Read Harder: THE PLOT IS MURDER by V.M. Burns

The Plot Is Murder by V.M. Burns
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Read Harder Challenge Category: a mystery written by a person of color or lgtbq author

I’d had The Plot is Murder on my TBR since before it hit shelves. Burns and I are both graduates of Seton Hill University’s MFA in Writing Popular Fiction program, and I love seeing my fellow #shuwpf-ers become published authors. Throw in that this is a charming cozy mystery about a book lover who wants to open a bookstore, and you had me at hello. Mysteries aren’t my most common reading stomping grounds. The ones that grab me are light on the violence and of the following type: a). British in nature (i.e. Rhys Bowen’s Her Royal Spyness series); b). involve music/theatre (such as Joelle Charbonneau’s Glee Club books), and c). about books—hence, The Plot is Murder.

And Burns did not disappoint me. There are books! And Samantha Washington, our resident bookshop owner/protagonist, is a character I can get behind. Her voice is sharp and fun while also being heavily emotional. She’s still struggling with her late husband’s death, and opening her bookstore is the dream she wants to come true in his honor. Unfortunately, dead bodies don’t want the dream to succeed. But some amateur sleuthing combined with old-fashioned determination are on Samantha’s side.

And then there’s the clan of old ladies who are dead-set (pun intended) on helping Samantha solve the case. They are a riot and surprisingly useful in the murder-solving department. They know their strengths. When they decide to go somewhere, they are on the clock and doing whatever they’re best at to get info. It was a joy to watch this gaggle of gals participate in the case.

A bonus with this book is it’s Michigan setting. Being a new resident of the Great Lakes State—and having an S.O. who grew up here, moved for work, and has now moved back—I’m now interested in books set in my new home turf, as it were. Though, I asked my boyfriend and googled the book’s setting of North Harbor. The boyfriend says it’s not a real city, and google didn’t find it. Despite this, The Plot is Murder set me smack dab on the hand. Michiganders, you know what I mean, apparently.


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