Thanksgiving is looming on the horizon, and a Civil War era cooking contest has captivated local interest. Everyone wants authentic recipes, and Addie’s bookstore is profiting from all the excitement. But another incident captures the attention of everyone. Addie finds her cousin’s boyfriend dead from a stab wound in her cousin’s clothing store. All fingers point to her cousin as the murderer, but Addie is sure of her innocence. Now all she has to do is prove it. The story is interesting, with the characters coping not only with all the problems everyday life throws at them, but also with the idea of murderer hanging around them. The mystery is pretty good, although astute readers will likely figure it out before Addie does. ( )

Addie Greyborne is preparing the bookshop for Thanksgiving and the upcoming annual Make It and Bake It Food Market cooking and baking competition. The theme for the competition is authentic Civil War Thanksgiving dinner dishes and desserts. Addie gets a distressed call from her cousin, Kalea which has her rushing to the dress shop. Addie finds a crying Kalea and Kalea’s boyfriend, Jared Munroe dead in the dress shop. Unfortunately, evidence points to Kalea as the guilty party. Addie has more questions than answers regarding Jared’s death. Addie needs to work quickly if she is going to prove her cousin’s innocence and unmask the true killer. To the Tome of Murder by Lauren Elliott is the seventh A Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery. I suggest starting with Murder by the Book which will give you Addie Greyborne’s background. I thought To the Tome of Murder contained good writing and the story moved along at a steady tempo. My main problem with the series is Addie Greyborne. She is not the most likeable character nor her cousin, Kalea (I am not a fan of her at all). Addie acts like she is entitled to information on the case from the police and she treats Marc terribly (Police Chief Marc Chandler is lucky to have escaped Addie’s clutches). Addie does not take it well when no one from the force will share details with her. Kalea is a snake in the grass who I would not trust with my boyfriend or husband. I like Addie’s assistant manager, Paige Stringer. She is a friendly woman who does a wonderful job at the bookstore. I enjoyed the Civil War themed cooking competition (very original) and learning more about Sarah Josepha Hale. Sarah was a remarkable woman who has several key accomplishments. The whodunit is straightforward. I found there to be a lack of suspects which made the guilty party stand out. I kept hoping for a twist so I would be surprised. The reveal answers any lingering questions regarding the crime. I would have liked more action in the book to give it a little more pep. I enjoyed the descriptions of Greyborne Harbor. They really bring the scenery alive. To the Tome of Murder will have you craving Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings with the Civil War culinary competition, the slain suitor, a crying cousin, beautiful bookmarks and bookends, an unendurable expert, and a curious crime. ( )

Addie Greyborne's bookstore, Beyond the Page, has been hopping ever since the Greyborne Harbor’s Historical Society announced the cooking contest where the best Civil War baked recipe will win $5,000. Addie has ordered in numerous different cookbooks related to the period and they are going like hotcakes. Juggling the inventory and sales of the shop, Addie is interrupted by a call from her cousin, Kalea, to come to her dress shop quickly. When she arrives, Kalea points to her dead boyfriend, stabbed with a hanger. Kalea had been sleeping upstairs and came down to find this! She is near hysteria but the Chief of Police, Addie's old boyfriend, seems to have it in his head that Kalea is the murderer.

Addie knows that Kalea couldn't do this, so she has to garner all her energies and find who really did this.

This is a good series with realistic characters and a nice setting. ( )

To The Tome Of Murder is the seventh book in the Beyond The Page Bookstore Mystery series by Lauren Elliott.

Greyborne Harbor’s Historical Society is sponsoring a cooking and baking competition whose recipes come from the Civil War period. The winner will receive a cash prize of $5,000 and a story in the historical society’s December newsletter. Addie has ordered extra copies of cookbooks from that period, and she and Paige have been busy putting them on display in the front window.

The following day, Addie gets a frantic phone call from her cousin, Kalea, asking her to come to her shop right away. When Addie enters the shop, she finds a tearful Kalea, who shows her the body of Jared Munroe, her boyfriend. Inventory is scattered all over, and Addie’s first thought is a robbery gone wrong. Addie has had some difficult times with Kalea in the past but doesn’t feel Kalea is capable of murder. When Addie’s ex-boyfriend, chief of police Marc Chandler, finishes his initial investigation, Kalea will be his prime suspect. The only thing that seems to be missing from the shop is Jared’s briefcase. Jared arranged financing for some businesses in Greyborne Harbor, and some of those businesses have expressed displeasure with his business practices. Addie feels that if they can find that briefcase, it may lead to the killer.

There are several subplots in this book, and Ms. Elliott skillfully weaves them together for Addie to find the killer.

It’s always enjoyable to Greyborne Harbor to visit with the residents and see what Addie and her bookshop are doing. Most of the regular characters are back once again, even Pippi, Addie’s adorable YorkiePoo. The book is well-written and plotted, and enough twists and turns that I was kept guessing until the end of the book. The characters are well-developed and interesting.

I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series, A Margin For Murder, due April 2022, to see if Addie and Simon had a good Christmas. ( )

Addie Greyborne lives in Greyborne Harbor, named for an ancestor, and owns Beyond the Page Bookstore. One morning she receives a frantic call from her cousin Kayla Hudson, who owns a dress shop a few blocks away, and when she arrives she finds Kayla crying, and Kayla's boyfriend JArod behind the counter, dead. After calling the police, things start to go really awry, with Kayla as the main suspect in his death. Addie has had problems with Kayla in the past, but she refuses to believe her cousin is a killer. With no help from her ex-boyfriend and chief of police Marc, Addie decides to investigate herself and find out who wanted to kill the man.

But it isn't going to be easy, especially with everything else going on. There's a contest on recipes from the Civil-War era, and she's swamped with people buying books on both recipes and the era. Then there's the only thing missing from Kayla's shop: Jarod's briefcase. What at first seems like a burglary gone wrong sets Addie's instincts humming telling her there's something else afoot. When a major clue turns up later in the case, Addie needs to call in reinforcements from an unexpected source. Still, the evidence is piling up against Kayla, and Addie's racing against time. Something she doesn't have much of...

This is the seventh book in the series, and I have read every one of them. I have greatly enjoyed spending time with Addie and her friends, even if some of them can be annoying at times. I did like this book quite a bit, and there was plenty going on throughout from the various subplots. We're watching the characters evolve quite a bit, and their lives are changing, although I still can't warm up to Kayla (my own opinion). I remember how she treated Addie in previous books, and Addie has a better control on her mouth than I would have! (ha!). Ms. Elliott has a true feel for her characters which keeps the series moving along wonderfully.

But finding out who is setting up Kayla to take the fall is giving Addie a headache, since she can't really put her finger on one specific person. (I knew who it was almost immediately when I met them, but then again, I read a lot of mysteries, so there's that). Still, watching her glean her information piece by piece while she also learns about a mysterious person in town who has just come to her attention is worth it alone.

There are changes in the book as well; some unexpected and others not so much; and the usual altercations between Addie and Martha, who are like oil and water together, as always; and Addie might just discover something about herself.

When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, it is not without a decent climax, and the reason for the murder is rather sad in itself, although I still couldn't quite feel sympathy for the killer. Such is life, I guess. But I was torn at the epilogue; while I wanted more, I didn't quite find it, yet we still have something to look forward to in the next book. Highly recommended. ( )