Murder on the Half Shelf (A Booktown Mystery) [Hardcover]

Lorna Barrett (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 3, 2012 | Series: A Booktown Mystery (Book 6)

“If anyone has the formula for a frolicking fun mystery down pat, it’s Lorna Barrett” (Roundtable Reviews), the New York Times bestselling author whose latest Booktown Mystery finds amateur sleuth Tricia Miles unexpectedly reunited with a man from a chapter of her life she closed long ago…

Stoneham, New Hampshire, is a haven to bookstores, including Tricia’s own mystery shop, Haven’t Got a Clue, but is sadly lacking in bed and breakfasts. Pippa and Jon Comfort’s Sheer Comfort Inn opens its doors to the public in a week and the couple has offered some locals a free night as a trial run.

But what should have been a pleasant overnight stay for Tricia becomes a nightmare when she makes two startling discoveries: Pippa’s murdered body in the backyard, and the fact that her husband Jon is actually Harry Tyler, a man Tricia loved—and believed dead—for nearly twenty years.

Now Harry is the prime suspect, but Tricia doesn’t believe him capable of murder, regardless of her own feelings toward him. And even though Harry’s led a life of lies, Tricia’s learning that Pippa had her share of secrets that some people may have not wanted revealed…

Editorial Reviews

Review

Tricia Miles, the village jinx, is in hot water once again. Tricia's always worried that she'll be "looking at a stint at the New Hampshire State Prison for women," and with her uncanny ability to find corpses, it just might happen one day. The mystery is woven with delightful dashes of humor, intrigue, unusual letters, and written in that spirited Barrett style I love. If you want a lightly spicy and decidedly fun cozy mystery you'll want to add this one to your list!
--Feathered Quill Reviews

“Barrett is skilled at making her characters flawed and fully believable.”

 "Tightly plotted and paced to keep you turning the pages, this series is indeed getting better with each book."

From the Author

Tricia Miles, the Stoneham, New Hampshire's village jinx, is in hot water once again. Tricia's always worried that she'll be "looking at a stint at the New Hampshire State Prison for women," and with her uncanny ability to find corpses, it just might happen one day. There are many of the old reliable characters I've enjoyed in this series, including Mr. Everett, who is experiencing some "marital discord" with his beloved wife, Grace. I especially enjoyed meeting Pixie Poe, a very, shall we say, in-your-face sort of gal who many will find quite appealing in spite of herself. The mystery is woven with delightful dashes of humor, intrigue, unusual letters, and written in that spirited Barrett style I love. If you want a lightly spicy and decidedly fun cozy mystery you'll want to add this one to your list!he Half Shelf is the 6th book in the Booktown Mystery series.
--Feathered Quill Reviews --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Hardcover; 1 edition (July 3, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425247759
• ISBN-13: 978-0425247754
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #285,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The immensely popular Booktown Mystery series is what put Lorna Barrett's name on the New York Times Bestseller list, but it's her talent -- whether writing as Lorna, or L.L. Bartlett, or Lorraine Bartlett -- that keeps her there. This multi-published, Agatha-nominated author pens the exciting Jeff Resnick Mysteries as well as the acclaimed Victoria Square Mystery series and has many short stories and novellas to her name(s).

Lorna lives in Rochester, NY with her husband and three felines.

What others are saying about Lorna's books:

"Barrett is skilled at making her characters flawed and fully believable."
--Richard Times-Dispatch

"Tightly plotted and paced to keep you turning the pages, this series is indeed getting better with each book."
--Gumshoe Review

"Charming...an engaging whodunit."
--Publishers Weekly

"Sheer entertainment. A good rollicking read."
--Roundtable Reviews

Indulge yourself today! Pick up a Lorna Barrett Booktown mystery! For more information about Lorna and her books visit her blog at www.LornaBarrett.blogspot.com or her website: www.LornaBarrett.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A well-crafted and fast moving cozy mystery July 3, 2012

By Ingrid King

Format:Hardcover

I'm a big fan of Lorna Barrett's bestselling Booktown mystery series featuring Tricia Miles, the owner of the Haven't Got a Clue mystery book store and her cat, Miss Marple, and had been looking forward to this sixth book in the series.

The small town of Stoneham, New Hampshire may have its share of bookstores, but had been sadly lacking in Bed & Breakfasts. This is about to change when the Sheer Comfort Inn is ready to open its door. But first, they offer a free trial night to some local residents, including Tricia. What should have been a relaxing night quickly turns into a nightmare when Tricia discovers the murdered body of the inn's owner.

The plot thickens when it turns out that the murder victim's husband is Tricia's former lover Harry, who she believed had died more than twenty years ago. Harry is the prime suspect, but while Tricia is furious with Harry for having staged his own death, she doesn't think he's capable of murder. Tricia's investigation into the murder is complicated by the developing romantic relationship between her and the lead detective on the case.

I thoroughly enjoyed this well-crafted and fast-moving cozy, and the twists and turns of the plot kept me guessing until the very end. But even more than the mystery, I enjoyed revisiting with all my favorite characters from the series. It's quite amazing how much goes on behind the scenes of this seemingly sleepy small town! Miss Marple makes frequent appearances throughout the book, which, of course, made it an even more enjoyable read, and as you might guess from the adorable cover, there is also a d-o-g in this book. Sarge belongs to Tricia's sister, and he plays an important role in the story.

And as far as the ending, without giving anything away, I can honestly say that this is the first cozy I've read that ends with a cliffhanger! Don't worry, the murderer will be identified before the book ends. You'll just have to read the book to find out what I'm talking about!

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars The last line of chapter 22 sums it up July 15, 2012

By Amanda Towne

Format:Hardcover

"And why couldn't Tricia ever get a break?"

I have purchased every book in this series--even this new one (I paid full price for this hardcover at a box store). I'm afraid to say, I do not plan on continuing to read this series.

I want to love everything about this series--it's a cozy mystery, Tricia is a book store owner, it's set in New England (where I live), but I had to force myself to finish reading this latest installment.

There may be something to having a character in a cozy series that the reader can dislike--a villain who isn't actually the murderer. I read a lot of cozy series, and just about every one has that one person who you'd just like to smack--and while that character never really comes out on top, they never really quite get what's coming to them.

Unfortunately, characters such as this abound in the Booktown Mystery series. From Tricia, the main character, who lets everyone run roughshod over her and spends quite a bit of time feeling sorry for herself, to Tricia's older sister, Angelica, who (despite occasional moments when she shines) may possibly be the most self-centered, self-absorbed, pushy, bossy person in the world. There's also Bob Kelly, local real estate guru, in whom I have yet to find a redeeming quality. I could go on and on with a list of characters who make Tricia's life a living hell--perhaps they are supposed to be charmingly eccentric, but any person with a backbone would label them as 'toxic' and refuse to associate with them.

Why can't Tricia catch a break? Who knows? My guess is that the author has, perhaps not even intentionally, painted her as a victim--Tricia never gets applauded for solving crimes (she's labelled the town jinx) and we don't even get the satisfaction of seeing her in a fun relationship. It's just drama, drama, drama all of the time, and Tricia has horrible taste in men (and too many bad ones to choose from...could her (non) love-life get any more complicated???).

Anyway, I'm done waiting for this character to evolve into a grown-up. Hopefully my library will want my copy of this book--I certainly won't be reading it again.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another good entry in a series that gets better with every book July 16, 2012

By drebbles TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

When a Bed and Breakfast Inn comes to Stoneham, New Hampshire, Tricia Miles and her sister Angelica have a chance to stay there overnight before it opens to the public. Unfortunately, before they are there long Tricia, who is rapidly becoming known as the Town Jinx, stumbles across the body of Pippa Comfort one of the people running the Inn. When it is discovered that Tricia was involved with Pippa' husband years ago she quickly becomes a suspect in Pippa's murder. Tricia needs to find the killer to clear her name and save her reputation - and her relationship with police chief Grant Baker.

"Murder on the Half Shelf" is the nicely done sixth book in Lorna Barrett's Book Town cozy mystery series. There is a lot to like about this series starting with the setting and characters. The idea of Stonheam being a tourist attraction with all bookstores (specializing in certain items like cookbooks) is an inspired idea and Barrett makes it very real as some store owners are struggling financially. In fact, all of the business aspects are well done while not bogging down the book in boring details. Another thing that makes this series sparkle is the relationships between the characters - starting with Tricia and Angelica. Angelica is definitely high maintenance and may seem to take advantage of Tricia at times but it is clear that the two sisters love and take care of each other. Along with Tricia's relationship with Angelica is her friendship with others in town including her complicated romance with Grant Baker, her friendship with her employee Mr. Everett and his beloved wife Grace, and her search for another employee to help out at the store (which leads to the introduction of a new truly unforgettable character!). The mystery aspects are well done, with plenty of suspects although the killer's motive seemed to come out of nowhere and perhaps could've been foreshadowed more. Still this is an enjoyable cozy mystery series and the book ends on a cliffhanger that has me eagerly waiting for the next book.