Sentenced to Death (A Booktown Mystery) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

It was Founder's Day Weekend in Stoneham, New Hampshire and the only thing buzzing, aside from the ever present gossip, was a small plane overhead. Deborah Black, owner of the "Happy Domestic" with her husband David, was the "architect of the celebration" and was poised to give her speech in the center gazebo. Meanwhile, the gossip was flowing as Tricia Miles held Deb's son Davey's hand and tried to ditch Russ Smith, her one time lover. Tricia was the owner of one of the ten book stores in town, "Haven't Got a Clue," and the only mystery to her was why some people didn't get the hint they weren't wanted. Russ was the editor of the "Stoneham Weekly News" and unbeknownst to him was going to get more than just a little blurb on a small town celebration. No sooner had Elizabeth Crane retrieved her grandson from Tricia, everyone saw the "small aircraft plummeting to Earth."

The screams began as the plane crashed into the gazebo and a sense of disbelief washed over the residents of Stoneham. Ginny Wilson, one of Tricia's employees looked at the carnage and exclaimed, "I just can't believe it." It wasn't all that long ago that Jim Roth, along with his store, "History Repeats Itself," was "blown to smithereens." Tricia was totally shocked at this turn of events because Deborah was one of her first friends when she came to Stoneham. Tricia's sister, Angelica, decided to be an insensitive clod and declared, "And what a way to go, squashed like a bug." After a sincere apology, Tricia began to think about Deborah's appalling death. Monty Capshaw, the pilot, might have encountered a problem, but seriously "what kind of idiot of a pilot lets his plan run out of gas?" Things were starting to brew again in Stoneham and this time it wasn't at the Coffee Bean.

Captain Grant Baker, Mr. "I wouldn't be at liberty to say," wasn't spilling the beans to Tricia about the "accident," but it was easy to see that things weren't on the up and up with David Black. Practically before his wife's corpse was cold he'd accepted an offer from Nigela Racita Associates for the "Happy Domestic." The dirt in the small village of Stoneham was surfacing faster that a spade could turn it and Tricia was becoming mighty suspicious about the plane crash. Was it really an accident? She decided to ask some of her own questions and the easiest way was to start a trust fund for Davey and do the collecting herself. Tricia was in for a surprise when Alexa Kozlov claimed that Deborah "was not our favorite person." Huh? Things began to be a bit more threatening, but she didn't think much about it until Angelica warned her, "With all the bodies you've found in this town, I'd think you'd be a little more concerned." When another corpse showed up Tricia had to rethink her strategy. "I'm sorry to ask, but we'd like you to come inside and make an identification . . ."

Stoneham, New Hampshire's "village jinx," Tricia Miles, is poised to solve yet another mystery. One thing about the Booktown Mysteries series is you never know what is going to happen next or who is going to meet their maker in an unusually bizarre fashion. I do have to admit I love a good whodunit that keeps me burning the midnight oil, but am equally fond of a good solid mystery that I can look forward to savoring, one chapter at a time. "Sentenced to Death" just happens to be one of those. Stoneham, a town fans of the Booktown series have fallen in love with, is a town that has residents pushing up daisies, dandelions, dahlias, and delphiniums in a devilishly delightful manner. Just when you think nothing more can go wrong in Stoneham, there always manages to be a few more characters that are "crazy-nutso-bananas" making their appearance on the scene. It looks like we'll be seeing more of Tricia Miles in yet another upcoming mystery!

This book (ARC) courtesy of the author.

Tricia Mills, the owner of Haven't Got a Clue mystery bookstore in Stoneham, New Hampshire is excited along with the rest of the small New England town for the big Founder's Day Celebration. But, as Tricia watches on, her good friend Deborah Black is struck by a small plane as it crashes into the gazebo where she is speaking and kills her and the pilot. She and everyone else in town is stunned! The Sheriff's Department is convinced it is an accident. Deborah's husband's behavior is more than unusual and Tricia is sure there is more to this mystery, and what she finds is far worse than she ever could have thought.
My favorite aspect of Lorna Barrett's writing is that she is so descriptive. Her character's come to life and I could picture the townspeople and Tricia vividly. And even though this is the fifth book in the series--it was my introduction to Barrett's Booktown series--I did not feel lost and the book's plot was fantastic. I will definitely be reading up on her other cozy mysteries!

Reviewed by Catherine Peterson for Suspense Magazine

First, I am a fan of Ms. Barrett's writing but she is not a personal friend and I have never met her. The copy that I read was furnished through my local library who orders this series at my request. I would have bought the book myself if it were not available at the library.

I won't bore you with yet another plot summary. I've read all the books in this series and believe this is the best one yet! The story finds Tricia in a reflective mood as she considers where she is in her life (lonely) and contemplates her future. As always, there's a good mystery to be solved as well. Even if you haven't read the previous editions, I think you will be able to follow this book fairly easily.

I would have given Sentenced to Death five stars except for the overly repetitive line - Miss Marple said "Yow". If the cat is going to talk, please expand her vocabulary. Otherwise, I highly recommend this mystery to "cozy" readers.

The book also contains a preview of the next Victorian Square Mystery, The Walled Flower, featuring Katie Bonner. It promises to be another good read!