Opening Line:  “That girl’s got one foot in the grave.”

Overall:  This is the second book in the, Secret, Book, & Scone Society, cozy mystery series.  The first book is, The Secret Book, & Scone Society.  (Click on the link to read my review of that book.) There are four books in the series so far, and I think you should read them in order.  It helps you to know and understand who all the characters are.  The main character is Nora Pennington, a former librarian, who left her old life behind to open the only book shop in the small town of Miracle Springs, North Carolina.  A town known for healing, where tourists flock with hopes of soothing their physical and emotional pains.  In the first book, Nora, along with 3 other women in the town, formed The Secret, Book, & Scone Society.  All 3 are strong women who have gone through their share of past pain.  But, after bravely sharing their deepest secrets with eachother, the 4 of them worked together to solve two murders in Miracle Springs.  Now, in this book, their powerful sisterhood comes together again because a frail, bruised girl with a hospital bracelet on, hides in Nora’s bookstore.  The group of ladies offer to help the girl, who calls herself Abilene.  They assist her by giving her food, shelter and work.  But, the girls still stays closed-off, and will not talk about what happened to her and how she ended up there.  When one of the customers of Nora’s bookstore is found dead in a pond, it is ruled a suicide.  But, Nora is suspicious, wondering if the new girl Abilene had anything to do with it.  There is a new Sherriff in town, literally, as the old one was found to be corrupt and lost his job.  So, this new Sherriff actually can use the ladies help in getting to know the people and the happenings of the small town.  As two more suspicious deaths happen, Nora and her friends work with the Sherriff and his department in trying to unravel all the unanswered questions.  They are wondering if the deaths are all connected somehow and if they have anything to do with this mysterious new arrival of Abilene.

Ovations:  The author of this series, Ellery Adams, writes so beautifully, and with so much atmosphere, that you really feel like you know this imaginary town of Miracle Springs, and want to visit there.  You get so much depth and detail about the individual characters too.  You really begin to understand and care about the ladies in the Secret, Book, & Scone Society.  You are rooting for them to work through their past pain and end up happy.  You want them to all have friendship, love, and successful businesses.  I like that Nora owns the bookstore.  There are literary quotes at the beginning of each chapter of the book.  There is a lot of talk about books.  I love all of Nora’s humorous mugs that she serves her customer’s coffee in!  They always make me smile.  I love that this is a book about 4 women friends who empower eachother instead of being jealous or competitive with eachother.  I also like the relationship that is forming between Nora and the new Sherriff.  I don’t know if that will turn into a romantic relationship of not, because Nora is sort of dating Jed the paramedic.  But, for now, the new Sherriff and Nora have a nice friendship.  They respect eachother and enjoy spending time together.  

Oh Well:  I think the only think I did not like was that Abilene left town too quickly.  I can’t say when, or it would be a spoiler.  However, I would have liked her to stay in town a little longer with the ladies.  But, I can say that I did like what ultimately did end-up happening in her life and how it all turned out.                             

Opinion:  This second book in the series was an emotional, intriguing, complex cozy mystery.  The plot moves along at a good pace and there are many interwoven parts to the mysteries that keep you wanting to read more.  The characters are diverse and the women are smart and capable.  I love all the book talk and literary references.  I really like this mystery series so far, and can’t wait to read the next book.  Rating 9 out of 10