Once upon a Seaside Murder

A Beach Reads Mystery, Book 2

By: Maggie Blackburn

Narrated by: Christa Lewis

Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

There's no place like home for the holidays - even if home is sleepy beachside Brigid's Island, North Carolina. During this season for giving, the town wakes up to a welcome throng of shoppers - and Beach Reads is no exception. But bookseller Summer Merriwether's Christmas cheer turns to cringing fear when she uncovers a deadly secret about her late mother - a secret someone will kill to keep.

When the local library hosts a cozy-mystery panel discussion, Summer learns that one of the authors on the panel based her book on an actual murder that shook Brigid's Island 35 years before. Worse, she soon learns that her dearly missed mother, Hildy, took a disturbingly deep interest in the case, going so far as to collect clippings and keep a journal of the dark doings - which doesn't jibe with Summer's memories of her usually cheery mother at all. Tidings get worse when Summer learns of her long-lost biological family's involvement in the crime...and still worse when the life of the book's author is threatened.

With the help of Hildy's plucky book club, Summer puts her scholarly smarts to work on protecting the cozy author and solving the decades-old murder. But this ghost from Christmas past may still be deadly in the present, and if she can't find the killer, Summer's future will be brief.

©2021 Maggie Blackburn (P)2021 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Have to sell the book store again. Really???

I really did enjoy the story, except for selling the book store again and all the beak ins with new locks and all. Some believable and some parts of the story you really have to say to yourself “time to move on to a different series”

Once upon a Seaside Murder

Book 2 of A Beach Reads. This book was quite a bit longer and had many answers that Book 1 left off unanswered. Gives specialty recipes that the group served at Book Shop gatherings. I have not made them but they will be there if you would want to share them with your family and friends. I know they must be tried and true.
I have not found a Book 3, but this one gives all the answers the mystery unfolds right to the end. Stick with it. Did love all the characters and the Narrator was very good. See it through to the end.

Well written and entertaining

This is a well written and entertaining cozy mystery with a complex plot. I also enjoyed the back story that was included in the prologue. I look forward to the next book in this series.

LOVED THIS BOOK

Cozy mystery writers, family secrets, murder, and more combine to make a fairly intricate tale. But Summer, Piper, Agatha, Mia, and the Beach Reads crew do not disappoint. They will expose current and long held secrets, no matter how painful.

Summer and her family are so genuine you just want to spend time with them on their amazing island. I only regret that I must now wait for Book 3.

Why are the staple characters stupid?

The pace and imagery was excellent. Everything a good cozy read should have. However, why is Summer made to be so stupid, stubborn and unlikeable? Also, why is Agatha so annoyingly dismissive about literal issues and why is Summer's apartment getting broken into so many dang times? It was an annoying and ridiculous amount and it really made no sense. There are also a couple of major holes in the story, so prepare to be slightly aggravated and confused after going through this book. All in all, it was very entertaining but man, having the main character so snobbish yet lacking all common sense, really takes away from the series. Maybe if the narrator was different and didn't make Summer sound faint and out of breath, she'd be a bit more likeable.

Ok

.ok story but not as good as before. Hope to see better storylines in the coming ones.