Book Review - A Fatal Chapter

A Fatal Chapter: A Booktown Mystery

By: Lorna Barrett
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: June 2015
ISBN: 978-0425252666
Reveiwed by: Deb Fowler
Reveiew Date: June 2, 2015

Stoneham just wasn't the same after Tricia's bookstore, Haven't Got a Clue, burned down. The only mystery in her book was when the insurance claim would be finalized and paid. In the meantime, Bob Kelly was pestering her to buy the building. With what, her looks? In the meantime, Tricia Miles was volunteering her time at the Chamber of Commerce. Her sister, Angelica, was the president (of course), a fact that made her enforced exile a tad easier. In spite of all the support she received, Tricia was finding herself "growing depressed" and would like nothing better than stocking mysteries with Miss Marple underfoot. Stoneham's Queen of Mystery would soon have reason to forget about anything commerce or claim related.

Grabbing a doggie doo bag and heading out for a walk with Sarge would be relaxing, but Tricia immediately noticed something was amiss. The flower baskets along the street had practically been picked clean, but that was nothing compared to what she spotted next. "Well, you're not known for finding live bodies," reporter Russ Smith quipped where he arrived on the scene. Well, Pete Renquist wasn't exactly a corpse when she spotted him lying facedown in the gazebo either. In fact, they practically had an arm wrestling match when he grabbed her arm in a death grip-like vise. Russ even threw out a few last words for Tricia to think about. "I never missed my little boy." Excuse me?
When Pete was hauled off to St. Joseph's Hospital and the rubberneckers left the scene Tricia would have plenty to think about. It would be one of those causes unknown sort of things and no matter how one phrased it, Pete was deader than a mackerel on ice. Murdered. There was a "suspicious bruise and a puncture mark on Pete's right arm" that didn't get there by themselves. Naturally Chief Grant Baker was going to want to hear how Tricia just happened to be at the scene of the crime holding Pete's hand. Pete may have been harboring secrets of his own, but so was Tricia.

Tricia was hot on the trail of the "late night petal-pincher," but couldn't seem to decipher Pete's cryptic message. Toni Bennett was overly boo hoo sappy at the funeral and her husband, Jim Stark, was mega-mad. Can you spell a-f-f-a-i-r? Funerals are great places to ferret out murderers, but Pete was such a flirt it could have been half the population of Stoneham. "Did you hear what happened last night?" Pixie spouted out. There would be one less person on Tricia's whodunit list because someone with a fractured skull wouldn't be talking any time soon. One plus one equals two, but nothing seemed to add up for Tricia. Had she lost her sleuthing ability or was she losing her mind?

Everything seems to be coming full circle in the Booktown Mystery series and this one will blow the reader out of the water. A secret has been harbored in Stoneham that went totally over my head, something that few readers could see coming. Hercule Poirot, yes, me ... no. The late night petal-pincher mystery was a great diversion that kept me from pinpointing the true murderer. Tricia, as Pixie describes her, is a "stand-up chick" and one of my favorite female sleuths. Because of the unfortunate demise of Haven't Got a Clue in the fire, Tricia is at her lowest, most vulnerable I've seen her in the series. However, if you like the Booktown series, this fatal, final mystery shows Tricia Miles, a stand-up chick at her best!

Quill says: Lorna Barrett, a cozy mystery queen, just might have been writing with a perfect pen when she wrote A Fatal Chapter!

Book Review - Book Clubbed

Book Clubbed: A Booktown Mystery 

By: Lorna Barrett
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: July 2014
ISBN: 978-0425252574
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: July 2014

Betsy Dittmeyer, Stoneham’s new Chamber of Commerce secretary, was the kind of receptionist who would make Carol Beer look good. The Chamber was in dire need of a new rental, but Bob Kelly was throwing a wrench into the process. Tricia was anxious to make a bid on a private book collection, but with Angelica having to deal with Betsy, she was going to be late. “I don’t know how much longer I can tolerate this impossible situation.” The Cookery wasn’t exactly alive with the sound of music, but rather with Betsy’s incessant, annoying complaints. She didn’t like this, she didn’t like that, and she certainly didn’t like using a public restroom, but somehow managed to use one when the Cookery was full of customers.

Tricia and Ange were finally getting ready to head out the door when there were loud, crashing noises coming from inside the building. Betsy was nowhere to be found, but when they did find her it wouldn’t be a pretty sight. If there were any silicone spatulas in the Cookery, they might have come in handy when they found her. Betsy was underneath a pile of Ange’s vintage cookbooks squashed flatter than a pancake. Maybe a crêpe. Tricia, the “village jinx,” would undoubtedly get a visit from Chief Grant Baker ... again. There were some very unusual things about this little accident and they spelled m-u-r-d-e-r.

Money talks, but Betsy was dead. Betsy, the napkin pilferer, was a simple receptionist, but it turned out she was a pretty wealthy one. Tricia’s ex, Christopher Benson, was Betsy’s financial advisor and maybe, just maybe she could drag a secret or two from him. Frannie Armstrong, whose big mouth was practically certified, might be good for a clue or ten or twenty. Betsy’s sister Joelle had strangely been thrown out of the will and was lurking around. There were plenty of secrets and lies in Stoneham and Tricia was shocked to find out a family secret of her own. Just who had more skeletons in their closets? Was it Betsy Dittmeyer or Ms. Tricia Miles?

I’ve always loved the Booktown Mysteries, but this one has got to be one of my favorites. Perhaps it was a matter of simply saving the best for last. This book had some real surprises in between the pages, many I was totally unprepared for. There are some little bundles of joy waiting for everyone, but Tricia’s secrets (and the ultimate ending of the book) had that wow factor that made the book. About a third of the way through the book dirt on everyone was oozing out of the pages. Book Clubbed was a fast read, an entertaining cozy I’ll remember for a long time.

Quill says: This is a fast-paced mystery with dirt oozing from the pages ... Barrett definitely save the best Booktown Mystery for last!