Bound By Murder - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads: Bound By Murder (Antique Bookshop Mystery #3) by Laura Gail Black

Rating: Really Liked It! (4 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  The birds are singing, books are selling, and the Hokes Bluff Inn has begun to host weddings on its property. Antiquarian bookseller Jenna Quinn loves the romance in the air—until her ex-fiancé, Blake Emerson, walks in with his bride-to-be, Missy Plott. Blake continues to profess his love for Jenna if she’ll have him back, no matter the consequences. And the consequences are grave, indeed, when Missy turns up dead.

All evidence points to Blake, who was the last one to see her alive. He begs Jenna to help him clear his name. Blake’s mother, Cordelia, is also bent on exonerating her son. Jenna doesn’t believe that Blake could have killed Missy, and she starts digging for suspects. It could have been Missy’s ex-boyfriend, who proclaims a love for her he says only death could sever. Or might it have been Missy’s bitter “best friend,” who was secretly besotted with Missy’s ex.

Then, the police find evidence from a cold case years before—a case that had falsely implicated Jenna herself. Cordelia continues to beg Jenna to help prove her son’s innocence. Could Blake truly be innocent?

Jenna’s life is on the line in a final confrontation that will either prove Blake’s innocence—or damn them both.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I've read the first two books in the series and enjoyed them and the plot really intrigued me.

My Impression:   I have really enjoyed the first two books in this series but this may be the best one yet.  From the beginning we've known about Jenna's pretty heavy backstory but this is the first time we've really explored it and that Jenna has dealt with the emotional fallout.  I loved the character development and the exploration of Jenna's new life in Hokes Bluff as well as having her really come to terms with the life she left behind.  

Though there is a lot of character development the mystery is never forgotten or pushed to the side.  The investigating is what forces Jenna to deal with a lot of issues and figure out what she wants and so the character growth and the mystery investigation progress at the same time.  I was pulled in and completely hooked from the very first page until the end.  

I love the mentions of day to day life in Hokes Bluff as well as the running of the bookstore.  I've really enjoyed getting to know Jenna and all the rest of the characters in her world and I was sad to get to last page.  While this is the third book in the series I think you could easy start here.  There is so much focus on Jenna's past that pretty much all the dynamics between the characters are explained.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I really enjoyed this book and would definitely read more from this author and will be looking out for the next book in the series.

Would I Recommend this Book? If you are a cozy mystery reader I think you'd really enjoy this book and this series!

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *