Caught On The Book is the fourth book in the An Antique Bookshop Mystery series by Laura Gail Black.

Hokes Folly is having its annual Hokes Folly Fishing Festival, and Jenna Quinn has decided to have a booth at this year's event. Jenna is busy setting out the books she has brought, hoping the fishing books she has brought will be big sellers. Later in the morning, a disturbance catches Jenna’s attention. Looking up, she sees her boyfriend, Keith’s ex-partner on the police force, Frank Sutter, staggering and slurring his words, yelling at his estranged wife, Emma, and her boyfriend, Greg Hurst. Frank swings at Greg, failing to land on Greg, and Keith quickly breaks up the altercation. Frank tells Keith to leave him alone as it was Keith and Jenna’s fault for losing his wife and job. On the morning of the last day of the festival, the peaceful serenity of the morning is interrupted by screaming. Jenna and Keith head to where the screaming is coming from and find Emma standing over the body of Greg, holding the knife that was used to kill him. They notice bloody footprints and follow them to Frank’s boat, where they find his bloody shoes on the pier. Frank is arrested, and Keith is ordered not to investigate because he has previously worked with Frank.

Neither Jenna nor Keith thinks Frank is capable of murder. Keith, unable to investigate, asks Jenna to look into the murder. Jenna's first thought was no way. Frank was the detective who tried to “railroad” her into being convicted of killing her uncle when she first arrived in Hokes Folly. But she does relent and agrees to investigate. Jenna soon finds no shortage of suspects and will call on her BFF, Rita, and her store manager, Mason.

The book is well-written and plotted and moves at a good pace. The story has an exciting cast of well-developed, believable characters. There were enough twists and turns and red herrings that I was kept guessing until the surprising ending.

I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in this exciting series. ( )

Jenna has brought all of her used fishing books to the annual fishing trip. When a local author is stabbed to death and Keith's former partner Frank Sutter is arrested for the crime, Keith asks Jenna to investigate since he can't without compromising the police department. Jenna is reluctant since Frank has made her life in her new town very difficult. Jenna was acquitted of murder but Frank thinks she was really guilty and was determined to find something on her.

Jenna also has to deal with a group picketing outside her shop and looking for signatures on a petition to force Jenna out of town. Then there is the local writers' group who is looking for a new venue for their meetings. Only a number of them are better suspects than Frank for the author's death.

Jenna investigates her suspects and finds things that help the police with their investigations. I liked her persistence and determination to help a man who had been at all nice to her because her boyfriend asked her to.

This was an entertaining story with interesting characters and a nicely twisty plot. I really liked Jenna's dog Eddy and I liked that a friend was trying to push her into adopting a kitten too. Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy this story. ( )

This is the fourth fun installment in the terrific Antique Bookshop Mystery series set in Hokes Folly, NC. Antiquarian bookseller, Jenna Quinn, owner of the Twice Upon a Time bookstore, is our amateur sleuth once again. This time, her boyfriend, a cop, is pulled off a murder investigation of a local author's death because his former partner is accused. Instead, he asks Jenna to look into it but, as usual, she and he got more than they bargained for.

Fun series. Enjoyable characters. Clever plots. What's not to like? Highly recommended for cozy fans!!

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.) ( )

ex-accountant, bookseller, amateur-sleuth, North Carolina, small-business, small-town, cozy-mystery, friendship, pet-dog, recipes, plagiarism, drama, law enforcement, murder, investigation****

Jenna gets involved in a murder case again, this time at (her boyfriend/police detective) Keith’s request. The victim was a real piece of work and the accused is a former cop who was Keith’s partner, so that makes things more than a little sticky. The publisher's blurb is a good hook, so there's no need to recap, and spoilers are just wrong.
This is a really good murder mystery with characters I could relate to, blind plot twists, and inventive red herrings. I loved it!
It is both a good addition to series and also capable as a stand-alone.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you! ( )