A review by christi_reads
Murder by Page One by Olivia Matthews

3.0

I liked the library being the center of the town's activity as well as the hub for Marvey and her co-workers as they try to solve a mystery.

The pacing is on the slow and meandering side, which I think is deliberate to mirror the pace of life in Peach Coast compared to Marvey's native NYC. About halfway through I switched to 1.5 speed to move things along. The focus of this book is more on introducing us to Marvey, her friends, and the various townsfolk who will mostly likely be recurring characters.

I had a few minor quibbles, mostly on hardware details. The murder weapon is revealed to be a "curved, 8 inch blade" and the bookstore owner immediately says that's like the box cutters they used and one is missing. YIKES! What kind of ninja machete work does this business require to open boxes of books?? Also someone is suspected of loosening screws on a piece of furniture because he is a handyman and would know how to use the tools. That doesn't seem like a master craftsman level skill to me.

I loved Marvey's custom book cover jewelry and found myself googling the various book covers as she mentioned them. Overall, Olivia Matthews is a very detailed descriptor who paints a very precise picture of who is in a scene, what they are wearing and how they move.

I liked Marvey and her neighbors in Peach Coast. I look forward to more from this series; I hope her family comes down from NYC for a visit soon!

I also liked the narrator of the audiobook a lot as well. She does an excellent job with both the male and female voices.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.*