This was a very nice read, the setting is super immersive and I would love to be able to visit Austin. The dialogue is forced and doesn’t come across naturally, but the majority of the story is told through narration and it is a great light mystery

If you are looking for a cozy mystery to read, look no further than Murder on the Books!
Charley James leaves New York City after deciding to take a break from writing mysteries under her pen name, C.J. Barrett. She decides to return to her hometown of Austin, a small town in Pennsylvania. Shortly after arriving in Austin, Charley meets up with Zane, her childhood friend who is a baker. Zane relays to Charley her disappointment over her friend Shelia backing out of going into business together. In a double front location Zane was going to open a bakery and Shelia a bookstore. Charley is only more than happy to take over the bookstore, but when she finds Shelia’s body in the basement of the store things take a turn. Not only does Charley find herself opening a bookstore, she also finds herself adopting a cat, dealing with a handsome detective and trying to solve the mystery behind Shelia’s death, just the way her main book character would.
Murder on the Books hits all the right marks for a great cozy mystery. Set in a small town, a bookstore, a bakery, a mix of endearing local characters, and a cat! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries! I can’t wait to read more from this series.
Thank you Severn House for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

"Newly retired mystery writer Charley James returns to her small hometown only to find herself amidst a real-life murder mystery in this first book in the brand new Cozy Bookshop mystery series by award-winning and national bestselling author T.C. LoTempio.

Thirty-year-old Charlotte James, better known to her mystery fans as C.J. Barrett, decides to take a break from writing her popular Steve Sheppard mystery series. Leaving New York City, she moves back to her hometown of Austin to wind down, recuperate, and maybe come up with some new ideas for her books.

Settling into her new life, Charley reunites with her long-term friend and baker Zane who is about to open a charming double store front. But while Zane is ready to open her café, her business partner Sheila unexpectedly departs town, bailing on her bookshop and leaving nothing but a note behind.

Charley is more than happy to take over, but when she finds Sheila's body in a chest in the store's basement, things take a dramatic turn. Now Charley has to juggle the opening of her bookshop, a stoic but attractive Philadelphia detective, and a stray cat, all while solving Sheila's murder Sheppard-style before the killer can strike again!"

I mean, murder mystery authors do make great detectives, but also must make good investments to be able to contemplate retiring at thirty!

This was a mostly fun introduction into a new series. I like Charley, her best friend Zane and of course the charming Poe. I always enjoy when an amateur sleuth seems to have a real reason and aptitude for being curious about an unfortunate death, as a mystery writer Charley has done a lot of research and knows more then the average person. Although she is home and not writing, Charley's takeover of a soon to open mystery bookstore seems natural and when a body is found in her new location, she wants things cleaned up as quickly as possible so she can get to work! Also refreshing is that neither Charley nor her best friend and business partner Zane are really suspects. I am also happy to report that the police are actually competent, which makes it one of the flaws in this book that Charley doesn't share all she learns with them and even withholds evidence she finds. Besides that very annoying circumstance, I found this to be a good mystery with likable characters and lots of potential. I definitely look forward to more in the series. Thanks to #Netgally, #SevernHouse, and the author for a chance to read. #MurderontheBooks #TCLoTempio #bookreview #bookideas #retiredreader

Thank you so much to Severn Valley for the ARC of this extremely cosy mystery book. I must say I really enjoyed the premise so much. Poe is the best thing in this whole story and the blossoming relationship between a woman and her new cat never fails to make me smile. It's true, kitties are a good judge of character.
The plot is engaging and the characters you meet along the way of discovering the truth behind the crime are relatable and interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good cosy mystery - especially if you love cats!

An incognito mystery writer moves back to her ol' home town to get away from all things mystery and the pressures of writing. Instead, she lands in the middle of a real-life murder mystery. She discovers her friend Zane's new business is endangered before it even opens. Business partner to-be, Sheila has gone missing, leaving Zane stretched financially. Charley/Charlotte agrees (volunteers, really) to be her new partner. While checking out the basement of the two shared businesses, Charley finds Sheila's body hidden in a chest. She didn't disappear. She was murdered.

Thus begins a brand new mystery series. I won't detail the plot but it was an interesting one with lots of twists and turns and several suspects. Enter Barbie, er, Detective Barbara Johnson, a former classmate of both Charley and Zane. Let's just say they were not friends. Fortunately, a much more interesting character soon enters, Detective Ian Grant, who seems to be in town temporarily from a neighboring town. Cozy mystery fans will see where this is going, I'm sure. Of course, Charley doesn't make things easy, sticking her nose in the case and, in general, putting herself in danger multiple times. You'd think a mystery writer would know better, huh, but finding a read dead body was new to Charley and she seems compelled to follow leads....no matter where they lead. I have to admit, I found it rather unrealistic that townspeople would open up and be so forthcoming with a virtual stranger, hometown girl or not, but, it did move the plot along quickly.

Bottom line, while I had a minor quibble, I enjoyed the book and will be looking forward to the next. .Quibble, you say? Yes. For instance, I'm a dog person and make sure my dog is secured in the car when I travel with her. Charley, in contrast, after finding a stray cat she calls Poe, simply put cat into the car free and even leaves Poe alone there for extended times. Despite this, I found myself liking her and the surrounding cast of characters. Heck, I didn't even dislike Barbie, er, Detective Johnson as we don't get much of the backstory yet. For that matter, we don't get to know even Charley well but, hey, this is the first in a hopefully long series, so that's normal. I definitely liked how the author handled the issue of PTSD/mental issues via Nancy and her service dog. I hope we see a lot more of them in future books, especially since it gave insight into Charley. Thanks #SevernHouse for this early look at a promising new series. I wonder how long Charley can keep her author status hidden. Something tells me Ian Grant will figure it out when he sets his mind to it. Charley isn't real good at hiding her unusual knowledge of murder investigations.

I saw the cover of this book and instantly requested the ARC. Murder, books, and cats? Sign me up!

Described as a cozy bookshop mystery and I felt that’s exactly what it was. There wasn’t a lot of gore or graphic details. No smut or really any romance. If you’re looking for those things, then this book might be a little tame for you. I typically like my books a little more graphic, but this was a fun lite read! It kept me interested and I breezed through. Definitely a good palate cleanser book. If there are more to the series, I definitely look forward to reading them.

**I received an advanced readers copy through NetGalley**

An easily digestible murder mystery that could be great for people dipping their toes into the genre.

The characters were interesting, but I didn't understand their motive for investigating, and some interactions felt too forced and unnatural.

This book is mysterious enough to keep the reader’s attention. A quick read with reliable characters. Red herrings kept me guessing. Even the title is intriguing. This talented author has written a page turner. Thanks Netgalley

When Charley James aka C.J. Barrett, a famous author, decides it’s time for a break, she returns to her old hometown and her friend Zane.

Zane had been about to start a partnership with Sheila, a new friend, by leasing a double store front. Zane would open a bakery and Sheila a bookstore. Looks good on paper until Sheila disappears. Charley feels bad about Zane and offers to take over the bookstore.

Everything looks like it will work out until Charley finds a body in the basement of the bookstore, Sheila's body.

To make matters worse, a black cat and a handsome Philadelphia homicide detective get involved. Charley adopts the cat but isn’t sure what to think about the detective who, though he is stand-offish with her, is also someone she finds attractive.

As Charley and Zane ignore the warnings from the detective and investigate on their own, they find themselves getting closer to the answers as well as the killer.

Mix in stolen collectible books and the fact that no one is aware that Charley is a famous author and it is an interesting murder mystery.

I like the premise, setting, and characters who are well developed. If this is a series, I think it might be worth following in the future.

This title is scheduled to release on July 1st.

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn Books for an advance reader copy for my honest review.

Mystery writer Charley James returns to her hometown only to recharge and find some rest and inspiration but instead she finds a dead women in her basement. And that's the start of her investigating a murder in real life. I enjoyed this book. It's easy to read and entertaining. The story quickly pulled me in and I didn't want to stop reading. Loved the characters and the plot. This is a very good start of a new series and I'm looking forward to the next installment.
I received an advance review copy via NetGalley/Severn House and I'm leaving a voluntary and honest review.

Charley James is an accomplished writer of a very popular mystery series. She feels she's burnt out and needs a change in her life, or at least a break. Since she wrote under the name C.J. Barrett and didn't allow photos of herself on her book covers, it was easy to slide back into her hometown where the only person that knew of her fame was her bestie, Zane.

Charley and Zane meet at a local diner to catch up. Zane was preparing to make a big change in her life as well. She and her friend Sheila rented a double store front. Zane's half was going to be a café and Sheila was going to open a bookshop. Unfortunately, Sheila had just texted her with the news that she needed to leave town. So what was Zane to do.

Charley decided to invest in the bookshop that Sheila abandoned. Everything was back on track for Zane and Charley had a new direction in her life.

As they were preparing for their grand opening, Charley came across a gorgeous, antique chest in the storage basement. Sheila's dead body was in the chest.

Who killed Sheila, and why? Whatever the answers, Charley and Zane still had to prepare for a grand opening.

I love reading books by T.C. LoTempio. The stories and characters are always great and the books come together like well made puzzles. I'm looking forward to the next installment in this series

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this. First off I love the cover. Its bold and stands out. Unlike the cover i didn't find this book to stand out from other murder mysteries but it was an enjoyable book. Would i recommend it? yes but would i read again? depends on the occasion.

Thank you #NetGalley and #SevernHouse for this ARC!
I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy bookshop mystery starring Charlotte James, writer of Steve Sheppard's bestselling mystery series, who decides to take a break and return to her quiet hometown of Austin to rethink her life choices.
There, she reunites with her friend Zane, who was on the verge of opening her own business when her partner vanishes and leaves her high and dry. It's the opportunity Charley was waiting for to turn her life around, open her own bookstore, and lend a hand to Zane.
But things get complicated when her former partner's body is found, and Detective Grant and Agent Donaldson enter the scene, while Charley and her assistant, Poe the cat, work against the clock to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.
It's an entertaining, fun, and well-paced read, and I can't wait to continue reading the series.
#MurderOnTheBooks #CozyBookshopMystery

An author turned bookstore owner in a cozy mystery, sign me up! This book was great and was everything I wanted in a cozy. I can't wait for more in the series!

This book has everything: bookstores, tea, and a cat sidekick. A very fun read! I enjoyed following Charley and Poe as they unspooled the mystery. This is not my usual genre, but I feel like I certainly fit the demographic. It gave me all the cozy feels.

'Murder on the Books' follows Charlotte (Charley) James, a successful thriller writer who after experiencing a burnout decides to take a break and go back to her hometown, where not everyone knows about her author status as she has been writing her books under a pseudonym. Through an interesting turn of events, Charley finds herself in charge of a bookshop, as her best friend's business partner Sheila suddenly disappears, which in turn puts her in the middle of a murder mystery when she ends up discovering Sheila's dead body in the basement.

The book certainly lives up to the cosy mystery claim, it's a fun and fast read that keeps you invested. The plot isn't too complex, and it does require some suspension of disbelief in regards to the circumstances, but that is pretty much the norm of the genre, especially when it involves a civilian main character taking it on their own to investigate a murder. Charley felt real and relatable, her connection with her best friend felt refreshing, and the approach that the book takes to experiencing a burnout, needing a break, and to mental health in general, feels also quite realistic. With a plot that involves its main protagonist moving to a small town, taking over a bookstore, adopting a cat, and using their intellect to solve a crime, there's a lot to like here.

As this is the first of the 'Cozy Bookshop mystery' books, the characters are newly introduced and their circumstances are just being established, but the book soon finds its pace and becomes both a highly enjoyable read and a promising beginning to the series.

Big thank you to Severn House for providing an advance review copy. The book is coming out on the 1st of July, 2025.

Murder on the Books by TC LoTempio is a cute cozy mystery with humor and small town charm. I really enjoy TC LoTempio’s writing style, I have read a few books of hers in the past. All of her books have very relatable characters and lots of humor and wit. Easy and fast reads but extremely enjoyable. Highly recommended if you love cozy mysteries!


Thank you #NetGalley and #SevernHouse for this ARC!

⭐️ 5/5
First person POV, single narrative
Linear timeline
FMC: Charlotte/Charley

This is exactly what the cover says, a cozy bookshop mystery. I sped through this and it was a major page turner! I also appreciate the glimpse of chemistry Charley experiences and hope to see more of that romantic tension tied into future books in this series.
I love the sub-plot of Poe, Charley’s unexpected little sidekick and support pet!

Thank you Severn House for providing me this ARC via NetGalley for review consideration! All opinions are my own.

Murder on the Books is your fairly standard, cosy mystery. Books, a cat, a stubborn female protagonist, and a brooding romantic interest - it ticks all the usual boxes.

The story is narrated by Charlotte (Charley) James, who is tired of writing bestselling crime novels and decides to take a break and move back to her hometown. For some reason no one in her home town knows she became an author (she writes under a pseudonym) and she decides to lie when anyone asks what she did for work in New York, also for further unknown reasons. However, mysteries can't seem to stay away from Charley when she discovers a body and sets out to solve the crime.

The mystery is fairly basic and easy to follow, not much brain power required, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why Charley decided to investigate. It's not like the police aren't also investigating, and at some points, she hinders their efforts by stealing and withholding evidence and important information. I genuinely hoped she would be arrested for interfering in police business. The reasons she gives for not trusting the police I think is that one of the officers is hot and the other one she didn't get on well at school with? There's also a bit of "I'm not like other girls" going on. Charley actually says this at one point when the hot detective comments on her drinking black coffee, something which no woman has done before ever.

I've been quite harsh in this review, but Murder on the Books still kept me entertained. If you like a cosy mystery, then you'll enjoy this. If you don't, you won't.