Tricia Miles has just received a second marriage proposal within fifteen minutes. The first was from her friend with benefits, Marshall Chambers, and the second from her ex-lover, police chief Grant Baker. Tricia’s got some serious thinking to do.
She’s still weighing her options when she hears the sound of an engine roaring down Main Street. It’s a big white pickup truck that aims for and hits Marshall as he’s walking back to his apartment. Tragically, he’s killed, leaving Tricia feeling bereft and guilty. She retreats to her sister, Angelica’s, apartment to wait for Baker to update her on what happened. While there, Tricia takes Angelica’s dog out for a comfort call behind the building, and the same white pickup roars up the alley and just misses hitting Tricia.
Still shaken by that news, Tricia returns to Haven’t Got a Clue and is met by federal marshal Kirby, who tells her that Marshall had been in the Federal Witness Protection Program. Everything Marshall told Tricia was a lie—in particular, that he was a widower. Was his death an act of revenge?
Tricia’s on the hunt for a killer, and it seems like she might be next on the list.
Release Date: Jul 27, 2021
Series:Â A Booktown Mystery
Book:Â 15
Publisher:Â Penguin Group
Imprint:Â Berkley
Price: $13.99
A Deadly Deletion is the latest in the long-running Booktown mysteries featuring Tricia Miles and her sister Angelica. Tricia runs a vintage mystery bookstore in Stoneham, New Hampshire and her sister runs several businesses in the village. When the book begins, Tricia has unexpectedly received two marriage proposals, one from her “friend with benefits” Marshall Cambridge and the other from her ex-boyfriend, Police Chief Grant Baker. Before Tricia can give Marshall an answer, he is killed in a hit-and-run accident. When Tricia and her family also seem to be in danger, Tricia starts asking questions to get to the truth of what’s going on, especially when it becomes clear many people are keeping secrets.
The story caught my attention from the very beginning. There isn’t a slow, gentle build-up to a mystery in this book – it starts out with a lot of action and kills off a recurring character right at the beginning. Tricia knows everyone in town so she knows just where to go to get information to investigate the case. In between investigating, the reader gets to see Tricia running her bookstore and interacting with her sister and friends.These scenes add depth to the story and allows us to get to know Tricia better. I was really interested in the plot and intrigued by a couple of new characters who are introduced in the book so it will be interesting to see if they stick around Stoneham for future books.
This book isn’t perfect, but overall I really enjoyed it. It is downbeat for a cozy, but does have lighter moments to keep it entertaining. Tricia has a tendency to take on responsibilities, but then complain about them. There is also a family riff that doesn’t make sense and doesn’t add much to the already full story. However, I like Tricia’s intelligence and generosity and her relationship with Angelica, when things are going well between them. I was completely shocked by the very dramatic and surprising ending to the case. I am curious to see what is in store for “Booktown” in future books. Readers who have been following the series won’t want to miss this game-changing installment. Fans of Marcia Talley’s Hannah Ives mysteries would enjoy this book.
~ Christine
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