Murder in the First Edition

Murder in the First Edition by Lauren Elliott may be the third A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery, but it can be read on its own. Addie Greyborne donates an 1843 first edition of A Christmas by Charles Dickens to the Christmas Charity Auction put on by the local hospital foundation. She takes the appraisal to her meeting with coordinator, Teresa Lang. Teresa is not in her office and neither is the rare book in its locked case. Addie finds Teresa dead at the bottom of the steps with alcohol on her breath. Addie believes it is murder since the book disappeared at the same time, but Police Chief Marc Chandler must deal with facts. Addie, of course, quickly begins investigating despite being warned off by Marc. I like the town of Greyborne Harbor and the descriptions of the shops including Addie's Beyond the Page. It sounds like a cozy small town where gossip spreads rapidly. The Christmas decorations along with the snow enhanced the Christmas feeling. The one problem I have with this story is Addie Greyborne. I do not care for her the way she treated the two love interests. Both Simon and Marc are interested in Addie. She seems to be toying with them. I just do not like the way the two love interests are being handled. I also did not appreciate how she treated Jonathan Hemingway (her almost father-in-law). She should get all the facts before making assumptions. I know part of it is her grief over the lost fiancé, but Addie would not want to be on the receiving end of that type of treatment. I do like Serena, who owns the tea shop, and Addie's assistant, Paige Stringer. The mystery was complex, and I liked how the deed was done. There are red herrings to distract the reader. It will depend on your sleuthing level on whether you solve this one completely before the reveal. Personally, I would have liked a surprising twist. I could have done without Addie being constantly told to stay out of the investigation (it gets tiresome after the third time). I like the book references and the wonderful descriptions of the rare books. I enjoyed the happy ending and I hope to see a different Addie in the next A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery. Murder in the First Edition is an enticing cozy mystery with a treasured tome, an inconvenient in-law, a bothersome blizzard, a vexed friend, and Christmas chaos.