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Well Read, Then Dead
(A Read 'Em and Eat Mystery #1)
by
First in a new series!
Nestled in the barrier islands of Florida’s Gulf Coast, Fort Myers Beach is home to Mary “Sassy” Cabot and Bridget Mayfield—owners of the bookstore café, Read ’Em and Eat. But when they’re not dishing about books or serving up scones, Sassy and Bridgy are keeping tabs on hard-boiled murder.
Read ’Em and Eat is known for its delicious breakfast and lun ...more
Nestled in the barrier islands of Florida’s Gulf Coast, Fort Myers Beach is home to Mary “Sassy” Cabot and Bridget Mayfield—owners of the bookstore café, Read ’Em and Eat. But when they’re not dishing about books or serving up scones, Sassy and Bridgy are keeping tabs on hard-boiled murder.
Read ’Em and Eat is known for its delicious breakfast and lun ...more
Paperback, 298 pages
Published
August 5th 2014
by Berkley
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Start your review of Well Read, Then Dead (A Read 'Em and Eat Mystery, #1)

I love reading brand new cozy series. I feel like I’m getting in on the ground floor and meeting new “friends”. The characters in this one were so easy for me to get to know and I already adore them.
First, the setting is a bookstore café in Florida - so it immediately won me over. Sassy, along with her best friend, Bridget, are the owners of the “Read ‘Em and Eat” café. Sassy loves the bookstore side, while Bridget is all about the café part. Each table is decorated with a specific author theme ...more
First, the setting is a bookstore café in Florida - so it immediately won me over. Sassy, along with her best friend, Bridget, are the owners of the “Read ‘Em and Eat” café. Sassy loves the bookstore side, while Bridget is all about the café part. Each table is decorated with a specific author theme ...more

Nestled in the barrier islands of Florida’s Gulf Coast, Fort Myers Beach is home to Mary “Sassy” Cabot and Bridget Mayfield—owners of the bookstore café, Read ’Em and Eat. But when they’re not dishing about books or serving up scones, Sassy and Bridgy are keeping tabs on hard-boiled murder.
Includes a buttermilk pie recipe!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
The Read ‘Em and Eat sounds like a perfect escape if you ask me. Delicious food served at tables named for famous authors with author and book trivia encased ...more
Includes a buttermilk pie recipe!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
The Read ‘Em and Eat sounds like a perfect escape if you ask me. Delicious food served at tables named for famous authors with author and book trivia encased ...more

Every character in this debut cozy mystery are so quirky and charming well except maybe the killer but that's another tale for another day. Read 'Em and Eat is a quaint little bookstore/cafe run by Florida's own, Sassy Cabot and Bridget Mayfield. The bookstore being a dream of Sassy's and and the cafe being a dream of Bridget's. The book meetings are in full swing at Read 'Em and Eat and many Florida's resident book lovers attend. Delia Baton is a regular of the meetings along with her best frie
...more

This sounds like my kind of place that mixes books and food? And that cover. Love it!
In this, you got not only a book club, but a bookish theme restaurant and a library. Add a bookstore to the mix and we're set. Unless I missed it but other than that, there you go.
Anyway what haven't I said about cozies that have a bookish theme to them? A new series that of course have heard nothing about.
I can see potential with some of the characters and like that while there isn't a hint of a romance, exactl ...more
In this, you got not only a book club, but a bookish theme restaurant and a library. Add a bookstore to the mix and we're set. Unless I missed it but other than that, there you go.
Anyway what haven't I said about cozies that have a bookish theme to them? A new series that of course have heard nothing about.
I can see potential with some of the characters and like that while there isn't a hint of a romance, exactl ...more

http://openbooksociety.com/article/we...
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie
*Beware of Spoilers*
This is a great book! I truly enjoyed this first novel in the new cozy series, A Read ‘Em and Eat Mystery! Kudos to Terrie Farley Moran on her first full-length novel, who has proven her writing skills with short stories and wows everyone with this offering.
First, I really like the concept – a bookstore and cafe combined into one place, the Read ‘Em and Eat. Served up in unique style are a variety of ...more
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie
*Beware of Spoilers*
This is a great book! I truly enjoyed this first novel in the new cozy series, A Read ‘Em and Eat Mystery! Kudos to Terrie Farley Moran on her first full-length novel, who has proven her writing skills with short stories and wows everyone with this offering.
First, I really like the concept – a bookstore and cafe combined into one place, the Read ‘Em and Eat. Served up in unique style are a variety of ...more

This was a good one! Can't wait to read the next.
...more

Terrie Farley Moran strikes just the right note with her debut mystery, Well Read, Then Dead. Set in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, the author evokes all the history, beauty and charm of southwest Florida with her knowledge of the area, her research, and her use of local color. The tourist area with its secrets and past comes alive on her pages.
When best friends Sassy Cabot and Bridget "Bridgy" Mayfield left Connecticut behind, they moved to Florida, where they combined their dreams, opening a books ...more
When best friends Sassy Cabot and Bridget "Bridgy" Mayfield left Connecticut behind, they moved to Florida, where they combined their dreams, opening a books ...more

"Well Read, Then Dead" by Terrie Farley Moran.
Characters:
Read 'Em and Eat Café -known for it's food but most of all it's books and The Books Before Breakfast club.
Sassy-Co-owner of the Cafe and BFF with Bridgy.
Bridgy-co-owner with Sassy her BFF.
Miss Augusta-member of the book club with Miss Delia Batson and frequent customer at the café.
Miss Delia Batson-cousin to Miss Augusta and member of the book club.
Miguel-cook at the Café.
Ophrie-Bridgy's Aunt Ophelia and excellent (but messy) cook while M ...more
Characters:
Read 'Em and Eat Café -known for it's food but most of all it's books and The Books Before Breakfast club.
Sassy-Co-owner of the Cafe and BFF with Bridgy.
Bridgy-co-owner with Sassy her BFF.
Miss Augusta-member of the book club with Miss Delia Batson and frequent customer at the café.
Miss Delia Batson-cousin to Miss Augusta and member of the book club.
Miguel-cook at the Café.
Ophrie-Bridgy's Aunt Ophelia and excellent (but messy) cook while M ...more

Well Read, Then Dead is the first book in the A read 'Em and Eat Mystery series.
Business is going good for Sassy and Bridgy at the Read 'Em and Eat café on Fort Myers Beach. But things are about to change, Carlos their chef, slips in the kitchen and breaks his leg. The next morning, thru the magic of the internet, Aunt Ophie comes flying thru the door laden with grocery bags, ready to take over the kitchen. Truth be told, she'd probably like to take over everything at the café. Two of Sassy favo ...more
Business is going good for Sassy and Bridgy at the Read 'Em and Eat café on Fort Myers Beach. But things are about to change, Carlos their chef, slips in the kitchen and breaks his leg. The next morning, thru the magic of the internet, Aunt Ophie comes flying thru the door laden with grocery bags, ready to take over the kitchen. Truth be told, she'd probably like to take over everything at the café. Two of Sassy favo ...more

Mar 02, 2014
Chatting About
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
cozy-mystery
4-1/2 Stars! Welcome to the beauty of Fort Meyers, FL, and the Read 'Em and Eat Cafe and Book Corner. Best friends, Sassy Cabot and Bridgy Mayfield co-own the business. The ambiance beckons as great food is prepared and served, and interesting book club groups meet at the cafe. Two cousins, Augustus Maddox and Delia Batson, actively participate at the book club meets. They talk about how they own family land that pirate treasure could be buried on. When Chef Miguel falls and breaks his leg, it's
...more

I reviewed this book over at Criminal Element, so see that for my full review. Basically, this is an excellent debut of a cozy mystery series. As with most first-in-series books, it has a lot of backstory, but that is the only negative thing I can say. The characters were fun and interesting and fully fleshed out and the mystery was intriguing. The setting is a character in and of itself, and not to be dismissed. Get this one for sure!
...more

One of my top three favorite new mystery series of 2014!
I have never read the first book of a series and the first published book for an author and been this blown away.
Any time a book grabs me on the first page and won’t let go, I know I am in for some of the best reading time I have ever spent. WELL READ, THEN DEAD, did that and more. I so enjoyed the book, I found myself smiling while reading and the real world around me fading away.
The characters and settings mix wonderfully and draw the ...more
I have never read the first book of a series and the first published book for an author and been this blown away.
Any time a book grabs me on the first page and won’t let go, I know I am in for some of the best reading time I have ever spent. WELL READ, THEN DEAD, did that and more. I so enjoyed the book, I found myself smiling while reading and the real world around me fading away.
The characters and settings mix wonderfully and draw the ...more

If I were going to teach a course on how to write a cozy, I would chose this one as guide! First of the setting is the Fort Meyers Beach close to the barrier islands of Florida. Already the reader wants to go to sandy beaches, see the wildlife and feel the ocean breezes. This book really made me want to go back to Florida.
It is easy to remember the characters, the main character Mary Sassafras “Sassy” Cabot and Bridget “Bridgy” Mayfield share ownership of the Read Em and Eat café and bookstore. ...more
It is easy to remember the characters, the main character Mary Sassafras “Sassy” Cabot and Bridget “Bridgy” Mayfield share ownership of the Read Em and Eat café and bookstore. ...more

I have so many series that I read that when a new one is released, the 1st thing I ask myself is, do I need to add another to my list? In the case of Well Read, Then Dead, the answer is a resounding YES.
I had been waiting for this one to be released and available at my library and I wasn't disappointed when I finally read it! Well Read, Then Dead centers around a small breakfast/lunch cafe called Read ’Em and Eat in the Fort Meyers beach area of Florida. Unique to this particular cafe is that i ...more
I had been waiting for this one to be released and available at my library and I wasn't disappointed when I finally read it! Well Read, Then Dead centers around a small breakfast/lunch cafe called Read ’Em and Eat in the Fort Meyers beach area of Florida. Unique to this particular cafe is that i ...more

First in a new series that combines several of my favorite things - food and books! Sassy & Bridgey are best friends that opened this restaurant/book store and have turned it into a hit in this small FL town thanks to some of the residents and the snowbirds. They have several book clubs with a myriad of interesting attendees - and some nearly come to fisticuffs! Then Miss Delia is found dead and her friend Augusta knows she was murdered...so it is Sassy & Bridge on the case.
I think this is the f ...more
I think this is the f ...more

What a great new mystery series! The story is set in Fort Myers Beach, Florida and has an interesting crop of retirees, snow birds, shop keepers, treasure hunters, and eccentric locals. Among them are the owners of the Read It and Eat, a breakfast & lunch cafe/bookstore. Bridgy and Sassy are best friends who leave NYC to pursue their dreams in sunny Florida. Their cafe is a hit, as are their various book clubs, and they enjoy coming up with literary dishes to serve to their customers. One fatefu
...more

Star rating: 2 Stars
When one of her prominent book club members is murdered, Sassy gets conscripted by the deceased's best friend to help catch the killer. Little does Sassy know she's putting her life and the lives of her best friends in jeopardy to try and find the murderer of Delia Batson.
In the beginning, this novel was an enjoyable and light read but, the farther along I got the more the writing started to unravel. Fifty percent of the way through it on my Kindle and no real progress has be ...more
When one of her prominent book club members is murdered, Sassy gets conscripted by the deceased's best friend to help catch the killer. Little does Sassy know she's putting her life and the lives of her best friends in jeopardy to try and find the murderer of Delia Batson.
In the beginning, this novel was an enjoyable and light read but, the farther along I got the more the writing started to unravel. Fifty percent of the way through it on my Kindle and no real progress has be ...more

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which is the first in a new series. I love the main characters, Sassy and Bridgy, and the rest of the supporting cast--I even grew to like Aunt Ophie. The book has everything I like in a cozy mystery...books, food, a little local history, and a murder. I know I would enjoy visiting the Reading 'Em and Eat Cafe! I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
...more

I read Well Read, Then Dead with a smile on my face from start to finish. It is the perfect cozy, with appealing characters, a setting you want to visit, if not live inside, and, what I admired most, a crime that marries one of the seven deadly sins with local history. I can't wait to see what Sassy and Bridgey encounter in the next installment.
...more

Terrie Farley Moran pulled me into the world of Fort Myers Beach, Florida and didn't let me go. This is a wonderful cozy mystery for a day at the beach, the park or anywhere. Set in the Read 'Em and Eat Cafe, you not only get a great book but plenty of classic book club ideas as well. This is the first in a series and I cannot wait to see what Sassy and Bridgey get up to next!
...more

Originally from New York, Mary "Sassy" Cabot and Bridget "Bridgy" Mayfield flew south amid a cheating husband scandal and the relocation of a place of employment. Not looking back, the duo opened up a cafe/bookstore called Read 'Em and Eat in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. They have quite the following between the regulars and the tourists.
When a tourist in a bucket shaped hat comes to Read 'Em and Eat asking about Delia and Augusta, long time residents who are also cousins, and then Delia ends up ...more
When a tourist in a bucket shaped hat comes to Read 'Em and Eat asking about Delia and Augusta, long time residents who are also cousins, and then Delia ends up ...more

Review (and an interview with the author!) originally published at The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
Well Read, Then Dead was a delightful surprise. Of course I expected to enjoy a cozy mystery focused around a bookstore-cafe combo, but I didn't have an inkling how much I would like the characters - especially Sassy, Bridgy, and Aunt Ophie (who is a stitch!) Feisty old Augusta is also a favorite of mine, with her strong sense of justice and her habit of telling it like it is. The recurring supporting cha ...more
Well Read, Then Dead was a delightful surprise. Of course I expected to enjoy a cozy mystery focused around a bookstore-cafe combo, but I didn't have an inkling how much I would like the characters - especially Sassy, Bridgy, and Aunt Ophie (who is a stitch!) Feisty old Augusta is also a favorite of mine, with her strong sense of justice and her habit of telling it like it is. The recurring supporting cha ...more

A bookstore cafe, more cozy than a Barnes & Noble (sorry, I do love those stores), where the goodies and the good reads occupy the same space. And the tables are named after famous writers. And the co-owner's nickname is "Sassy", which fits her to a "tee". All these little extra touches of care by the author are very, very much appreciated! I LOVE IT!
The opening scene introduces us to many primary and secondary characters, and they are all well-'drawn'. The opinionated and intimidating pastor's ...more
The opening scene introduces us to many primary and secondary characters, and they are all well-'drawn'. The opinionated and intimidating pastor's ...more

I got a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange of an honest review.
3 1/2 Stars!
Sassy Cabot and Bridget Mayfield are two best friends who are also the owners of a bookstore cafe called Read 'Em and Eat. Things are going great for the two till their head chef has an accident, breaks his leg and is out for surgery. Out comes Bridget's aunt, a characters on her own Ophie who takes over the kitchen and basically makes it her own.
Read 'Em and Eat has an interesting set of clientele, includ ...more
3 1/2 Stars!
Sassy Cabot and Bridget Mayfield are two best friends who are also the owners of a bookstore cafe called Read 'Em and Eat. Things are going great for the two till their head chef has an accident, breaks his leg and is out for surgery. Out comes Bridget's aunt, a characters on her own Ophie who takes over the kitchen and basically makes it her own.
Read 'Em and Eat has an interesting set of clientele, includ ...more

Well Read, Then Dead is the first book in the Read 'Em and Eat Mystery series. Two friends from Brooklyn move to the barrier islands on Florida's Gulf Coast. They start up a bookstore café. The menu has items that are named with titles and items from books. The tables are named for authors. They serve great food, sell books and hold book club meeting at the café.
There is at times some contention between several people at the book club meeting while discussing books. Later a lovely elderly book c ...more
There is at times some contention between several people at the book club meeting while discussing books. Later a lovely elderly book c ...more
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Play Book Tag: Well Read, Then Dead by Terrie Farley Moran 3 stars | 1 | 12 | Oct 23, 2019 07:37AM |
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(3 books)
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“We ate in fret-filled silence until Ophie said, “Okay, enough of that feeling down in the dumps. We are going to put on our best clothes and go to church. We will sing. We will praise the Lord. We will celebrate Miss Delia’s life. So you two put a smile on your faces. Well-mannered ladies know that a funeral provides us the opportunity to comfort the living. There’ll be plenty of time to mourn the dead for years to come.” I”
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“I think Miss Delia is dancing in heaven knowing that her beloved cat is here with you, although she might think that green ribbon with yellow polka dots is too bold a color scheme for her sweet Bow.” The”
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