Chapter and Curse - (Cambridge Bookshop) by Elizabeth Penney (Paperback)

About the Book

Librarian Molly Kimball and her mother move to Cambridge, England, to help run the family-owned bookshop. The store is experiencing revenue difficulties, so Molly arranges for a famous poet to give a reading and drawn in customers. But the anticipated event ends in disaster when one of the guests is found murdered, and Molly's great-aunt's knitting needle was the murder weapon.

Book Synopsis

In Elizabeth Penney's Chapter and Curse, Molly Kimball is used to cracking open books . . . but when a poetry reading ends in murder she must use her skills to crack the case.

A MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD NOMINEE!

"With its bucolic British setting, engaging heroine, and unsolved murder dating back decades, Elizabeth Penney has penned the perfect cozy."-Ellen Byron, USA Today Bestselling Author

Librarian Molly Kimball and her mother, Nina, need a change. So when a letter arrives from Nina's Aunt Violet in Cambridge, England requesting their help running the family bookshop, they jump at the chance.

Thomas Marlowe--Manuscripts and Folios, is one of the oldest bookshops in Cambridge, and--unfortunately--customers can tell. When Molly and Nina arrive, spring has come to Cambridge and the famed Cambridge Literary Festival is underway. Determined to bring much-needed revenue to the bookstore, Molly invites Aunt Violet's college classmate and famed poet Persephone Brightwell to hold a poetry reading in the shop. But the event ends in disaster when a guest is found dead--with Molly's great-aunt's knitting needle used as the murder weapon. While trying to clear Violet and keep the struggling shop afloat, Molly sifts through secrets past and present, untangling a web of blackmail, deceit, and murder.

Review Quotes

"There's a lot to like about Chapter and Curse, beginning with its narrator. Penney has created a cast and setting worth returning to."--Portland Press Herald

"Penney adds to her list of popular, feel-good reads with the start of a new series... will please her fans and everyone looking for a diverting read with a pleasantly nostalgic British cozy, a keep-'em-guessing murder mystery, and a lighthearted romance."--Booklist

"A brilliant new cozy mystery series . . . Once in a while, I enjoy a series-starter so much that the series goes right onto my "Must-Read" list. This is one of those times."--Book Frolic

"If you love books, this one is for you! Ms. Penney has fashioned a cozy mystery that will delight your booklover's heart and satisfy your hunger for intrigue - and crumpets! Don't miss this first in the new Cambridge Bookshop Mystery series."--Paige Shelton, New York Times bestselling author of the Scottish Bookshop series

"Chapter and Curse is a delight from start to finish. Molly's pure joy in her new life and appreciation of her historic surroundings makes her a character you can't help but love. And want to meet again"--Vicki Delany, national bestselling author of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series and Tea by the Sea series

"More from Elizabeth Penney, please! Chapter and Curse is pure delight - a first class cozy mystery set in a completely believable 400-year-old bookshop in Cambridge, England, with characters who immediately feel like the best kind of friends."--Molly MacRae, national bestselling author of the Highland Bookshop Mysteries and the Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries

"A delight from cover to cover! All readers - especially bibliophiles and Anglophiles - will revel in Penny's fascinating book lore and charming Cambridge setting. An engaging cast, dream bookshop setting, and light touch of romance make this a cozy mystery to savor."--Shari Randall, award-winning author of the Lobster Shack Mysteries

"Set in the quaint city of Cambridge, England, this delightful mystery has more twists than a pair of knickers."--Diane Kelly, author of the Paw Enforcement, Mountain Lodge, and House Flipper series

"Penney has spun a delightful web of intrigue and surprises. Anglophiles and cozy fans alike will love this charming new series"--Hannah Dennison, author of the Island Sisters and Honeychurch Hall Mysteries

Praise for Elizabeth Penney:

"Quirky-meets-fun."--Woman's World

"Sharply written . . . . Cozy fans will love it all." --Booklist

About the Author

ELIZABETH PENNEY is the author of more than two dozen cozy mysteries, including the Apron Shop series. The first in the Cambridge Bookshop series, Chapter and Curse, was a 2022 Mary Higgins Clark Award nominee. Elizabeth spent her early years in England and France and now lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where she pens novels and tries to grow things. Visit www.elizabethpenneyauthor.com to learn more.