The Bookshop Detectives: Dead Girl Gone

I loved what this tried to do, but it just came across as contrived and tacky. I think dialling back on the overt personal inserts and superfluous pop culture references could redeem the next book that they are obviously setting up for at the end.

Garth and Eloise are just trying to enjoy a simple life running a bookshop in the quiet village of Havelock North, and doing so quite well until they are thrust into a decades old murder mystery.

This cozy mystery is full of charm, even more so because I grew up in the area they've chosen to centre it in, and I can see places and people so clearly.

They have populated the cast with a beautifully rich cross-section of characters — diverse, helpful, quirky and downright murderous — quietly layering in elements and reveals as the story progresses.

I'll confess to having worked out the ‘scene of the crime' but definitely not the final details - they were an absolute treat, and very rewarding to read.

As a small-town slice-of-‘life' murder mystery, this is a hugely entertaining and enjoyable story.