Bookclubbed to Death by V. M. Burns

Available December 27, 2022

Rating: 4 stars

No good deed goes unpunished. When a tornado hits North Harbor, Michigan, the library is badly damaged. In an attempt to show support for her community, Samantha Washington agrees to allow a local book club to meet at her bookstore. She's a bit overwhelmed by how grateful the librarian is but Sam figures out why about two seconds after she meets the head of the group, Delia Marshall. And as it turns out, the librarian isn't the only one who's happy to see the last of Miss Delia.

I will admit I wasn't super crazy about this series in the beginning. But even as I was twitching over some questionable timeline issues I could tell this series had a ton of potential and (as you will see if you read this far into it) I was right. Sam is a great main character (I love series where the MC follows their dreams and has a supportive team around, helping to make it happen) and I also love all the side characters, her grandmother and her friends, her sister and her children, and Sam's fiancé Frank. I also really like the story-within-the-story, despite the fact that there are several dozen characters in it and I have never have any idea who any of them are.

The investigation was fun in this one, Sam, Nana Jo, and the girls all hunt for clues, sometimes together and sometimes independently, and they always turn up just the right information to solve the case. I'm not super crazy about Frank being a fancy spy who just happens to know someone who can get any information they need or perform any task that may need to be accomplished. It feels a bit too easy sometimes, certainly in this book we would have seen a lot more action if Frank hadn't been there. Not that I don't like Frank, but his character is too much of a crutch at times.

If you like book-themed cozies, this is a reliably good series.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.