Crime and Poetry

Amanda Flower

Apr 2016 · A Magical Bookshop Mystery Book 1 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

From the national bestselling author of the Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries comes the first charming caper in the Magical Bookshop Mystery series.

Rushing home to sit by her ailing grandmother’s bedside, Violet Waverly is shocked to find Grandma Daisy the picture of perfect health. Violet doesn’t need to read between the lines: her grandma wants Violet back home and working in her magical store, Charming Books. It’s where the perfect book tends to fly off the shelf and pick you...

Violet has every intention to hightail it back to Chicago, but then a dead man is discovered clutching a volume of Emily Dickinson’s poems from Grandma Daisy’s shop. The victim is Benedict Raisin, who recently put Grandma Daisy in his will, making her a prime suspect. Now, with the help of a tuxedo cat named Emerson, Violet will have to find a killer to keep Grandma from getting booked for good...

Ratings and reviews

Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower is the first book in the new cozy mystery series titled A Magical Bookshop Mystery series. Violet Waverly rushes home to Cascade Springs, New York when her grandmother, Daisy calls her and states she is dying. Violet arrives to find Grandma Daisy working and very well! It was a ruse (a very effective one) to get Violet home. Violet has not returned home since she left when she was seventeen. It is time for Violet to take her place as the new Caretaker at Charming Books. Grandma Daisy explains the family history and what happens at the store, but Violet is not sure she believes it (seeing is believing). The next morning Benedict Raisin, carriage driver and Grandma Daisy's boyfriend, is in their driveway in his carriage. Unfortunately, he is dead! Grandma Daisy is the number one suspect in the murder (at least according to Officer John Wheaton). Violet sets out to prove her grandmother's innocence. Who wanted to hurt Benedict (who seems well liked) and why leave him in Grandma Daisy's driveway? When the case is over, will Violet stay in town (as Grandma Daisy wants) or will she return to Chicago? Crime and Poetry was just delightful. I enjoyed the characters (especially Faulkner, the crow, and Emerson, the cat). The setting sounds like it is just beautiful and a place that I would love to visit. The magical element was very light. I hope there will be more of it in future books. The author did a good job of keeping the reader guessing on the identity of the killer. I knew who the killer was as soon as the character was introduced, but that is just me (I read quite a few mysteries and suspense novels). Crime and Poetry has a good mystery, entertaining characters, beautiful setting, a little romance (the possibility), and magic! Amanda Flower did a wonderful job combining these elements into a charming cozy mystery. I give Crime and Poetry 4.5 out of 5 stars (I marked down because I was able to solve the mystery). I cannot wait for the next book in A Magical Bookshop series. I received a complimentary copy of Crime and Poetry through NetGalley (courtesy of the publisher and author) in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.

Great first book. Enjoyed it 😊

An okay story.

About the author

Amanda Flower is the USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author of the Magical Bookshop Mysteries, the Amish Candy Shop Mysteries, and the Magical Garden Mysteries. She also writes the national bestselling Amish Quilt Shop Mysteries under the name Isabella Allen. In addition to being an author, she is a librarian in Northeast Ohio.