Laura Gail Black

Paul Warren Baxter invited his niece, Jenna Quinn, to work with him in his bookshop, Baxter's Book Emporium, in Hokes Folly, North Carolina. With the promise of a job and a place to stay with her uncle in the apartment above the store, the invitation is irresistible, especially after recent events in Charlotte. Although Jenna arrives safely and sleeps well in her uncle's guest room, she never has an opportunity to reconnect with her uncle.

I love cozy mysteries with settings in bookshops, and this cozy story is an excellent opening to the series. I loved the author's creativity with a fresh approach in developing twists and turns that set this cozy apart with unique spins from the reason to leave a hometown in the rearview mirror, the lawyer's explanation for the setup of the inheritance gift, the reveal of the town's interesting history, and a historic diary. While my initial guess of the alleged perpetrator was accurate, the author took me on a detour that had me second-guessing myself, and I enjoyed every page.… (más)

FROM AMAZON: Fleeing some unsavory doings in her hometown of Charlotte, Jenna accepts her uncle's gracious invitation to stay with him in small-town Hokes Folly, North Carolina. In exchange, she'll help him out in his antiquarian bookstore. But soon after she arrives, Jenna finds her uncle's body crumpled at the base of the staircase between his apartment and the bookstore. Before the tragedy even sinks in, Jenna learns that she's inherited almost everything her uncle owned: the store and the apartment as well as his not-so-meager savings and the payout from a life-insurance policy...which adds up to more than a million dollars. This is all news to Jenna—bad news, once the police get wind of her windfall. And it’s an ill wind indeed, as a second murder cements Jenna's status as the prime suspect in both deaths. Jenna can hit the road again, taking her chances that she can elude trouble along the way, or she can stick it out in Hokes Folly, take over the bookstore, and try to sleuth out her uncle's killer. On the one hand, she's made some wonderful new friends, and she feels she can thrive in the genial small-town environment. On the other hand, trouble knows her address—and so does the killer, who is determined to write the final page of her story.… (más)

Caught On The Book is the fourth book in the An Antique Bookshop Mystery series by Laura Gail Black.

Hokes Folly is having its annual Hokes Folly Fishing Festival, and Jenna Quinn has decided to have a booth at this year's event. Jenna is busy setting out the books she has brought, hoping the fishing books she has brought will be big sellers. Later in the morning, a disturbance catches Jenna’s attention. Looking up, she sees her boyfriend, Keith’s ex-partner on the police force, Frank Sutter, staggering and slurring his words, yelling at his estranged wife, Emma, and her boyfriend, Greg Hurst. Frank swings at Greg, failing to land on Greg, and Keith quickly breaks up the altercation. Frank tells Keith to leave him alone as it was Keith and Jenna’s fault for losing his wife and job. On the morning of the last day of the festival, the peaceful serenity of the morning is interrupted by screaming. Jenna and Keith head to where the screaming is coming from and find Emma standing over the body of Greg, holding the knife that was used to kill him. They notice bloody footprints and follow them to Frank’s boat, where they find his bloody shoes on the pier. Frank is arrested, and Keith is ordered not to investigate because he has previously worked with Frank.

Neither Jenna nor Keith thinks Frank is capable of murder. Keith, unable to investigate, asks Jenna to look into the murder. Jenna's first thought was no way. Frank was the detective who tried to “railroad” her into being convicted of killing her uncle when she first arrived in Hokes Folly. But she does relent and agrees to investigate. Jenna soon finds no shortage of suspects and will call on her BFF, Rita, and her store manager, Mason.

The book is well-written and plotted and moves at a good pace. The story has an exciting cast of well-developed, believable characters. There were enough twists and turns and red herrings that I was kept guessing until the surprising ending.

I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in this exciting series.… (más)

Jenna has brought all of her used fishing books to the annual fishing trip. When a local author is stabbed to death and Keith's former partner Frank Sutter is arrested for the crime, Keith asks Jenna to investigate since he can't without compromising the police department. Jenna is reluctant since Frank has made her life in her new town very difficult. Jenna was acquitted of murder but Frank thinks she was really guilty and was determined to find something on her.

Jenna also has to deal with a group picketing outside her shop and looking for signatures on a petition to force Jenna out of town. Then there is the local writers' group who is looking for a new venue for their meetings. Only a number of them are better suspects than Frank for the author's death.

Jenna investigates her suspects and finds things that help the police with their investigations. I liked her persistence and determination to help a man who had been at all nice to her because her boyfriend asked her to.

This was an entertaining story with interesting characters and a nicely twisty plot. I really liked Jenna's dog Eddy and I liked that a friend was trying to push her into adopting a kitten too. Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy this story.… (más)