Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Murder Is Binding: A Booktown Mystery
    Unavailable
    Murder Is Binding: A Booktown Mystery
    Unavailable
    Murder Is Binding: A Booktown Mystery
    Audiobook8 hours

    Murder Is Binding: A Booktown Mystery

    Written by Lorna Barrett

    Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The streets of Stoneham, New Hampsire are lined with bookstores...and paved with murder.When she moved to Stoneham, city slicker Tricia Miles met nothing but friendly faces. And when she opened her mystery bookstore, she met friendly competition. But when she finds Doris Gleason dead in her own cookbook store, killed by a carving knife, the atmosphere seems more cutthroat than cordial. Someone wanted to get their hands on the rare cookbook that Doris had recently purchased-and the locals think that someone is Tricia. To clear her name, Tricia will have to take a page out of one of her own mysteries—and hunt down someone who isn't killing by the book.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateAug 3, 2010
    ISBN9781101195932
    Unavailable
    Murder Is Binding: A Booktown Mystery

    Related to Murder Is Binding

    Related audiobooks

    Amateur Sleuths For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Books

      Apr 16, 2021

      Books
      4 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Nov 30, 2022

      by Lisa Gray (£8.99, PB, Thomas & Mercer) Leonard, a freelance crime journalist, has an unusual hobby – he buys undeveloped 35mm film spools and develops the pictures. When a negative of a blood-splattered woman materialises, he realises this is an

      2 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Mar 5, 2020

      In this fascinating retro true crime tale, the idea that Sydney’s first serial killer may have been responsible for what became known as the 1930s ‘park murders’ is explored. Predictably, two of the killers’ victims, Iris Marriott and Hilda White, ga

      1 min read

    • Article

      Book CLUB

      Jan 4, 2022

      Book CLUB
      1 min read

    • Article

      Case #007 The Hoxton Horror

      Feb 16, 2023

      Case #007 The Hoxton Horror
      2 min read

    • Article

      Book Of The Week

      Sep 18, 2022

      Book Of The Week
      1 min read

    • Article

      Great Reads

      Aug 9, 2023

      By Stef Penney In Paris in 1870, three wandering souls find themselves in a city set to descend into war. Anne is a former patient from a women’s asylum trying to carve out a new life for herself in a world that doesn’t understand her. Newcomer Lawre

      2 min read

    • Article

      Fact To Fiction

      Jan 29, 2024

      From an intriguing interview with popular ‘whodunnit’ author Richard Osman, to more contentious non-fiction that bravely addresses difficult issues and feelings, these reads will not fail to grab your attention. “I love these characters and that's wh

      3 min read

    • Article

      Hot Right Now!

      Sep 7, 2023

      Hot Right Now!
      2 min read

    • Article

      Crime Book Of The MONTH

      Jul 21, 2021

      by Lesley Pearse (Penguin, RRP $37) “Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours,” goes the slightly annoying theme song to the long-running Aussie soap. It’s a message the neighbours in this book seem to have missed. Young couple Nina and Conrad Bes

      1 min read

    • Article

      30 Books in 30 Days: Krazy: George Herriman, a Life

      Feb 23, 2017

      In the 30 Books in 30 Days series leading up to the March 16 announcement, of the 2016 National Book Critics Circle award winners, NBCC board members review the thirty finalists. Today, NBCC board member Colette Bancroft offers an appreciation of bio

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Lady Vanishes

      Sep 2, 2022

      The Lady Vanishes
      9 min read

    • Article

      Books Of The Month

      Oct 27, 2023

      By Janice Hallett Bestseller Hallett’s latest novel reunites us with the Fairway Players, the beleaguered am-dram group who featured in her debut, The Appeal. As before, young lawyers Femi and Charlotte must work out whodunnit from a bunch of emails,

      2 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Feb 18, 2022

      Books
      3 min read

    • Article

      Storytime

      Jun 16, 2021

      If you’ve yet to discover Sujata Massey’s deliciously fun murder mysteries this is a great one to start with. Our sleuthing protagonist, Bombay’s feisty first female lawyer Perveen Mistry, is contacted by Freny, head of Woodburn College’s student uni

      1 min read

    • Article

      Storytime

      Jun 16, 2021

      If you’ve yet to discover Sujata Massey’s deliciously fun murder mysteries this is a great one to start with. Our sleuthing protagonist, Bombay’s feisty first female lawyer Perveen Mistry, is contacted by Freny, head of Woodburn College’s student uni

      1 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Aug 19, 2020

      Set mainly at sea, this tense thriller leaves you gasping for air. When Mia escapes her controlling ex-husband, Rob, and sets up home with a new boyfriend, she thinks she can leave that part of her life behind. That is, until Rob is found dead on a b

      1 min read

    • Article

      Hill To Die On

      Jul 23, 2022

      NOTHING SAYS COSY mystery like a bloodless death, an amateur woman detective and a tightly-knit community. The Death of Kirti Kadakia, billed as a “Temple Hill Mystery”, has all of these. The new novel by advertising professional and writer Meeti Shr

      2 min read

    • Article

      Better Books

      Apr 11, 2024

      Better Books
      2 min read

    • Article

      SECRETS & LIES

      Jul 28, 2023

      BY MARK BILLINGHAM LITTLE, BROWN Detective Sergeant Declan Miller is back at work following the murder of his wife, Alex. His new partner is DS Sara Xiu, a heavy-metal enthusiast who rides a powerful Yamaha motorcycle. Their first case is the double

      3 min read

    • Article

      Summer Book Reviews

      Dec 2, 2022

      by Inga Simpson Published by Hachette Australia ISBN 9780733634550 $32.99 Inga Simpson has outed herself as a cricket tragic. With this new novel, she will endear herself to the many others of her kind who walk among us, particularly those drawn to t

      4 min read

    • Article

      Books Of The Month

      Apr 22, 2022

      By Don Winslow This first book in a projected trilogy about warring mobster families is set in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1986. The Italians and the Irish have carved up the city, controlling the trucking industry and the docks. The author makes ov

      2 min read

    • Article

      Pageturners

      Dec 1, 2021

      Pageturners
      1 min read

    • Article

      On The Bookshelf

      Nov 26, 2021

      by Dominic Nolan Published by Headline Price £18.99 Pages 592 ISBN 9781472288851 In 1935, Soho is Sergeant Leon Geats’s patch. There’s not much he doesn’t know about the people inhabiting this infamous area of London, the working girls, the pimps, th

      5 min read

    Reviews for Murder Is Binding

    3.5/5

    368 ratings52 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      I'm not sure if I like Tricia she's kinda nice but not totally. I'm guessing it's bc this is the first in a series. I did enjoy the story though
    • 2/5
      In which it is shown, that it takes more than a bookshop (even a mystery bookshop!), a cat and some recipes to make a good murder mystery. Sigh. This isn't it.A typical "cozy" mystery which has the owner of a used bookstore being accused of murder. She has the requisite cat, and her sister, whom she loathes, is the one with the recipes. Possibly this would be just the book for folks who love cozy mysteries, but I cut my teeth on Rex Stout, Dorothy L. Sayers and Ellis Peters, so it was not a satisfactory read for me. The characters grated, and the topics were banal. After the first 50 pages, I skipped to the end to see if I was missing anything. I was not.
    • 4/5
      Really a fun read. I'm a book collector myself and love mysteries. Combining the two is just perfect. The characters are believable and likable. I'm looking forward to reading more of this series. The plot is solid and not convoluted.It reminds me of another series that deals with books. I recommend this series.
    • 5/5
      This is a strong beginning to the Booktown series, and a cozy lover's dream! A small New England town dedicates a whole village to bookstores, each with a theme (mysteries, cooking, etc.). Rare and unique editions are the town's bread and butter, and when it appears that someone is murdered for a rare cookbook, the owner of the mystery book store becomes a suspect. There are plenty of colorful and diverse characters, as well as several subplots in this book that make it an interesting and a fun read.
    • 4/5
      Very nice entry as the first book in the series. Characters are very believable. Mystery was a bit predictable. I hope that the series will grow as more books are published.
    • 4/5
      Read from April 19 to June 25, 2013Listened for Fun (Library Book)Overall Rating: 4.00Story Rating: 3.75Character Rating: 4.25Audio Rating: 4.00 (Not part of the overall rating)First Thought when Finished: Really strong beginning to a new to me cozy mystery series. :)Story Thoughts: This was a fun little cozy mystery. Tricia was pretty smart and savvy which made her approach to the case both interesting and fun. I am not a big fan of the plot device used for the "who dun it" but it was still really easy to read. Great for an afternoon with a big glass of ice tea.Character Thoughts: I really liked the characters of Murder is Binding. Tricia was easy to relate too even in her unlikable moments (yes she had a few) and her interactions with her sister, workers, and town people were great. I felt the side characters were really what shined and I hope we get to spend more time with them in the future.Audio Thoughts: Narrated By Cassandra Campbell / Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins I really liked Cassandra Campbell's narration and thought she was perfect for Tricia. She had the right tempo and cadence. I really enjoyed listening to this book on audio.Final Thoughts: This was a good start to the series and I can't wait to continue.
    • 4/5
      A very good story, with interesting characters. Looking forward to reading Bookmarked For Death, the secon in the series.
    • 4/5
      What a fun new cozy mystery series! I didn't realize until adding Books 3 and 4 this week that I had not previously added these books or reviewed them! Thankfully, I purchased Books 1 and 2 together so I didn't have to wait long to enjoy the 2nd book in the series.
    • 3/5
      Pleasant enough but nothing to write home about.
    • 4/5
      I don’t know why but it took me a while to love the characters but the story is great and by the end of it I couldn’t wait to start the next. Give this a go you won’t be disappointed.
    • 4/5
      I am a reader. I love cozy mysteries. What better than reading the first book in a series? THAT TAKES PLACE IN A TOWN DESIGNED AROUND MANY BOOKSTORES!!!
    • 4/5
      Cute and cozy mystery. I was pretty sure who was the murderer about halfway through, but it was a good read none the less.
    • 4/5
      Excellent bookish mystery and the first book of which I hope becomes a long running series. How you not love a small town in NH that has been revitalized by turning main street into a group of specialty bookshops.
    • 3/5
      Murder is Binding is the first book of a cozy mystery series by Lorna Barrett. I found the book to be charming, but fairly slow-paced; it could not hold my interest for long periods of time, and so it often got lost in the day-to-day bustle. I'm not sure if I'll continue the series, but I enjoyed the book for what it is.
    • 2/5
      Tricia Miles moved to Stoneham, New Hampshire, to open a mystery bookstore, Haven't Got A Clue, after her marriage broke up. While there are plenty of tourists to keep the store booming, her next-door neighbor is a bust. Doris Gleason owns The Cookery, a cookbook store, and is after Tricia to help her stand off against their landlord, Bob Kelly, who is raising Doris's rates. But Tricia, whose lease isn't up for a couple of years, refuses, leaving Doris fuming.Then Tricia gets a call from her sister Angelica, a much-married pain in the you-know-what who's decided to visit her unannounced. While she isn't relishing Angelica's visit, she knows she'll have to deal with it. Driving Angelica back to her store that night, she sees a fire in The Cookery and tells Angelica to dial 9-1-1 while she goes to put out the fire and see if Doris is in the store. She is, indeed -- Doris is lying with a kitchen knife to her back.Now Angelica wants to stay in town and the sheriff wants to nail her for Doris's murder, no matter what information Tricia gives her to point her in another direction. It's obvious that if Tricia wants to stay out of the slammer, she's going to have to slam the door on a killer herself...This is an older book, and the first in the series. It didn't really impress me, and I'm not sorry that I haven't made any time to read this author before. I will tell you why below:First off, Tricia has a problem with weight. As in other people being overweight. She mentions several times about how her sister was once fat, and how the sheriff is fat. We get it. You don't like fat people. Then, there's an unkind comment that was made which shouldn't have been, considering it would have been offensive even when this book was written. I am assuming that the author made the comment to show how offensive Doris was as a person, which is why I hope it was said.I can, sort of, understand why she resents Angelica. Especially since Angelica points out how Tricia was unwanted, and that Angelica was "the star" in the family and the favored one. Repeatedly. That must have made Tricia feel wonderful growing up - knowing her parents didn't want her around because they already had Angelica. No wonder she resents her. I'd probably not want anything to do with this woman, either. Again, especially since Angelica pushes her way into Tricia's life and steamrolls her; not taking into consideration her feelings, her privacy, dislikes Tricia's cat, invites people into Tricia's home without her permission, etc.; and then, just decides she's going to help her run her store. Just like that. Which makes Angelica a unlikable person. There's a very telling scene where Angelica gains something but it devastates someone else (in the same room) and she looks offended that Tricia is trying to comfort the other person. No sympathy at all for the other person. This family is a piece of work.Tricia, taking all the above into consideration, still doesn't come off very well herself. Aside from the 'fat' thing, she's rather boring. She has very little personality, and leaves her employee to run the store by herself. A lot. I've never thought much of protagonists who claim to own a business but then never spend any time there. Then there's the mystery itself. It starts at the beginning of the book when Doris is murdered, but it doesn't gain any steam until around the last third of the book, when the clues start pouring in and you can begin to put the pieces together. Oh, yes, there are suspects, but none of them really seem to have a reason to kill the woman until this happens. Then you have that 'aha' moment; you knew who killed Doris; but the 'why' is still there for a few pages more. It doesn't take much after that to put it together. The ending had a bit of a climax, and I have to say that it wasn't written badly, but I will say that if I had to spend any close quarters with Angelica I'd move. And fast. I don't know if I like punishing myself or not, but unless a book is truly awful, I try to read three in the series before I pass judgment, so I will read the next and see if it gets any better.
    • 4/5
      It's a light mystery but a fun read. Could use some stronger character development and it's a bit clumsy in areas. I had already figured out who committed the murderer long before the end which is unusual for me - I make no effort to figure it out so I can be surprised. But I love books that take place in or around bookstores. I found the main character a bit difficult to relate to, but felt that the portrayal of other characters was reasonably well-done. I did make notes on a couple of the recipes which is a plus. On the whole, I would recommend this book.
    • 1/5
      Ugh. I wasn't thrilled with this book from the first page where the protagonist immediately comes off as catty towards other women. But hoping it would be a minor issue, I pressed on because I'm always a sucker for a bookish cozy mystery. I really shouldn't have. The protagonist appears to have NO women friends (or really any friends), is internally judgmental about everyone, and more than once internally refers to her one staff member in her bookshop as "the help." *cringe* And age can't be an excuse as the book was published in 2008. What made me immediately close this ebook and send it back to the library though was that after discovering the murder victim has a daughter with Down's syndrome, in passing the information on to another character, she used the "r" word. And that was it. I'm done. Not at all recommended.
    • 4/5
      What a fun new cozy mystery series! I didn't realize until adding Books 3 and 4 this week that I had not previously added these books or reviewed them! Thankfully, I purchased Books 1 and 2 together so I didn't have to wait long to enjoy the 2nd book in the series.
    • 4/5
      This small town has been revamped as a booksellers’ town. Although locals visit the shops, it is the tourist travel that keeps the town going now. When mystery bookshop Tricia Miles finds the next door store owner of The Cookery dead in her shop, she becomes the sheriff’s number one suspect. It doesn’t help that the sheriff hates her for a reason not readily known to Tricia. But Tricia does know that if she doesn’t get to the bottom of the killing, she will be looking the wrong way through prison bars. Much happens in this novel, the first in the series. While it does introduce the characters, and sets up future books, it is a delightful and intriguing mystery in its own right, and a promising start to the series.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Stoneham, New Hampshire town facing financial ruin has reinvented itself as a “book lovers” destination. Each store on Main Street is devoted to books. A book store that sells mysteries, a book store that sells cookbooks, a book store that sells history books, etc. The owner of The Cookery is stabbed in the back, her body left in her store and the carpet set on fire. Trish, the owner of Haven’t Got a Clue the bookstore devoted to mysteries old and new finds Doris’ body. Now the Sheriff is trying to pin the murder on Trish.A cozy mystery. I read book 8 first and was confused by the characters and so came back to find the beginning of the series, I recommend the series be read-in-order.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Enjoyed the cozy mystery!
    • 5/5
      Just before starting this book, I had to give up on a cozy mystery that I could not get interested in but after reading the first page of Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett, I knew that right away that I was hooked. I can always count on wonderful quirky characters, a mystery full of twists, great dialogues and a place where I would love to live and interact with the characters. Lorna Bartlett never ever lets me down!Trisha Miles is recently divorced moves to Stoneham, New Hampshire and wants a new beginning in her life. So she starts up a mystery book shop. She already has one employee, Ginny Wilson and a charming and dependable customer who never buys but always shows up on time, Mr. Everett. She has a love/hate (stronger on the hate) relationship with her older sister, Angelica, who announces that she is moving to Stoneham. We learn a lot about the background of their relationship.Next door to Trisha’s shop is Doris Gleason’s Cook Book Store. When Trisha first meets her, she is pushing for organizing a protest for the high rents for the shops. Trisha finds her dead with a kitchen knife in her back. For some reason to be figured out later, the sheriff thinks that Trisha did it. More characters are introduced but as the events roll on, the town people starts to believe that the sheriff is right, except of course for those closest to her. The mystery is engaging and good and evil struggle on these pages. There several typical several family situations that the characters have to deal with.I highly recommend Murder is Binding and have already added the other books in this series to my wish list.
    • 2/5
      A small New Hampshire town has reinvented itself as “booktown” – setting up a variety of used book stores and specialty shops on the formerly decaying Main Street. One of these is “Haven’t Got a Clue,” owned and operated by newcomer Tricia Miles, and specializing in mystery books. When Tricia finds a neighboring shop’s owner murdered, she quickly finds herself the chief suspect. Now she has to find who really committed the murder in order to clear her name.

      It’s a promising set up for a cozy mystery. Tricia’s sister also makes an appearance as the “clueless” sidekick, and there are plenty of handsome, rich men about to lend some romantic interest. The problem is that Barrett’s writing is so hackneyed. I’m supposed to believe that a level-headed business woman like Tricia will actually “giggle” on meeting one of the local hunks for the first time? Really? Barrett also throws in a meddlesome cat, and a sister who is a gourmet cook (so, of course, she has to include the recipes). The author seems to have lost focus. Perhaps other books in the series get better, but I’m not sure I’ll even try them.
    • 3/5
      Parts of this book were enjoyable (like when Trish met Grace in the assisted living center and discovered what was going on with her situation), and parts were annoying (like the sheriff character). But it was a book about a mystery bookstore! I'll probably give the series another try down the road.
    • 4/5
      I thought the writer did a good job setting the groundwork for a series. I found a town centered around various kinds of bookstores to be an interesting idea. Thought the mystery was plotted pretty well and that the author did a pretty good job incorporating the clues along the way. Overall impression: I enjoyed it and would be willing to read more in the series.
    • 4/5
      Very good first book in a series. I love the idea of a town with its major tourist attraction different kinds of bookstores. The main character in this one owns the mystery shop (big surprise).

      This is one of those series where the sleuth DOESN'T sets out to get involved in a murder mystery, in fact she has to be dragged into the whole thing when it becomes obvious that someone is trying to frame her for the murder.

      The whole family dynamics aspect of this is interesting, as in, there is dysfunctional and then there is DYSFUNCTIONAL. Made for some good twists and turns.

      I'll be watching for the next book in the series.
    • 4/5
      Book #1 in the Murder in Three Volumes. Absolutely love the bookstore setting. A well written mystery.
    • 4/5
      First in the series of the Booktown Mysteries. The character studies set the tone for future entries in this series. The story ends surprisingly and with excitement, all wrapped up in the last chapter. The characters are quirky and fun, and the idea of the book town is intriguing to book lovers. This is a cozy and fun, light-hearted read. Spoiler alert: the bad guys get what's coming to them in the end.
    • 4/5
      I would have loved to live in Stoneham. A quaint little town where there are plenty of bookstores to choose from. That’s every bookworm’s dream come true. I absolutely loved this setting. The story itself is good, and the characters are fitting for the setting. Angelica, Tricia’s sister is a typical annoying, bossy, older sister and at times she got on my nerves (like any older sister would be very skilled at). Although Tricia is partly at fault because she lets Angelica have her way most of the time. However how annoying Angelica can be, she also provides the comedy in this book. The characters overall in the book are all right and fun to read, there’s plenty of suspects and I was surprised to find more than one dead body in this mystery. There are plenty of suspects to guess from, and the ending is quite dramatic - maybe a little over the top for some readers, but I thought it ended with a good punch. The pace of the book certainly does keep the reader turning the pages though, so this book could be finished in no time at all. The little twists throughout the novel are also fun to read and does keep the plot exciting to keep the reader going. I’d say this was a cozy mystery in its’ true form. It was an absolutely delight to read, the little town was perfect for all book lovers to enjoy and the recipes in th3 back are definitely worth a try. I’m definitely going onto the second book.
    • 4/5
      In Barrett's mystery novel, Tricia Miles has moved to Stoneham, New Hampshire following her divorce and opened up her own bookstore. Surrounded by friends and friendly faces, she made a life for herself. But when she discovers another bookstore owner dead, the local atmosphere changes drastically when it's discovered that the murder occurred over a rare and valuable old cookbook the owner had recently purchased. The locals turn their focus to Tricia and to clear her own name, she is forced to work the "crime scene" herself. Filled with books, interesting characters, and mystery galore, this is a wonderful debut novel to The Booktown Mystery series.