After I started the first of this series that I read, I wasn't at all sure about it, but it grew on me and, now, I'm ready the entire series. This is the first novel in the series where Jane finds out the secrets of Storyton Hall, and she solves a murder mystery tied to hber Murder and Mayhem week-long event. ( )

Meh. Cozy mysteries are hit and miss for me. This one wasn't a total miss but I could take it or leave it. You'd think a series of literature based mysteries would be right up my alley, but this one was way to cozy and cutesy.

The story had way too many cutesy and coincidental names of people and places. One or two would be memorable but 40 million are annoying. She really lost me when it was revealed Jane would need ninja skills and a tattoo on her chest in order for her to curate an antique library.

Details seemed incongruent. If she's trying to raise money, she's sure putting out a lot of funds to do it. One dinner alone required a specially made dress for herself, and was decorated with two dozen brass candelabras, linens tablecloths, and specially ordered, color coordinated roses. I also highly doubt a criminal is going to be convinced to come clean and shape up and talk by hearing a Walt Whitman poem. Cute idea...but no.

Many parts were stupidly degrading to women. The Cover Girls use their feminine wiles to get info from party guests and the maid, Lizzie, refuses to involve the police in her assault because she doesn't want to "bother the sheriff".

No one actually speaks in conversation the way Jane speaks. If they did, no one could stand to listen for very long. Dialogue should be much simpler---even for a library steward.

I really don't think I'm gonna like this series but I have book two and I'm sick in bed so I guess I'll keep going. ( )

Jane Steward is a single mom of twins trying to save her family's literary themed resort, Storyton Hall, from financial disaster. As she learns the ropes of running the fabled resort from her Aunt and Uncle, she's inspired to host a Murder and Mayhem Week for fans of mysteries. Chock full of role-playing and crime solving events, the event is sure to attract mystery lovers from afar. All is fun and games until the lines between fiction and reality become blurred. With a real crime or two to solve in addition to keeping guests happy, Jane quickly realizes there's more to the hospitality business than just booking guest rooms.

The Bottom Line: This is the first book in the Book Retreat Mystery series. It was recommended to me by a fellow mystery buff, and I'm glad she did. With a quick pace, likable characters, and a literary theme, this cozy mystery is an action-packed weekend read with a surprise twist ending that I didn't see coming. Enthusiastically recommended for fans of cozies and literary themed books. I'm looking forward to book #2.

This review also appears at the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog. ( )

There were some cute things I really loved about this book.
I loved the idea of the resort. I loved the love for books. I like how all the stores in town had gardens.
Then, about half way through, this mystery of the family was revealed that I'm really not so sure I'm going to love going forward. It's a little too "the librarians" for me.
Will I read another one? Possibly. But, I'm a little afraid to. I don't want that one twist to turn me off from what otherwise was a cute book to read. ( )

Jane Steward is a widowed mother of twin boys and manager of Storyton Resort, a book-themed resort hotel. During Jane’s long-anticipated Murder and Mayhem Week there is a real murder (gasp!), which means Jane is forced to run interference with merchants, guests, staff, and the twins while doing some sleuthing of her own and keeping her eccentric Aunt Octavia and Uncle Aloysius Steward, who own the resort, calm and safe.

The story moves along cozily, as cozies will do – but soon enough there’s a completely unexpected twist that makes the prospect of reading all eight books in this series much more intriguing. Without the twist, Murder in the Mystery Suite would warrant 3, maybe 3.5 stars; the overriding theme definitely deserves a step up to 4 stars.

At 276 pages in the mass market edition, this is a book one can finish easily in a few days. One nice touch: the hotel staff and town merchants are listed at the front of the book for easy reference. There’s a well-placed little hook at the very end of the tale that sets the stage for an interesting Book Two. Would I read the next book in the series? Yes! You will too, and you might even start to think about opening your own book resort. I know am! ( )