Essie Lang

A Deadly Chapter by Essie Lang is the 3rd novel in A Castle Bookshop Mystery series. You can read A Deadly Chapter on its own if you are new to the series. I thought A Deadly Chapter was easy to read with developed characters. I enjoy the description of the castle bookshop and of Alexandria Bay. I love Shelby’s houseboat (if I did not own so many books, I would love to live on one). Shelby is happy in Alexandria Bay with house home, job, Aunt Edie, and her boyfriend, Zack Griffin. The whodunit is mixed bag for me. The mystery was thought out with subtle clues and several suspects. The problem for me was that I could identify the guilty party at the beginning of the book. I wish the mystery had been more of a challenge to solve. Shelby was originally going to stay out of the case (you knew that would not last long), but unanswered questions bothered her. Then the victim’s daughter comes town needing answers. Shelby is soon knee deep in the case. She does not even let an injury slow her down. A Deadly Chapter is a busy book. Shelby’s boyfriend, Zack Griffin gets a promotion, and it will mean big changes for him. What does it mean for Shelby? Shelby’s mother disappeared from her life when she was a child and now she is back in town. Can Shelby handle seeing Merrily? Plus, Shelby is busy helping to organize a mystery event with the library. What does the future hold for Shelby? You will need to read A Deadly Chapter to find out. I would have liked more focus on the whodunit and less on Shelby’s personal life. A Deadly Chapter is a lively cozy mystery with a chummy cat, a perturbed police chief, a crafty killer, a disturbed daughter, and a busy bookstore.… (meer)

A Deadly Chapter is the third book in the A Castle Bookshop Mystery series by Essie Lang.

One morning Shelby Cox goes out to stand on the deck of her houseboat. Out of peripheral vision, she notices something floating in the water between her houseboat and the dock. She soon learns that it is the body of a man. Police Chief Tekla Stone later returns with a picture of the man. Shelby realizes that he had come into her Blye Castle bookstore. She doesn’t know who he is but remembers that he asked about a woman who moved to Alexandra Bay some seven years ago. Of course, Stone warns Shelby about investigating, but Shelby is smart enough not to promise not to get involved. Shelby was interested in learning who the victim was but wasn’t really doing any sleuthing until the victim’s daughter came to town asked Shelby to help her find out who killed her father and why.

Also, Shelby and her boyfriend, Zack Griffin, have reached a difficult decision in their relationship. Zack is an investigative officer with the Coast Guard and is being considered for an assignment in Boston and would like Shelby to move there with him. Shelby doesn’t want to move and is unsure about having a relationship that far away. It hasn’t been that long ago that she learned that her mother is still alive, having been told as a young child that she had died. Out of the blue, her mother has come to town and would like to see her.

I always enjoy my visits to Alexandra Bay/Byle Island and Shelby’s time and the wonderful and believable residents. The story is well-written and plotted. There were enough red herrings in the book that kept me guessing who the killer was until the end.

I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in this delightful series.… (meer)

Shelby Cox co-owns Bayside Books along with her Aunt Edie. She works at the second store on Blye Island and lives in a houseboat. Her boyfriend is an investigator for the Coast Guard, and she has a cat named JT. Her life is pretty great...except when she wakes up one morning and finds a body floating against her houseboat. Calling the police chief, she's eventually told she needs to leave and not come back until it's clear.

Showing up at her aunt's home in her pajamas, she wears her borrowed clothes to go to work but wants to know who he is. That's resolved in a way when the chief shows her a picture and she recognizes him as a man who's been to both bookstores looking for an unknown woman. But the story ends there, or it should -- until the man's daughter shows up asking Shelby for help in trying to find out who killed her father and why. Shelby, understanding Hillary's need to know, tells her she will ask a few questions...but a few questions could get her killed, if she asks the wrong person...

This is the third book in the series and I have to say that I've been enjoying the progression of Shelby's life in Alexandria Bay. When she arrived she knew no one except Edie, but that's changed and she has friends all over town. She's also gained a boyfriend in Zack, and things are progressing nicely. What I enjoyed most about this book was the fact that we're starting to learn more about Shelby's mother, Merrily, who abandoned her when she was a child. It's an interesting journey that I hope to see more of.

When Shelby starts asking questions, it seems innocuous enough, but then she discovers things about some of the people she's been questioning, and it draws the attention of Chief Stone, which is never a good thing. She also has another problem to deal with concerning her personal life, and it's causing her angst in trying to decide what to do.

Shelby is having more than enough problematic situations in her life right now, and dealing with any of them isn't going to be easy. But she takes her time thinking through most of them, and you know that the right conclusion will come about.

When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, the surprises are there, as there is more to the story than anyone could have guessed. While it was all resolved satisfactorily, I eagerly await the next in the series, hoping to continue the journey with Shelby. Recommended.… (meer)