Cozy Mystery Review: Murder Between the Pages

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Time for another review with Great Escapes Tours!

Murder Between the Pages (The Nina Foster Mystery Series)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
The Wild Rose Press, Inc. (Crimson Rose) (December 19, 2018)
Paperback: 264 pages
ISBN-10: 1509223673
ISBN-13: 978-1509223671
Digital Print Length: 190 pages
ASIN: B07JKZT5TM

Publisher's Blurb:
It’s a sad day for librarian Nina Foster when she discovers her good friend, bookstore owner Wildeen Bergman, dead on her office floor. Worse yet, another friend, romance writer Zelma Duke, becomes the police’s prime suspect. Nina knows Wildeen had something on Zelma. Was it enough to warrant murder? Handsome Stephen Kraslow, owner of the local newspaper, joins forces with Nina to find out the truth. The quest takes them on a dangerous journey of twists and turns before they reach the final outcome.

My Review: 
This was a quick, fun beach read, perfect for my southern-hemisphere summer holiday. It starts off strong, catching the reader’s attention without being over-dramatic, though the line-up of suspects is a little obvious. I can forgive that in a book that makes it easy to zip right through in 2 days!

Nina, the main character, is the head librarian in her fictional town just north of Seattle, WA, and I loved the library details. She seems like a good boss, too, which I can appreciate. In general, the author does a great job of creating a sense of place, and I enjoyed trying to line up her fictional places with the real thing.

I was somewhat less impressed by some of the details of the writing. I felt at times like another edit was needed to make the prose a little smoother, the dialogue a little more real. These issues, however, never rose to the level of preventing me from enjoying the story. At times I thought the romance element was working too easily, and the author forgetting Nina’s issues, but she fixed that complaint within pages of me thinking it!

A few other things I greatly appreciated about the book were that Nina is given a compelling reason to do her sleuthing, and that she doesn’t withhold evidence from the police. She cooperates with the investigating officer as much as she can, and accepts that the flow of information is pretty much one-way. I really appreciate that, as I get twitchy about stories where the sleuth hides things from the cops, something that can get you in real trouble!

My Recommendation: 

While I wouldn’t call this one of the best I’ve read, I will say that it was no chore at all to read it, and I can recommend it for times when you just want an easy read.

About the Author:
Linda Hope Lee has written contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and mysteries. Other pursuits include watercolor painting, photography, collecting children’s books and anything to do with wire-haired fox terriers. She makes her home in the Pacific Northwest.
Author Links
Twitter: @lindahopelee
Purchase Links
Amazon    B&N
There's a give-away, too! Enter the Rafflecopter to win a $10 Amazon gift card. But if you want a copy of the e-book, I have one to give away on my terms. My terms are: leave a comment, and I'll enter you in a random drawing for it unless you say you don't don't it.

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