Mystery Bookshop #9
There is a lot that goes into getting a book written and on shelves. After the author thinks it’s finally done, it then has to pass through the publishing gauntlet. Once it makes it through that, then the author must go about promoting their book to ensure sales stay up and their next book has a better chance of getting published. Often times they must promote at events with other authors who have many other books published and have a solid fan base. In Murder On Tour, V.M. Burns portrays our protagonist Samantha Washington’s struggle to be not just a published author, but a confident one. It does not help her ego any to be a last minute addition to a book festival, and that her table isn’t in a very ideal location. Luckily she has her grandma Nana Joe present to keep her confidence up and boost her morale. But, once behind the scenes, Samantha finds out that things are not all they appear to be. The infighting between these well-known authors is shocking and Samantha does her best to stay out of it.
That becomes impossible, however, when a publicist is poisoned at the event’s cocktail reception. Samantha’s fiancée Frank Patterson unfortunately notices the signs of poisoning, and has her call in the local detective Bradley Pitt. They like to call him Stinky Pitt, due to their past misadventures and negative interactions with him. Unlike previous times, however, Detective Pitt actually wants Samantha and her sleuthing squad to look into this particular death because she is part of the “inner circle” of the event. Although they all agree it is more likely because he is hoping they solve it for him and he can just take the credit. Regardless, Samantha and Nana Joe gather their Shady Acres Retirement Village girls together and go after the mystery with vigor. While the other authors are not necessarily forthcoming with Samantha, they are more receptive to talking to her than to Detective Pitt. Having a bookstore to entice the authors to come and sign stock and meet readers also helps get her further into their group.
As she works, Samantha also is writing her next novel in her own series and begins to mirror current events in it to try and organize her thoughts. This is a very tricky thing to do in a book, as it can often interrupt the flow of the main story. However, V.M. Burns manages to pull it off and have readers eager for the conclusion of both Murder On Tour and Samantha’s own Murder at Wickfield Lodge. In addition, the accurate use of imposter syndrome to describe Samantha’s self-doubt is another aspect I appreciated. It is easy to be intimidated by those who are already established, but it is equally important to own your accomplishments. Thanks to her loving and supportive circle of friends and family, Samantha works her way through her own insecurities. Murder On Tour is the ninth book in V.M. Burns Mystery Bookshop series, but readers can easily pick it up and enjoy it without having read the previous books. That isn’t to say that it won’t motivate readers to get their hands on the rest of the series. – Carla Schantz