REVIEW: A Novel Murder

A Novel Murder
Author: Elizabeth Penney

Faith Newberry takes a job in Lighthouse Bay, MA. The librarian position at Castleton Manor is a dream job for her. The Manor is a literary retreat, offering bibliophiles the chance to talk about their favorite genres, meet authors and relax in an upscale, resort atmosphere. The resort is also pet-friendly so Faith's kitty, Watson, can make himself right at home. She almost didn't get the job. Another candidate, Doris Lincoln, was hired for the position but didn't even stay six months before quitting to take an exotic vacation. Just as Faith arrives to take over, things start to go wrong. She finds a purse buried under some bushes outside her cottage, and then discovers something even more alarming inside a hidden passageway. Maybe her dream job is more of a nightmare? Faith, her Aunt Eileen, and the members of the Candle House Book Club start their sleuthing adventures in this first book in the Secrets of the Castleton Manor Library series!

A very generous reader donated most of the books in this series to my local library. The series is published as part of a subscription service by Annie's Fiction (part of Annie's Attic). I'm glad the books were donated so I can read them. Each book costs $14.99 plus shipping, tax, etc and I'm just not going to spend that much on short, light, hardback cozies....mostly because once I've read the story and know whodunnit, I really don't want to re-read the book. These mysteries average about 170-190 pages, so they are short, quick reads. The publisher pads the page count a bit with blank pages after each chapter...so while this first book is listed at 205 pages, it's really about 180 pages of actual text. These are attractive books. The cover art is colorful and engaging. The set would look nice on display.

The story was fun to read and engaging. I like Faith as a main character. She loves her new job and jumps right into exploring the mysteries of Castleton Manor. Things get off to a pretty rough start for her, but she hangs in there. I love her cat, Watson. He is handsome and has a great deal of cattitude. The plot is definitely cozy -- no cussing, no spurting blood, no sex. This would be an appropriate read for all ages. At only 180 pages, it's pretty light reading, but enjoyable and well-written. I wish Castleton Manor was a real place....I would definitely consider booking a retreat week there!

I had a hard time finding the reading order for this series because it's part of a subscription, but did finally find a link (thank God for google search! ha ha) that gave me the book order. It's a bit difficult to find a complete listing for the series as well....but there are at least 18 books available with more in the publishing process. The novels are written by an assortment of authors who also write books in other Annie's Fiction cozy series such as the Amish Inn Mysteries and the Antique Shop Mysteries. I'm going to stick with the ones available at the library....otherwise I would bankrupt myself buying all these books! :)

Great start to a fun, engaging cozy series! I'm definitely going to read more of this series!