Picture Book Peril (St. Marin's Cozy Mystery Series 10) by A.C.F. Bookens

Picture Book Peril (St. Marin's Cozy Mystery Series 10) Reviews

• 
  Les Wilson

  A excellent book
  
  I give 5* to very few books but this one was worth it. I had an idea of the culprit but wasn’t sure until the end. Highly recommend ACF Bookens.
• 
  Peter Hyson

  I received a free advance review copy of this book and am voluntarily providing my honest review. All my favourite characters – human, canine and feline – pop up again and their stories are developed nicely as Harvey investigates a series of mysterious notes left in a number of clocks. Plus, of course, the inevitable murder. A really good cozy mystery with the added bonus of sensitively handling a clutch of new characters some of whom have with bipolar disorder. I hope at least some of them will appear again, they bring an added richness. The story works really well at all levels: plot-twists, red herrings, and keeps interest without flagging. I really enjoyed revisiting the regular characters and imagining more about St Marin.
• 
  Andi

  This book was so fun to write because I really, really missed the characters from St. Marin's. Here, we have a story of murder, family struggle, and pain. . . but we also have a lot of hope. Plus, of course, Taco and Mayhem are heroes once again, maybe just not as much as Harvey.
  
  Happy Reading.
• 
  Lynda

  This was a cozy that not only gave you a chance to solve a murder but gave you a chance to spend some time with a great group of people that make you feel that you have.known them for ever. Going to go read more of this authors stories.
• 
  Loretta TheMoodyRedhead

  And They Lived Happily Every After...
  
  Well this is the point of many series where I am most saddened, because this is the last book in St. Marin's. For now, anyway.
  
  A lady that was the sister of one of St. Marin's newest residents and Harvey's new friend was strangled to death and who but Harvey was nearby at the time? Honestly, I believe Harvey needs to think about going to a psychologist to work through what is most definitely trying on her psyche.
  
  Since Harvey has had one too many close calls on her life for being too curious in homicide investigations in the recent past, she no longer plays unlicensed sleuth, rather she leaves the interrogations up to law enforcement. However, that does not delete her wonderings about different aspects of each crime - she still ponders constantly about whodunit and why.
  
  This read involved discussions about mental health issues in certain characters and how it's important to get help with how to cope and realize it's ok to have those issues and that you aren't a "broken" person for admitting you need that help. None of us are fault free and those of us with mental health issues can be loved by another person despite those issues. We just need to learn to loved ourselves first and then we can own ourselves to others.
  
  Ok, that was a lot up there, but the books in this series do sometimes tend to be a lot and tend to deal with very real life problems.
  
  In the end, everything turned out well and there was even a happy wedding! Oh, and an engagement... or three (wink).
  
  Ok what's my next reading choice...??... How about "Fruitcake and Felonies: A Cozy Culinary Mystery (A Belle Harbor Cozy Mystery Book 13)" by Sue Hollowell. I have read the previous 12 books of this series.
• 
  dnsyl57

  "Picture Book Peril" is book #10 in the St Marin's Cozy Mystery series by ACF Bookens.
  
  "When the sweet but reclusive clockmaker in town reaches out to Harvey to ask for her advice about a situation, the bookstore owner finds herself wrapped in a web of tales that leaves her unclear about what’s true and what’s not. As Harvey and her friends begin to unravel the truth from the legend, they discover a whole lot more than they bargained for, including a body. Can they discover who is the villain and who is the hero before they become lost to the story themselves?"
  
  My thoughts:
  In this latest book, ACF Bookens delves into the subject of mental health - in particular that of bipolar and depression - and how it can be genetic.
  
  Harvey really does make a concerted effort not to get involved in trying to solve the murder but people and circumstances keep drawing her in. Add in some unexpected drama (some good - some not) and the usual group dynamics of her friends and family. It's a lot to handle but Harvey somehow manages to keep it all together and eventually sort out the truth from fiction.
  
  I wasn't overly surprised as to who the killer was but it was an interesting read. A few lighter moments and descriptions of decorations and holiday food helped to lighten ever so slightly a difficult yet important subject.
• 
  Juliet Minerva Swift

  Another series that is getting too tiring for me. I enjoyed the first books but by now they feel a bit too much. Definitely too on the nose, I get that the author cares about adding some sort of minority, but it would be good if the murder sometimes was just because of jealousy or money or the usual stuff. I am a bit sick of having a whole book constantly rotating around a specific issue, here being mental health.
  
  I did struggle to keep up with this, and again we have a character that barely investigates, and definitely does not find clues or anything. There’s too much “I did/said this thing and I don’t know why” well that’s not a good deductive reasoning.
  
  The murder was also so bland, a woman dies and there is only one suspect, who turns out to be the killer unsurprisingly. I get the cosy vibe but I probably just need something different at the moment.
  
• 
  Susanna

  This book, tenth in the series, dealt with the difficult topic of mental illness. I really like that Bookens manages to tackle tough subjects in a lighthearted way.
  
  However, I felt like she just sort of phoned this one in. There were several plot holes. A couple were small, but one was pretty enormous. I don’t want to provide any spoilers, but how on earth was Harvey confident she only had to keep the person threatening her talking for two minutes and then Jared would be there? I mean, really. There was no prearranged signal. So the reader is left wondering WTH?
  
  Also, I can tolerate a certain amount of sloppiness, but Pacabel’s Canon? One quick look at Google would have told Bookens that it’s Pachelbel even if you mistype “Pacabel” into the search bar.
  
  
• 
  Nikki

  I really enjoy reading books in this cozy mystery series, which highlight different social issues in each book. This book highlights mental health issues. The series is set around a book shop in St Marins where Harvey, the book shop owner has a tendency to get involved in murders which happen in the town.
  
  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next one. The books are all standalone stories but the books are best read in order of publication to preserve continuity of the characters and series.
  
  If you liked reading this book, try the Stitches in Crime series by the same author.
• 
  Dwayne Keller

  Another good mystery. Another murder and plenty of other activity going on. All the usual characters are back and it was like visiting a bunch of friends. The trauma of mental illness is also addressed in a complimentary manner. Enjoy this story and mystery.
• 
  Donna

  Interesting turn
  
  1st off, I really enjoy this series. I like the characters. This time around Harvey decides she wants to stay out of the mystery and just enjoy the holidays. Yeah right.
• 
  Carol

  Back on track
  
  For a couple of books, it seemed this series was zigging and zagging so much I got whiplash. I still liked them enough to read the next one (and the next one), but was nearing my limit. No more. This one seemed back to its same old series self which is a GOOD thing.
• 
  Lori Beekman

  Being from the Midatlantic, I feel like I've been to this town :) This series is one of my favorites. This additoin to the series sucked me in from the beginning. A pleasure to read.
• 
  Sue

  Love visiting St Marin's with every book in this series. Interesting stories and great characters. I received and advance copy from the author and this has been my honest opinion.