Series debut
Emmeline Duncan introduces us to her first book in a new series with Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop. Readers are taken to Elya Hollow, Oregon to Bailey Briggs’ Lazy Bones Bookshop. This small town in Oregon is Halloween famous and definitely capitalizes on the theme. Even at Christmas they make sure to blend the two holidays, and make good of use of the movie Nightmare Before Christmas. All the shops have fun spooky themed names such as the Lazy Bones Bookshop, which Bailey has taken over from her grandparents. Her mother had her at a very young age, so Bailey was actually raised by her grandparents and she still lives with her Grandpa. Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop has the town kicking off its spooky season with the Lit Festival. Aiming to take full advantage of the festival, Bailey has several fun events planned for her store including some visiting authors, one of which can cite Elya Hollow as his childhood home. As if enough isn’t going on, a TV show known as Gone Ghouls is also coming around to film a few episodes, the star of which also has roots in Elya Hollow. It starts off as a book of celebrations and homecoming, everyone excited for the events to come.
As is the case for those living through a murder mystery, Bailey’s well thought out plans quickly run into trouble. The obnoxious and rather destructive crew of Gone Ghouls kick things off in a bad way at the bookshop. Bailey, who was hoping for some good publicity, ends up with a mess. Then for good measure, she turns around and comes across a dead body, finding herself on the Detective’s short list of suspects. Fearing that she’ll end up in jail, she gathers some friends and her trusty dog Jack Skeleton, and starts to dig into the case herself. It turns out the short list of the Detective’s isn’t accurate, as plenty of people in town had problems with the victim. Not so good for her, however, is the constant overlap with her own heritage. Bailey’s mother never revealed who her father was, and it seems that as she digs into the town’s secrets that she may solve two mysteries. However, the fear that her mystery father and the victim OR murderer could be one and the same becomes a constant concern for her.
Emmeline Duncan introduces readers to Elya Hollow and Bailey Briggs effectively. Readers quickly get the feel for the small town and experience Bailey’s anxiety as a new business owner. Bailey is also deeply personalized in that readers get a good feel for her as a person, experiencing all her fears and hopes as she investigates her family, her town, and searches for a killer to clear her name. I also appreciate the continual defenses brought up in favor of bookshops in the face of an ever more digitalized world. I finished the book rather quickly, determined to see Bailey’s name cleared, but also to figure out how her personal drama plays out. Figuring out her parentage is highly satisfying, and I think that Emmeline Duncan paced the drama around it and the reveal perfectly. I very much enjoy seeing alternative family structures represented, and felt Emmeline Duncan did good work depicting this one. Families are complicated, and those with secrets even more so. I look forward to seeing where the series will go next. – Carla Schantz