Review; A Body in the Bookshop by Helen Cox

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of the book A Body in the Bookshop by Helen Cox through Netgalley and it's the second book in the series about Kitt Hartley. I read it shortly afterwards and today I'll post my review.

Description from Netgalley
It's nearly Christmas in York, but it seems the season of goodwill hasn't touched everyone...

When DS Charlotte Banks is suspended from the police on suspicion of assaulting a suspect in the burglary of a local bookshop, librarian Kitt Harley and her friend Evie Bowes refuse to believe she is guilty. But why is she being framed?

With Charlotte's boss DI Malcolm Halloran unable to help, Evie decides to take matters into her own hands. Kitt takes little persuading to get involved too - after all, as well as Charlotte's career to save, there are missing books to be found!

From the tightknit community of York's booksellers, to the most gossipy bus route in the country, Kitt and Evie leave no stone unturned to get at the truth behind the burglary.

Then the discovery of a body raises the stakes even higher. For Evie, and now Kitt, this case is as personal as it gets. Can they catch the murderer in time to turn a bleak midwinter into something merry and bright?

My Thoughts on the Book
As I've read the first book in this series, I just had to read this one too. I must admit that I liked Kitt better in this book, as I struggled a bit with her in the first one. The mystery is well developed, aside from a tiny loose end in relation to one of the minor characters. The book also tackles self esteem, without it being an overpowering topic.

I also really liked that it was a slightly diverse cast, as Grace had Indian heritage and Charley was lesbian. I thought that the scene with Charley and Evie at the Stonegate Teddy Bears tearoom was really sweet, but I might be a bit biased as I found that place a bit cute.

For those who wonder, yes, there is indeed a teddy bear shop combined with tearoom in York and it's called Stonegate Teddy Bears. When I was in York back in 2014 I visited the place and it is really charming, even for adult. So if you ever visit York, feel free to check out that place.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spotlight; Dancing in the Rain av Lucy Appadoo

Image
Can she end the turmoil and escape the firmly built trap to find the freedom she craves? Book Details: Book Title: Dancing in the Rain (The Italian Family Series) Author: Lucy Appadoo Category: Adult Fiction, 274 pages Genre: Historical Coming of Age/Romance/Family Drama Publisher: Lucy Appadoo Release date: March 24, 2017 Tour dates: June 5 to 23, 2017 Content Rating: PG-13 + M (There is physical abuse and death involved.) Book Description: Fifteen-year old Valeria Allegro works diligently on the family farm in Italy, where she is torn between her duty to her family and her desire to find freedom from her strict, domineering father. She finds solace in Dario, a young student who provides a blissful escape—until a neighbour’s son, Gregorio, decides he wants her for himself. This raises an alarm for her father, which leads to family conflict and aggression. When Dario is threatened and her family is plagued by a series of suspicious accidents, Vale...
Read more

Announcing the 2022 Diversity Reading Challenge

Image
As we're writing 2022 in two months, I figured out it was time to announce the 2022 Diversity Challenge. I've hosted it in 2019 and 2021, and decided to host it next year too. I’m not going to make any categories or levels for this challenge, as I want it to be a bit flexible. Read as many books as you feel like reading and yes, it can be children’s books, graphic novels, e-books, non-fiction, audio books, poetry and you-name-it. As it is a diversity reading challenge, it would be mean to exclude some types of reading materials, right? Now, what is diversity you might ask? What I mean by diversity is, but not limited to; People of colour/non-caucasian characters/authors Native Americans and other indigenous people LGBTQIA+ Authors/characters defining themselves as trans, intersex, genderfluid or similar Refugees Religious minorities Mental illnesses/disorders Neurodiversity (like ADD, Aspergers and autism) Feminist themes/issues Physical/mental disabilities Characters/authors w...
Read more

Announcing the 2025 Diversity Reading Challenge

Image
Even though I'm technically having a hiatus for my book blogging at the moment, I still wanted to announce the 2025 Diversity Reading Challenge, just in case anyone wanted to participate in it and start planning their TBR pile. I’m not going to make any categories or levels for this challenge, as I want it to be a bit flexible. Read as many books as you feel like reading and yes, it can be children’s books, graphic novels, e-books, non-fiction, audio books, poetry and you-name-it. As it is a diversity reading challenge, it would be mean to exclude some types of reading materials, right? Now, what is diversity you might ask? What I mean by diversity is, but not limited to; People of colour/non-caucasian characters/authors Native Americans and other indigenous people LGBTQIA+ Authors/characters defining themselves as trans, intersex, genderfluid or similar Refugees Religious minorities Mental illnesses/disorders Neurodiversity (like ADHD and autism) Feminist themes/issues Physical/m...
Read more