A Margin for Murder - the eighth Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery

Are we really up to eight books in this series already?  Geesh, it seems like just yesterday I came across the first couple of books in this series at Barnes & Noble and picked them up, being introduced to Addie Greybourne, her best friend Serena, her then love interest Marc, and the growing cast of characters that support this new bookstore owner.  Now, here we are several years later (both in reality and in the series) and up to book eight (with the ninth book coming out very soon!), and I am still enjoying each book as much, if not more, than the first.  I have been very fortunate with the few "cozy" series that I have picked up, in that the writing has been exceptional, the mysteries very engaging, and the characters lovable (or not-so-lovable, depending on the intent of the author).  The Beyond the Page Mystery series is definitely one of those.

A Margin for Murder finds Addie getting ready to celebrate her birthday in some of the most wonderful ways - heading off for a weekend of book-buying at a "going out of business" sale for a library in the neighboring town of Pen Hollow, as well as a very special birthday dinner with Simon, the man Addie is hoping will finally pop the question.  The weekend becomes even more perfect when Addie and Paige (her sidekick of sorts) are offered the chance to buy the library's bookmobile and all the contents therein!  Addie discovers four very valuable first editions in the bus, and that discovery is only the first domino that starts them all tumbling down, ending with the murder of one Luella Higgins - the town's mayor, president of the town council, and the current head of the library committee!  With so many people at the library sale, Addie and Paige are left wondering who would want her dead?  Well, the small town sheriff has no doubts at all about who did it - and sets about proving that Addie and Paige (the "outsiders") are guilty!

This book definitely has it ALL!  There's a murder where not only do we not know who the killer is, but we don't know how the victim was murdered or what the motive was (there were certainly plenty of different possible motives, that's for sure!).  There's a myriad of suspects - from the town pharmacist, to the disgruntled library employees, to the wife of the man the victim slept with, to just about pretty much anyone in Pen Hollow - Luella Higgins definitely ruffled a lot of feathers, and not in a good way.  There's also the four first edition books that disappeared months ago, turn up in the book mobile Addie is buying, then disappear again.  Then there's the surprise appearance by an old boyfriend from Addie's high school days who happens to be in Pen Hollow - who also happens to be the grandson of the library's biggest donor and who put a stop to that funding the minute he arrived in town!  And that brings up the huge, Gothic mansion where he is staying, the one that belonged to his grandmother and comes complete with a Mrs. Danvers-like housekeeper (you know the one - from Rebecca?).  And there are all of the secrets that are being kept by so many of the townsfolk, and the more secrets that come to light, the more Addie and Paige wonder if they will ever make sense of it all.  Oh, and let's not forget to mention that both Simon and Marc show up in town - but between Simon being so distant and Marc being so suddenly protective of Addie, our poor sleuth is left wondering just where any of her relationships currently stand.  And then there's poor Serena - pregnant with her first child, coming closer and closer to that due date, when Simon discovers there is something important going on with that pregnancy (and that little mystery is probably the ONLY thing I actually figured out right away in this book!).

Yes, Elliott (as in Lauren Elliott, the author) really kept me guessing on this one.  I have to give her the highest kudos, because every time I even got an inkling of who I thought might be the killer, she pulled the rug out from underneath me and gave the story a completely off-beat twist - again ... and again ... and again.  I'll be honest, the ending to this books is one I never saw coming, and I doubt very seriously you will either!  It was truly inspired and, quite honestly, a solution that I don't think I've ever read in a murder mystery before.  But once revealed, it all made sense and actually fit quite well with everything that was going on in this story.  So, way to go, Elliott - way to go!

A few things I did want to make mention of that stood out for me in this mystery (aside from the superb mystery itself!).  First, Elliott gives readers a nice Nancy Drew reference.  When discussing their situation, Paige tells Addie:

Besides ruining your birthday, my sister lives in this town, my brother-in-law is a state trooper stationed here, and me and one of my best friends are murder suspects in the death of a woman we just met.  Now we have to get all Nancy Drew about it and start looking for skeletons in closets in a murder investigation that should have nothing to do with us.  (p. 103)

It's always fun to see a reference to everyone's favorite teen detective - just another reminder of just how much of an American pop icon Nancy Drew has become since her first appearance wayyyyyy back in 1930!  Although, I'm still patiently waiting for Addie to solve a crime centered around a rare edition of a Nancy Drew book (like, say, that super-elusive, never-before-seen alleged first printing/edition of The Password to Larkspur Lane?).

Another incident that  not only had me laughing out loud, but also had me cheering Addie on, saying, "Attta girl,Addie!" was when the Sheriff's wife, who is intent on taking over as the new chairperson of the local garden club now that Luella Higgins, the former chairperson, is dead, humiliates Addie in front of a room filled with women from the community by flat out accusing her of killing Luella.  Addie, never one to back down, happens to recall where she first saw the Sheriff's wife and decides to let the whole community in on that first meeting:

"I know you ... Aren't you the woman I saw on the stairs just prior to the potluck dinner starting?  Yes, I'm certain it was you.  Paige and I were heading down to the book sale for one final look before the dinner commenced, and you were on your way up to the meeting room.  You stopped and asked us if we'd seen Luella upstairs.  I remember clearly now.  I told you she was in her office, and you said, and I quote, 'The poor dear must be starved.  I bet she hasn't eaten a thing all day.  I hope Gretchen has started to put the food out so I can make up a plate for her ... As you are obviously aware, it was something she ate that night that killed her, right?" (pp. 169-70)

It is moments - and lines! - like this that truly make this series so enjoyable to read.  Addie knows how to throw out a zinger when needed, and boy, was this one a doozy!  Of course, it has its consequences, because let's face it - accusing the wife of a small town Sheriff of being a killer is not going to sit too well with the Sheriff!

And finally, there are some moments in this particular book that I believe are foreshadowing of future stories to come.  Addie's old boyfriend invites her to come visit him in England some time (I can picture it now - Addie solving a crime in an old English manor!).  Addie volunteers to put in a good word for the niece of one of the townspeople with the vet in Greyborne Harbor who is looking for help (and this niece happens to have once known a guy named Simon ... which happens to be the name of Addie's current man - yeah, like we don't see the trouble that's going to cause!).  These kind of hints at things to come is another thing I love about this series, as it creates a sense of continuity and provides a bit of real-world feel to the characters.

If no other book in this series can get you interested, this one DEFINITELY will.  You are missing out on a wonderful world of characters, settings, and mysteries if you aren't reading this series!

RATING:  10 chocolate covered cherries out of 10 for keeping the identity of this killer a well-guarded secret up until the very end - a truly surprising reveal that I never expected in the least!