Murder By The Bookend by Laura Gail Black

Jenna Quinn had a solid career in a marketing firm — that is, until she wound up accused of embezzlement and murder. And even though she eventually was cleared on both charges, it was too late – she lost just about everything — her job, her home and even her fiance.

Just as she finds her life at an all-time low, she winds up inheriting her slain uncle’s antiquarian bookshop, Baxter’s Book Emporium. Now she’s got a fresh start in the quaint mountain town of Hokes Folly, North Carolina.

It’s been 3 months since she got settled in – not only with the bookstore, but also with her personal life. She’s changed the bookshop’s name to Twice Upon A Time and she’s dipped her toe in the dating pool with Detective Keith Logan. Now Jenna is launching the bookshop’s grand reopening event. It seems like everyone in town has shown up and is having a great time chatting away and browsing the bookshelves.

But it doesn’t take long for one of the town’s most arrogant residents, Selina March, to cause a scene. Demanding and snobbishly callous, she vies for the center of attention by slinging cruel and antagonistic remarks….and everyone she comes in contact with is her target!

Yup, she’s a “mean girl,” but thankfully her poor badgered husband, Douglas, seems to have subdued her. Then more guests show up, and even more confrontations seem to be brewing. Who knew there were so many “mean people” with hot tempers living in Hokes Folly? Linus Talbot is the town’s Director of Antique Books and it looks like he’s got a bone to pick with Bradford Prescott, a candidate for the state legislature whose slicker than a can of Grade A motor oil!

Local resident and bookworm, Alice King, got caught up in yet another hostile spat with Selina – as tempers continued to flare, tears flowed, but eventually things simmered down after Selina stormed off. When the event ended, in spite of everything, it turned out to be a smashing success.

But remember that saying “the party’s over”? For one of the bookshop’s guests, this party really was over – they are lying dead in the parking lot outside the historic district. Jenna is more than horrified – one of her grand reopening guests is murdered by a vintage bookend – well, that’s just brutally awful and sooooo not good for business!

Soon Jenna finds herself working with her Detective boyfriend, Keith, to put the puzzle pieces together — and it’s no easy task. Was this a murder of revenge for a past indiscretion or could it be a rare book cover up? Is there blackmail involved? Or maybe someone’s spiteful nature got the best of them and they just “snapped?”

In this second book in Laura Gail Black’s Antique Bookshop Mystery series, we get to meet the lovable (and furry) Eddie who is sure to become a regular in her upcoming books. Readers will find themselves “rooting” for Eddie who also gets caught up in the nasty business of murder. Murder By The Bookend is an engaging tale with 3 solid suspects guaranteed to keep armchair sleuths off their chairs and on their toes to solve this well-crafted “keep ‘em guessing” mystery.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Crooked Lane Publishing.

Authors and sponsors can contact Ann I. Wonder at: ann@wonderwomensixty.com