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carbonaden's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
bargainsleuth's review against another edition
4.0
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I would like to thank Netgalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy of Murder in the Bookshop. This is the first novel of the Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet Mysteries, set in London in 1915.
For a first book in a series, the book was pretty good. Both Hannah Merrill and her Aunt Violet are believers of suffrage, despite what Hannah’s parents wish for her. She’s moved to London to help her aunt run a bookshop she acquired instead of settling for marriage and babies like her sister. She had reluctantly agreed to marry her friend, Gerald, as he headed off to war, but was killed in battle, letting her off the hook, so-to-speak.
Unfortunately for Hannah, one morning she arrives at the store to find her best friend, Lily-Anne, stabbed to death, with Hannah’s own knife. Besides being terribly upset about her friend’s murder, she realizes she’s a prime suspect given the locale and murder weapon. So she decides to do some sleuthing of her own in order to find out her best friend’s killer.
There’s a cast of characters introduced in the book whom I’m sure will make future appearances in the books. Despite having been engaged to Gerald, it is really Darius to whom she pined for, but now he is engaged to an utterly loathsome uppity woman. One thing I did note, despite this being a Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet mystery is that Violet is absent for about the first half of the book. When she appears, the pages light up. She’s a great character, hanging out with the leading suffragists of the day, and helping her niece solve the mystery of Lily-Anne’s death, too.
I’ve read a lot of cozy mysteries set in the days leading up to the Great War, and the days after, but never smack dab in the middle of WWI. It makes for a unique setting, with the horrible women giving men and boys who stay home feathers to accuse them of being cowardly. In this book, it’s a 15-year-old boy who is big for his age who works at the bookstore who is targeted. There’s also a subplot about German spies, and of course, the awful air raids come into play in this book as they did in real life.
I look forward to future volumes of this series, and hopefully future volumes will have Hannah and Violet interacting even more. Highly recommend!
I would like to thank Netgalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy of Murder in the Bookshop. This is the first novel of the Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet Mysteries, set in London in 1915.
For a first book in a series, the book was pretty good. Both Hannah Merrill and her Aunt Violet are believers of suffrage, despite what Hannah’s parents wish for her. She’s moved to London to help her aunt run a bookshop she acquired instead of settling for marriage and babies like her sister. She had reluctantly agreed to marry her friend, Gerald, as he headed off to war, but was killed in battle, letting her off the hook, so-to-speak.
Unfortunately for Hannah, one morning she arrives at the store to find her best friend, Lily-Anne, stabbed to death, with Hannah’s own knife. Besides being terribly upset about her friend’s murder, she realizes she’s a prime suspect given the locale and murder weapon. So she decides to do some sleuthing of her own in order to find out her best friend’s killer.
There’s a cast of characters introduced in the book whom I’m sure will make future appearances in the books. Despite having been engaged to Gerald, it is really Darius to whom she pined for, but now he is engaged to an utterly loathsome uppity woman. One thing I did note, despite this being a Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet mystery is that Violet is absent for about the first half of the book. When she appears, the pages light up. She’s a great character, hanging out with the leading suffragists of the day, and helping her niece solve the mystery of Lily-Anne’s death, too.
I’ve read a lot of cozy mysteries set in the days leading up to the Great War, and the days after, but never smack dab in the middle of WWI. It makes for a unique setting, with the horrible women giving men and boys who stay home feathers to accuse them of being cowardly. In this book, it’s a 15-year-old boy who is big for his age who works at the bookstore who is targeted. There’s also a subplot about German spies, and of course, the awful air raids come into play in this book as they did in real life.
I look forward to future volumes of this series, and hopefully future volumes will have Hannah and Violet interacting even more. Highly recommend!
mjporterauthor's review against another edition
5.0
Murder in the Bookshop is a cosy historical fiction story set in 1915 in London, England.
Well grounded in the events of the day - the Great War hasn't been as easy to win as all believed - there are fears of bombs being dropped by the Germans via Zeppelin - the realities of the war are starting to make themselves known with food shortages - this is a really well-envisioned study of the period. Added to this, we have a Murder in the Bookshop.
Our main character is Hannah, who having lost her fiance during the war, now lives with her aunt and helps her run a bookshop. She's a feisty character, very much a woman of her day. Aunt Violet is a suffragette, and that's just the beginning of the scandals that surround her. Hannah's mother wants her to marry, but Hannah isn't at all interested in doing what her mother wants, and indeed, her mother never actually makes an appearance in the story - which is probably for the best.
Instead, Hannah finds herself determined to discover the culprit behind the murder, and this forces her to come to terms with some truths she's never known about her friends.
What follows is a really well-constructed story of murder, conspiracy, suspicion and indeed, some peril for our main characters as well.
I read this book in about 2 sittings. I thoroughly enjoyed the setting, the mystery and the resolution, which I didn't guess at all.
A fabulous war-time mystery, sure to thrill fans of the historical mystery genre.
Well grounded in the events of the day - the Great War hasn't been as easy to win as all believed - there are fears of bombs being dropped by the Germans via Zeppelin - the realities of the war are starting to make themselves known with food shortages - this is a really well-envisioned study of the period. Added to this, we have a Murder in the Bookshop.
Our main character is Hannah, who having lost her fiance during the war, now lives with her aunt and helps her run a bookshop. She's a feisty character, very much a woman of her day. Aunt Violet is a suffragette, and that's just the beginning of the scandals that surround her. Hannah's mother wants her to marry, but Hannah isn't at all interested in doing what her mother wants, and indeed, her mother never actually makes an appearance in the story - which is probably for the best.
Instead, Hannah finds herself determined to discover the culprit behind the murder, and this forces her to come to terms with some truths she's never known about her friends.
What follows is a really well-constructed story of murder, conspiracy, suspicion and indeed, some peril for our main characters as well.
I read this book in about 2 sittings. I thoroughly enjoyed the setting, the mystery and the resolution, which I didn't guess at all.
A fabulous war-time mystery, sure to thrill fans of the historical mystery genre.
zuly's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
booknerdjo's review
4.0
I very much enjoyed this cosy murder mystery.
It is set in London during WW1 and centres around a bookshop in Covent Garden which is run by Hannah and owned by her aunt Violet. Both women reject society's expectations of them and are leading independent lives in the city.
One morning Hannah opens the shop to find her best friend stabbed through the heart with a paper knife!
And so begins a series of revelations and twists and turns involving Hannah's circle of friends and their many, many secrets!
I liked the main characters - especially Aunt Violet - and it was interesting to read about London during WW1 and the Zeppelin bombings - something I knew nothing about.
A good twisty murder mystery!
It is set in London during WW1 and centres around a bookshop in Covent Garden which is run by Hannah and owned by her aunt Violet. Both women reject society's expectations of them and are leading independent lives in the city.
One morning Hannah opens the shop to find her best friend stabbed through the heart with a paper knife!
And so begins a series of revelations and twists and turns involving Hannah's circle of friends and their many, many secrets!
I liked the main characters - especially Aunt Violet - and it was interesting to read about London during WW1 and the Zeppelin bombings - something I knew nothing about.
A good twisty murder mystery!
acosyreader's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
hermoine7's review
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
turnherintoliterature's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5