From the Bookshelf of Q&A with Josh Lanyon…

Murder at Pirate's Cove (Secrets and Scrabble, #1)

Josh Lanyon

Start date: March 1, 2020

Finish date: March 31, 2020

Discussion: Book of the Month Club

Why we're reading this: This will be our March 2020 read.
[close] This will be our March 2020 read.

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Book of the Month Club

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What Members Thought

Feb 29, 2020 Ami rated it liked it

Shelves: mm-mystery-suspense-thriller

3.5 stars

In her other pen name, Lanyon wrote cozy mystery series. So, this must be a familiar territory 😉 ... I thought it had the right ingredient. A "common citizen" gets involved in a murder case, becoming a suspect, the love interest is the chief of police, and there are townies characters that will be source of gossips.

It was enjoyable first start of a series! I look forward to see Ellery becoming more and more entangled with the community life in Pirate's Cove; for example I haven't seen h ...more

13 likes · Like · see review

Feb 27, 2020 Karen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery-with-gay-protags, josh-lanyon, small-towns, the-northeast, cozy

What a charming introduction to a new series of Josh novellas, a cozy mystery written with wit, grace, and the precision of someone who, unlike her protagonist, knows their way around the wide world of mysteries. An eccentric group of resident characters/suspects, a possible is-he-isn't-he love interest, a forbidding mansion, a distinctive local festival, and a melange of small-town secrets — in other words, the primary ingredients for the quintessential cozy — made for a delightful read. And sm ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Mar 05, 2020 Jax rated it really liked it

Shelves: lgbtq, 4-star

This was probably 3 stars in comparison to my favorites by this author. But I’m not going to penalize it just because I’m not a big fan of cozy mysteries. They’re a little too mild mannered for me and the romance element is more muted than I like. Overall this was a pleasant start to a new series and I plan to keep reading, so I’m rounding up. Hopefully there will be some kind of significant progress between Ellory and Jack in the next book, even if it stays G-rated.

5 likes · Like · see review

Mar 12, 2020 Sandra (Waiting For Wentworth) rated it really liked it

I haven't read a lot of cozy mysteries, but it's Josh Lanyon, so of course I was going to read it! It's a different genre than I'm used to, but I enjoyed it enough to read it in one sitting because I just had to find out what happened!

I loved both of the main characters. At first, Ellery was a little timid, but he soon proved just how much of a busybody he was. He was all up in everyone's business trying to investigate the murder on the sly. And Jack seemed like a nice, manly fella with terrific ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Mar 05, 2020 Cecille rated it it was ok

Mystery is one of my favorite genres, and I enjoyed some of Josh Lanyon's works before, so I looked forward to reading this. However it felt like nothing was really happening for most of the book. The story felt flat and I wasn't connecting to the characters. This was a miss for me. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 04, 2020 ⚓Dan⚓ rated it it was amazing

Another great mystery from Josh!

2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 05, 2020 Didi rated it liked it

Shelves: romance, m-m, series, mystery-suspense-thriller, contemporary, arc-netgalley-edelweiss, men-in-uniform-law-enforcement, lqbtqia

The first in Josh Lanyon’s new cozy mystery “Secrets and Scrabble” series, MURDER AT PIRATE’S COVE centered on Ellery Page, a New York transplant to Pirate’s Cove (or PICO) a small coastal town in Rhode Island who’s trying to start afresh after inheriting a house and a mystery bookstore in (said) town. It’s interesting premises especially as our MC found himself in the middle of murders investigation and thought himself public enemy number one.

Sole POV in a story can be tricky, especially in a ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Feb 28, 2020 Erika rated it really liked it

Shelves: ebook, mystery, mine-kindle

Thanks to Netgalley for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. This cozy mystery set in the fictional town of Pirate's Cove was just so cozy.

The town and townspeople were the right amount of quirky and the mystery and whodunnit reveal were the right amount of intrigue and clever.

It gave me the same warm fuzzy feelings of Midsomer Murders, but with a mystery bookstore, scrabble, a new puppy, and an old rundown mansion. I look forward to reading more in this series. ...more

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Mar 08, 2020 ReviewerLarissa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: cozy-mystery

This was a surprisingly quaint and good cozy mystery story to read. Going in, I thought it might be a bit bland, but it turned out really well. Ellery is a likable character who's able to carry the story and his views about the town and the people in it are astute and funny.

It was a lovely introduction into the new series and the set-up was solid. I'm looking forward to reading the next instalment. ...more

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