Murder is a Must - Cozy Mystery Review

 

Goodreads:  Murder is a Must (First Edition Library Mystery #2) by Marty Wingate

Rating: Liked It!
Source:  Publisher

Description:  Hayley Burke, curator of Lady Fowling's collection of first edition mysteries, is settling into her position at the First Edition Library in Middlebank House. She's even made progress with Lady Fowling's former secretary, the ornery Miss Woolgar. The women are busily preparing for an exhibition that will showcase Lady Fowling's life and letters. Hayley knows the exhibition is a huge undertaking and decides, against her better judgement, to hire Oona Atherton, her former boss from the Jane Austen Centre to help with the planning.

Oona is known for being difficult, but all seems to be going swimmingly until she and Hayley uncover a one-page letter that alludes to a priceless edition of MURDER MUST ADVERTISE signed by several Golden Age of Mystery authors. Oona feels this book could be the focal point of the exhibition and becomes obsessed with finding it.

When they find clues that appear to point to the book being somewhere in the First Edition Library, Oona is certain she's unraveled the mystery and texts Hayley the good news, but upon arriving back at Middlebank, Hayley finds her old boss dead at the bottom of the stairs. Did her discovery of the rare book get her killed or was it some angry shadow from her past? Hayley must read between the lines to catch a malicious murderer.

Genre:  Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book: I enjoyed the first book and couldn't wait to find out what Hayley was going to be up to next!

My Impression:  I really enjoy Marty Wingate's books and this second entry into the First Edition Library mystery series was no exception.  There's a missing book and a murder and more then a few suspects.  It's suggested that Hayley has bitten off more then she can chew when she suggests an exhibit on Lady Fowling, the founder of the First Edition Library, and that is definitely proven when the timeline gets cut by about 3/4 and a murder is thrown into the mix.  She spends a bit of time flustered and running back and forth and while it was entertaining to read I missed the time spent in the actual library which we had in the first book.

This is a fun easy read with enjoyable main characters in a fascinating setting.  While I can't say it's one that will really stick with me I thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience.  I wasn't sure the whos and the whats until the very end and I couldn't wait until all was revealed.   I'm always somewhat shocked by Hayley's lack of knowledge about classic mystery authors but this one is loosely tied to one I've never read - Dorothy L. Sayers' Murder Must Advertise - and it is one that has definitely jumped up my To Read List! While this is the 2nd book in the series I think you could easily jump in with this one with no issue.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I always enjoy Marty Wingate's books and I can't wait to read the next one in the series.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy cozy mysteries - especially those with a bit of a British twist this is a must read series.
  
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *