Prologue to Murder

Written by Lauren Elliott

Narrated by Karen White

After a career working with rare books at the Boston Public Library, Addie Greyborne is back in her seaside New England hometown-where unfortunately, murder is not so rare . . .

Gossip columnists love a bold-faced name-but "Miss Newsy" at Greyborne Harbor's local paper seems to specialize in bald-faced lies. She's pointed a finger of suspicion at Addie after librarian June Winslow never makes it home from a book club meeting. And when June's found at the bottom of a steep flight of stairs, Addie's not only dealing with a busybody, but a dead body.

It's a good thing the guy Addie's dating is the police chief. But both the case and her love life get more complicated when a lanky blonde reporter from Los Angeles shows up. She's trying her hardest to drive a wedge between the couple . . . as if Addie doesn't have enough problems dealing with angry townspeople. Despite all the rumors, Addie doesn't know a thing about the murder-but she plans to find out. And the key may lie in a book about pirate legends that June published. Now she just has to hunt down the clues before she becomes a buried treasure herself . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Apr 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9781977385222

Lauren Elliott

Lauren Elliott is a Major in the Air Force Reserves and a 2000 Air Force Academy graduate. She served as a Regional Director of Admissions at the Air Force Academy and as a guest faculty member in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. She has read and evaluated 20,000+ candidate application packages and understands what service academy admissions and nomination boards are looking for.

Reviews for Prologue to Murder

[aztwinmom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Addie is feeling hopeful about the success of her bookshop, until the local gossip column starts pointing a finger at her for the murder of the town librarian and author. Who is the ‘Miss Newsy” and why is she out to get Addie? To make matters worse, an old girlfriend of Marc (the police chief and Addie’s love interest) is back in town. So who did murder the librarian and why? Does it have to do with the history of pirates and treasure in the town? The mystery is well-done. Unfortunately, I still find Addie annoying. She often behaves more like a gangly teenager than an adult owner of her own business. The story was still enjoyable and interesting.

[cyderry · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Addie Greystone owns a bookstore in Greystone Harbor. The residents of the town are not enthused by Addie's lineage so when the town librarian is found murdered shortly after visiting the bookstore, word around town has Addie as the villain. At the same time, Addie's new beau, Marc, the chief of police, has been seen with his ex-fiancée. Digging into the activities of the victim, Addie discovers that her past may be the reason for her demise.The new characters don't really add to the likability of the store. I hope they don't hang around. Love triangles/rectangles aren't really necessary for a good cozy aand detract from the development of the main characters.

[joannefm2 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Addie Greystone owns a bookstore in Greystone Harbor, named after her family. When the body of town librarian June Winslow is discovered, thanks to the local gossip column, everyone thinks Addie had something to do with it and are now shunning her. She also discovers that police chief Marc, whom Addie has just started seeing, has been visited by his old flame, Lacey Davenport. It doesn't help when Marc's sister wants Addie to back off and let Lacey have him, even though Marc assures her they're done; or that new doctor Simon has shown up and is interested in Lacey himself. Then June's daughter visited Addie at the bookstore, giving her a box of her mother's things that contain an old treasure map. Addie's convinced that this is the reason June was murdered, and convinces Marc that this is the reason June was killed. Even if he disbelieves it, he wants to stay close to Addie, since Simon is going along with her theories. So the three set out to discover the truth, but someone wants her out of it for good...This is the second book in the series, and I have to say that it greatly disappointed me. While I might have been interested in the mystery, two things that I absolutely detest occurred to stop it: the entrance of the 'evil nemesis,' in the form of Lacey; and the beginning of a love triangle. I absolutely abhor these things, and from what I can tell of future books, it doesn't get any better. I've quit reading other series because of this. There was no reason to bring in Simon, except to cause tension. I did like Marc; not so much Simon; and unfortunately, this will be my last book in the series. I'm not interested enough to continue because so much time is taken up with the 'will-she-or-won't-she' angle. Let me put it this way: if it were one man stringing along two women, people would think he's a dog, or worse. But for some reason it's fine if a female character does it? No thank you. Not for me.Because of this, I couldn't even get into the mystery, due to the fact that every time something happened, one or the other would show up, and then the second man would show up right afterward. Good way to ruin the mystery angle. Things like this actually dull my enjoyment of a book.At any rate, when the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, it didn't really interest me anymore, and I didn't care about the reason why June was killed. Sorry to say it, but it is what it is.

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Addie is scurrying about in this second installment, chasing down leads to find a murderer, dealing with a gossip columnist's unsavory comments about her in the newspaper, and coming to grips with a mean-spirited reporter who just happens to be Marc's former girlfriend. Addie begins to wonder if she is more attracted to Marc, Chief of Police, or Simon, the new doctor in town. Throw in a rumor about a pirate's hidden treasure, one that may be buried somewhere in the town, you'll know why there's never a dull moment in this tale.

[spencer28-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Bookstore owner Addie Greyborne is back in Prologue to Murder by Lauren Elliott.  In between running her store and trying to learn the history of the small town named after her ancestor, Greyborne Harbor, Addie is juggling her love life and murders.  

As a "certified" amateur detective, and despite the misgivings of her potential boyfriend, the chief of police, Addie uses her research skills to investigate the murder of the local librarian.  

This is book two of a new series, but it's not necessary to have read the first one (Murder by the Book) to appreciate the story.

I received a digital ARC via NetGalley.

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Prologue to Murder is the second book in A Beyond the Page Mystery series. I would suggest reading Murder by the Book before embarking on this new tale. Addie is hoping her new life will get back on track after the last murder. Unfortunately, it does not seem to be in the cards for Addie. She has her newcomer status working against her plus her last name. It does not help to be the subject of gossip in the Miss Newsy column. Martha, the bakery owner, still dislikes Addie. It was nice to finally learn why Martha does not like Addie. Serena and Addie have some friendship issues thanks to the returning Lacey Davenport. Lacey is a catty woman who is out for herself (I really could not stand this character). I appreciate that Addie and Serena communicated with each other to work out the issues. It was nice to see Serena grow as an individual. We also get to know more about Paige, Addie’s part-time shop assistant. We are introduced to Dr. Simon Emerson who becomes Marc’s rival for Addie’s affections (I hope the author rectifies this matter quickly). I could have done with less romance in this book. I prefer the focus to remain on the mystery and for romance to play out in the background over the course of the series. The mystery was the best part of the book. Pirates, hidden tunnels, a missing manuscript and buried treasure are all part of the mystery in Prologue to Murder. It was nice that the mystery was multifaceted. Addie’s murder board is back to help her keep track of the various suspects and sort through the clues to identify the guilty party. Marc needs to learn that Addie is going to investigate and quit asking her to promise not to look into the crimes (she will just find a creative workaround or end up lying to him). One of the phrases from Prologue to Murder that stuck with me is “sometimes we have to face the demons from our past to make them vanish completely”. Prologue to Murder will have you singing sea shanties and hankering for rum with its buried treasure, secret tunnels, pirates, a missing manuscript and a dead body.

[celtick72 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another amazing book in the Beyond the Page Bookstore mystery series! Wonderful character development & enough twists and turns to keep me second-guessing myself over whodunit!

[brianewilliams · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thanks to Kensington Books and Netgalley for providing a review copy of this eBook.   The views expressed are my own. Amateur sleuth Addie Greyborne investigates the suspicious death of the author of a history book about the New England seashore town founded and named after Addie's ancestors. There's rumours of an early manuscript for the book containing directions to a pirate treasure trove left behind when the British chased out pirates in the 1700's. While Addie chases down this manuscript she is harassed by local yahoos who resent her returning to Greyborne Harbor and setting up her book and curio shop, Beyond the Page. Several mysterious men lurk in the background too and she receives several warnings to stop her investigation.Addie has a complicated relationship with the town's police chief, which gets more complicated when the chief's former fiance returns to town after a scandal forced her out of her television career. Lacey Davenport plays the role of mean girl to Addie's good girl, and then simply disappears from the story. All of this is a bit of soap opera drama added to the whodunit. The romantic drama increases when a new doctor comes to town and shows interest in Addie, much to the chagrin of the police chief.With the soap opera in the background the murder investigation continues, and comes to a suspenseful conclusion in an underground cavern. It's a clever story written from Addie's point of view, with a small cast of supporting characters. Lacey, the mean girl, is a standout and her sudden disappearance is a letdown: readers don't get to see he get her comeuppance. (Maybe she'll be back in a sequel?) The mysterious bad guys lurking the background are there for suspense, but do not play a role in the story except to add an atmosphere of danger. This is the second of a series featuring Addie and her Greyborne Harbor bookstore. It can be read as a standalone without difficulty. The series shows promise: the teaser for the next book in the series is included in the eBook and it looks interesting.Recommended.