Jenna Quinn has tried to make good with the bookshop that she inherited from her uncle. The Grand re-opening of Twice upon a Time, previously known as Baxter's Books, is marred by the murder of the local library's Director of Antique Books with the bookends that he won at the celebration. To honor the victim, Jenna takes in the victim's little dog, Eddy, who was traumatized by the murder.

As only the 2nd book in the series it seems that relationships of the new girl in town with others are moving a bit too fast and the background details are not filling in as they should. Hopefully, more character details will be in future books. ( )

Jenna Quinn never expected to inherit her uncle's bookshop but now - three months later - she's transformed it into her very own. Baxter Books has transformed into Twice Upon a Time while keeping it a significant part of the community just as her uncle's shop was. Only she's found a way to put part of herself into it which shows how she's grown as part of the community since her arrival. The shop represents the memory of her uncle and serves as a reminder of him throughout the series. It also gives Jenna a way to be part of the community and to share who she is with her neighbors. The town of Hokes Folly is quaint and provides the ideal backdrop for a mystery involving books.

The mystery revolves around a dog that Jenna takes in and forms a bond with. Each of the suspects is first seen through the "issues" they had with the dog and from there Laura Gail Black builds their motives and suspicious behavior. The book strikes an equal balance for book lovers and animal lovers as it involves the mistreatment of this poor dog and the theft of books. The humor presented in the writing is a sample of the tone and helps in getting to know Jenna's personality. She's the perfect cozy mystery sleuth seen in how she describes the way her boyfriend Keith made her heart pitter-patter in a way compared to a tap-dancing poodle and for added effect the humor ended with how "she hoped it wasn't wearing a tutu." Jenna has a nemesis in Detective Frank Sutter who constantly harasses her and is described as being tactless and with people skills, she compares to that of a rock. The brazen and snarky attitude of Jenna makes her instantly likable and it makes you immediately drawn into the story. Black also incorporates the phrase "unladylike brouhaha" which is a prime example of that very humor and attitude.

The mystery is lighthearted, clever, and charming which are elements woven into Jenna Quinn herself. ( )

Murder by the Bookend by Laura Gail Black has Jenna Quinn having a grand reopening of the bookshop she inherited from her uncle. She is renaming the store to Twice Upon a Time. The party has a few bumps along the way, but it seemed to go well. That is until Linus Talbot is found dead in the parking lot. Jenna must deal with disagreeable Detective Frank Sutter once again since her beau, Keith Logan is a witness. Jenna is told to stay out of the investigation, but she has no intention of obeying. Linus was a kind man with a sweet dog, and he was killed in her parking lot. Plus, Jenna does not trust Detective Sutter. Jenna begins gathering information that will lead her to Linus’ killer. Murder by the Bookend is the 2nd book in An Antique Bookshop Mystery series. I believe it can be read as a standalone. A summary of the main details from For Whom the Book Tolls is included. It contains good writing with steady pacing. I like the small town of Hokes Folly, North Carolina. The author provided vivid descriptions of the town along with the residents. We are introduced to quite a few people in the beginning of the book as they attend the grand reopening. There are a couple of individuals who I would have preferred as the victim instead of the Linus Talbot (maybe in the next book). There are several suspects in Linus’ death. There is a good misdirect to lead readers away from the true culprit. The clues are there to help readers solve the crime. I was left with an unanswered question regarding the mystery at the end. I just loved Linus’ dog, Eddy (full name Edition). He is a sweet dog. There is a little violence in the story as well as a small amount of profanity. I did have some trouble relating to Jenna which meant I was never able to become fully immersed into the story. I also felt the romance between Jenna and Keith Logan progressed too quickly for a cozy mystery. Murder by the Bookend is a quaint Southern cozy mystery with a cute canine, blown glass bookends, a departed antiquarian, a banged-up book, a disgruntled detective, and a sleuthing bookseller. ( )

Murder By The Bookend is the second book in the An Antique Bookshop Mystery by Laura Gail Black.

Jenna Quinn inherited her uncle’s antiquarian bookstore three months ago and has decided to rename it Twice Upon A Time. She has invited some of her and her uncle’s better customers to her grand reopening celebration. For the celebration, Jenna has called on her friend and neighbor, Rita, her assistant, Mason, and her close friend and detective, Keith, to help with the party.

The last item on the agenda is the awarding of raffle gifts, and the final one is a pair of vintage glass bookends. The winner was Linus Talbot, the Director of Antique Books at the town’s library. Shortly after, everyone left, and as Jenna was about to lock the front door, she saw Talbot’s dog, Eddy, race by the door. Keith takes off after Eddy, noticing that he is leaving bloody paw prints. Keith catches Eddy and brings him back to Talbot’s car, where they find Talbot’s body that someone had bludgeoned with the book ends.

Jenna, Rita, and Mason will experience difficulty investigating as Keith has been removed from the case as he had been at the crime scene; his partner, Detective Frank Sutter, will be in charge of the police investigation. Jenna had trouble with Sutter in her uncle’s murder investigation. Jenna had seen at least three angry discussions during the evening. As Jenna and her friends start comparing, they find no shortage of possible suspects. They will be centering their investigation on the candidate for the state legislature, Prescott Bradford, the director of the community library, Douglas March, socialite wannabe and wife of March Selina, and Alice King, an unemployed bookseller.

This book is an excellent follow-up to the first, For Whom The Book Tolls. I found the book to be well-written and plotted. The characters are well-developed and believable. I particularly like Jenna and Keith. They work well together with their sleuthing and seem in no hurry to proceed into a relationship.

I’m very looking forward to the next book in this enjoyable series. ( )

Jenna Quinn is hosting her grand re-opening of the bookstore she inherited after her uncle was murdered when this story begins. She has invited all of his best customers to this event not suspecting that murder would be on the program.

When librarian Linus Talbot is found bludgeoned to death with a bookend he won as a door prize, Jenna and her friends Rita and Mason go on the case to discover the murderer (and keep her bookstore from gaining a reputation as the murder capitol of Hokes Folly.) Besides, Linus has left behind his cute rescue dog Eddy who was with him when he died.

As Jenna investigates, she discovers a politician who had a grudge against Linus who threatened to go to the newspaper about his hypocrisy regarding animal rights, a former employee who had a crush on him but whom he busted for stealing and selling rare books, and a would-be socialite who blamed Linus for lack of wealth and power.

Each of the suspects has what they consider good reasons for wanting Linus dead. But which of them took action?

Jenna is a great character who wants the best for her friends and clients. She is uncertain about her new relationship with Detective Keith Logan but generally happy. She is reluctant at first to add a dog to her life but Eddy wins her over with his charm and personality. However, she also finds herself in lots of danger in this story because the murderer doesn't want anyone in their way.

This is the second book in the series. I like the way Jenna has grown in confidence and the way she has gathered a new circle of friends. ( )