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.
The Codebook Murders
by Leslie Nagel
Series: Oakwood Mystery Series #4
Series Rating:
Published by Alibi on May 21, 2019
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 245
Format: Kindle
Source: Great Escapes Book Tours
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Amateur sleuth Charley Carpenter discovers a coded journal that could crack her small town’s most infamous cold case wide open in this charming cozy mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of The Book Club Murders.
As the owner of Old Hat Vintage Fashions, Charley Carpenter supplies retro apparel to the residents of Oakwood, Ohio, but she’s been known to set business aside to play detective when a mystery rears its head. And there’s no bigger mystery in Oakwood than the murder of Regan Fletcher—a case that’s haunted the town for decades.
Regan’s boyfriend, Carter, did time for the crime—until another man’s confession freed him. But did the “real killer” really do it? Or did Carter walk away with blood on his hands? When Charley stumbles on an old journal written in code, it only complicates the case by revealing a blackmail scheme that targeted dozens of Oakwood’s citizens, giving them all a motive for murder.
Now, with a spate of new suspects to pursue, plus a fresh murder and the abduction of her sleuthing partner, Charley must dig deeper still into the past—even as she risks being buried by her shadowy prey. Joining forces with Detective Marcus Trenault and the newly formed Oakwood Mystery Book Club, Charley turns to a classic whodunit for clues on catching a killer—before more lives are lost, and the truth dies with them.
Leslie Nagel’s delightful Oakwood Mystery novels can be enjoyed together or separately:
THE BOOK CLUB MURDERS • THE ANTIQUE HOUSE MURDERS • THE ADVICE COLUMN MURDERS • THE CODEBOOK MURDERS
Will the coded journal lead to who killed Regan Fletcher?
The Codebook Murders by Leslie Nagel is a spectacular cold case mystery filled with jealousy, secrets, and an old family feud. I adored the entire story from the Nancy Drew references to the individual suspects and the cunning sleuth and her mystery club participates. What a superb tale.
Charley Carpenter, our sleuth
Charley Carpenter is our sleuth, at least the main sleuth. She runs a vintage store and lives with her father and his caregivers. However, she is also part of a Mystery (book) Club. At least it started as a book club, but now it is a bit more. Anyway, Charley has this unique mind that sees the discrepancies in the different versions of the witness statements. She is also courageous and capable of taking care of herself.
Charley is a fabulous character that seems to handle everything that has been tossed at her quite well. I enjoyed getting to know her and everyone that help her solve the crime.
Mystery
This book starts with a forty-year-old cold case. Charley, while running for shelter from a tornado, takes refuge in a high school utility tunnel along with the school’s janitor and a student, Katie. There Charley trips and finds an old backpack with a journal inside. She isn’t able to get a good look at it as the janitor takes the bag away from her. Charley, however, holds onto the journal to examine when she is safe.
The journal seems to belong to Regan Fletcher, a high school student from the 1970s that was murdered. Charley, with the help of her friends, is able to decode the journal and solve the old murder. Ya, well kind of, but not that easy as there is a code within the code. In the meantime, there is another murder and kidnapping, which are probably all connected or are they?
5 Stars for The Codebook Murders by Leslie Nagel
My rating for The Codebook Murders by Leslie Nagel is five stars. The mystery is detailed, and the sleuths are wonderfully developed that I loved it all. This a series to keep an eye on that is for sure. There is just the right about of pop culture, literary culture, and real mystery, making it superb.
I recommend this book to all the cozy mystery readers out there.
Other Books in the Series
Tour Schedule
May 20 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 20 – I’m All About Books – GUEST POST
May 21 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
May 22 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
May 23 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW
May 23 – Cozy Up With Kathy – GUEST POST
May 24 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW
May 25 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
May 26 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW
May 27 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – REVIEW
May 28 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 29 – Ruff Drafts – GUEST POST
May 30 – The Book Diva’s Reads – SPOTLIGHT
May 31 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 1 – Elizabeth McKenna’s Blog – SPOTLIGHT
June 2 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW
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Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Codebook Murders by Leslie Nagel.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
About Leslie Nagel
Leslie Nagel is a writer and teacher of writing at a local community college. Her debut novel, “The Book Club Murders”, is the first in the Oakwood Mystery Series. Leslie lives in the all too real city of Oakwood, Ohio, where murders are rare but great stories lie thick on the ground. After the written word, her passions include her husband, her son, and daughter, hiking, tennis and strong black coffee, not necessarily in that order.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2019 Cloak and Dagger
- 2019 Craving For Cozies Reading Challenge
- 2019 Cruisin' Thru The Cozies Reading Challenge
- 2019 Goodreads Reading Challenge
- 2019 New Release Challenge
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