Tricia Miles is the owner of Haven't Got a Clue, a mystery bookstore in Stoneham, NH. The bookstore is one of several that resides in the village, and most of the owners are excitedly preparing for Founder's Day, a celebration to be held in the square. However, the celebration is cut short when organizer (and one of Tricia's good friends) Deborah Black begins giving the opening speech and a small aircraft that has been pulling a banner all morning suddenly crashes into the gazebo killing both her and the pilot.

The Sheriff's Department is convinced that the unfortunate accident was just that, and the ongoing investigation will be handled by the National Transportation Safety Board. But the more Tricia hears about the ripples that Deborah's death has created, the more uncertain she becomes that this was an unplanned event.

Monty Capshaw, the deceased pilot, and Deborah seemingly have nothing in common. There doesn't seem to be a reason that he would want to deliberately kill her. And everyone seems to agree that the airplane ran out of gas. And Tricia finds plenty of people who had a bone to pick with Deborah, which makes her soon begin to wonder how much she really knew this woman she called her friend.

This latest installment of the Booktown Mystery series was a nice read. I like the way the way the relationship between Tricia and her sister is developing in that the sister is becoming a more balanced character. The small subplot of what Christopher, Tricia's ex-husband, is up to by lavishing Tricia with gifts and sending odd notes was intriguing. And the issue with Ginny's professional growth was interesting, as well. I'm sure that readers will be just as emotionally torn as Tricia; I know I was!

Fans of this series won't be disappointed. Ms. Barrett keeps the reader guessing as to whodunit, and I'm eagerly looking forward to visiting Stoneham again when the next book drops!

Book Summary

As the owner of Stoneham, New Hampshire's mystery bookstore Haven't Got a Clue, Tricia Miles can figure out whodunit in the latest bestseller long before she gets to the last page. But when her friend is killed in a freak accident, Tricia must use her sleuthing skills to solve a murder mystery that promises to be much more sinister than the books on her shelves.