Buried in a Good Book by Tamara Berry Series: By The Book Mysteries #1
Published by Poisoned Pen Press on May 24, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Amateur Sleuth, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Cozy / General, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
Source: Bookstore
2023 EDGAR AWARD WINNER: LILIAN JACKSON BRAUN MEMORIAL PRIZE
"A slapstick comedy of murder." —Library Journal
"This first in series is truly original, funny, and well written. A real standout." —Mystery Scene
Bestselling thriller writer Tess Harrow is almost at the end of her rope when she arrives with her teenage daughter at her grandfather's rustic cabin in the woods. She hopes this will be a time for them to heal and bond after Tess's recent divorce, but they've barely made it through the door when an explosion shakes the cabin. Suddenly it's raining fish guts and...is that a human arm?
Tess was hardly convincing Gertie that a summer without Wi-Fi and running water would be an adventure. Now she's thrust into a murder investigation, neighbors are saying they've spotted Bigfoot in the woods near her cabin, and the local sheriff is the spitting image of her character Detective Gabriel Gonzales—something he's less than thrilled about. With so much more than her daughter's summer plans at stake, it's up to Tess to solve this case before anyone else gets hurt.
Put your sleuthing hat on—Buried in a Good Book features:
- A thriller writer who knows way more than anyone should about death and dismemberment
- Her young daughter who's more intrigued by dead bodies than she probably should be
- An isolated cabin in the woods that's probably—definitely—hiding something
- The tiny mountain town that seems less than troubled by a sudden abundance of murders
My Review
I discovered this book through BookTube, and I am so glad I did. I do not know about anyone else, but I enjoy a good mystery. However, I am not a fan of all the descriptive details that come along with violence that one finds in certain books. I would definitely say I am a lover of the cozy mystery genre. This book seriously had me in the first chapter. I was so interested to see what the cabin was going to be like, not to mention where the boom sounds were coming from. I loved Gertrude and Tess’s banter back and forth, and when fish and body parts fell from the sky, I about died laughing. I was hooked. I know how awful it sounds, body parts falling from the sky, but I promise you it is not as gross as that line reads. Reader, you have to trust me on this; the book is not gruesome, and any violent bits take place off the page. It really is a cozy mystery and one that kept me guessing the whole time.
In this story, we are following Tess Harrow, a famous thriller author and mom to Gertrude (Gertie), a fourteen-year-old girl who is trying to deal with the divorce of her parents. Tess decides that for summer break, they will head up to the cabin that her grandfather left her when he died. A perfect little spot on a lake where she and Gertie can reconnect. Which shouldn’t be a problem since the cabin is located in the woods in a small town. It also does not have electricity or running water, not to mention cell service, internet, or Wifi. It shouldn’t be a problem, right? Wrong because, as any parent of teens knows, the internet is everything in their world, and it is punishment not to have it. Tess does not mention that the reason for bringing her daughter up to a place that has no internet access is to actually protect her from the fact that her father is ignoring her. If Gertie does not have access to the internet or cell service, then it is easier to accept that her dad is not contacting her because he is not able to reach her due to a lack of services.
It is Tess’s hope that the lack of services will connect her and Gertie again and will allow her to finish her next book. Tess, however, does not count on having an arm landing on her when she first arrives at the cabin, nor does she count on her property being a part of a murder investigation. Of course, being a thriller writer, she is intrigued by the case and finds she can not stop herself when it comes to snooping around. Gertie, on the other hand, is not impressed with this new living arrangement and is a bit freaked out by the arm, but her interest peeks the longer they are in town. Gertie does, however, become excited when she meets the woman (Nicki) who runs the library truck that travels from area to area. This gives Gertie something to do and Tess a friend. It isn’t long before Tess and Gertie get to know some of the locals and find their way around town. This also includes meeting the little old lady who is constantly losing her cat and reporting it stolen to the police ( just so you know, this isn’t any old cat either).
The flying body parts are not the only thing going down in this town, though; a Bigfoot has been spotted multiple times throughout the book, including near Tess’s cabin. However, that is not the only weird thing, though. Weird and exotic animals have also been spotted, which does not make sense in the woods of Washington State. I mean, yeah, Bigfoot makes sense, I suppose, in the idea of being deep in the woods or whatever, but exotic animals and birds, yeah, not so much. In my opinion, this book has so many different things going on that it is easy to fly through the pages because if you are anything like me, you just need to know what the heck is going on. Oh, and did I mention that the local sheriff in the “arm” case, not to mention other cases, reminds Tess of her famous Detective in her thriller series, Detective Gonzales? This does not make the local sheriff happy, especially since she is constantly losing herself in her head about how Gonzales would have done something or how what the sheriff does will be something Gonzales could do in one of her stories.
I can honestly say that I loved this story and am eager to move on to book two of the series, On The Spine Of Death. Reader, have you read anything by Tamara Berry? If so, what have you read? I am eager to know. This is my first book by this author, and I am excited that it will not be my last. Until Next Time, Reader, Happy Reading.
Trigger Warnings:
- Parental Neglect
- Divorce
- Murder
- Animal Abuse
- Dismemberment