Read by Rowena (Bookseller) and Devon (Local Student, 13yr)
Rowena; a great cosy crime and brilliant weekend/holiday read - love that its based in NZ and that its written by two different writers, who are very much their own personalities, however a tight team and it really works!
Devon; The Bookshop Detectives series by Garth & louise Ward is a cosy crime set right here in New Zealand! Garth & Louise write a chapter each from one of the main characters point of view. The story is about marries ex police who own a bookshop in the Hawkes bay. Their peaceful life is interrupted when they have a mystery to solve.
I liked this book because it kept me guessing until the very, very end and there's lots of light hearted humour that made me laugh. The main characters Eloise and Garth, each had their own personalities which you could see thoughtout the whole book. This book has swearing.
Two small-town booksellers (and their cowardly dog) solve a decades-old murder-mystery in this witty debut novel, full of literary clues, sparkling dialogue, and comedic insights into the world of bookshops.
"When we opened Sherlock Tomes people warned us that we'd made a terrible mistake. People warned us that e-readers were taking over. People warned us that we'd never compete with Amazon. The one thing they didn't warn us about was the murders..."
Introducing... the Bookshop Detectives! When a mystery parcel arrives at Sherlock Tomes bookshop in small-town Havelock North, New Zealand, husband-and-wife owners Garth and Eloise (and their petrified pooch, Stevie) are drawn into the baffling case of a decades-old missing schoolgirl. Intrigued by the puzzling, bookish clues the two ex-cops are soon tangled in a web of crime, drugs, and floral decapitations, while endeavouring to pull off the international celebrity book launch of the century. With their beloved shop on the chopping block and the sinister suspect who forced them to run away from Blighty reemerging from the shadows, have Garth and Eloise Sherlock finally met their Moriarty?
For once, the cover copy is no exaggeration - Diary of a Bookseller really does meet Thursday Murder Club meets Bookseller at the End of the World in this witty debut novel, full of literary clues, comedic insights and the kinds of Kiwis you only ever meet in bookshops.
'A page-turning joy, bursting with intrigue, fun and humanity.' - Charity Norman
'Fun and twisty. -the only two crime writers I know who have actually solved murders.' - Michael Bennett
'At last! A book that kept me guessing until the end, and in the perfect setting. How could I, or anyone who loves bookshops, resist?' - Ruth Shaw
'Eloise and Garth are the book-selling, tea-drinking, crime-fighting duo that I didn't know I needed in my life! The Bookshop Detectives is a real treat for bibliophiles of all stripes.' - Jack Heath
'Warm-hearted, filled with wry humour, spiced up with suspense . . . captivating Kiwi cosy crime!' - Nicky Pellegrino
Crime and mystery fiction
Paperback
Gareth and Louise Ward
352 pages
H: 197mm W: 131mm Spine: 21mm
Weight: 264 grams