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    Murder by the Book
    Murder by the Book
    Murder by the Book
    Audiobook8 hours

    Murder by the Book

    Written by Lauren Elliott

    Narrated by Karen White

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Addie Greyborne loved working with rare books at the Boston Public Library-she even got to play detective, tracking down clues about mysterious old volumes. But she didn't expect her sleuthing skills to come in so handy in a little seaside town . . .

    Addie left some painful memories behind in the big city, including the unsolved murder of her fiance and her father's fatal car accident. After an unexpected inheritance from a great aunt, she's moved to a small New England town founded by her ancestors back in colonial times-and living in spacious Greyborne Manor, on a hilltop overlooking the harbor. Best of all, her aunt also left her countless first editions and other treasures-providing an inventory to start her own store.

    But there's trouble from day one, and not just from the grumpy woman who runs the bakery next door. A car nearly runs Addie down. Someone steals a copy of Alice in Wonderland. Then, Addie's friend Serena, who owns a nearby tea shop, is arrested-for killing another local merchant. The police seem pretty sure they've got the story in hand, but Addie's not going to let them close the book on this case without a fight . . .
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateOct 30, 2018
    ISBN9781977385215
    Author

    Lauren Elliott

    Lauren Elliott is a Major in the Air Force Reserves and a 2000 Air Force Academy graduate. She served as a Regional Director of Admissions at the Air Force Academy and as a guest faculty member in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. She has read and evaluated 20,000+ candidate application packages and understands what service academy admissions and nomination boards are looking for.

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    Reviews for Murder by the Book

    3.5/5

    107 ratings14 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Addie has left Boston after the death of her fiancé and a hefty inheritance from her great aunt. She decides to put her experience with rare books to work by opening her own used and rare book store. Her troubles begin the day her shop opens. The shop owner next door is grumpy and has a grudge against her and a car almost runs her over! Addie makes friends with Serena, the tea shop owner on her other side and with Serena’s brother...the chief of police. Who is responsible for all the break-ins and mischief aimed at Addie? And what is the reason behind them? This was a very enjoyable mystery. Addie’s character is a little irritating with her “coy smiles” and some of her actions. She will hopefully mature into a more interesting character in the next book, as the story was excellent.
    • 2/5
      Due to my eyesight I use audio. The speaker had such a weird halting tone and way of pronouncing her words that is so off putting that I had to give up on this story. Such a shame.
    • 3/5
      Three stars is being very generous.
      Is this considered a cozy mystery? If so it is my first one, and likely my last.
      This book is at least 100 pages too long considering the story. The ending/ explanation is completely far fetched, and worst of all the lead character Addie is the most annoying female lead I have ever read. It almost like a guy wrote this book.
    • 4/5
      Murder by the Book by Lauren ElliottBook #1: Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery SeriesSource: PurchaseRating: 4/5 Addie Greyborne’s life has changed dramatically in just two short years. Her fiancé was murdered with the killer still at large, her father died in a horrifying car crash, she left her job in Boston to open a small bookshop in Greyborne Harbor after inheriting the entirety of her great-aunt’s estate. The estate included a wealth of rare and precious books and a manor home that is not only named for her family, but one of the largest in town. Yes, Addie Greyborne has seen a load of change in a short amount of time. Though Addie knew nothing about her great-aunt or Greyborne Harbor, she is beginning to embrace her new life in the cozy little New England town. Her shop is ready to open, and she’s thrilled to be embarking on a new adventure. Unfortunately, not everyone in town is as thrilled as Addie is about her presence. The baker next door, Martha seems to despise Addie on sight and won’t even make an effort to know Addie or be polite. Martha is stirring up trouble for Addie with some of the other local merchants and Addie has no idea why. On the heals of the nastiness from Martha and her cronies is a grisly murder that leaves Addie’s only real friend in town in handcuffs and accused of murder. Addie isn’t one to back down from a fight nor is she willing to let questions go unanswered. Addie is certain, down to her bones that her friend did not commit murder, all she has to do is prove it. With her makeshift murder board, Addie begins asking questions and pulling loose threads. Trouble is, when you begin pulling loose threads, the unravelling is often more than you bargain for and that is exactly where Addie finds herself. With a load of clues and more suspects than she can shake a stick at, Addie is going to need help if she’s going to solve this murder and clear her friend’s name.Addie’s help comes in the form of the very sexy and equally frustrating police chief. Marc is wicked pissed at Addie’s involvement in the investigation but also has to admit her insights and expertise make for sound investigating. The deeper Addie and Marc get into the crime the larger they realize the big picture is and far more complex than either ever anticipated. Not only is the present plaguing them, but Addie’s past and the unanswered questions about her dead relatives and fiancé come back for another round of pain. Addie is in more danger than she realizes and if she doesn’t come up with some answers soon, she may pay the ultimate price. The Bottom Line: What a wild and crazy ride this first in a series book turned out to be. In truth, I can’t understand the lowish star rating on Goodreads as I found this book to quite worth the time and effort. Greyborne Harbor is delightful little town, with the requisite nuts and oddities that I so love. Addie is something of a spitfire and I quite like her determination and intelligence though I don’t always agree with her somewhat reckless behavior. This is a complicated and intricate plot that involves both the past and the present and I appreciated that combination greatly. If my suspicions are correct, Addie Greyborne has a bright future ahead of her as an official amateur sleuth.
    • 2/5
      2.5 StarsThis is a difficult review to write as I was very conflicted as I read this novel.The setting of the novel is Greyborne Harbor, a small seaside town in New England. I enjoyed the mystery aspect of the storyline as Addison Greyborne (Addie to her friends) discovers countless first editions and other treasures in Greyborne Manor, a 3-story Queen Anne Victorian home bequeathed to Addie as the only surviving relative of her great-aunt that triggered Addie’s idea of opening her own used and rare bookstore. Addie has the perfect background for her newly decided role as she was formerly an assistant to the curator of acquisitions with the primary role of researching and cataloging old and rare books for the Boston Public Library and also has had the experience of a 6-month work exchange at the British Museum in London.I liked the character of Addie and especially the name of her new shop, Beyond the Page---Books & Curios. Addie is likeable and time and again shows she is plucky and resilient. As an opposite to the neighborhood curmudgeon and bakery owner Martha, it was nice to think of Addie meeting Serena Chandler a friendly shop owner of SerenaTEA on the other side of the bookshop and especially a peer. Serena is also conveniently the sister of Chief Marc Chandler.As Addie and the Chief have more and more interactions it is clear that Marc is to become Addie’s love interest. Addie clearly thinks she can be Marc’s partner in solving the mysteries that began with her father’s death but there are times when the exchanges must simply be enjoyed to advance the storyline as they have no realistic authenticity between a Chief of Police and a woman who requires police assistance on numerous occasions.I may have hypersensitivity as I am a former librarian who also holds a paralegal diploma and before retirement loved working as a librarian and also enjoyed work as both a legal secretary and paralegal. However (and it is really a however in all caps in my mind), I was extremely disappointed to read the description of a legal secretary being characterized not only in portrayal to a 1950s movie but in comparison to the ancient degradation of librarians in all forms of the arts from novels to plays to films. ”In contrast to Barbara’s casual appearance on Addie’s previous visits to the office, today Addie thought she looked exactly like a legal assistant out of a 1950s movie. Her graying black hair was pinned up in a tight topknot, making her birdlike features look more like those of a stern librarian type.” To know that any author has used this disparaging description in a novel with a ©2018 is disenchanting with my dismay heightened knowing a female author is perpetuating the stereotyping.There are so many authors writing cozy mysteries and so many avenues available to discover their novels that I have no plans to continue reading novels by Lauren Elliott.
    • 3/5
      Addie opens a used and antiquarian bookstore when she inherits an unknown great aunt's estate. A break-in occurs, and a cheap edition of Alice in Wonderland appears to be missing. When police chief Marc, brother of her new friend Serena who owns a tea shop next to the bookstore, takes his own sister into custody for a murder at the shop, Addie decides to help him investigate to free his sister. Although a promising series premiere, the novel contained a few too many coincidences to feel plausible to readers. I liked many of the recurring characters so I'm sure I'll continue with the next installment.
    • 4/5
      Nice set-up, good setting, interesting characters. Maybe a heroine who isn't helpless and has some training?
    • 4/5
      Addie opens up a used/rare bookstore upon her great aunt's death, an aunt she nothing of. She is living in the great aunt's house where there are many treasures stored waiting for Addie to unearth them. However, sinister attacks are happening--break-ins at her home and bookstore, stalking by a black sedan, people from her past appearing where they should not be. Addie is left to wonder how it all fits in or is it just coincidence.I enjoyed this book. There is a lot happening but the world building is good. I felt like I was in Addie's shoes and world. I liked that Addie did not back down but tried finding the ties that linked it all together including the murders in the book. I like that Serena, owner of the tea shop next door, and Addie became friends as neither had many. I also liked the slow build of tension between Serena and the chief of police, Marc. The characters were well written as are the villians of the piece. Some are only for this book. Others will be returning.The story was interesting. I like books that have rare book thefts as a topic. I learn much when reading about this type of theft. My interest was held and I hated having to go to bed because I could not stay awake to finish the book in one setting. I look forward to the next book.
    • 1/5
      Addie Greyborne moves from Boston to a small town after a couple of tragedies in her life. First, her fiancé David is murdered, then her father has a fatal car accident, and she believes it wasn't really an accident. It seems fortuitous when she receives an inheritance from a recently deceased relative and is given the means to move away.After finding many rare editions and used books in the Victorian home she's inherited, she decides to open a bookstore. But on her first day, her back door has nearly been forced open, someone has taken a copy of Alice in Wonderland (non-valuable), there's a car following her, she's nearly run down, and someone breaks into her home. The 'accidents' don't stop, either. Her keys go missing, a car is parking in her driveway at night...well, you get the idea. She's also met two of her new business neighbors, one doesn't like her and the other, Serena, takes to her immediately.It seems someone in this town wants her gone, and even if the police don't take it seriously (they think it's just "coincidences"), she knows it's true. It doesn't help when Serena is arrested for murder, and Addie knows her new friend couldn't be guilty so is determined to find the killer. But with someone obviously out to get her, will she have time to prove Serena's innocence?I really wanted to like this book because I thought the premise sounded good. But it's never good if you fall asleep out of boredom while reading...during the middle of the day. Yeah. It's unfortunate, but there it is.First, I don't understand why the police couldn't put two and two together about David and her father. One murdered and another has a fatal accident a short time later? Her father was run off the road. There would be indications he didn't leave the roadway voluntarily, and the police should have noticed that right away. But they didn't. Then, her business and her home is vandalized, and there's a car watching her every move. The police should have found this odd. But they didn't.Then, when Serena was arrested, Marc, the chief of police, should have turned the case over to someone else, because he was her brother. But he didn't. Addie had a rich relative in a town named after her family, and she should have known something about her heritage. But she didn't. It seems to me there are an awful lot of "didn't's" in this story.Also, why didn't (there's that word again) Addie know any of the other business owners? She never went and introduced herself? She also didn't spend any time at her business, so how did she stay open? She was always off doing something else. I also thought Addie was unlikable. With all the tragedy in her life, she acted like she wasn't grieving at all. It had been a short time and she was just going to move on with her life, even be ready for a new romance. This didn't ring true.When Addie explains to Marc how Blain must have died, and that Serena couldn't have committed the murder, it makes sense. So I have to wonder - again - why the DA's office and the investigating officers couldn't have figured this out and realized that Serena must have been telling the truth. No DA's office worth their salt would have prosecuted her if the defending attorney could show how ridiculous it looks in a court of law (and, after reading it, it does sound ridiculous).Honestly, I got as far as the petition to revoke her business license because 'she brought crime with her' and threw up my hands. What kind of morons live in this town? Not even the criminals were very smart - they couldn't find what they'd been looking for, but Addie found it almost immediately after thinking about it for a few minutes. In the end, I feel I need to say it: 1) if you see someone looking at where you put the keys to your shop, don't leave them there again. 2) if someone is breaking into your home/business, get the locks changed. Now. Install a security system. Today. 3) Keep your phone charged - if you can see a car, you can probably take a picture of it to show the police. Shouldn't someone from the "Big City" have more common sense than this? She sure didn't. All in all, this isn't a series I will be seeking out again. Unfortunately I read it. I wish I didn't.
    • 3/5
      Addie inherits money and property from an aunt she didn’t know existed, and she relocates to open a book store, leaving behind painful memories of her former life. But as soon as she arrives, she becomes the target of mysterious cars trying to run her down, and her property is searched by mysterious people. Eventually, through a convoluted maze of events, it all comes together. Addie also becomes instant friends with another shop owner who just happens to be the sister of the police chief, and of course, he, in turn, becomes Addie’s new love interest. Whew! A lot happens and quickly in this debut novel! It’s almost too much to believe, even in a cozy mystery. The characters are likable, with the exception of the bad guys and one obnoxious shop owner. And the story kept me reading, but somehow lacks something. A quirky secondary character? Real life problems, not just the extraordinary ones? It’s good enough to continue with the second book, but staying power in the long haul is unpredictable.
    • 4/5
      Addie Greyborne has inherited a house from a Great Aunt she knew nothing about, leaves her past as a librarian of rare items, and moves to the town of Greyborne and opens up a bookstore but it seems that there are those who aren't happy to see her. Having had her fiance murdered, her father dying in car accident, enough has happened to her but there's more is to come. Her "new" home is burglarized, she is nearly run over by a car, she is run off the road, but the Chief of Police is taking a personal interest in protecting her and he's cute to boot.The mystery itself was quite complex and I felt that some of the clues were missing for the reader to solve it along with Addie. The relationship of her "friends" also seem to move a bit too fast, but I'll be looking for the next one!
    • 4/5
      A good action-oriented cozy mystery. The strength is in the story, rather than the characters, and the author makes good use of some red herrings to make things interesting. The characterization follows a cozy pattern: amateur detective new to a community, a sidekick/confidant and a law enforcement love interest. In this story, the bad guys are really bad and ruthless. There's several murders, not just one, and the protagonist is put in jeopardy from the beginning which creates a high level of suspense.It's a good debut for a series with a cast of what will likely become strong recurring characters. Recommended.
    • 3/5
      Lauren Elliott's first Beyond the Page Bookstore mystery is a promising beginning. Addie Greyborne has been touched with altogether too much tragedy, but she's also been touched with an overdue sprinkling of fairy dust. The great-aunt she never knew was a rich woman, and now Addie can have her dream bookshop and live in an old Victorian house that's filled with first editions and other treasures that provide stock for her store. She's well-qualified to run such a business since she worked in the rare editions department of the Boston Public Library as well as the British Museum in London.There is an excellent mystery in Murder by the Book: missing keys, Addie's shop and house being broken into, the local merchant being killed, secret panels, secret compartments, secret rooms... It was a pleasure to attempt to figure out what was going on. However, there are some annoying aspects to this book as well.Murder by the Book tries to do too much for a first book in the series. The mystery is a complex one, and it is overshadowed by all the relationship building Addie does. She becomes immediate best friends with Serena, who owns the tea shop next-door. She hires a stranger off the street on her intuition alone, not even performing the most perfunctory background check. And then there's the budding romance with the local chief of police (who is also Serena's brother). This first book would have been improved if all this relationship stuff had been paired with a less complex mystery. This plot could then have followed in book two.Other annoyances involve both writing and one particular character. In her writing, too many of Elliott's characters "huff," "puff," tap their toes or cross their arms across their chests and glare at someone. Not only did this make me want to hand everyone an asthma inhaler, I also felt as though I were reading about a group of reality TV divas. And then there's Martha, the crone in the bakery. Everyone tells Addie that Martha is always grumpy and never likes anyone. If she's always that hateful, how can she still be in business? No one ever says that her baking is ambrosia. Even her main complaint against Addie doesn't hold water. However-- if you ever need anyone to arm the villagers with pitchforks and flaming torches for a march on Frankenstein's castle, trust me, Martha is the perfect choice.Even though Murder by the Book contains an excellent mystery and a likable main character, it is overshadowed by relationships and romance. Since I prefer my mysteries to focus on the mystery and not on the romance, I doubt that I'll continue with this series.
    • 4/5
      Murder by the Book by Lauren Elliott is the debut novel in A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery. Addie Greyborne has had a rough year with the murder of her fiancé and the death of her father. Thanks to an inheritance from her great aunt, Anita Greyborne, Addie has relocated to Greyborne Harbor and is ready to open Beyond the Page Books & Curios. Opening day begins by Addie almost getting run over by a black sedan. After opening the bookshop, she meets Serena Chandler who owns SerenaTEA next door. The day spirals out of control when someone uses a distraction to steal a 1961 copy of Alice in Wonderland. Late that night, Addie awakens to a noise and finds that someone has broken into her home. Several of the rooms have been ransacked but Addie has no clue what the thieves are after. When her shop suffers another break in, the local shop owners are less than pleased with Addie. The next day there is a commotion outside Fielding’s Department Store involving Serena. She has been arrested for murdering Blain Fielding. Addie uses her keen eye for detail and sleuthing skills from tracking down rare books and artwork to expose the guilty party behind this nefarious plot. Can Addie clear Serena of the murder charges? Come along for the investigation in Murder by the Book.Murder by the Book is a book full of action. It starts off with a bang with a car almost running down Addie. Addie has lost her fiancé, father and a great aunt in one year. She leaves her job at the Boston PublicLibrary to start over in Greyborne Harbor. In her new home, Greyborne Manor she discovers numerous books which gives her the idea to open a used bookstore. Then someone starts breaking into her home and shop. We are left wondering what the thieves are trying to locate. Then there is the murder and slowly more details are revealed. The mystery is complex yet simple at the same time. There are hidden rooms, rare books, a secret staircase, a black sedan, and unknown thieves. Some details/clues are provided as the story progresses, but others come to light just before the reveal with the remainder explained at the end. I would have liked more clues interspersed throughout the book to allow a reader to play sleuth along with Addie (the best part of a mystery is solving it). Most readers, though, will have no problem identifying the guilty party. Addie quickly becomes friends with Serena and her new employee, Paige. I thought the relationships developed too quickly. It seems Serena became Addie’s instant friend and she trusts Paige despite her disagreeable mother. For some reason, the bakery owner, Martha has taken a disliking to Addie. We are not given Martha’s last name, the name of her establishment or why she dislikes Addie. Actually, very little information is provided on Greyborne Harbor. Addie has been in town three months and seems to have met no one. A prequel to the series would have been beneficial or the author should have started the series with Addie receiving her inheritance. I loved the description of Addie’s Queen Anne Victorian. It sounds beautiful inside and out (period details with antique furnishing including a desk with hidden compartments). I would like to know more about Addie (her growing up years). I appreciated her enthusiasm for books and knowledge of rare books. I hope the author lets the romance build slowly between Addie and Marc especially since Addie is not over her fiancé. I enjoyed reading Murder by the Book. It captured and held my interest which few books have done recently. My rating for Murder by the Book is 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). I thought it was a delightful beginning to A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery series, and I look forward to reading Prologue to Murder.