Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett

Murder is Binding
Lorna Barrett
Berkley
288 pages

"I'll tell you, Trish, we're all victims."
~ First sentence, Murder is Binding ~

When she moved to Stoneham, city slicker Tricia Miles met nothing but friendly faces. And when she opened her mystery bookstore, she met friendly competition. But when she finds Doris Gleason dead in her own cookbook store, killed by a carving knife, the atmosphere seems more cutthroat than cordial. Someone wanted to get their hands on the rare cookbook that Doris had recently purchased-and the locals think that someone is Tricia. To clear her name, Tricia will have to take a page out of one of her own mysteries-and hunt down someone who isn't killing by the book.

This was a very entertaining book. I instantly liked the main character, Tricia Miles, as she's living out my dream ~ owning a book store in small town, sharing her life with good friends and a wonderful cat. Tricia has been accused of murdering Doris by the town sheriff who isn't interested investigating any other suspects as she has her own motives for wanting Tricia behind bars. While Tricia is busy spending her time proving she didn't commit the murder she also helps out a woman who is sure to become a good friend in later books and forms a better relationship with her older, somewhat self-involved sister. There are also side stories along the way that provide clever ways to hide clues. I'm not one to try and figure out whodunit. I purely read cozy mysteries for the fun of it though I did manage to get this one. The mystery of the pamphlets being left in books throughout Stoneham was funny and how they got even more so. I should have seen it but didn't. This is very good start to a new series and I'd happily spend time in Stoneham Village again.