A Killer Edition: 09/04/19

A Killer Edition by Lorna Barrett and Cassandra Campbell (narrator) is the thirteenth mystery in the Booktown series. By now a lot has happened and if you're new to the series, don't start here. Spoilers abound!

At the close of Poisoned Pages, Tricia decided to promote Pixie to assistant manager. Now six months later, sales are up, so far up that Haven't Got a Clue is running out of inventory, and Tricia is bored because her store pretty much runs itself now.

Tricia on one of her slow days decides to take her therapist's advice and try reading a romance. She doesn't have any on hand, so she goes to the local romance bookshop. There she witnesses an argument between Joyce, the owner, and Vera, her next door neighbor. While Vera is the one who threatens Joyce, it's she who ends up murdered, with Joyce as the prime suspect.

This mystery was different from many of the others in the series because Tricia doesn't know either woman very well, nor is she immediately involved in business with either of them. Her one part in this mystery set up is overhearing the argument, and then later co-discovering the body with Joyce.

In fact, Tricia tries to do what she's asked, and stay out of the amateur sleuthing, despite Joyce's repeating requests that she help. Instead she is most preoccupied with preparing for a baking contest and in trying to figure out why the chairman of the local animal shelter is so hellbent on keeping Tricia off the board even though she's qualified.

As with all the previous books in the series, I listened to this an audiobook. The original narrator, Cassandra Campbell, is back. Her last book in this series was book five, Sentenced to Death. So much as changed in the last eight books, including the addition of many new characters. It was disconcerting for the first few chapters to hear her rendition of characters.

The conclusion of this novel was rather like Bedeviled Eggs by Laura Childs in that Tricia doesn't figure out who the murderer is, but inadvertently ends up cornering the person. Only because I'm invested in the characters and setting did I find the climax exhilarating.

Five stars

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