Death by the Book — Lucy Connelly

Irish scones, shamrock shortbread, a local literary festival... and a rather dead author? Join Mercy McCarthy on her next case! Mercy and Lizzie McCarthy are settling in to the charming seaside village of Shamrock Cove on the west coast of Ireland. Lizzie throws herself into organizing a book festival and mystery writer Mercy even agrees to come out of her bookish hidey-hole to do get involved. But then the star author for the event is found dead. James Brandt was killed by a falling bookshelf in his own cottage... The local detective is not convinced by Mercy's suspicion of murder but when someone else turns up dead, the police cannot ignore it. There's just one problem: Mercy and Lizzie's beloved dog Mr. Poe sniffs out the second body in the storeroom of their own bookstore. And now all of the gossips seem determined to pin the murder on Mercy! Convinced the police are focusing on a red herring in this real-life case, Mercy needs to act fast to clear her name. A meddling mayor, a cheerful chef and a bashful botanist make her suspect list, but it's not until Mercy discovers a tatty old photograph in the local library archive that she is onto the killer's trail. With the police keen to shut her out of the murder investigation, can Mercy play this case by the book, or will she be the next to fall off the shelf...? A totally gripping and twisty cozy crime novel, perfect for readers who love Agatha Christie, Carlene O'Connor or Faith Martin! This incredibly fast-paced and fun murder mystery will whisk you off to Ireland and won't let you go until the final page! What readers are saying about Lucy Connelly: Y'all, THIS WAS FREAKING AMAZING. I don't think I was even 5% in and I was going to my group messages and telling my bookish friends that they NEEDED to be reading this... And that reveal... HOLY FREAKING COW. I don't think my heart has beat that fast in ages.;-)... Now, go find this and read it. Yes, right now. Go on. I'll be waiting here when you are done and need to talk about it... SO. WELL. DONE. Goodreads reviewer, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved everything about this mystery! I was turning pages deep into the night when I should have been sleeping I just couldn't put it down! 5***** Goodreads reviewer, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Wonderful... I gobbled up this book. I loved every minute of it. Goodreads reviewer, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Delightful... thrilling... keeps you hooked... I found myself glued to the book, eager to see how it unfolded. The Book Decoder, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Excellent!!!... One of the best mystery novels I read in 2024... Definitely looking forward for the next book!! Goodreads reviewer, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Fun, fast read to the very last page! NetGalley reviewerIf someone asked me to define cozy mystery then I would describe this book... This Ireland town is magical... The setting swooped me up and dropped me right into the middle of the story... This book makes me imagine a gray day with light rain, a stoked fire, a blanket, a cup of coffee (!!), and curling up to read. Goodreads reviewer, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️