Review and Giveaway: Cover Story

Cover Story (Ashton Corners Book Club Mystery - Book 3) by Erika Chase

Publication Date: 08/06/2013
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 304
ISBN-10: 0425252116
ISBN-13: 978-0425252116

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Prime Crime)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound

Erika Chase on the WEB: Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads

Books in the series:

A Killer Read (2012), Read and Buried (2012), Cover Story (2013)

Coverart: Click the image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from Cover Story, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature.

Synopsis:

Murder is nothing novel for the Ashton Corners Mystery Readers and Cheese Straws Society—but this time the police want to throw the book at one of their own…

It’s time to celebrate when club member Molly Mathews’s childhood friend, Teensy Coldicutt, moves back to town—complete with a published book. But as the club plans Teensy’s book launch, Molly is attacked and Teensy’s books are stolen. Who would be so desperate for 150 copies of a sexy novel written by an elderly widow? Then Ashton Corners is hit with another shock when Teensy’s publisher turns up dead—and fellow club member and former police chief Bob Miller is taken into custody.

Convinced that Teensy’s missing books hold the key to the murder, Lizzie Turner and her band of readers are determined to hunt them down. But the plot thickens when their search leads them straight into a counterfeiting ring. Now they must unravel this surprise twist before the killer gets the chance to write someone else off…

Thoughts:

The third book in the Ashton Corners Book Club mystery series, Cover Story is an interesting mix of murder and publishing. Author Erika Chase has written a novel that has everything from missing titles for a book launch to a counterfeiting ring. Readers will find themselves in the middle of an intriguing mystery that leaves a trail of bodies that may lead to one of Ashton's Corners most celebrated citizens. Chases' attention to detail and knack for keeping the reader a little off balance makes this a must read for cozy mystery fans!

I always enjoy a book that has a book club at the center. The Ashton Corner's series features the Ashton Corners Mystery Readers and Cheese Straw Society, made up of some quirky characters who sometimes seem a little more interested in books than just about anything else. Cover Story, like the other books in the series is a nod to books in general, showcasing a quote from a book at the beginning of each chapter and following up at the end of the book with a reader list from each book club member. I think Chase hits the jackpot with this idea. Her continued references to books and authors is one of the things that makes this series so special. You never know which book may get a nod next.

Lizzie and the gang are back in Cover Story, this time planning a book launch party for one of the club members friends who has written a steamy novel. However, when the books are stolen and Molly is injured the crew from the book club is on the case. I generally enjoy how much these characters are into books and reading, but sometimes they get a little carried away. In this one I felt a little like they were more interested in the book launch party than the murder aspect of the story. They wanted to solve the murders of course but it was almost a secondary plot instead of the main focus of the book. 

That being said, I still enjoyed the novel and felt it was a good addition to the series. I had a hard time figuring this one out from the clues that were given, but understood the reason for that when the ending is revealed. It played out a little bit predictably but that was fine, since the journey to find the killer was still very interesting, including a few side stories that made the novel full of surprises. I liked the counterfeiting angle that comes into play and thought it was nice touch. 

Clearly the characters are the story in any book by Erika Chase. She has a way of providing the reader with just the right amount of info on each character to make them believable and interesting. Molly was the star of the show in this one. She was determined to figure it all out even after she was hurt when the books were stolen. I liked her energy in this one. Lizzie of course is the backbone of the book and the series and she is also very determined to prove that Bob Miller was not the killer. 

Though there were a few hiccups with this one, I think Cover Story advanced the series and helped readers learn just a little bit more about the Ashton Corner's Mystery Readers and Cheese Straw Society... what a name LOL!

Cover Story is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Erika Chase writes the Ashton Corners Book Club mysteries for Penguin/Berkley Prime Crime. In a parallel life she is also known as Linda Wiken, a former mystery bookstore owner. The first in the book club series, A Killer Read, was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel from the Malice Domestic conference in 2013. Linda/Erika is also a short story writer and a member of those dangerous dames, The Ladies' Killing Circle. She has been short-listed for an Arthur Ellis Award, Best Short Story, from Crime Writers of Canada.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Cover Story by Erika Chase.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US Addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, September 10th.

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