Reviewed: 26 December 2023

Murder Off the Books

by: Tamara Berry

By the Book Mysteries - Book 3

Rating: (4.0/5)

Green-eye monster, mom and mystery - this time it’s personal

Tess and Gertrude (Gertie) have settled in and are about to have a grand opening for the bookstore along with the book launch for Tess’ new book based on the last mystery. Nice Tie-in.

As I listened to this book, it struck me that one of the reasons that I enjoy it so much is that it reminds me of the Gilmore Girls series. Lorelei and Rory vs Tess and Gertie. True the backstories are different but the interactions between them is very similar.

Tess is quirky and you never know what she is going to do next to solve the mystery.

Glad to see Sheriff Victor Boyd’s sister return in this one especial given how he finally reconnected after many years in the last one, On Spine of Death.

Throw in Tess’ larger-than-life, former attorney mom and you are in for a wild ride. If you are wondering where the “hunk” Jared is, he’s not going away that easy.

This story was so much fun, once I started I didn’t want to put it down.

Grab some tea, sit in your comfy chair and prepare to laugh and engross yourself in the misadventures of thriller author Tess Harrow as she solves the latest murder to hit the town of Winthrop.

Happy Reading!

Release Date: 30-May-2023

Cozy Mystery, Audiobook, Female Sleuth

Plot Summary

2023 Edgar Award Nominee, Lilian Jackson Braun Prize for Buried in a Good Book

Author Tess Harrow is looking to get back in the town of Winthrop's good graces after she uncovered not one, but two long-forgotten murders. With the perfect plan of combining her new book release with her bookstore's grand opening she'll have the chance to wine and dine the locals and some big press contacts.

But the night before the party, Tess is greeted by a surprise: her mother has come for a visit, with her much-younger new boyfriend in tow…a boyfriend her daughter Gertrude recognizes as the notorious Levi Parker, a man recently connected to the deaths of three elderly widows.

Tess immediately alerts Sheriff Boyd about Levi and his suspicious past, but it's already too late—Levi Parker is found dead and Tess's mother is starting to look like the prime suspect. Bernadette swears she didn't murder Levi, and Tess is doing her best to maintain her mother's innocence, but too many coincidences keep stacking up. With the whole town seemingly against her family, it's up to Tess to get to the bottom of the story before it's too late.