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Castle Bookshop Mystery

This series follows a novice bookstore owner who finds herself drawn into solving mysteries and murders. Each case forces her to delve into the secrets of her surroundings, often with historical undertones. With the help of her friends and her own sharp intellect, she races to uncover the culprit before another crime occurs. It's an engaging read for mystery fans who enjoy a blend of history and bibliophilia.

Trouble On The Books
Death On The Page
A Deadly Chapter

Recommended Reading Order

  1. 1

    Trouble On The Books

    • 336 pages
    • 12 hours of reading
    3.7(109)Add rating

    Essie Lang’s series debut is perfect for fans of Lorna Barrett, Vicki Delany, and book lovers everywhere. Rookie bookstore owner Shelby Cox must hit the books to learn the ropes before she loses a killer in the stacks. Shelby Cox never intended to become a bookseller, so when the former editor returns to her hometown of Alexandria Bay, nestled in upstate New York’s breathtaking Thousand Islands region, to take over her aunt’s bookstore, she has no idea what to expect. To her amazement, she discovers that she now owns a fifty-percent share in Bayside Books, and will also run the store’s second location in the majestic castle on nearby Blye Island. But just as Shelby is gearing up for the start of the tourist season, the Castle volunteer coordinator is found murdered in the nearby Grotto. Castle caretaker Matthew Kessler is suspect number one, but Shelby thinks the killing may be connected to an earlier era, when violence among Prohibition-era smugglers was rampant in the region. As Shelby launches her own investigation, handsome and unnerving Special Agent Zack Griffin of the Coast Guard Investigative Services tries to quell her smuggling theory and keep her safe. But Shelby is determined to summon all her savvy as a book editor to plot the murder—and find the killer before he strikes again—in Trouble on the Books, Essie Lang’s clever and captivating series debut.

    Trouble On The Books
  2. 2

    Death On The Page

    • 336 pages
    • 12 hours of reading
    3.8(91)Add rating

    Essie Lang's second Castle Bookshop mystery is perfect for fans of Lorna Barrett and Vicki Delany. Thousand Islands bookstore owner Shelby Cox sleuths the slaying of a true-crime writer who may have learned too much about a murder case that should have stayed shut. There are a thousand stories in New York's scenic Thousand Islands, and Bayside Books co-owner Shelby Cox stocks them all. But lately, the Blye Island bookseller's life is more about investigation than inventory. True-crime writer Savannah Page caps off two successful signings at Bayside Books with a night in Blye Castle. She's there to research Joe Cabana, a colorful Prohibition-era mobster who owned the castle--until he was found dead in the island Grotto. But crime becomes all too true for Savannah. Her body turns up the next morning, in a secret passage at the bottom of the stairs. The last thing Shelby Cox wants is to sleuth another murder, but she's intrigued about how a killer could have reached the island after hours. She's not at a lack for suspects either. It could have been anyone from Savannah's fiancé, Liam Kennelly, who argued with her the evening before, to island caretaker Matthew Kessler, recently cleared of his wife's murder. Can Shelby keep regular store hours, elude the police chief, and assemble the clues into a hard-bound case without getting permanently shelved?

    Death On The Page
  3. 3

    A Deadly Chapter

    • 320 pages
    • 12 hours of reading
    3.7(347)Add rating

    "Bookseller Shelby Cox has already sleuthed two murders from Bayside Books's home base on Blye Island, one of New York State's famed Thousand Islands. And this time, mayhem knocks right on Shelby's waterside door when she finds a body lodged between the side of her houseboat and the dock, his skull shattered"--Provided by publisher

    A Deadly Chapter