Owning a bookstore specializing in mysteries fulfills a lifelong dream for Samantha ("Sam") Washington, who returns in the eighth entry in V.M. Burns's Mystery Bookshop series, the light and entertaining Bookclubbed to Death. As amateur sleuth Sam frequently discovers, intrigue and jealousy are also shelved among the hottest novels. When a tornado damages the library in North Harbor, Mich., Sam offers to host the Mystery Mavens Book Club's next meeting at her Market Street Mysteries Bookshop. It seems a natural fit, given that her store specializes in mysteries. She even offers the Mystery Mavens a discount on books.
However, Sam didn't expect to immediately encounter the wrath of prominent book reviewer Delia Marshall, the club's leader. The arrogant, imperious, self-centered Delia threatens to sue, claiming Sam's sweet poodles attacked her--after she kicked one. Later that night, Delia is found dead in the bookstore, an expensive, heavy Agatha Christie tome as the murder weapon. Police quickly suspect Sam--it's her store and her book--but Sam finds no shortage of suspects: Delia was a serial blackmailer, targeting club members, authors and local residents. The sleuthing team--including Nana Jo, Sam's sharp grandmother; "the girls," Nana Jo's friends from her retirement community; and Sam's fiancé, Frank--lean on their contacts and gossip to find the real killer.
Burns's affinity for storytelling and characterization energizes Bookclubbed to Death. Although the plot occasionally strains credibility, Burns (Killer Words, A Tourist's Guide to Murder) keeps the suspense on point. Delia's cruelty is borderline cartoonish, but Sam and her friends are a delightful bunch whose company is most enjoyable. --Oline H. Cogdill, freelance reviewer