Clause Of Death

I enjoyed reading Clause of Death by Lorna Barrett. We get to catch up with Tricia, Angelica, Mr. Everett, Pixie, Grace, Miss Marple, and the rest of the gang. It is a pleasure to visit Stoneham with its town full of bookshops. There are enjoyable, developed characters in this engaging series. In addition to the whodunit, Mr. Everett suffers a fall, and an injury puts him at a disadvantage. A homeless man keeps coming around Tricia's bookshop. He makes Tricia and Pixie nervous. Clause of Death can be read as a standalone if someone is new to the series. I like who has become the new chief of police. I was hoping this character would show up again. The mystery surrounding the death of Eli gives us a town full of suspects. He was not well-liked (one person liked him). I thought the killer was easy to identify. I had no idea why this person did the crime though. The reveal was eventful and entertaining. There was some sadness as well. I wish the mystery had been at the forefront of the story. It seemed to take a backseat to the other events in the book as well as Tricia and Angelica's lunches and their happy hour each day. The storyline about the homeless man, Edward brings up some difficult subjects (stalking, intimidation). I was surprised by what was revealed about Edward. Becca Dickson-Chandler is still in town. Tricia knows that the woman has an agenda, but she needs to figure it out. Ginny's due date is getting closer. Angelica cannot wait to meet her first grandchild. There is a small amount of foul language in the book (just a few words). Guns and people owning them is discussed a couple of times (just to let you know). I love the ending. It has me wondering what will happen in the next A Booktown Mystery. There are recipes at the end for Angelica and Tricia's Happy Hour Repasts. Clause of Death is a charming whodunit with chamber meeting madness, a strange stalker, a killed conspiracy theorist, a storage shed search, an unanticipated appearance of an old acquaintance, a bothersome Becca, and a killer is caught.