The Writing on the Wall

Secrets of Mary's Bookshop #4

by Elizabeth Mattox

When Mary and her sister Betty visit the Ivy Bay lighthouse with their friend Henry, Mary stumbles upon a crude map drawn on the wall. Henry wonders if it might be connected to his ancestor David, who was accused of stealing a large sum of money and a precious family heirloom. Mary decides to investigate, but solving a crime committed almost a century ago isn’t easy, and a surprising number of people don’t want her to succeed. With so many obstacles blocking her way, can she discover what really happened with Henry’s ancestor? And where are the money and sapphire ring that went missing all those years ago? Even more important, can she find these treasures before anyone else does?

Genres: Mystery, Christian Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Christian

273 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Elizabeth Mattox was born and raised in New York but spent every summer of her childhood on Cape Cod, just like Mary herself. She is a mom to two adorable seven-year-olds who keep her on her toes at all times. And when she has time, she is also an avid reader, who, like Mary, loves nothing more than getting lost in a good mystery.

Reviews

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 3 out of 5]

About this book:

“When Mary and her sister Betty visit the Ivy Bay lighthouse with their friend Henry, Mary stumbles upon a crude map drawn on the wall. Henry wonders if it might be connected to his ancestor David, who was accused of stealing a large sum of money and a precious family heirloom. Mary decides to investigate, but solving a crime committed almost a century ago isn’t easy, and a surprising number of people don’t want her to succeed. With so many obstacles blocking her way, can she discover what really happened with Henry’s ancestor? And where are the money and sapphire ring that went missing all those years ago? Even more important, can she find these treasures before anyone else does?”


Series: Book #4 in the “Secrets of Mary’s Bookshop” series. Review of Book #1 Here!, #2 Here!, and #3 Here!


Spiritual Content- A Scripture is written at the end of the book; Prayers & Blessings over food; A Prayer meeting; Church going & sermons; Talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Many mentions of God; Many mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Many mentions of churches, church going, ministers, choirs, & hymns; Mentions of talks about God & forgiveness; Mentions of thanking God; Mentions of prayers, praying, prayer groups, & blessings over food; Mentions of faiths; Mentions of blessings & being blessed; Mentions of confessing to a minister; A few mentions of sins; A couple mentions of Scriptures; A couple mentions of books of the Bible; A couple mentions of stained glass of those from the Bible; A couple mentions of Sunday school; A mention of a Christmas Eve service; A mention of a Christian radio station.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘darn’; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); A bit of eye rolling; Nearly all about mentions of crimes, criminals/thieves, stealing, stolen items, thefts, & arrests; Mentions of deaths, a fire, & an arsonist; Mentions of pain; Mentions of tobacco & an illegal arms-trading business; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of a pre-teen’s attitude & eye rolls; A few mentions of drinking & the Prohibition; A couple mentions of shoplifting; A couple mentions of graffiti; A couple mentions of nightmares;
*Note: A mention of Star Wars; A mention of a TV show (CSI).


Sexual Content- A few touches (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of proms, dates, a breakup, & boyfriend;
*Note: A mention of a cat butting it’s owner’s arm.

-Mary Fisher, age 62
P.O.V. of Mary
272 pages

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Two Stars (and a half)
Older High School Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
My personal Rating- Three Stars
While I wasn’t completely interested in the mystery, I still followed along with the story. I did really enjoy all the faith content and seeing more of Mary’s family.


Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...


*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary find a crude map drawn on the wall of the lighthouse and wonders if it could be the place that David her friends ancestor, hid the money and a ring he had taken years ago. Going through old records all over town and finding out people don’t want her investigating is frustrating. Mary also has her granddaughters visiting and is getting the cold shoulder after criticizing her granddaughters writing.

[Ken Bickley · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the depressing "Letters from the Dust Bowl", I felt the need of a lighter book. This is one of Bonnie's Guideposts mysteries, and while it isn't "great literature" it certainly is a fun little novel. These are not murder mysteries. They're just stories of ordinary people solving puzzles, in this case a ninety-year-old case of a young man who ran away after being blamed for a robbery. I enjoyed it immensely, and read it in a day.

[April Suter · Rating 4 out of 5]

#4--Mary has a new mystery to solve in Agatha Christie style. Henry has a family story that involves a lighthouse, a church, money and a missing ring. Mary's daughter and children spend the week while Mary researches clues.

272 pages

[Kristie]

Loved the story, the characters and this little seaside town

[Jacquie Stricklind · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary and her sister Betty, and Henry go visit the Ivy Bay lighthouse while there Mary finds a map drawn on a wall. Henry tells Mary about his ancestor, David, who was accused of stealing a large sum of money and a ring that was a family heirloom. Mary decides to help Henry find out more about David and find the missing ring. While doing this she asks the chief of police for information about the theft and he tells he doesn't have any information, and is suddenly avoiding her. What is his secret? Also, the pastor, Reverend Allen will not let Mary see notes that Reverend Morgan had about David's visit to him before he disappeared. Why does he not want her to see the notes? Also, Mary's daughter and grandchildren come for a visit, and her granddaughter Emma helps find something that might her with finding the answers she seeks. A real good book! Read it to find out if they find out what David did and where the money and ring are. Enjoy!

[Linda Klinedinst · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.....I dearly love this Series. It is so good. You can buy all of the Books in this Series from Guidepost. I have been getting mine through the Evergreen Library System and have the books delivered to my local library.

Book #5 is still on hold yet which is called "By Word Of Mouth" by Diane Noble. I am still waiting on this one to come in.

I really don't want to read Book #6 until I have Read Book #5.

I highly recommend this Series - it is a clean Mystery Series called "Secrets Of Mary's Mystery Bookshop".

Happy Reading

[Ramona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary and the people of Ivy Bay are entertaining. The many mysteries that come about and are solved are unique and varied. I enjoy the supporting characters, the setting, the mysteries, the recipes that are shared, of Mary and Betty. We see the changes in their lives, and the relationships they have with family and friends. As Mary and her sister speak of their faith, and their prayers are often quoted in the story, there is no profanity or immorality, that I have found so far, I would consider this Christian fiction. It can be read by anyone of any age, for that reason.

[Loraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read cozy mystery from a Guideposts series. This series all involves mysteries without a murder. This time Mary is trying to help her friend Henry located missing money and a family ring that an ancestor left behind with only a map on the local lighthouse as a clue. This series is clean and enjoyable and reminds me of an adult version of Nancy Drew but with a nice spiritual thread throughout.

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

From beginning to end you are captivated by the mystery of the map, the missing ring and David. If that isn't enough for you, there is the mystery of the police chief lying, the door slamming lady and the reverend being so rude.(is it be mean to Mary day?) I like the shy looks and casual touches between Henry and Mary and I'm anxious to see if there is a romance brewing between them.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall this is a fantastic series! The characters are quirky and fun, and relatable. I really enjoy reading book series that are light, funny, and share much needed lessons. Set in an idyllic setting, I can picture it clearly due to the all the details provided. All of the books in the series hold my attention - I don't want to put them down until I know how the mystery ends!

[Tracy David · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as this saddens me, I am bored with this series. I cannot waste anymore time reading these books. I thought it would be great...mystery bookshop..but boring mysteries...and takes forever to figure out what they are doing..character development slow...😓😓😓 I bought the whole series too. Guideposts series...I either love them or bored ...😓

[Judine Brey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary's serendipitous discovery of a map drawn on a lighthouse wall was a great starting point for a search for hidden treasure. The link to her friend Henry's family heirloom ring raised the stakes appropriately. While Mary's research takes the usual twists and turns, I love that it took her 12-year-old granddaughter to point out a change in the landscape.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book/#4 was grrreat! The storyline was fast paced....The pages "flew by" and when I finally put the book down, it was dark outside and past my bedtime. Then it happened -- I'm in bed. wide awake replaying the story! Good thing I'm retired and can sleep in.

[Paul Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary, Betty and the Ivy Bay gang are back for another great adventure, er mystery. This mystery involves a treasure map, lost history and some added family dynamics with the next generation.

What a fun little read.

[Jeanette Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good mystery without murder. Loved this easy read-family and friends work together to find an answer to an old cold case. Money stolen, a family heirloom lost...what happened? A map that leads no where, a hostile clergy, a police officer hiding the truth...Will this mystery be solved??

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cozy mystery - no blood, no gore. A pleasant read.

[Lori Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

love this series. Each book is a new mystery to solve. This one was quite intriguing since it was a decades old mystery.

[Kathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book in this series. It keeps you interested all the way through as they keep finding clues and explaining why things are happening.

[Anita Williams]

Great book.

[Hannah Barnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so captivating!!

[Tami · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one picked up towards the end.

[Alexiah Neal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love how the Book series is written by all types of different authors

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

My FAVORITE out of all the books in the series. Henry and Mary are so cute in this book!!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very light easy read book. I think this would be considered a cozy mystery. There wasn't any romance, which was sad for me. I love romantic suspense, so this one was a little lacking for me.

The main character was a little unrealistic to me. It seemed she was just a bit too perfect. I had a hard time relating and connecting with her. I think for me the other thing that made it hard was that she was probably 20+ years older than me. There is nothing at all wrong with that type of character, but it made it hard for me to relate.

It was a good read and for those looking for a cozy mystery don't shy away from it.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is from the Secrets of Mary's Bookshop series. All these books are light reading and very enjoyable. They are about Mary who lives with her sister Betty and owns a Mystery Book Store. She is quiet the sleuth.

In this book Mary, Betty and their friend Henry visit the Ivy Bay Lighthouse and come across a map drawn on a wall. The mystery is-did David, and ancestor of Henry's, leave the map there and why? David was accused of stealing a large some of money and a family heirloom. Can she find out what really happened, clear David's name and find the treasure in spite of the roadblocks placed in front of her and the less than cooperative residents of Ivy Bay.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another relaxing, wonderful book. Enjoyed it and looking forward to reading more. Love that these books encourage my faith that God is involved in all aspects of our lives.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anothy fun mystery mystery for Mary to solve

[Bess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm finding that this series is not as well-written or engaging as the Patchwork Mysteries, but still quite enjoyable! (I would have gone 3 1/2 stars if the option had presented itself.)

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This takes place in September. The mystery was fun. The small, seaside town was charming. The food, especially the ice cream, sounded delicious. The characters were okay.