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On Spine of Death (By the Book Mysteries 2) Kindle Edition

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 229 ratings

2023 EDGAR AWARD NOMINEE, LILIAN JACKSON BRAUN PRIZE for Buried in a Good Book

"In 'Keystone Kops'–style scenes set around the morgue, a muddy mountain, and the hardware store, bones and books disappear and reappear…[On Spine of Death] is a quirky story for those who enjoy funny cozies."—Library Journal

Bestselling author Tess Harrow and her teenage daughter Gertrude have decided to make Winthrop their home. Their cabin is fixed up and now they're turning to the family hardware store that Tess inherited from her late grandfather into the town's first independent bookstore.

But when renovations unearth bones from a cold case and send them toppling—literally—onto Tess's head, the work comes to a grinding halt. With the whole town convinced that her grandfather was a serial killer, Tess has to call in a fellow horror author for reinforcements. Together, they'll come up with a perfect story to make all the clues fit…and solve a mystery more than thirty years in the making.

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From the Publisher

Praise from 'Mystery and Suspense'
Praise from Library Journal
Praise from Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Berry’s sequel to Buried in a Good Book is a quirky story for those who enjoy funny cozies." ― Library Journal

"This cozy mystery zips along at a fast pace, filled with twists and turns and red herrings aplenty, with never a dull moment... With an entertaining mixture of humour and mystery, nonstop action and a cast of quirky characters, this will appeal to fans of fun, bookish cozy mysteries." ―
Mystery and Suspense

"Funny, smart and moving." ―
Criminal Element

"A prospective bookstore owner learns that renovations can be murder…juggling one snarky sheriff, one junior G-man, and three skeletons [attempts to overwhelm] Berry’s seasoned heroine." ―
Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Tamara Berry is a part-time author and part-time freelance copywriter/editor. She has a BA in English literature from Eastern Washington University. In addition to books, she has mad love for all things TV, movies, and pop culture.

Tanya Eby is an Audie, Earphones, and SOVAs award-winning narrator. She has recorded over one thousand titles and specializes in nonfiction, mysteries, thrillers, and women's fiction. Also a USA Today bestselling author, she lives with her family in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09RTH1T7Q
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Poisoned Pen Press (November 29, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 29, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.7 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 409 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 229 ratings

About the author

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Tamara Berry
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Tamara Berry is an Edgar Award winning author of cozy mysteries. She has a B.A. degree in English Literature from Eastern Washington University. In addition to books, she has mad love for all things TV, movies, and pop culture.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
229 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy the book's twisty and suspenseful plot that keeps them guessing. They find it a fun read with playful beginnings and good character development. The book is described as another excellent installment in the series by Tamara Berry.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

6 customers mention "Plot"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the plot. They find it twisty and suspenseful, keeping them guessing until the satisfying ending. The storyline is described as a good mystery that keeps you hooked until the end.

"...I like a good mystery!" Read more

"...The characters are more established and the storyline is plotted well." Read more

"...This isn’t a “silly” or fluffy cozy mystery, but rather an astute, gripping, well-written, soft-mystery with a charming group of characters set..." Read more

"...Funny but with a very good storyline." Read more

5 customers mention "Fun read"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's fun and playful beginnings. They find the storyline satisfying and it's another excellent installment in the series.

"...I like that some of the suspected "bad" people are also caring and good, very human! I like a good mystery!" Read more

"...Funny but with a very good storyline." Read more

"Another excellent installment in Tamara Berry's By the Book series. Suspenseful fun that keeps you guessing...." Read more

"Twisty and plot filled fun ..love it and so different and small tow n charm!!! A must read !! Brilliant" Read more

4 customers mention "Character development"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the well-developed characters.

"I like the fun and playful beginnings. I like the good people characters!..." Read more

"...The characters are more established and the storyline is plotted well." Read more

"...an astute, gripping, well-written, soft-mystery with a charming group of characters set amidst a lovely east coast town...." Read more

"...; while it wasn’t a book I’d rave about, I liked the characters enough to keep reading the series (especially when more ARCs are available)...." Read more

On Spine of Death Thrill!
4 out of 5 stars
On Spine of Death Thrill!
On Spine of Deat is the delightful second book in the “By the Book Mysteries” series, and fans of Tamara Berry are thrilled with this fun and exciting addition. I adore Tess Harrow and her fiction detective, as well as the real-life version of him, Sheriff Boyd. Between them, they find human bones, dig up a thirty-year-old mystery, and chase a serial killer. You couldn’t ask for a more action-packed cozy.Tess decided to turn her grandfather’s old hardware store into her dream bookstore. She didn’t figure that being tied to a chair in the basement and having human bones rain down on her head would be a possibility when she started the renovation, but she figured wrong. Not only do bones keep showing up, but it looks like a serial killer was at work thirty years before when her grandfather was alive, and he is the prime suspect. But when another mystery involving Sherriff Boyd’s sister pops up, Tess questions the evidence that has been uncovered so far.The characters in this series will make you smile and even laugh. Tess keeps you on your toes, and Sherriff Boyd will endear himself to readers. Tess’ daughter, Gertrude, is not your average teenager; she helps solve mysteries alongside her mother. The town of Winthrop is tiny, but it is also described in enough detail to make readers want to visit, even with human bones being dug up every day and a serial killer roaming the countryside.The victims all seem innocent, and it is difficult to find a motive for their murders. And for someone to bury their bones under the hardware store. The serial killer, even though a nasty piece of work, has a personality that comes through as ruthless and sadistic. Of course, when the killer is identified, the reader finds out that their personality matches the clues and the motive. Tess is in a life-or-death struggle to prevent herself from becoming the next victim, save the day, and save her grandfather’s reputation.Readers will love On Spine of Deat. It has everything you could want in a cozy mystery, bones, a serial killer, and Tess’ whacky sense of humor. Along with characters that make you happy, even when they are miserable, a town you can see yourself walking around, and a story that is gripping and tantalizing. I am happy to recommend this book to readers who love a thrill ride.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2024
    I like the fun and playful beginnings. I like the good people characters! I like that some of the suspected "bad" people are also caring and good, very human! I like a good mystery!
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2024
    On Spine of Death is the sophomore novel in the By the Book Mysteries series and I think it’s better than the first. The characters are more established and the storyline is plotted well.
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2023
    4.5 stars
    I fell into this series because I received an arc for the third book coming out next month, and given my nature, I had to go back and start at book one…and I’m SO GLAD I did!

    The Rocky Road to Ruin is the first book in the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series by Meri Allen. This cozy mystery was a pleasure to read and so utterly engaging. It’s a complex, clever mystery and the heroine is sharp, intuitive, generous and kind. She is also an incredible friend and I was inspired by the friendship between Caroline and Riley, our main protagonist.

    Riley Rhodes is a travel blogger and CIA librarian who occasionally works in the field. After an embarrassing misstep in her last assignment, she has decided to head home to spend time with her best friend, Caroline, as she grieves her mother’s death. There is some contention and pressure over the estate, and as tempers begin to flare and emotions fly, a murder occurs. What seems straight-forward, is anything but.

    The mystery is intelligent, intriguing, and believable, and the atmosphere is tangibly descriptive. The ice cream shop business is interesting. The characters are a quirky, endearing crew, and their backstories and connections to one another are compelling.

    This isn’t a “silly” or fluffy cozy mystery, but rather an astute, gripping, well-written, soft-mystery with a charming group of characters set amidst a lovely east coast town. I eagerly look forward to the next in the series.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2022
    I love Tamara Berry's books. I have realized by now that I am never going to figure out "whodunit" until the very end. Funny but with a very good storyline.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2024
    Very easy read but was shocked by all the typos. Don't they proof read anymore? Regardless, if you just want an enjoyable story, this is a nice light read!
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2023
    Book: On Spine of Death (By the Book #2)
    Author: Tamara Berry
    Format: Digital
    Genre: Cozy Mystery, Crime/Mystery
    Places Featured: Washington, United States
    Review Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
    Review: I read the first book in this series last year when I received it as an ARC from @netgalley; while it wasn’t a book I’d rave about, I liked the characters enough to keep reading the series (especially when more ARCs are available). The second book was a quick read with the same likeable mother-daughter duo of Tess and Gertrude and their friends living in small-town, Washington state. While working on building a bookstore on their inherited property, they come across a set of bones. And then another set of bones. And then they realize the deaths are probably related. And then everyone (including the intriguing Sheriff) suspect that Tess and her family might have had something to do with it. So, as before, Tess starts her own investigation into the murders. It was a quick no-brainer read, but one of those that seems to have so much potential, but then falls short.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2022
    Another excellent installment in Tamara Berry's By the Book series. Suspenseful fun that keeps you guessing. Can't wait to read the next book in the series.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2023
    Twisty and plot filled fun ..love it and so different and small tow n charm!!! A must read !! Brilliant
    One person found this helpful
    Report

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