A Fatal Chapter

April 27, 2015
Near the start of Barnett’s engrossing ninth Booktown mystery (after 2014’s Book Clubbed), Tricia Miles, the proprietor of By Hook or By Book, a bookstore in Stoneham, N.H., takes her sister Angelica’s dog, Sarge, for a walk. While passing near the gazebo in the town square, the animal starts to bark and strain at his leash. Sarge leads Tricia to the gazebo, where she discovers a man lying face down, apparently suffering from a heart attack. She recognizes him as Pete Renquist, the president of the local historical society. His only words to her are the enigmatic “I never missed my little boy.” Pete dies in the hospital, where newly discovered wounds on his arm indicate murder. Tricia and Angelica set out to find out whodunit at considerable risk to their own lives. Credible characters lead realistic lives in a cozy that will make readers feel very much a part of the idyllic town of Stoneham. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds.

A fire may have closed Tricia Miles' New Hampshire mystery bookstore, but it can't stop Tricia from her amateur sleuthing. While she awaits a check from her insurance company to start repairs, Tricia is volunteering at the Stoneham Chamber of Commerce. Her sister, Angelica, president of the chamber, is deeply involved with several businesses trying to make Stoneham into a popular tourist destination, a plan approved by most but not all of the residents. Some, like crabby Selectman Earl Winkler, do all they can to thwart her plans. Tricia's unfortunate habit of finding murder victims has made her known as the town jinx. While walking Angelica's dog, Sarge, she justifies the sobriquet by finding Pete Renquist, the flirtatious head of the Stoneham Historical Society, in extremis. After he dies at the hospital, Police Chief Grant Baker, Tricia's friend, thinks that it may be murder. Tricia is less shocked and upset by the latest victim than by her discovery that Angelica is also Nigela Ricita, the unseen head of Nigela Ricita Associates, a company that's been improving Stoneham by pumping money into local projects. When another member of the historical society is attacked, Tricia can't resist investigating despite the obligatory warnings from Chief Baker. Meanwhile, she must also deal with ever increasing pressure from the owner of her building, who wants her to buy it at an outrageous price, and her ex-husband, who insists that she come back to him. She continues to snoop while she and Angelica try to repair the town flower baskets, which have been repeatedly vandalized, putting herself in danger from a desperate killer. Fans of the series (Book Clubbed, 2014, etc.) will welcome this tenth installment, which fleshes out its weak mystery by continuing to develop the many returning characters. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2015
Stoneham, New Hampshire, bookstore owner Tricia Miles is walking her sister's dog when she discovers the body of Pete Renquist, president of the local historical society. Later, another historical-society worker is attacked, and Tricia begins sleuthing. In the process, she discovers a secret about her sister and tracks down a mysterious vandal who keeps stealing flowers from Main Street displays. Barrett skillfully juggles subplots and characters' personal lives while developing her clever main plot. The shocking ending changes the tenor of the book and will leave readers eagerly waiting for the next installment. Fans of Jenn McKinlay may also enjoy this intelligent series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)