Murder by Page One

  

 

Murder by Page One: A Peach Coast Library Mystery
by Olivia Matthews

About Murder Page One

Murder by Page One: A Peach Coast Library Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Hallmark Publishing (March 23, 2021)
Print length: 328 pages
Digital ASIN: B08KHPBDBS

If you love Hallmark mystery movies,
you’ll love this cozy mystery
with humor, intrigue, and a librarian amateur sleuth.

Marvey, a librarian, has moved from Brooklyn to a quirky small town in Georgia. When she’s not at the library organizing events for readers, she’s handcrafting book-themed jewelry and looking after her cranky cat. At times, her new life in the South still feels strange…and that’s before the discovery of the dead body in the bookstore.

After one of her friends becomes a suspect, Marvey sets out to solve the murder mystery. She even convinces Spence, the wealthy and charming newspaper owner, to help. With his ties to the community, her talents for research, and her fellow librarians’ knowledge, Marvey pursues the truth. But as she gets closer to it, could she be facing a deadly plot twist?

This first in series cozy mystery includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Classic Peach Cobbler.

Character Guest Post: Marvey Harris

I have three main weaknesses: coffee, chocolate, and books. Not necessarily in that order. I’ll need all three to get through this murder investigation, especially since I’m not a law enforcement officer. I’m a librarian.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Pull up a chair and I’ll start from the beginning. 

I’m a native New Yorker, born and raised in Brooklyn. But after six years working for the New York Public Library system, I felt ready to advance my career. That’s what motivated me to accept the position of director of community outreach with the Peach Coast Library in Georgia. The small town in coastal Georgia is 908.4 miles from my family in Brooklyn. But it was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down, so my four-year-old tabby rescue, Phoenix, and I made the move.

It’s been four months, yet I still feel like a fish-out-of-water. There’s a lot to adjust to after moving from a large Mid-Atlantic metropolis to a small coastal Southern town. Take for example, the southernisms. “It was a bird’s nest on the ground.” What does that even mean?

As I mentioned, I’d lived in New York my whole life—28 years—and had never seen a dead body. Four months after moving to Peach Coast, my new friends—businesswoman Jolene Gomez and newspaper editor-in-chief Spencer Holt—and I discovered the body of a local author who’d been murdered in the backroom of Jo’s bookstore, To Be Read. Since Jo and the victim, Fiona, had disagreed on more than one occasion while planning her book signing, the sheriff’s deputies consider Jo their prime suspect.

Spence and I disagree, as do my librarian coworkers. My boss, Corrinne Carpenter, is well-connected with town leaders. Vivian Liu, our circulation manager, reads people’s body language to identify books they’d enjoy. Our reference librarian, Floyd Petty, knows a little bit on seemingly every topic. And our librarian’s assistant, Adrian Hobbs, has an unhealthy fascination with true crimes.

Spence, Jo, the Librarian Team, and I plan to prove Jo’s innocence. Together, we identified five people who are much more likely to want Fiona dead:

• A betrayed business partner;

• A blackmailed writer;

• A deceived friend;

• A cheated stepson; and

• The vengeful ex-wife of her deceased husband.

With the deputies closing in on Jo, it was up to Spence, me, and the Librarian Team to find the real killer — without being written out of the story. I’d better stock up on coffee, chocolate, and good books.

About Olivia Matthews 

     Olivia Matthews is the cozy mystery pseudonym for Patricia Sargeant, a national best-selling, award-winning author. Her work has been featured in national publications such as Publishers Weekly, USA Today, Kirkus Reviews, Suspense Magazine, Mystery Scene Magazine, Library Journal and RT Book Reviews. For more information about Patricia and her work, visit PatriciaSargeant.com.

Author Links

Website: https://PatriciaSargeant.com.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorPatriciaSargeant.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BooksbyPatricia

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/olivia-matthews

Purchase Links – Amazon – Hallmark Publishing  –  Apple  –  Barnes & Noble – Bookshop –  Fantastic Fiction  –  Kobo – 

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