Murder on the Books – New Cozy Series from T.C. LoTempio

Last Updated on August 6, 2026

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to read a Hallmark Mystery movie in book format, wonder no more. Murder on the Books from best-selling author T.C. LoTempio is as close as you will ever get.

And I include the fact that I have read the Hannah Swensen books from Joanne Fluke, which have been adapted into Murder She Baked. And still, Murder on the Books is closer to Hallmark!

By the way, that is not a bad thing. In fact, from a cozy mystery perspective, it’s a great thing!

I could practically see the movie play out in my mind’s eye as I read it. And I loved it.

If you’re not already familiar with T.C. LoTempio, she is known for her cozy mystery series, including the Nick and Nora Mysteries and the Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries.

This book, however, is the start of a brand new series featuring amateur sleuth Charley James. She has a back story all of her own, so let me tell you more about her.

Charley James aka C.J. Barrett

Charley James is from the small town of Austin, Pennsylvania. After leaving school, she headed for the bright lights of New York and began working as a researcher for a magazine.

She then decided to try her hand at a novel under the pseudonym CJ Barrett, and 15 Detective Jack Sheppard novels later, she is now a best-selling author.

However, she’s now exhausted and wants to take some time out to replenish those batteries, so she heads back home to Austin, where nobody knows she’s actually the writer CJ Barrett.

So far, so good. It then transpires that her best friend, Zane, had planned to open a bakery in town, but her business partner, Sheila, has upped and vanished.

Sheila was due to open a mystery bookstore next to her (it’s a double-fronted store), but without Sheila, Zane is in danger of losing her shop before it even opens.

Charley, at a bit of a loose end and with some cash in the bank, decides to step in and take over the lease from Sheila.

Just as the two ladies are renovating their stores to get ready for the big opening, Charley makes a very unwelcome discovery in the basement. Sheila’s body.

Now, I’m not giving anything away here because the book opens with Sheila’s murder, so it was only a matter of time before Charley found her!

Channeling all of her mystery writing skills, Charley decides to figure out what happened to Sheila, much to the annoyance of local detective Ian Grant.

A Potential Romance

As you can imagine already, Detective Ian Grant is a bit of a looker. Handsome, brooding…you know the score.

Of course, they clash when they meet – the author is playing the long game here – but we know that there’s something between them.

Anyway, despite his best efforts to stop Charley from her own investigation, she plows right ahead, much to his frustration.

But it’s tricky to solve a murder, open a new bookshop, and take care of your newly adopted stray cat. But with a killer on the loose and not much to go on, that’s exactly what Charley does.

Big Thumbs Up For Charley James

Everything about Murder on the Books flowed perfectly. From the murderous opening to the clever backstory of a mystery writer who returns to her hometown of Austin, the setting is really well thought out.

There are old school friends, a couple of antagonists, plenty of suspects and a mystery centered around somebody who nobody really knew that well.

There are clues that we readers can follow, and right until the end, very little gives away the killer.

Though I will say that as suspects begin to dwindle, there aren’t that many people left who could have done it, so you can work it out.

That said, and this is my only criticism, the townspeople of Austin are a very chatty bunch. They need no persuasion when it comes to telling Charley everything they know about Sheila.

Sure, it’s highly unrealistic, but it gets the job done in terms of moving the plot along. It’s also a clever device to embed Charley back in her hometown. So win-win.

Will I Read More In The Series?

There are some series that you naturally gravitate towards. I particularly love The Nosey Parker Series by Fiona Leitch, which is along similar lines to Murder On The Books, so I guess I have a ‘type.’

As this is the first in the series, I absolutely cannot wait until T.C. Lo Tempio pens the second, the third, and the fourth…

I will be first in line to follow Charley, her investigations, and her potential budding romance with the dishy Detective Ian Grant!