Buried In A Good Book
Bestselling thriller writer Tess Harrow is almost at the end of her rope when she arrives with her teenage daughter at her grandfather’s rustic cabin in the woods. She hopes this will be a time for them to heal and bond after Tess’s recent divorce, but they’ve barely made it through the door when an explosion shakes the cabin. Suddenly it’s raining fish guts, and…is that a human arm?
Tess was hardly convincing Gertie that summer without Wi-Fi, and running water would be an adventure. Now she’s thrust into a murder investigation, neighbors are saying they’ve spotted Bigfoot in the woods near her cabin, and the local sheriff is the spitting image of her character Detective Gabriel Gonzales, something he’s less than thrilled about. With so much more than her daughter’s summer plans at stake, it’s up to Tess to solve this case before anyone else gets hurt.
The Details
Series: By the Book Mysteries – Book #1
Author: Tamara Berry
Genre/Category: Cozy – Author/Amateur Sleuth
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
ISBN: 1728248604
Page Count: 336
Rating: 
The Review
A delightful start to the new “By the Book Mysteries” series, Buried In A Good Book will thrill readers from start to finish! Tess Harrow is a woman after my own heart. I love her sarcastic attitude, how she treats her daughter and her imagination. Of course, spending a summer in a rustic cabin in the woods with no electricity or Internet/cell service and finding a body is not for the faint of heart. But add in the bigfoot sightings for humor, and you have a cozy made-in-heaven.
When Tess and her teenage daughter, Gertie, arrive at the cabin in the woods, they are met with explosions and body parts raining down on their heads. The police roll in, and out steps the sheriff, a man who looks exactly like Tess’ main character in the novels she writes. Before long, she is “helping” the sheriff track down the killer, and for some strange reason, bigfoot is smack in the middle of everything. Suspects are limited to a few people, no real motive can be found, which perplexes her and the sheriff, and the evidence is hard to fit together.
The characters throughout this book give readers a reason to smile, laugh and worry. There is at least one character that a reader will find something in common with, and another they will want to murder or call their best friend. Evidence is everywhere, and nowhere, rumors fly, primarily because of Tess’ overactive imagination. Tess’ cabin, which belonged to her grandfather, makes me want to spend time in the woods. The bigfoot sightings at first do not seem important, but as the story moves along, you realize they are integral to the plot.
The ending of Buried In A Good Book and the killer’s reveal will have readers jumping with elation. The cabin is adorable, the bigfoot angle is original, and the plot is fascinating. Tess has quarks that endear her, especially to fiction writers and readers. Gertie is a kid I could spend time with; she is intelligent, funny, and very much like her mother with a head for a murder investigation. I can’t wait to read more of Tess and Gertie’s adventures!
The Author
Tamara began her writing career in 2012 as romance author Tamara Morgan. Since then, she has expanded to include cozy mysteries (Tamara Berry) and puppy-themed romantic comedies (Lucy Gilmore). Her books are fun, lighthearted, and always come with a guaranteed HEA.
Tamara graduated from Eastern Washington University with an English degree, where she learned about very important literature and also that she vastly prefers to read about love and murder. She lives in Washington state with her family and far more pets than any of them need.
More books from Tamara Berry readers will enjoy are Curses Are for Cads and Hypnosis Is For Hacks from the “An Eleanor Wilde Mystery” series.
Represented by: Handspun Literary
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