Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Murder on Tour (Mystery Bookshop) by V.M. Burns. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Murder on Tour (Mystery Bookshop)
by V.M. Burns
Murder on Tour (Mystery Bookshop)
Cozy Mystery
9th in Series
Setting – Michigan
Kensington Cozies (November 28, 2023)
Paperback : 256 pages
Bookstore owner and Michigander Samantha Washington is thrilled to see her debut historical mystery finally on the shelves, but a killer seems determined to steal away the spotlight . . .
While Sam wraps up her first whirlwind book tour, Nana Jo has kept Market Street Mysteries running smoothly. The last stop is a prestigious book festival in Sam’s hometown of North Harbor, Michigan. But not everyone thinks the guest of honor, bestselling author Judith Hunter, deserves stellar reviews. Sam witnesses nasty arguments between Judith and two different authors—who accuse her of plagiarism and sabotage . . .
When a publicist is poisoned during a cocktail reception, Sam wonders if the killer missed the intended target. It’s a twist that echoes the plot of Sam’s mystery, Murder at Wickfield Lodge. But fact can be stranger—and deadlier—than fiction. How much collateral damage is the killer willing to risk? With feisty Nana Jo and the girls from Shady Acres Retirement Village lending a hand, Sam tries to solve the case before the festival delivers another fatality . . .
My review of Murder on Tour
Murder on Tour by V.M. Burns is the ninth book in the Mystery Bookshop series, but like most cozy mystery books, you can enjoy it without having read the other books. This is the fourth book I’ve read in the series, and I completely enjoyed it. One of my favorite things about this series is that I get to read two cozy mystery books in one!
Samantha (Sam) Washington owns the Market Street Mysteries bookstore, and she’s a newly published author of the historical cozy mystery book, Murder at Wickfield Lodge. In Murder on Tour, Samantha is asked to join a book tour being held locally. She’s surprised, of course, since she’s a new author, and the others are best-selling, popular authors. When she finds out why she was invited, her happy bubble bursts. When a publicist is murdered at a cocktail reception, Sam finds herself smack dab in the middle of another murder investigation.
Sam’s grandma, Nana Jo and her friends from Shady Acres Retirement Village are ready to start snooping and phoning their contacts as soon as they hear about the murder. Ruby Mae, one of Nana Jo’s friends, is one of my favorite characters. She’s got an extensive number of contacts just because she’s got such an extremely large family. Someone in the family always knows someone who can get the information. I imagine just being in Ruby Mae’s company would calm me. I love how she’s always knitting for one of that huge network of family and family friends. Even if you’ve not read any of the series, you’ll be able to appreciate the characters and the roles they play. Some of the characters that I’ve grown fond of don’t appear much in this book, so I think you should go back and read some more!
I enjoyed how the mystery played out. Being an avid cozy mystery fan, I did figure things out pretty quickly, but I’ve solved a lot of crimes (you know, in books). The secondary story is Sam’s follow-up novel, so she works on it when she needs to escape the real world. The “real” mystery and the one in Sam’s new book mirror each other. I’m a huge fan of the British historical cozy, so I really liked reading about what was going on at the manor house. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that cozy mystery books are all fluff. Sure, there’s some fluff. We want to enjoy that cozy feeling that reading this type of book brings. In one scene, Nana Jo is giving Sam some good advice. She tells her that with all of the bad, messed up stuff going on in the real world, we need an “escape to maintain our sanity.” True, Nana Jo.
I highly recommend Murder on Tour! I think you’ll love the characters, the bookshop setting, and both of the cozy mysteries!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
About V.M. Burns
Valerie (V. M.) Burns is an Agatha, Anthony, Edgar, and Next Generation Award Finalist. She is the author of the Mystery Bookshop, Dog Club, RJ Franklin, and Baker Street Mystery series. Valerie is a member of Crime Writers of Color, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Dog Writers of America, and Thriller Writers International. Valerie has a Bachelor’s Degree from Northwestern University, a Master’s Degree in Business from the University of Notre Dame, and a Master of Fine Arts from Seton Hill University. In addition to writing, Valerie works as a manager at a call center, and is also a mentor in the Writing Popular Fiction MFA Program at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA. Born and raised in northwest Indiana, Valerie now lives in Northern Georgia with her two poodles.
Author Links
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/v-m-burns
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vmburnsbooks/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16534140.V_M_Burns
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vmburnsbooks/
Website: vmburns.com
Purchase Links
Amazon Apple Books-A-Million Barnes and Noble Bookshop.org Google Play Hudson Booksellers Target KOBO Walmart
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Murder on Tour TOUR PARTICIPANTS
November 28 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
November 28 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT
November 28 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR GUEST POST
November 28 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 29 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
November 29 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 29 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
November 29 – Island Confidential – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
November 30 – The Book Diva’s Reads – AUTHOR GUEST POST
November 30 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW
November 30 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
December 1 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
December 1 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
December 1 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT
December 2 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW
December 2 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – SPOTLIGHT
December 2 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
December 3 – My Reading Journeys – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 3 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
December 4 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW
December 4 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
December 4 – Nadaness In Motion – SPOTLIGHT
December 4 – Angel’s Book Nook – SPOTLIGHT
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Sounds like a great read.
What a lovely review…thanks so much!
You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping ☺️
I thoroughly enjoyed the review. This is just my favorite genre.