Tuesday, August 1, 2023

A Deadly Dedication - The Open Book Mysteries #4

 

A Deadly Dedication is the 4th Open Book cozy mystery by Margaret Loudon. Released 1st Aug 2023 by Penguin Random House on their Berkley imprint, it's 320 pages and is available in mass market paperback, audio, and ebook formats. t's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats. 

This is a nice bookstore cozy series with well written dialogue and a fun/quirky cast of characters including expat American writer-in-residence Penelope.  All the things readers love in shopfront cozies are present and accounted for, including the requisite feline, Mrs. Danvers. The violence is off-page and the language is clean and unobjectionable; nothing worse than "bloody" in the text. Spelling and vernacular are British standard English (torch, flat, crisps), but shouldn't pose any trouble for American readers in context.

The plot is self contained in this volume so it works well as a standalone. With four books extant in the series at this point, it would make a good candidate for a binge or buddy read. All the books are entertaining and engaging. The denouement and resolution were satisfying (if expected).

Four stars. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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