Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett

Copyright: 2008
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 271
Challenges: Read-your-own-books, 1^st in a series, Cozy mystery
New-to-me author? yes
Author's website

Simple Description
Tricia Miles is new to the town of Stoneham in New Hampshire. She operates a mystery bookstore by the name of Haven't Got a Clue. Things are going well until she finds out that her sister is unexpectedly in town. She loves her sister, but the two of them never really got along very well. Then, when her sister insists on seeing the shop, they find that the bookstore next to Tricia's, The Cookery, has a fire. When Tricia goes inside to try and put it out she finds the owner, dead. The local sheriff believes that Tricia killed the woman. To make matters worse a rare book was stolen from the Cookery and is found in Tricia's store. Tricia thinks that Bob, the man who owns the stores and they all pay rent to, is the killer. However Angelica, Tricia's sister, doesn't believe that to be true. Soon the clues point to a guy who is running for a local government position. Tricia goes to the Sheriff with the information she has, but that doesn't work out so well, it just makes the sheriff more determined to put Tricia behind bars. Meanwhile Angelica thinks it's the dead woman's sister who is behind the murder.

Why did I read this book?
I love cozy mysteries and my friend Barbara, who passed away earlier this year, really enjoyed this book and thought I would too.

What I liked most:
You know, it didn't always feel like I was reading a mystery and I liked that. There was a lot going on with Tricia and her employees and her sister. That's what made this book so enjoyable for me. Yeah, I do love a mystery, so I did love that aspect of it, but I also loved the interaction between the characters and all the stuff that was going on. I loved that the story flowed so well and kept my interest.

Was there something I didn't like?
Not really – I was very happy with this book.

Do I recommend the book?
Absolutly! If you like cozy mysteries – I think this is a book for you. If you don't read a ton of mysteries but once in awhile you like a light one, I bet you would like this one too. The second in the series was published earlier this year and I can't wait to read it. I feel like this is a series that I will soon say I enjoy reading as much as I love the Joanne Fluke series.

Oh..and the sister loves to cook and I'm happy to report that there are recipes for some of the dishes in the back of the book. I'm personally interested in trying a couple of them.

This book has also been reviewed by:
Kittling Books

Bibliophile by the Sea

The Book Resort

Have you reviewed this book on your blog? Leave me a comment to let me know and I'll link it below.



Happy Reading and thanks for stopping by……Kris