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MURDER IS BINDING
by Lorna Barrett
Berkley, April 2008
288 pages
$6.99
ISBN: 0425219585


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Bob Kelly, a real estate agent who owns most of the empty stores on Main Street in the dying town of Stoneham, New Hampshire decides to create a town of books a la Hay-on-Wye in Wales. His latest tenant is Tricia Miles, a former New York high-flyer who has decided to slow down and open a mystery book store selling used and rare books and current first editions.

Most of the dealers get along well together, except for Doris Gleason, the owner of the Cookbook Store, who was one of the first to open in Stoneham and is complaining that she cannot afford an increase in rent that she expect Kelly to ask for. Tricia stops by Doris' store that evening to drop off a pair of reading glasses that had been left on her counter. Doris shows her a rare cookery pamphlet that she has just purchased from a local picker, but can't wait for Tricia to leave.

Angelica Prescott, Tricia's sister has come to town. After dinner, Tricia and Angelica stop by the shop but Tricia finds the cookbook store open and the owner dead on the floor. The rest of the book consists of Tricia trying to find the murderer since she is the prime suspect.

This is a very ordinary cozy. It happens to be set in a town of books but the author obviously knows little or nothing about rare books. Angelica cooks several dinners for her sister and those recipes are included in the back of the book.

Even the author's information about Hay-on-Wye is not correct. The first 'town of books' was created by Richard Booth, now self-styled 'King Richard', the heir to the Booth gin fortune, and the landlord of the town. Hay was dying. The cinema had closed. Most of the shops were closing. The residents of town either bought their food at the weekly market or out of town. The only restaurant in town was a small café open for breakfast and lunch that served instant coffee unless you asked for fresh.

Booth bought whole libraries from all over the English-speaking world and put books in all the empty storefronts in 1961. By the time we got there, in 1982, it was still going strong. A few years later, however, he started renting shops to other booksellers. Now, he advises other towns how to follow the model and runs one of the most successful literary festivals in the world.

Read a biography of Richard Booth if you are interested in book selling. MURDER IS BINDING is just an ordinary cozy set it New Hampshire, complete with sibling rivalry and sleazy politicians.

Reviewed by Barbara Franchi, February 2008

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