wrote. It’s humorous, meta, and over-the-top, but is rooted in a solid mystery. I loved the clever wink to Encyclopedia Brown with Compendium Cathy, especially as a fan of Encyclopedia when I was young! The Fergusons have created quite the locked-room mysteries, all three of which truly do seem impossible. The clues are well-planted though, and I love the tone of the omniscient narrator who gives readers hints of the clues that become important, almost like breaking the fourth wall. The author suspects are truly a version of ‘don’t meet your heroes’ and all have motives for wanting one another dead. Miranda, as usual, is her excessive self, but she shows some important character development in this book, especially in her consideration for how Happy Rock has become her home. Andrew and Ned continue to be delights, putting up with Miranda’s antics, but also working alongside her to solve the case.

Killer On The First Page is a clever, breezy, and entertaining entry to the Miranda Abbott Investigates series. I can’t wait to return to Happy Rock in the next book. Thank you to Harper Collins Canada and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This series is so much fun! If Schitts' Creek was a tv murder mystery this is the exact vibe I would expect. Miranda is so much like Moira Rose and I can't think of anything better. Witty and clever it's just a perfect series!

I did not want to write this review because I am such a fan of the series as a whole. But, this book was a bit of a let down for me. Will keep reading as I really enjoy them but maybe I will wait to see what my pals think first cause this book was not it.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A charming cozy mystery, the third in a series featuring Miranda Abbott, and the first experienced by this reader.

Miranda Abbott is a former TV detective, a sort of everyone’s favorite Jessica Fletcher, who traded in her sophisticated acting chops to star in a blissfully cheesy, but highly popular, television murder mystery series. With her red hair and regal bearing, Miranda is a charmingly annoying character, not at all short on confidence, who now breezes through life solving mysteries (which seem to follow her, wherever she is), falling subject to only the odd lingering question about the direction her life (her love, and her career) has taken.

Now on hiatus from LA and living in the small Pacific coastal town of Happy Rock, Oregon, where she co-owns a bookstore with her ambiguously connected husband Edgar (are they married? Are they divorced? Do they still love each other?), Miranda can’t help but jump in when a Mystery Writer Festival, to be held in her bookstore, becomes the backdrop for murder.

Peopled with so many oddball characters that at first, felt impossible for this reader to keep straight, once the story gets going the community of eccentrics, the visiting authors, and the layered mystery drew me in — cleanly plotted with several twists, puzzles to solve, and some truly funny moments, one cannot help but think the initial two books would be definitely worth a read for some additional backstory.

An entertaining read which will keep a reader guessing and dreaming about the ocean, (not to mention, running a bookstore), I enjoyed this book and will no doubt be back to visit the folks in Happy Rock, Oregon.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the authors and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

If you’re looking for a mystery with a bit of wit and a lot of heart, this one’s definitely worth checking out. It’s a great pick for fans of cozy mysteries with a modern edge.

The characters are relatable and fun, especially the main protagonist who’s navigating both writer’s block and a real murder investigation. The plot twists kept me guessing, and the writing style made it easy to breeze through the pages!!

3.8 stars
A good, fast, twisty read but did not hold my attention as the previous. I found it confusing sometimes with so many characters (and their multiple names). Miranda steals the show with her eccentricity and the local characters, Edgar, Ned and Owen are as enjoyable as always.
I can see how the authors would have had the best of laughs in putting this book together and that in itself was worth it.
Be prepared to be walking in circles to solve this one!

Happy Rock bookstore, I Only Read Murder, run by Miranda Abbot, former tv star and majority co-owner (thanks to a banking error) and her almost ex-husband, Edgar, is hosting a literary event featuring some of the biggest names in the mystery genre. But shortly after the writers arrive, one of them is killed in what seems like an impossible locked room murder. Miranda is determined to solve the case but can she do it before another impossible murder occurs?

Killer on the First Page by Ian and Will Ferguson is the third book in the Miranda Abbot Mystery series and it is one very twisty, very entertaining mystery, with some wonderfully eccentric characters and a nice touch of humour running through it. This is the first book in the series I’ve read but it will definitely not be the last. A perfect read for those lazy summer days. Oh, and if you’re wondering if the killer really is on the first page, well, you’ll just have to read it to find out.

I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review

I Only Read Murder in Happy Rock is hosting a literary event with several authors attending.
Miranda Abbott along with all the eccentric townsfolk will be there. I love the character, Miranda, with her sayings and her take charge attitude. While the event is taking place, a locked room murder occurs. Will Miranda using all her knowledge from years being Pastor Fran be able to solve this mystery? Will the murder count continue?
This is a great summer beach read. A cozy mystery with great characters that is nothing but a page turner.
Did I see the end coming? It doesn't matter the road travelled to get there is amusing.
I hope that we will get to read more adventures of Miranda Abbott and her life in Happy Rock.

Thank you to HarperCollinsCanada, NetGalley and Killer Crime Club for the free ARC in exchange for my unbiased, honest review.

Third instalment of a crime-solving actress. A lighthearted version of the dastardly locked room mystery. Fun, witty and clever.

KILLER ON THE FIRST PAGE-Ian Ferguson & Will Ferguson. Publishing on July 8th, 2025 by Harper Collins.

The Fergusons’ have done it again. This is the third book, after I only Read Murder, and Mystery in The Title. If you read the other two, you’ll love this one. Fergusons’ do a wonderful job taking the reader on a caper throughout the small town of Happy Rock.

This is the perfect summer read!

Summary:
“The famous are descending on the town of Happy Rock. This time, the stars are not of the screen but of the page. The Happy Rock bookstore, I Only Read Murder, is hosting not only an author festival but a murder mystery festival, with six of the biggest names in crime fiction.
New bookstore majority co-owner and former TV star Miranda Abbott loves nothing more than the idea of hosting literary luminaries. Little does she realize the authors are bringing their egos, their professional jealousies, and their personal grudges along with their books. And they all want the first look at a mysterious posthumous manuscript that has been delivered to the bookstore. This festival of rivals goes from bad to worse when one of the authors turns up dead in a locked room with no windows. And this death is just the beginning—no one knows which author will be next.
Miranda is on the case, along with Edgar, her almost–ex-husband; Andrew, her one-person entourage; Ned, the patient police chief; and the good people of Happy Rock. Together, they’ll stop at nothing to solve three murders, in three locked rooms, and three impossible crimes.”

Thanks to Harper Collins Canada and Netgalley.

#books #upcomingbooks #murder #humor #booksaredeadly #bookstagram
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Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley, Killer Crime Club, HarperCollins Canada and HarperCollins Publishers.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

What secrets lie behind three locked rooms? For bookstore owner and former TV star Miranda Abbott hosting a literary gathering. She’ll get more than just high strung authors to deal with. Will it just be one dead body or will the count rise? It’s a fast paced thriller that will have you turning the pages.