Saturday, January 14, 2023

Murder Out of Character by Olivia Matthews – A Book Review

 This is Book 2 in the Peach Coast Library Mystery Series.


Image of library book shelves

Murder Out of Character is a cozy mystery with a librarian as the main character. The story locale is a small town near the coast of Georgia. Book #1 ~ Murder by Page One ~ began this mystery series and apparently the author uses book terms (Page One and Character) in her titles, completely in keeping with the 'library' theme. 


The series is published by Hallmark Publishing and they state on the back cover that “If you love Hallmark mystery movies, you'll love this cozy mystery with humor, intrigue, and a hint of romance.”


Plot of Murder Out of Character


Murder Out of Character Book Cover


Our main character, Marvey Harris, is a small-town librarian, a New York native who recently moved to Georgia with her rescue tabby, Phoenix, to take the job of fundraiser/event coordinator of the Peach Coast Library. 


While cleaning up after the library's first fundraising event, Marvey comes across a scrap of paper with a list of four names. 


  • Hank Figg – the high school basketball coach who recently died. 
  • Nellie Kenton – CFO of the local bank.
  • Brittany Wilson – owner of Coastal Cycles, a bike shop.
  • Spencer Holt – Editor/publisher of the Peach Coast newspaper and Marvey's new best friend. 


Marvey finds the list puzzling, but finally tosses it into the recycling bin. The next morning she reads in the paper that Nellie Kenton has been found dead. Two people on the list of four and both have died. Marvey quickly goes to the library to retrieve the list, then takes it to her friend, Spencer because she is now worried about the fact that his is one of the names on the list. At first, Spencer dismisses the list, but soon admits he may be in danger.

With the help of Spencer and her friends on the library staff, an investigation is launched to determine who wrote the list and the reason why. The four people appear to have nothing in common other than living in Peach Coast. But it is obvious that the other two people left on the list are in danger. 

The police are not thrilled with civilians doing a murder investigation, but Marvey is determined. Even while busy with her job and preparing for a visit from her parents, it soon becomes obvious that Marvey, Spencer and their librarian friends need to find and stop a killer who may just possibly be bent on a long overdue revenge.


Summary


Our heroine wants to keep her friends safe and the readers look forward to a happily-ever-after ending. 


Lovers of small-town cozies can while away a pleasant afternoon with this one." -Publishers Weekly


Peach Coast Library Mystery Series Author


Olivia Matthews is actually the cozy mystery pseudonym for Patricia Sargeant, a national best-selling, award-winning author. She writes romance as Patricia Sargeant and mysteries as Olivia Matthews. 

Author Olivia Matthews

Patricia writes romance because she believes that the Power of Love is the greatest motivation. She writes mysteries so ordinary people put in extraordinary situations find the 'Hero Inside'


*Book Review of Murder Out of Character, Book 2 of 2 in the Peach Coast Library Mystery Series written by Wednesday Elf


These first two books in the Peach Coast Library Mystery Series can be found on Amazon at the links below:


Murder By Page One (Book 1 of 2)

Murder Out of Character (Book 2 of 2)



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Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


13 comments:

  1. Thank you Pat, I really do enjoy cozy mystery books and I will put this on my list to read. If it gets a "Hallmark" type rating even better. I can rely on that as a benchmark for excellence!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Olivia. I think all mystery fans enjoy a cozy mystery now and then. The lighthearted approach one finds in this genre is always enjoyable. And Hallmark is known for their excellence in movies and books, so you know you have a winner here.

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  2. We enjoy watching the Hallmark Mystery Series so, I'm sure that we would both enjoy this book. Thanks Pat for the recommendation.

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    Replies
    1. I think both you and Fran would enjoy this mystery series, Sam. A fun mystery with interesting characters.

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  3. Thanks Pat. I always seem to love the books you recommend. This will definately go on my to read list.

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    Replies
    1. Always fun to have a group of recommended books for further reading. Thanks, Mary Beth.

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  4. I’m a fan of the cozy mystery genre and enjoy sprinkling my historical romance novels and other reading with a cozy mystery or two from time to time. Since this one is similar to Hallmark mysteries, it sounds as though it wouldn’t be too intensely suspenseful for me. I like that it’s part of a series, too. It’s always fun to “make friends” with characters and be able to “visit” with them again in subsequent books.

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    Replies
    1. Getting to know - and like - the characters is what makes a series fun for sure, Margaret.

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  5. Sounds like an excellent book. The cozy mystery genre is probably not one I would gravitate towards, but your review has me intrigued with what happened, and who did it!

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    Replies
    1. Figuring out 'who done it' is always my favorite part of reading mysteries, Barbara. Thanks for visiting my book review.

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  6. This sounds like a book series I would truly enjoy! I like what the author says about why she writes mysteries. I prefer uplifting books (movies, tv, etc) where there is a unique and unexpected hero. Thanks for the recommendation!

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    Replies
    1. I also meant to comment on the book being published by Hallmark Publishing. I had not realized they had now gone into the book publishing business. Very interesting indeed!

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    2. Until I did my research, Mouse, I also did not know that Hallmark had ventured into the book publishing world. This library series is a fun read in the cozy mystery genre. The characters are very likable.

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