Murder By Page One by Olivia Matthews {Book Review}

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley for consideration. All thoughts are my own. 

 If you love Hallmark mystery movies,

you’ll love this cozy mystery
with humor, intrigue, and a librarian amateur sleuth.

Marvey, a librarian, has moved from Brooklyn to a quirky small town in Georgia. When she’s not at the library organizing events for readers, she’s handcrafting book-themed jewelry and looking after her cranky cat. At times, her new life in the South still feels strange...and that’s before the discovery of the dead body in the bookstore.

After one of her friends becomes a suspect, Marvey sets out to solve the murder mystery. She even convinces Spence, the wealthy and charming newspaper owner, to help. With his ties to the community, her talents for research, and her fellow librarians’ knowledge, Marvey pursues the truth. But as she gets closer to it, could she be facing a deadly plot twist?

This first in series cozy mystery includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Classic Peach Cobbler.



Olivia Matthews is the cozy mystery pseudonym of award-winning author Patricia Sargeant. A voracious reader, Patricia first realized she wanted to be a published author at the age of nine. She’s been inspired by writers such as Walter Mosley, Dick Francis and Tami Hoag, who put ordinary characters in extraordinary situations. Her Sister Lou character was inspired by Catholic sisters whose courage, determination and faith have helped build communities and formed rich, lasting legacies. Raised in New York City, Patricia lives in Ohio with her husband. She loves to hear from readers. You can reach her at BooksByPatricia@yahoo.com. Visit her Olivia Matthews website, AuthorOliviaMatthews.com, and sign up for her enewsletter to learn about upcoming releases and events.




On the search for your next cozy mystery series? Check out the first book in the new Peach Coast Mystery series, Murder by Page One.

This new series has everything I love about a cozy mystery--- it takes place in the small town of Peach Coast full of interesting characters, it centers around both a library and a bookstore, and introduces us to librarian Marvey who it seems will become a fantastic amateur sleuth. Add in some Southern charm and a cute cat... and well, it truly is the making of an ideal cozy! 

I have found that for me it is actually quite rare that I've started a cozy series at book one. Usually our sleuths have a couple of investigations under their belts so while still amateurs, they do have some experience. It's always fun to see these first cases like this one... it certainly had me looking forward to more. I loved the town and found myself wanting to go there myself... always a good sign in a small town book! It did take me a little bit to get into the story, but once I was in, I was hooked! While I did guess the whodunnit fairly early on in the book, it didn't impact my enjoyment of the story. There was enough suspicion thrown elsewhere to keep things interesting... with clues as to the WHY being revealed slowly to keep my hanging on. 

Overall, this was a fun mystery and a series I look forward to reading more from. If you enjoy a good cozy and/or Hallmark mysteries, this is one you will want to check out for yourself!