Ratings1
Average rating5
“When we opened Sherlock Tomes people warned us that we’d made a terrible mistake. People warned us that e-readers were taking over. People warned us that we’d never compete with the evil Amazon. The one thing they didn’t warn us about was the murders...” Introducing...the Bookshop Detectives! When a mystery parcel arrives at Sherlock Tomes bookshop in small-town Havelock North, New Zealand, husband-and-wife owners Garth and Eloise (and their petrified pooch, Stevie) are drawn into the baffling case of a decades-old missing schoolgirl. Intrigued by the puzzling, bookish clues the two ex-cops are soon tangled in a web of crime, drugs, and floral decapitations, while endeavouring to pull off the international celebrity book launch of the century. With their beloved shop on the chopping block and the sinister suspect who forced them to run away from Blighty reemerging from the shadows, have Garth and Eloise Sherlock finally met their Moriarty? For once, the cover copy is no exaggeration: Diary of a Bookseller really does meet Thursday Murder Club meets Bookseller at the End of the World in this witty debut novel, full of literary clues, comedic insights and the kinds of Kiwis you only ever meet in bookshops. ‘A page-turning joy, bursting with intrigue, fun and humanity.’ — Charity Norman ‘Fun and twisty. the only two crime writers I know who have actually solved murders.’ — Michael Bennett At last! A book that kept me guessing until the end, and in the perfect setting. How could I, or anyone who loves bookshops, resist?’ — Ruth Shaw
Reviews with the most likes.
Garth and Eloise are just trying to enjoy a simple life running a bookshop in the quiet village of Havelock North, and doing so quite well until they are thrust into a decades old murder mystery.
This cozy mystery is full of charm, even more so because I grew up in the area they've chosen to centre it in, and I can see places and people so clearly.
They have populated the cast with a beautifully rich cross-section of characters — diverse, helpful, quirky and downright murderous — quietly layering in elements and reveals as the story progresses.
I'll confess to having worked out the ‘scene of the crime' but definitely not the final details - they were an absolute treat, and very rewarding to read.
As a small-town slice-of-‘life' murder mystery, this is a hugely entertaining and enjoyable story.