Crime and Poetry

Magical Bookshop Mystery Series, Book 1

By: Amanda Flower

Narrated by: Rachel Dulude

Rushing home to sit by her ailing grandmother's bedside, Violet Waverly is shocked to find Grandma Daisy the picture of perfect health. Violet doesn't need to read between the lines: Her grandma wants Violet back home and working in her magical store, Charming Books. It's where the perfect book tends to fly off the shelf and pick you.... Violet has every intention to hightail it back to Chicago, but then a dead man is discovered clutching a volume of Emily Dickinson's poems from Grandma Daisy's shop. The victim is Benedict Raisin, who recently put Grandma Daisy in his will, making her a prime suspect. Now, with the help of a tuxedo cat named Emerson, Violet will have to find a killer to keep Grandma from getting booked for good.

©2016 Amanda Flower (P)2016 Tantor

Disappointing

This story could have been so much more. I wondered if it was for a younger audience. Not much character development.

too drawn out and kinda empty

I'm going to try the other books to see if the writing gets better. But the plot seemed to take forever to make any headway and the main protagonist seemed rather two dimensional. Also, I find it annoying that there was a big controversy that caused the main character to leave yet that controversy is glossed over & only partially resolved in passing. I'm hoping for more on the original controversy in the other books.

3 and a half stars

This was an okay cozy mystery. The pace is rather slow and the characters aren't fully developed. The plot was okay. The story wasn't bad but it was just typical. I will probably get the next one to see if it is more developed.

Love it so much I wish you'd add to the series!

I have enjoyed reading this series and now I'm listening to it! I seriously wish there were many more in the series and you'd write more in this vein. What a gift!

Magical Books, A Talking Crow, Great Easy Listen

This book is escapism at its best. Is it blood and guts kind of murder mystery? No. Hard core investigation? No. Small town, friends and family closeness? YES, YES, YES . . . with a few rotten eggs thrown in . . . Grandma Daisy and her Charming Books Bookstore and the her friends, The Red Inkers, the local writers group who meets at her bookstore, are a varied bunch of folks, and include Police Chief David Rainwater. When Grandma Daisy's boyfriend (and carriage driver), Benedict Raisin is found murdered, and she becomes a suspect, her granddaughter, Violet goes on a search for the real killer. With a little help from the books in the book shop and Benedict's cat (who Violet has named, Emerson), Violet sets out to clear her grandma's name. This magical story takes me back to the books of my childhood . . . clean, fun and anticipation in every chapter. I love the talking crow, Faulkner. The story of Violet in high school and now her return twelve years later, and how she reconciles herself to what happened in the past. In one word, this book is absolutely DELIGHTFUL.