Murder on the Half Shelf by Lorna Barrett

"Yet again another enjoyable Booktown mystery. I would love to have given this five stars but found the ending came far too abruptly with no hint of who the killer was. It's difficult to figure out a mystery when given no information on motive or suspect. Nonetheless I did enjoy the book very much...." "This book did very little for the existing characters. Most everyone was new. Hard to get invested in the new characters. The investigation part of the story seems to take forever. When the reveal came, it was disappointing. The guilty party was partially given away early in the book. If you rule everyone out, only the guilty will be left. However, the last page was good. Tricia was just getting back together with Grant when a another blast from her past walks in the door. The overall story is that a new bed and breakfast is opening in town. The chamber of commerce gives away a night at the inn to a group of its members. Angelica wins one of the prizes. Sorta of a way to give the B&B a run through before it officially opens. Everyone thought that she would bring Bob, instead she brought Tricia. Tricia takes Sarge (the dog) out for a walk. Betcha can figure out what she finds. As long as she is a suspect, Capt Baker suggests that they don't see each other. And the case goes on from there. The other "funny" thing is that Angelica gives a cooking demo on a new television station and then the station burns down. Will it ruin her new career? Looking forward to the continuation of the story of the last page in the next book...."

드라마든 소설이든 시리즈물들은 시간이 지남에 따라서 인물들의 변화나 이야기의 방향이 좀 바뀌는 것은 당연한 현상인 거 같다. 이 작품도 인물들의 변화가 두드러진다. 새로운 인물들의 출현이나 이전 시리즈부터 계속 등장하는 미스터리한 인물에 대한 암시 등 작가 나름의 변화를 시도하고 있는 거 같다. 다만 좀 지루한 부분이 있는 장편인 것은 사실이다. 문장은 읽는데 큰 문제가 없는 거 같다. 주인공은 애정문제는 산만한 부분이 많아서 작품에 긍정적인 영향에 대해서는 의문이 든다.