What is this about?: A cozy mystery! A murder mystery, set in a beautiful town, in the middle of a raging snow story no less and a B&B that is way to full. But more than all that it’s about the tempestuous relationship between the League of Literary Ladies.
What else is this about?: Their love lives, a little? Maybe?
Stars: 3.5/5
Should you read: Oh yes!
Blurb: At a local Chinese restaurant, it’s the owner who gets taken out… Most folks aren’t forced by court order to attend a library-book discussion group, but that’s just what happens to B and B proprietor and ex-Manhattanite Bea Cartwright, hippy cat lover Chandra Morrisey, and winery owner Kate Wilder after a small-town magistrate has had enough of their squabbling. South Bass, an island on Lake Erie, is home to an idyllic summer resort, but these three ladies keep disturbing the peace.
The initial book choice is Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, and that sets their mouths to watering. The Orient Express is the island’s newest Chinese restaurant. They might not agree about much, but the ladies all love the orange chicken on the menu. But their meal is spoiled when the restaurant’s owner, Peter Chan, has the bad fortune of getting murdered. Now, with Christie as their inspiration, the League of Literary Ladies has a real mystery to solve…if they can somehow catch a killer without killing each other first.
I found this gem listed on a top 10 list of cozy mysteries from a blogger and for the life of me, I cannot remember where. I suck, I know.
But, the list was awesome and I had a bad habit of always saying I wanted to read a cozy, but something always held me back. I don’t quite rightly know what, but with the lovely ladies of this book, I couldn’t quite resist a story with characters who are ordered by a judge to join a book club. Is it bad if I want this to be a punishment for more squabbles?
And petty squabbles is definitely what neighbours Kate, Chandra and Bea are involved in. Despite the pettiness of the squabbling, the snark is strong with these three, because I laughed out loud on the train home in this courtroom scene. But after one irate judge sends them off, they stumble onto a murder mystery involving Peter, the owner of the town’s newest Chinese restaurant. Cue a snow storm and the ladies as well as more characters taking refuge in Bea’s B &B because her heating and generator are the only ones still working.
So begins the League’s investigation, and no they’re not immediately friends, so the snark levels are epic even as they learn about each other and their pasts. And ex-boyfriends, and future ones.
It’s fun. Of all the things I’d imagined about cozy mysteries, I didn’t expect to be quite so delighted with them like this!
Ha! It’s okay if you can’t remember where you saw it. The name of this book is enough! Love it. Great review.
Rebecca @ The Portsmouth Review
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Thanks Rachel, I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! (I felt so bad not remembering!)
oh Cozy I love Cozy Mysteries. My favorite is Heather Blake and her witches and the potion series and Cleo Coyle writes a coffee lovers one.
I don’t know those! I’ll have to look them up!
Lots of bloggers I know seems to be into cozy mysteries, I feel like I should try them as well! *notes the book down* So happy it turned out to be better than you anticipated 🙂
So many people are raving about how awesome cozies are, I had to give it a go. You should definitely try one, and I hope you enjoy it!
I love the setting for this, and I’ve been in the mood for a cozy…tis the season 🙂
It is DEFINITELY the season, isn’t it?!
I love cozy mysteries and I really need to read more. The ones that deal with books in some way are always fun.
Oh, what an eclectic group of characters. This sounds like such a fun read and I do enjoy some snarky humor 🙂