It’s supposed to be home sweet home, not home sweet horror.
Just when Poppy feels like life is getting back to normal, the universe decides to throw her another curveball when one of her neighbors is found dead in the lobby of her building. There are signs a serial killer might be at work, but the police refuse to entertain the idea—and Poppy refuses to let the killer get away with it.
Enlisting Ophelia’s help, the two of them set about finding the killer, and the case quickly turns into more than Poppy ever could have expected. And with Nick joining the investigation, Poppy is sure the three of them are going to get to the bottom of this.
But soon, strange things start happening, and Poppy realizes this case might not be what she initially thought. Is she going to hit a home run and find the killer, or is she about to get struck out?
This book has a fantastical story line that is just not interesting. The main character, Poppy, is the same and unfortunately the author is enthralled with this milk toast personality she spends way too much time developing her. Throw in a heavy dose of weird goody-two-shoe personality and you end up with a terrible read.
This is actually a 3.8 or so for a rating because I had fun but I had issues with it. I will say, the story moves well and the world of Poppy is good but there was a teeny bit too much repetition in it for me (however, I read the series back to back so I may have gotten things a little muddled). The main problem I had is it appears Ms. Webb got lazy or had an underling do the bulk of the writing. It is all small details but in a mystery where we are supposed to pick up on details, it gets annoying at times.
Example: Poppy gets robbed in the first book where her (now ex) friend and roommate stole an idea of Poppy's and sells it as her own and gets a book deal out of it. A 3 book deal! Poppy rallies and pitches another of her ideas and also gets a book deal (for 1 book). There is an ongoing discussion in the first two books about the competition between the two and Juliette lords it over Poppy how Juliette got the deal first, got a 3 book deal, Poppy is jealous and Juliette didn't do one thing wrong using Poppy's idea without permission. Suddenly in this 3rd book, POPPY has a 3 book deal. Where did THAT come from? Especially since so much was made of the situation in the first two books! Also, in this book, a main "off screen" character, Abbie, is often cited to be a senior at Stanford who is going to graduate in a couple of months (a misogynous jerk is trying to put Abbie down to Poppy and Ophelia saying Abbie will never make it through school or in the working world. Abbie being close to graduation is brought up AND underscored). Suddenly, in Chapter 19, while interviewing a possible suspect, it is stated that Abbie is a freshman. Again, a small error but annoying.
So settle in to have fun with this book/series but keep your mental eye roll at the ready. __________________________________
A practical "real world" note: It is mentioned in other reviews that the review wishes this book has an audiobook version. It does but things are messed up at this moment (Aug 21st 2023). If one goes on Audible, this volume is NOT available for purchase. HOWEVER if one goes to Amazon, the audiobook can be purchased along with the Kindle and paper copies. I don't understand how that could be but I listened to this book via Audible but I don't recall how I acquired it.
Poppy Perkins dreams of becoming a recognized author of fiction in “Booked for Murder,” the first of three books in Jasmine Webb’s Poppy Perkins Mystery Series. Unfortunately, Poppy’s inspirations have cost her the respect and care of her mother, a high-powered attorney, who wants her family to be recognized for their legal and political ambitions. As a result, Poppy’s relationship with her mother remains strained, but she finds familial support in her social family, which grows with each of the three novels. In order to support herself, Poppy works in a San Francisco donut shop. In “Booked for Murder, the first in the series, a famous high-tech mogul drops dead in the shop. Poppy immediately becomes the prime suspect because of a viral video of a verbal altercation she has had with the victim. When she seeks the help of Ophelia, an investigator, Poppy does not anticipate the path her life will take. The trials and tribulations of Poppy’s life as a struggling artist takes another turn in “Read between the Lies,” the second book in the series. When she meets with her agent, she discovers that her best friend has received a book contract based on Poppy’s ideas. Poppy is mortified, but she comes up with another idea that she presents to her assigned editor. When she meets with her editor for the first time, Poppy is again center-stage in a murder investigation. This time, she becomes determined to help find the culprit responsible for Ellie’s death. Writers, however, will find the third book in the series, “On the Slayed Paper,” to be the strongest of the mysteries. Poppy’s creative approach to solving mysteries while learning the ins-and-outs of the publishing world makes this a book for aspiring authors. While trying to solve the murder of a tenant in her building, Poppy, and the characters in Jasmine Webb’s novels, continue to grow. In this evenly-paced narrative, Poppy’s relationships continue to develop, and the reader will find it difficult to put down this book before it comes to its conclusion. One can only wonder what adversaries Poppy will face in “Put Pen to Perpetrator” in the next anticipated adventure.
3.75 stars On the Slayed Page is the third book in the Poppy Perkins mystery series by Jasmine Webb. I thoroughly enjoy this smart, unique, full-bodied cozy mystery series. This series is not your typical cozy mystery. These stories add so much more to the plot than an amateur investigative mystery alone.
This mystery has clever, strong characters, well-thought out sleuthing, wise life advice, and thought-provoking commentary on topics of focus in the story. There are compelling subplots within the main mystery that add to the plot, female friendship, empowerment and a hint of romance. I don’t necessarily enjoy the police bashing that is alluded to, but everything else is engaging, entertaining, and enjoyable. I look forward to the next in the series.
On the Slayed Page by Jasmine Webb is the third book in the Poppy Perkins mysteries series. This is another fun cozy mystery following up-and-coming author Poppy Perkins solve crimes in San Francisco. If you liked the last two books you’ll probably like this one too. Sometimes Webb writes monologues for her characters, which sort of stick out and almost sound a bit preach-y in my opinion…but then again a similar criticism could be made about The Thursday Murder Club, and any author being compared to Richard Osman is in excellent company. There is a fourth book slated for release soon, and I’m really looking forward to it!
Poppy stuck to her guns of wanting more than anything to be a writer. Ellie although kind and gentle being murdered, caused Poppy to be shifted to Francesca, who gave her the truth like she needed to hear. Even though Juliette tried to spread rumors about Poppy, at Leon Brooks her true colors came out when she tried to discredit another writer with Francesca, only to have that backfire. Poppy stuck to her guns with what she wanted in her life, causing doors to be open to her that never would have before. Exciting, gripping, and looking forward to the next book
On the Slayed Page is the third book in the Poppy Perkins Mystery series by Jasmine Webb. This is such a great series, I was excited for this book.
It’s supposed to be home sweet home, not home sweet horror.
When Poppy's new neighbor is found dead the police think its suicide she knows she has to investigate. She gets Ophelia and Nick to help and things kind of take on a life of its own.
Such a great Mystery, well crafted with some twists I did not see coming.
There were some really good gems about life and finding a way to go for your dreams even when the people who should (in theory) support you and have your back tear you down and ridicule your dreams. The most ironic thing about this book was that Poppy was having the first half of her book edited and this actual book had quite a few editing errors. Some of the dialog was jumbled.
Each book catches the reader from page one. Literally you pick up book 1, month later you are almost done with the series. Actually being a New Yorker, San Francisco doesn’t necessarily intrigue me. The back story line works though can be anywhere. . Each book develops characters snd friendships.
This high quality mystery is yet another piece of an exciting murder mystery series. The dialogue is so well written, you could be sitting in a donut shop, listening yourself.
This author understands how to write a stand-out book.the who done it keeps you guessing and intrigued til the end. I've enjoyed all of the books I've read so far. A wonderful escape from my world
Should be Ophelia series. Needs editing, some things inconsistent through books. Poppy is pretty boring and immature. Ophelia's employees are the best part of the book. Easy to put down. Not my cup of tea.
Love Ophelia and Poppy. Love love love the reintroduction of characters without extreme repetition. Great book writing tips too, buried in a fun murder mystery.
I wanted to love this book because I like her other ones and wanted to see what happens next but the writing is sloppy, the plot is just ok with wierd holes but the worst part is literally changing someone’s name in the middle of the book mistakenly and having to read it 5 times to figure out what the crap is happening! Turned out they put the villains name for the heroine that’s kind of a big mess up, and same thing happens AGAIN in the book after this.