Friday Focus: The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings

 

It's Friday . . . time to share book excerpts with:

• Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
• The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an eBook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.

 

Today I'm featuring a recent blog tour read, A Tourist's Guide to Murder by V.M. Burns. It's the latest book in the Mystery Bookshop Mystery Series. The excerpts shared are from an eBook provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

Beginning:  Chapter 1

"Attention." I clinked my knife against my glass. "Attention." Unfortunately, no one listened, and the chatter got louder rather than softer.

My sister, Jenna Rutherford, leaned close and whispered into my ear, "Does the phrase 'herding cats' mean anything to you?"

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56% of eBook:  The Scotland Yard detectives faced us. Detective Sergeant Templeton's eyes sparkled as though she wanted to laugh, but she refrained.

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My thoughts:  The latest installment in V.M. Burns's delightful series revolves around a trip to England, where the characters participate in a murder mystery lovers tour. While visiting such famous sites as Agatha Christie's home in Torquay and Sherlock Holmes's Baker Street establishment, the tourists find themselves in the midst of a real-life murder mystery.

A Tourist's Guide to Murder combines an entertaining armchair travelogue through London and the British countryside with an intriguing whodunit.

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From GoodReads:  While visiting the land of Miss Marple and Sherlock Holmes, bookstore owner and amateur sleuth Samantha Washington finds herself on a tragical mystery tour . . .

Sam joins Nana Jo and her Shady Acres Retirement Village friends Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae on a weeklong trip to London, England, to experience the Peabody Mystery Lovers Tour. The chance to see the sights and walk the streets that inspired Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle is a dream come true for Sam—and a perfect way to celebrate her new publishing contract as a mystery author.

But between visits to Jack the Ripper’s Whitechapel district and 221B Baker Street, Major Horace Peabody is found dead, supposedly of natural causes. Despite his employer’s unfortunate demise, the tour guide insists on keeping calm and carrying on—until another tourist on their trip also dies under mysterious circumstances. Now it’s up to Sam and the Shady Acres ladies to mix and mingle among their fellow mystery lovers, find a motive, and turn up a murderer . . .

 

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This Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution.