Read time: 4 minutes
š§ Listened in audio
š¢ Narrated by Rachel Dulude
ā± Duration: 8 hours
š·ļø Publisher: Berkley | April 5, 2016
Book Blurb:
When Violet Waverly rushes back to her small hometown of Cascade Springs to check on her ailing grandmother, she finds Grandma Daisy in suspiciously perfect health ā with an ulterior motive. Grandma wants Violet back home and running Charming Books, a shop where the right book has a way of finding YOU. Violet plans to bolt straight back to Chicago, until a dead man turns up clutching a volume of Emily Dickinson’s poetry from the store. With Grandma Daisy named as a prime suspect and a tuxedo cat named Emerson as her unlikely partner, Violet must untangle secrets, small-town politics, and a little family magic to clear her grandmother’s name.
Let’s talk … murder!!!
Here’s the thing about being an Amanda Flower fan facing the end of the Amish Candy Shop Mystery series: the grief is real, and the coping strategy is immediate. You go digging through her backlist looking for something… ANYTHING… to fill that hole. That’s how I found myself listening to Crime and Poetry, and I have to say, the prescription worked.
Now, I won’t lie to you. The opening chapters had me raising an eyebrow. Grandma Daisy launches into the whole “magic in your blood, you’re destined for this” explanation with the kind of cheerful urgency that made me think: okay, this is going to be a LOT. It felt fantastical in a way that required a little trust. Trust I wasn’t fully ready to hand over yet. But here’s where Amanda Flower does what Amanda Flower does: she earns it. Slowly, steadily, the magic stops feeling like a gimmick and starts feeling like the bones of the story. By the time I was fully in Cascade Springs, I wasn’t questioning the bookshop’s consciousness. I was rooting for it.
What makes Violet such a refreshing protagonist is that she exists in something resembling actual human time. Unlike some cozy heroines who seem to run three businesses, solve two murders, bake a pie, and still make it to book club by Tuesday, Violet is working within the limits of a real person’s bandwidth. She’s figuring things out as she goes, and so are we. Add a sprightly grandmother with zero chill, a tuxedo cat with enormous energy, and a slow-burn setup that promises SO much more for the rest of the series, and honestly, I’m already annoyed at myself for waiting this long to start this series. The Magical Bookshop world is exactly the kind of cozy that wraps around you like a well-worn cardigan. I am SOLD. Cannot wait to see where Violet, Emerson, and Grandma Daisy take me next.
Would I recommend it?
If you love cozy mysteries with a paranormal twist that doesn’t take itself too seriously, this is your next listen. Amanda Flower proves once again that she is a master at building worlds that feel both whimsical and warm, and that magic, when earned, hits differently. Come for the mystery, stay for the bookshop, and don’t be surprised if you immediately queue up book two.
Read Next, If This Book Was Your Vibe
- Prose and Cons by Amanda Flower (Magical Bookshop Mystery #2) ā Because obviously. You’re not stopping at one.
- The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley ā A bookshop with secrets and a mystery at its heart; perfect for anyone who felt the Charming Books setting was the real main character.
- Aunt Dimity’s Death by Nancy Atherton ā Gentle supernatural elements, a cottage setting, and a warm mystery that unravels slowly; deeply comforting in the same way.
- A Bookmarked Death by Julianna Deering ā Cozy mystery meets literary world; great for readers who want their sleuthing served with a side of books.
- The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais ā Quirky women with magic in their blood holding things together against the odds; a different genre, but the same joyful energy.
Between the Shelves: Which Side Are You On?
Team “the magic had me from page one” or Team “I needed a little convincing first”? Because I was firmly in the second camp before this book completely won me over. Drop your hot takes in the comments, and if you’ve already devoured the rest of this series, NO SPOILERS, but maybe hint at whether it keeps getting better!
Book Links
Want to purchase this or any of your favourite books while supporting a local bookstore? Consider purchasing using the sites below. These sites work with independent local bookstore owners to fulfill your book orders. #SupportLocal
Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org
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