A deadly chapter

Lang's pleasant third Castle Bookshop mystery (after 2020's Death on the Page) opens with Shelby Cox, co-owner of Bayside Books in Alexandria Bay, N.Y., and a bookshop in a historic castle-cum-museum on nearby Blye Island, discovering a dead body wedged between her houseboat and the dock. The victim's identity is unknown, but Shelby recognizes him as a man who recently visited one of her bookshops in search of a woman who moved to town seven years earlier. He didn't know the name the woman might be using, but he did know that she loved books and reading. Shelby once again turns sleuth, but she does little investigating, being too busy helping out at a mystery book event and mulling over her relationship with boyfriend Zack Griffin, a Coast Guard Investigative Service agent. Diehard romantics will look forward to returning to this idyllic cozy setting; those who expect some serious detecting may prefer to pass. Agent: Kim Lionetti, BookEnds Literary. (Mar.)

A bookseller finds New York's Thousand Islands as deadly as they are beautiful. In the short time since Shelby Cox moved to Alexandria Bay, she's already been involved in two murders, found the love of her life in Zack Griffin, and developed a close relationship with her aunt Edie. Running the Blye Island bookstore she and Edie own has helped Shelby make many friends. But her happy life runs into some speed bumps when she finds a body floating between her houseboat and the dock. Police Chief Tekla Stone, who's well aware of Shelby's sleuthing tendencies, warns her not to get involved, but when Nathan Miller's daughter begs her for help, she can't resist. Before he was killed, Miller had been asking local residents about a woman who may have moved to town seven years earlier. He was also doing some consulting work in the area, and his daughter, who hasn't been close to him since his second marriage, thinks there may be something odd about the work. Tracking down clues gives Shelby a break from two painful decisions she must make. Her long-estranged mother has resurfaced, eager to resume some kind of relationship, and Zack's been offered a promotion that would require a move to Boston. Being stalked by a killer bothers Shelby less than coming to terms with her past and future. A bookstore-themed cozy with a lively heroine and romantic overtones. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.