Murder by Page One by Olivia Matthews

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Murder by Page One

by Olivia Matthews

Series: Peach Coast Library Mystery #1
Series Rating:
Published by Hallmark Publishing on March 23, 2021
Genres: Cozy Crafts and Hobbies Mystery
Pages: 336
Format: Kindle
Source: Great Escapes Book Tours
Goodreads
BookBub
Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks

If you love Hallmark mystery movies,
you’ll love this cozy mystery
with humor, intrigue, and a librarian amateur sleuth.

Marvey, a librarian, has moved from Brooklyn to a quirky small town in Georgia. When she’s not at the library organizing events for readers, she’s handcrafting book-themed jewelry and looking after her cranky cat. At times, her new life in the South still feels strange...and that’s before the discovery of the dead body in the bookstore.

After one of her friends becomes a suspect, Marvey sets out to solve the murder mystery. She even convinces Spence, the wealthy and charming newspaper owner, to help. With his ties to the community, her talents for research, and her fellow librarians’ knowledge, Marvey pursues the truth. But as she gets closer to it, could she be facing a deadly plot twist?

This first in series cozy mystery includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Classic Peach Cobbler.

Murder by Page One by Olivia Matthews is a book about a librarian being asked to solve a murder to clear their friend’s name.

Will Marvella save Jo’s reputation and her bookstore?

Marvella Harris

Marvella “Marvey” Harris is in charge of getting more patrons to the library to get the funding they need. She is working on that while also solving a murder that is tied to her best friend. Besides that, Marvey seems to be a great character. She likes to help her friends and library patrons as much as she can. Marvey, to me, at times, seems to be a bit on the forgetting side of things. Other than that, she does seem to be doing what every sleuth does…getting under people’s skin. Marvey is a good character and sleuth.

The Mystery

The mystery is that Marvey, Jo, and Spence found Fiona Lyle-Hayes in the back of the bookstore murdered. The police think that Jo killed Fiona as Jo is the only one that had the time to kill her. Marvey’s on the trail of finding out who actually killed Fiona on Jo’s pleading. She is trying her hardest to wafting through the clues and red herrings to figure it out and to tell the police. The hardest part for Marvey is getting them to listen to her. I figured out who killed her early on.

Three Stars

Murder by Page One by Olivia Matthews is my first book by this author, and it really is a good book. Ms. Matthews does a great job of writing the story. I just found some things that took me out of the book for a bit. Marvey is a good character to have as the sleuth in this series. The red herrings didn’t get me this time, though. I am giving this book three stars, and I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read cozies.

Excerpt

“It’s nice that you’ve all come to support Fiona.” I turned to Fiona’s friend. “Especially you, Mr. Pelt, coming from South Carolina.”

Willy glanced up from his wristwatch. He seemed surprised that I knew his name, then he noticed Nolan. Willy inclined his head in a silent greeting to Fiona’s business partner, the expression on his pale, square face pleasant but vague. He drove his fingers through his shock of thick auburn hair. “I’ve known Fiona’s family for years.”

“I wonder what Fiona will do now?” Nolan’s attention bounced from Jo to the rest of the group. “Will she give up her share of the business to write full-time?”

It was a good question, although I knew most authors continued to work full-time. Popular media’s depiction of fiction writing as a lucrative career was greatly exaggerated.

Betty snorted. “Well, she doesn’t need a job, now does she? Not like the rest of us. When Buddy died, he left her well provided for. The rest of us have to work for a living.”

The bitterness in her voice seemed to come from far more than envy of another person’s good fortune—literally and figuratively. Then I made the connection: Fiona Lyle-Hayes. Betty Rodgers-Hayes. There was a story there, one that could explain Betty’s hostile disposition.

“I was wondering the same thing.” Willy crossed his arms over his chest. His brown jersey and tan slacks were slightly wrinkled, as though he’d recently pulled both from a suitcase. Had he just driven into town from Beaufort? How long that had taken? “Her late uncle left her his vacation property. The house’s in good shape, and the land is pretty. It’s in a quiet area on the outskirts of town where she could write without being disturbed.”

Bobby shoved his broad hands into the front pockets of his navy blue cargo pants. “She’ll probably go on a lot of tours.” He sounded disappointed, as though he was going to miss Fiona’s company.

“This is ridiculous.” Jo’s words ended the discussion. Her eyes flashed with irritation as her gaze swung to the back of her store. Her ponytail arched behind her. “The signing has started, and Fiona still hasn’t brought out her books. Now, I’m going to have to hustle to help her set everything up.”

“I’ll help.” I hurried to follow Jo as she whirled toward a book aisle.

“So will I.” Spence’s voice came from behind me.

Jo stopped long enough to give us a grateful look. “Thank you, but I can’t ask you to work for me. You’re here as guests.”

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Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Murder by Page One by Olivia Matthews. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2021 Beachcomber Mystery Reading Challenge
• 2021 Cloak & Dagger
• 2021 Craving the Cozies
• 2021 Cruisin’ thru the Cozies
• 2021 Goodreads Reading Challenge
• 2021 Medical Examiner’s Mystery Reading Challenge
• 2021 New Release Reading Challenge
• 2021 Six Shooter Reading Challenge

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