While I always enjoy catching up with Samantha Washington, her grandmother, Nana Jo, and Nana Jo’s friends, I have to admit my favorite part of V.M. Burns’ mysteries is the parallel historical mystery in each of them. In Murder on Tour, Samantha’s debut historical cozy mystery, Murder at Wickfield Lodge, has been published. While she copes with a weekend book event and a murder investigation, Samantha always finds answers while writing about her characters from 1939.

Samantha is a last minute addition to the North Harbor Book Festival, where she suffers from imposter syndrome. She doesn’t feel as important as Judith Hunter, a bestselling author, Nora Cooper, or Scarlet McDunkin. She’s in awe of those authors, but shocked to discover the others hate Judith Hunter, and don’t hesitate to attack her. When Judith’s publicist is poisoned during a cocktail reception, Samantha suspects he might not have been the actual target. Was Judith intended to die?

By the time Detective Bradley Pitt from the Special Crimes Unit arrives, Nana Jo already suspects cyanide poisoning. Pitt resents the success of Samantha and Nana Jo’s investigations, and he’s willing to throw the case at them so they’ll find the killer. They seem to have inside information about the writers and possible motives.

As Samantha puzzles out the crime, she uses her downtime to work on the sequel to Murder at Wickfield Lodge. It’s 1939, and England is preparing for possible war with Germany. Although Lord William and Lady Elizabeth Marsh originally turn down plans to host the village fete on their grounds, their niece’s husband asks them to do it. Lord Browning is part of MI5, and he’s interested in the guest speaker, Colonel Basil Livingston, an author who has aroused attention, and then dislike by writing a tell-all book promising to reveal secrets from inside the British military. But, it’s Colonel Livingston’s secretary who dies during the fete.

It’s always a treat to return to Burns’ regular cast of characters, in both timelines. Burns wrote about competent senior sleuths long before the current interest in them in mysteries. Her seniors are well-connected through family, adept at self-defense, and intelligent people with interesting backgrounds. In fact, Samantha might suffer from imposter syndrome, but Nana Jo and her friends are well-aware of their abilities.

I always enjoy the Mystery Bookshop cozies. I would suggest you start with The Plot is Murder so you can meet the cast. You can enjoy a contemporary mystery set in Michigan, and a historical cozy in England. Two for the price of one! It’s worth it.

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

Murder on Tour by V.M. Burns. Kensington Cozies, 2023. ISBN 9781496749483 (paperback), 256p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley from NetGalley to review for a journal.