Books to Blood: A Murder Mystery

by Harrie Blake

Murder brought them together, but coffee keeps them going.



When Greer Roberts discovers a body in the laneway behind her bookshop, she expects the police to handle it swiftly. What she doesn't expect is to find herself partnered with the new Inspector Alba Mauzer-who's as unimpressed with local politics as Greer is with early morning customers.



As Greer and Alba dig deeper into a web of dodgy dealings, they must navigate bureaucratic obstacles, interfering neighbours who treat murder investigations like dinner party entertainment, and a cat called Miles who is distinctly unimpressed by their investigative skills. But when someone tries to silence Greer permanently, she realises that solving the murder might be the only way to save her own life-and her beloved bookshop.



Inspector Mauzer uses mature language

386 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2021

Reviews

[Bill Ryan]

The waters of the fictional town of Lakes End run deep with small-town jealousy and gossip. Amidst the tranquil and idyllic setting, the murdered body of the local gift shop owner is found in front of the book shop.
Unraveling the crime takes interesting twists as you delve into ‘who’s being doing what to whom’ as the police investigator teams up with the book store owner.
The author applies a deft touch to the crime-mystery and the characters to make this ‘whodunnit’ a fun read. The eccentricity of the community of the quiet and scenic place is something we all dream of (at least I do anyway)!

[Edwina Yasso]

Loved it

This book is so good, I regret not reading it straight away, when I originally got it.

Thanks to COVID it meant I could read it.

What I loved is the characters background, in particular that the:

# main characters were strong, independent women;
# that older characters were entertaining with their relationships with each other; and with
# LGBTiQa+ characters that was more representative of a whole community.

I also loved that I was surprised with who done it as I was so engrossed in it, as I normally don’t read murder mystery’s.

[Crystal]

This was an interesting read. I love books that talk about books or are set in libraries/bookstores, so this was right up my alley! One of the first lines reminded me of my best friend and I: "People expect too much before the first cup of coffee" (1). SHE ISN'T WRONG! This cast of characters is entertaining to say the least. I'm not sure who was my favorite outside of the main character, Greer. Everyone had really good dialogue. For example, Alba's quote that said: "Should I get my notepad so I can take notes for when I discover bodies?" (82), or maybe Victoria with her statements of "...you aren't stupid enough to do it outside your own store" (51) and "I have information, you ridiculous human being" (116). There are so many other great examples so honestly you should just read it. I cared more about the characters and their ties to each other than the murder Greer is mixed up in. II was overall a good, light, and enjoyable read, which is rare for a book like this. It had the heaviness of the murder plot, don't get me wrong, but it was woven in a way that made sense and made you care about the characters involved. If I can't have a strong plot driven story, give me one that has strong characters any day. I would recommend this to most readers, and I'll definitely be looking for more by this author.

[Beth]

A fun read, loved the humour and the characters but the plot was the highlight - kept me guessing

[Sophie Szyl]

A well written and creative debut novel. Couldn’t put it down. Look forward to watching the creative development of this emerging author.