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Book Review of Murder by Reference (John Lloyd Branson, Bk 4)

Murder by Reference (John Lloyd Branson, Bk 4)
reviewed on + 254 more book reviews


I think I'd like to read the first book in this series. I think the female lead in this one did not present in the best light because she was still deal with the leftovers from the first book (it was not needed to read the first book to read this one, but I'm not sure her normal state and she was something of twit in this one, but seemed to be recovering by the end.)

I enjoyed the male lead. He's a hoot and has a good turn of phrase. I also enjoyed the fact this was a cozy that had an actual plot that the characters investigated, rather than being focused around something other than the mystery (fluffy humor, recipes, etc). I grow tired of mysteries that solve themselves around the lead rather than the lead solving the mystery.

All that said, I wasn't that impressed overall. I don't know why--there were characters, there was plot, there were fun supporting characters. I enjoyed reading the book but not enough to push me to look for more of them. If I find one, I'll probably read it because I think the author has a lot of potential, but it's still being developed in this book. Worth reading if you enjoy mysteries, not worth seeking out specifically.