Release date for V.M. Burns’ eighth Mystery Bookshop mystery, Bookclubbed to Death, is Dec. 27. I usually don’t review a book a week ahead of time, but now you have time to pre-order it, place it on hold at your local library, or use a gift card you haven’t received yet. Or, maybe you’ll want to pick up the first book in the series, The Plot is Murder. It was an Agatha Award finalist for Best First Novel. The entire series, with its parallel storylines, is engrossing.

Samantha Washington is the owner of Market Street Mysteries Bookshop in North Harbor, Michigan. Sam’s first mystery is about to be published, and, after mourning the death of her first husband, she’s now engaged to Frank Patterson who owns a local restaurant. She feels lucky until the night a tornado twists her life in an unexpected way.

She only meant to be kind, and offered to help the local public library after it was damaged by the tornado. Now, Sam is hosting the library’s book clubs in her bookstore. But, the first one, Mystery Mavens, is led by Delia Marshall, a literary icon, syndicated book reviewer, and a bully who could destroy Sam’s first book. In fact, after Sam has a run-in with her, Delia accuses one of Sam’s toy poodles of attacking her, and threatens to sue. Sam’s sister, Jenna, a lawyer, admits Delia has a case. So, why would Sam answer Delia’s phone call in the middle of the night, and take a $1200 copy of The Complete Works of Agatha Christie to Marshall’s house? Sam’s scared of the woman, but when Sam’s grandmother, Nana Jo, finds Delia dead in the bookstore in the middle of the night, Sam’s in trouble. She’ll need all the help she can get from Nana Jo’s connected friends, and from Frank, to stay out of jail.

I always enjoy Sam and Nana Jo, and their investigations. But, my favorite sections of the book are actually the parallel story, a historical mystery featuring the Marsh family. While Sam writes those excerpts, something in them always inspires her to solve the contemporary crime. This time, the Marsh mystery is a fascinating pre-World War II story of murder and espionage. Lady Elizabeth Marsh’s grandchild is to be christened, and her cousin, King George VI, can’t attend. But, he wants the entire family to move the christening to Windsor Castle because he wants them to investigate a murder for him. A journalist who tried to blackmail several members of the royal family has been killed. There are no fingerprints, but there are clues that point to George VI or his mother as the killer. Now, the Marsh family has to investigate before stories connecting the royal family to Germany could destroy the confidence of the country.

There are threads there in that historic mystery that Sam writes that link to her own investigation of the murder of Delia Marshall, a woman who was feared in North Harbor.

Burns’ characters are capable, and likable. Yes, several characters should not have been wandering around at night meeting unscrupulous people, in either storyline, But, I like the support they have from family and friends.

Looking for an enjoyable cozy series set in a bookstore? How about a historical mystery set in the early 20th century in England? Combine both in this entertaining series. Bookclubbed to Death is the latest engaging book in the series.

V.M. Burns’ website is http://www.vmburns.com/

Bookclubbed to Death by V.M. Burns. Kensington Books, 2022. ISBN 9781496739469 (paperback), 240p.

FTC Full Disclosure – The author sent a copy of the book, with no promise of a positive review.