Murder Is Binding by Lorna Barrett

New cozy mystery series
Dawn Dowdle (mysterybks@yahoo.com), a Mystery Lovers Corner reviewer, 08/17/2008

Tricia Miles runs the bookstore Haven't Got A Clue in Stonham, NH, with her cat Miss Marple. Life is going along great until her sister Angelica unexpectedly arrives in town. While she makes appetizing dishes, the relationship between them is strained, and Tricia wonders when Angelica will leave so life can go back to normal. Doris Gleason, the owner of Cookery, a neighboring cookbook store, is found dead in her store, and an antique cookbook Doris had recently acquired is missing. The local political race is about to divide the town in two, and Sheriff Adams seems bent on pinning the murder on Tricia. With the help of her employee Ginny and Mr. Everett, a store regular, Tricia sets out to find the real killer and get her life back. Can she do it without putting herself or others close to her in danger? I enjoyed the small-town setting of this book and that it was set around a bookstore. The characters were fun, and the cozy mystery was easy to read. I recommend this book.

WillowWand
A reviewer, A reviewer, 06/29/2008

One of the worst mysteries I've ever read. I chose this mystery because I live in New Hampshire and I thought it would be fun to read a series that took place here. I was terribly disappointed. The writing was on par with a young readers book for 10-15 year olds, the language simplisitc, the plot lines thin, the storyline predictable, only Tricia and Angeliqe were developed the other characters were nothing more than a collection of small town stereotypes. The author's lack of accurate background information ruined the book for me. The author seemingly looked at a map and picked names in New Hampshire at random and threw them in for authenticity. We in NH don't have sheriffs in our small towns, we have police departments, and even the smallest town has a police chief, who is not elected but is hired by the town selectman. Basing a story in an unfamiliar place requires a little research regarding the situations used for primary plot lines, since a large part of the plotline involved the sherif coming up for re-election. All in all a very disappointing read, I'll not be recommending this book to friends.

Excellent New Cozy Series!
Carol Ann Hopkins, a lover of mysteries, 05/10/2008

Well, I already knew that L.B. could write a mean paranormal thriller, but the question was whether or not she could pull off a cozy - something much more lighthearted and fun than her usual hard-boiled fare. No worries - it's as if she's been writing about Stoneham, the Safest Town in New Hampshire, and its interesting inhabitants all her life. Cozy lovers should definitely add the new Booktown Mysteries to their not-to-be-missed lists! Tricia Miles is a successful businesswoman who moved to the safe little village of Stoneham, New Hampshire following a painful divorce. As part of a downtown renovation project to revitalize the village, Tricia and several other booksellers were wooed to open up shop along Main Street. The new businesses helped give the town a new lease on life - but too bad for Doris Gleason, owner of the The Cookery, it didn't work both ways! While Tricia is giving her sister, Angelica, the 50-cent tour of her new digs, they discover the body of the recently deceased Doris - with a knife sticking out her back. As it turns out, Doris hasn't exactly endeared herself to the other booksellers, or anyone else for that matter, so there is an abundance of people who disliked her, although circumstantial evidence starts to point toward Tricia as a possible suspect. Tricia continues to be in the wrong place at the wrong time as Stoneham's nickname, the Safest Town in New Hampshire, becomes more and more of a misnomer. The entire book is wonderfully descriptive, the characters fascinating and 3-dimensional, the plot exquisitely complex, and L.B.'s painstaking attention to detail doesn't go unnoticed 'check out the facade of Haven't Got a Clue on the cover'! In addition, there is the added bonus of Tricia and Angelica's interesting and complicated sibling relationship. The way they were able to put aside past history to work together when push came to shove was touching. It made me ache for the company of my own sisters! There are an awful lot of new series to choose from in the cozy mystery subgenre these days, but if you're debating about which one to add to your TBR list, I'd recommend putting Murder is Binding at the top!

Also recommended: More recently released cozies I loved: Murder Talks Turkey by Deb Baker, French Pressed by Cleo Coyle, Corpse Pose by Diana Killian

Coincidence
'Lamont Cranston', an inveterate mystery reader, 04/29/2008

Let's see, here we have a bookstore in an attractive small town, operated by a young lady, and it has a store cat in it. Is is Broward's Rock? No, it is Stoneham, New Hampshire, but am I the only person who found 'coincidental' similarities to Carolyn Hart's mysteries?

Good story, but poor grammar
A reader, A reviewer, 04/26/2008

As others here have already discussed the plot line, I would just like to add that while I enjoyed this story I am very surprised at the poor grammar used in this book. The most obvious problems are the use of too many contractions and the insertion of a 'comma' instead of the word 'and' in many sentences. It's very distracting and I have to wonder how this book made it past any reputable editor at Berkley Publishers in this condition before going to print.

Also recommended: Anne George's Southern Sisters mysteries, the Murder She Wrote books by Donald Bain and anything by Agatha Christie.